level_act23side_01_beg

We should be safe now that we've made it into Yumen.

Don't let your guard down.

We will return to the barracks and present the data to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau first, then we will report to General Zuo about the situation outside the city.

Of course.

Hmph, and not a second after I finish.

An ambush! Protect Envoy Lin and fall back!

No need. We're surrounded.

Who goes there?! How dare you intercept a military unit?!

Watch out, Envoy Lin!

Arts that turn sand into glass... How quaint.

I've had a feeling things weren't quite right since before we made it into the city...

I take it you're after the Catastrophe observation data? You killed the entire team of Messengers, but you weren't able to find the data, so you had no choice but to arrange the crime scene to look like they were robbed by bandits... How shabby.

Kill the broad first. She must be holding the target. Watch out for her Arts.

You think you have the advantage because you have more men? Hmph...

A mace flies through the air and smashes into the scoundrel standing in front of Lin Yühsia until he crashes into the road's flagstones, shattering them to pieces.

The mace could not be more normal, but it must have seen better days, given how smooth its surface has become.

A man steps forward to pick up the mace and stands in front of Lin Yühsia.

A regular bladesmith. His face has been scalded red by the flames of his forge and ploughed into a ravine by the sandstorm, like a war drum that's crude yet firm and tough nonetheless.

Impudence!

Uncle Meng, I'll go after them!

Yaoye, we must first check on the warriors with all haste.

Okay....

The scoundrels are ruthless with their attacks. Are you alright, my fair lady?

They don't have what it takes to hurt me.

Some of the men are injured. Their lives are not in danger, though. Only passed out.

They dare look for trouble with government troops in broad daylight? Makes me wonder where these people came from.

Uncle Meng, what do you say I take one of them back for an interrogation?

We don't know the first thing about the enemy... Yaoye, you must learn not to be so rash.

Judging by your outfit, you are not from Yumen, yet you have the protection of Yumen's forces. I must assume you are no ordinary lady. May I ask why these bandits are giving you trouble?

I'm on official business. Don't ask any further.

You little...!

And who are you? Why are you here?

The name is Meng Tieyi. I run a sword forge in the southern end of the city. This is Du Yaoye. She just came here from Shangshu.

I own Xingyu Logistics, Yumen's top logistics company.

We're heading to the city gate to arrange a welcome.

This is the first time the guys I brought with me from Shangshu are on a Yumen job. It's a huge gig, they're escorting a Catastrophe Messenger, even. Of course I have to be there to welcome them.

Judging by the time, they should be back soon, Uncle Meng.

Catastrophe Messenger...

I have a feeling you don't need to go.

Have you taken a fancy to another weapon here in my tent?

It's fine. I have no need of all these weapons. If you'd like, perhaps you could take my army's entire armory with you to Lungmen.

Please, Lord Exorcist. Even if you had no need for all these armaments yourself, Yumen needs them for its defense.

If memory serves me right, you and I made a bet a decade ago, and you made off with a fine blade I had only just obtained. Then, five years ago, you made off with a bow the Tianshi Bureaus bestowed upon me, after a bit of drinking.

Then allow me to invite you to another round of drink today. Please, win if that is your wish. Hold back no more.

I'm joking. All these years, Lungmen has been providing Yumen with the resources we need, and not once have we seen a delay in shipments. Based on this fact alone, I certainly should have sent you a few gifts myself.

It's the least I could do.

But as the Chief of Lungmen, I understand you must have plenty on your plate... Certainly, you must have more important business to attend to than personally visiting Yumen today?

You could say I'm not here for business.

A few days without Chief Wei won't see Lungmen falling into chaos, and it's not so bad if Wei Yenwu finds some time to pay an old friend a visit.

It so happens the Grandmaster's retirement is near, and I will be there in attendance.

His retirement is indeed quite troublesome.

That blade of his requires the most attentive treatment.

Well, it seems in the end, this troublesome topic falls on me to explain.

Grandmaster, Miss Ling. Long time no see.

It has been some time indeed.

Aah!

With so many old friends in attendance, that's reason enough for drink. Have you perhaps prepared some wine for us, General Zuo?

Given your service to Yumen, it would be my honor to share a drink with you, Miss Ling.

That said, I'm afraid it must wait for another time.

I heard you have already made up your mind, and you wish to bestow your blade upon the winner of a kung fu scramble?

Martial arts are merely the first of many ways I will be evaluating prospective successors. I will be judging whether they are worthy of my blade via other means.

And I was under the impression that you would have known this long ago.

The circumstances were different the last time you brought this up.

And if I am to say, although this blade must eventually be given to someone suitable, this is not the most opportune time to do so.

Grandmaster, after all this time, of all the men and women in our whole army, you've never seen a suitable candidate?

What a lively gathering.

My apologies for not personally receiving you, Grand Tutor.

It has been far too many years, but you seem as spirited as ever, Grand Tutor.

All of you are outstanding citizens who defend the peace of Great Yan's borders. Your magnificence gathered together in one place is truly a sight for sore eyes.

Alas, we have no time for idle conversation today, for we have urgent matters at hand.

We have all gathered, General Zuo. Send the men away.

On my way here, I just so happened to have come across a returning patrolman. Let us listen to him.

Four hours ago, our men on the city walls noticed a distress signal from afar.

When we got there, we found... the Catastrophe Messenger team that Yumen deployed three days ago... has been wiped out.

Yaoye, did you not design this banner yourself? Why pack it up?

Are you perhaps considering making your way home? Are you regretting letting the Qis go on this job?

I'm regretting not going with them.

You heard the envoy just now. Of the team of ten, not one survived. The moment they got the distress signal, they immediately left to give their assistance, but were killed on their way back.

These are not roving bandits we are dealing with. What could you have possibly done to change the outcome if you were there?

Uncle Meng... I'm guessing... you must have seen these things happen many times before?

What do you think?

Over a decade ago, the Xingyu Escort Association came to Yumen for a few jobs. That was when your father and I met each. We've had little contact with each other the last few years, but our friendship goes deep.

He often talks about you, too.

Two weeks ago, you came to my forge and told me you wanted to start your own logistics company.

It may only have been a decade or so, but much has changed over the years. It's nothing strange for the youngsters to want to strike out on their own.

On top of that, your knowledge of the escort business and wilderness survival is no worse than any of the old veterans. I should have expected no less from the Asker of the Frost's daughter.

This is why I took you in. I know little about modern logistics, but having spent all these years in Yumen, I could at least find some opportunities for you.

In hindsight, it would seem I led to your friends' undoing...

I was the one who brought them to Yumen. I was also the one to send them on this job.

Their deaths are on me, and I won't shirk that responsibility.

It puts my mind at ease to see you have that resolve.

Be it the Escort Association or a logistics company, things will always be the same. For the sake of our livelihood, we put our lives on the line. If you wish to make a name for yourself in this business, you need to understand how heavy the weight on your shoulders is.

Yaoye, it doesn't matter whether this is the path you will end up taking or not. I want you to remember how you feel this very moment for the rest of your life.

Yeah... Of course I will remember.

But I won't let the culprit here get away with killing them!

Well, this has been another productive day for you, hasn't it? Try to get some rest now.

I've left you two dishes. The cooks have reheated it already.

This inn's has a chef of truly magnificent culinary skill. Makes me want to learn a couple things from him.

I'm not hungry... I can't eat this right now.

You can look for your good-for-nothing father, but you need to eat nonetheless. Without the stamina, how are you going to beat him when you find him?

(Picks chopsticks up silently)

What happened to your hand...?

I scraped myself in a match today... but a wound like this is nothing! Yumen's arena is open all day long, and I was up against lots of tough opponents. And I won in the end!

That explains why the inn keeps so many medicines in stock... Wait here. I'll bring you some.

Show me your hand.

Oof.

It's only in times like these that I remember... you're Waai Tinpui's... or I guess out here he's Huai Tianpei, his daughter.

We're nothing alike!

He's a grown man, but he shirks all his responsibilities, washes his hands of everything.

I've been living a fairly decent, productive life on my own. But him? He was already a lawbreaker back when I was still a kid!

You're exactly right. That's why we should take him straight to the nearest L.G.D. office the moment we find him.

Uncle Lee... Do you think he's really here in Yumen?

I heard a rumor that someone saw him here a year ago. It's from your Uncle Liang, and I have no choice but to believe him.

If he's really in Yumen, he has to have seen my name on the rankings at the city gate by now. It's been so many years. The least he could've done was stop by to check on me when he passed through Lungmen.

Does that mean he doesn't care about me? Or is he trying to avoid me?

Now, I can't say how fathers feel about their daughters.

But blood is thicker than water. Nothing changes that.

I have faith that you two will see each other one day. The question is whether the you two will find the answers you seek once you meet.

Actually... I'm still not sure I'm prepared to see him.

In that case, let's say we walk outside right now and we bump into him. What are you going to do?

I'm going to break his jaw.

That concludes my summary. The Catastrophe data has been sent to Imperial Astronomical Bureau's Observatory, and a provisional new course has been charted based on the computations' results.

The injured men have all been sent to the infirmary, and Envoy Lin is currently investigating the rest.

Hmm...

Thank you. You are excused.

A Catastrophe is approaching, and I allowed this to happen within Yumen borders at this crucial time. I apologize for my negligence.

You need not belittle yourself so.

The important thing right now is to find the identity of our malefactors. Your thoughts, Lord Exorcist?

...The Shanhaizhong.

They should've been eradicated twenty years ago.

The wild hunt of the Feranmut a thousand years ago ended the era of their rampage across the land of Great Yan, yet this was unable to quell the masses' reverence of those terrible monsters.

There have always been those who've worshipped the Feranmuts' power and revered them as gods. They considered themselves followers of the Feranmuts and banded together to locate any traces of them.

The Sui Regulator has for a long time been tracking the movements of this lawless organization, and ever since the offender's commotion... it's like these rebels have been inspired by something, and they've been growing more and more active.

They call themselves the 'Shanhaizhong.' 'The mounts, seas, and all in between shall be our master's,' or so they claim.

Their motto couldn't be any more absurd, but it attracted a great number of followers to join their cause. Not only do they have adherents from a variety of backgrounds far and wide, they have even been plotting atrocities in the name of the Feranmuts.

Hard to imagine there are those who find it harder to put this thousand-year grudge behind them than us.

It's been two decades. This is their second time making trouble here in Yumen.

Yumen itself is a symbol of Yan's triumph over the Feranmuts. These villains naturally have a reason to do it harm.

And with Yumen set to sail afar, the Shanhaizhong's actions point directly to information regarding the oncoming Catastrophe. I can only assume they've learned of Yumen's destination.

Investigate this immediately and ensure peace in Yumen. I accept no failures.

They did not succeed twenty years ago, and they will not succeed this time.

The reason I summoned all of you here today is to discuss what to do with the Grandmaster's sword.

After what happened in Shangshu, there is no doubt that the offender has already made contact with the other proxies.

Sealed with the Grandmaster's sword is one-twelfth of the bestial Sui's consciousness.

Isn't this precisely so why we mustn't underplay the transfer of this sword?

As things stand, the other 180 black stones are yet missing. No one knows where his next move will lead us.

Should we treat all the world's affairs as a game of Go, no one can claim to be able to best him in terms of calculations.

There is very little distance between him and the Sui Regulator. To leave the Regulator in charge of the sword would only achieve the opposite of what we intend.

Against such an opponent, an irrational move might actually be the most brilliant one. Finding a suitable outsider to take the blade might be the solution we need.

My little brother has caused all of you much trouble, after all.

If this is both the Grand Tutor and the Grandmaster's intention, I have no objection.

Grandmaster.

Is something the matter?

Assist the Lord Exorcist in suppressing the Shanhaizhong. This is the Sui Regulator's last task for you.

Once a suitable candidate has been found, the court will allow you to roam free within Yan's borders and interfere with you no longer.

Yumen's citizens may not know your name, and even though you and I will no longer live in a hundred years, the scrolls in the Sui Regulator's libraries will record everything you've done for Yan.

With my dream about to be realized, I have no reason to complain.

I simply do not know whether I should lament that... I will not get to stay with this city to its final moments.

Hm...?

Something on your mind, Miss Ling?

Do any of you smell something... floral, perhaps?

I would say it's... peach blossoms?

Peach blossoms...?

Located in a harsh, desolate sandpit, there is no way for peaches to grow in the Lord Exorcist's courtyard.

Likewise, peach trees do not normally bloom this time of the year in Yumen.

However, everyone in attendance can smell the thick aroma of peaches wafting through the window like the moonlight peeking through. They also see a single, vividly red petal drifting into the hall and gently floating downward.

Well, if that isn't strange...

Watch out!

A blade appears almost out of thin air.

Its tip pauses not an inch away from Wei Yenwu's throat. A freezing chill pierces the flesh of everyone in the room just as the soothing aroma of the flower quells any discomfort they had.

You caught my blade with your bare hands. You can take pride in that.

With your advanced kung fu, why do something as vile and base as ambush us?

I have a question for you myself. With your immense power, why opt for that frail body?

You know me...?

Ling.

I follow.

Grand Tutor, General Zuo. Are you okay?

We're fine.

To think someone could dodge a concerted attack from both Lord Wei and the Grandmaster... Unbelievable.

Thank you for your assistance, Grandmaster.

Given her prowess... she must be skilled in more than just melee combat.

Grandmaster, the sentries will be here soon. Let us prioritize capturing the assassin.

Be careful.

What a refined lady. Leaving us already after scattering these petals around us?

If you would disturb our gathering, why not stay for a little longer?

Let's see what you are trying to keep me here with.

A dream?

You can tell this is a dream?

You still have this power... even after dividing yourself into twelfths.

Hoh? You know not only me, but <i>him</i> as well?

I want to see him... and you are not him.

I am <i>I</i>, naturally, and why do you wish to see him?

Even in a dream, I don't want to waste any time on you.

Your fanciful dream cannot keep me here.

It seems you've dreamt for a long, long time yourself.

Now that you've awakened and returned to the mortal realm, it seems hostilities are unavoidable.

If you want my life, perhaps you should tell me what kind of grudge you have against me.

I don't need to have a grudge against you to want your life.

Kung fu is fine in the place of a grudge.

Let me have another taste of your prowess.

You don't deserve it.

The woman takes a step back.

Her blade slashes through the air like a strong blast of wind. Nonetheless, the tip of her blade is an inch too far from her target. Sharp as it may be, her target is unharmed.

The winds are strong here at the city walls. Don't let the sand blind you.

Do all of you have a catchphrase to drop before you attack?

Enough.

You have nowhere to run. Surrender.

You have quite the party here.

The woman slowly raises the sword in her hand. The gleam reflected by its blade shines just like the moon above. The moonlight itself is an opening in the dark sky from which the awakening of spring flows abundantly.

Though it is mid-March, the peach trees are blooming as vibrantly as could be. There are no passersby to be found anywhere, and only the aroma of the flowers linger in the area.

But if I don't want to stay, can any of you really keep me here?