level_act23side_06_end

(They work well together... how many of them are there?)

(Growls)

Hey, why did they stop?

Why are they looking for you?

What's your name?

I'm Waai Fu. Even if they read my name like Huai Hu around here.

Waai Fu, Huai Hu... I'll remember.

I'm Jieyun.

I'll come back and find you.

Wait—

Strange girl...

Let's catch some bad people first.

The old man gazes over the map, drawing a course.

His gaze moves slowly. He knows how vast a distance every inch on the paper represents.

The tea on the table has long grown cold.

I didn't think you would enjoy our provincial Yumen tea, Grand Tutor.

Everyone here drinks the same tea. So can I.

This tea is Yin in nature. It's not ideal while the weather is cold.

Your knowledge is vast, but you don't pay enough attention to your health.

The others would be anxious if you fell ill.

Someone better will take my place, if I fall ill. Each generation is better than the one that came before. There is no single person whom Yan cannot do without.

What is important is not one person, one generation, but the legacy.

Such has always been the way.

Legacy.

A difficult concept for us to understand.

You've taught countless people who've contributed to Great Yan.

The army still uses the martial records left behind by the Record Keepers for training. I myself have received military instruction from you.

At the end of the day, I, we, our expertise, it was all learned from others.

Chongyue dumps the cold tea and pours a new cup of hot tea.

Thank you.

Since when have we become strangers?

I've never forgotten the times when we discussed matters of state over candlelight, and drew swords alongside one another.

But where we stand has changed.

Excuse my impudence.

You didn't come just to talk about old times, did you?

You're right.

I came to say goodbye.

Here I am.

Hello, Envoy Lin.

Wasn't it two days ago that we last saw each other?

More has happened in two days than in the twenty years prior.

Now that I think about it, you did what you did that day not to help me, but to stop me from investigating.

I still helped you.

I had heard that the L.G.D. sent an acting inspector to oversee matters of public security when the two cities were docked.

I could not associate the commotion you caused at the market and the Sword Forge with the young girl who stands before me now.

Did you set your sights on me from the beginning?

No, only just now.

I wasn't sure that all this was your doing, until you showed up.

You only suspected?

That was enough.

Your style is... unique.

I've always been like this. Did you want to say 'unscrupulous?'

Could you really call all that you have done scrupulous?

Fair enough. But what specifically did you mean by 'all that?'

Working with the Shanhaizhong, faking the bandit attack on the Messenger, then setting up an attack on me, making the fake Catastrophe data 'real.'

Then you had someone else steal the Grandmaster's sword to muddy the waters.

The theft of the sword was unexpected. Otherwise, last night would never have happened...

But it is impressive that you've deduced the switching of the data.

Good thing you had enough decency to not actually kill the Messenger.

I have a question myself. Why?

I'm sure you already know the answer.

You wanted to cause a Catastrophe and destroy Yumen just because you had a grudge against the Lord Exorcist?

Zuo Xuanliao and us have been through more than hell and high water together. The word 'grudge' is far too light.

And Zuo Xuanliao has taken us too lightly.

You are from Lungmen.

I am.

I've heard it's a good place. A prosperous one. I never had a chance to visit.

You've seen how things are at Yumen. Traveling through the desert all year long, risking Catastrophe to deliver important reports, trekking through nothing but sand for days in search of water... you've never experienced that.

Someone has to protect the borders, protect the nation.

Soldier or civilian, most Yumenites are not local. We left our homes to settle here, without a word of complaint.

Zuo Xuanliao should not forget that there are others who had a hand in Yumen becoming Yan's bulwark! Who does he think he is? Driving away those who have bled for Yumen?!

You misunderstood the Lord Exorcist.

Then why is the Grandmaster leaving Yumen?

...I don't know.

What I can't understand is why you want to destroy the city that you've protected for so many years.

How many Catastrophes do you think Yumen has encountered in its history?

A single Catastrophe won't destroy Yumen. It will only unite its people!

...Madman.

Two young people cower in a corner of a warehouse, looking rather haggard.

The Qis...

Where are the others? What about the soldiers and the Messenger?

Old Meng from the Sword Forge let them go just now.

Thank goodness they're alright.

M-Miss Du...

I'm sorry, we didn't get the job done.

The guys from the Sword Forge knocked us out before we even knew what was going on. We found ourselves in the warehouse by the time we came to.

Why did they do that?

It's a long story.

Come on, stop with the long face!

B-But it's Xingyu Logistics's first job...

We ran into something this big on our first job! That means we're meant for big things!

Now put yourself together and follow me!

I have an idea of where the sword is.

You had an idea from the beginning.

Just a little private interest. I guess I couldn't keep it from you.

Everyone has private interests.

That's fine, as long as it doesn't interfere with duty.

I have an idea whom to entrust the sword to. I just want to see the last trial through.

With your permission, of course.

The goodbye you mentioned, it's more than just this.

The path ahead is unknown. Who knows if we'll meet again? A proper farewell is in order.

Yumen is headed for the capital.

It is about to wake.

The old man turns around and once again casts his eyes towards the map. He sees and thinks about much on it.

He suddenly has a question, one that the 'Grand Tutor' would not have asked.

Do you have regrets?

Parting is a fact of life. Seeking perfection doesn't mean there won't be regrets.

But sometimes I feel that there just isn't much I can do.

Yumen started out as a fortress built for that hunt.

The hero of Yumen could have humble beginnings, or he could belong to one of the long-lived races, but the one thing he cannot be is the incarnation of a Feranmut.

This is a secret that the Sui Regulator must protect at all costs.

One cannot expect to be understood and accepted no matter where one goes...

The man walks slowly to the old man's side, and the two of them gaze silently at the depiction of mountains and rivers.

Yumen will approach the capital in six months, barring any unexpected events.

The markings on the map are locations where civilians are expected to be evacuated prior to Yumen's arrival at the capital.

If things get to that point, Yumen must be prepared to sacrifice itself to kill the bestial Sui. This is a price that Yan must pay.

The Shanhaizhong struck twenty years ago. Lord Exorcist came to me after things calmed down, before the Sui Regulator arrived.

He realized then that the bestial Sui were a great potential threat to Yan. Yumen will someday return to its original battlefield.

When it comes to that, Yumen cannot rely on me or the jianghu fighters. Everyone must go. This place that many people have called home will return to dust.

People on the outside call the Lord Exorcist heartless, but there's so much that he cannot tell anyone.

We had a group of common friends...

Those who carry heavy responsibilities cannot be trapped by private sentiment.

Twenty years of conflict. There were misunderstandings, and there were grudges, but there must be closure. This is something that I need to do myself.

This is a private request. I dare not ask for your understanding.

Yet in some cases, an allowance can be made.

Shuo is part of that atrocity, but the people of Yan owe Chongyue a great debt.

So what you mean is...

The Lord Exorcist has tasked you to ensure my safety.

What danger is there to me, if you can protect Yumen?

Thank you.

The man turns and leaves the tent.

The old man nods slightly in his direction.

Lord Wei...

I can be of help in the hunt for the criminals.

I will see you off.

The air feels dead, silent. The only sound is that of gravel as it falls on the roof.

The warehouse has no windows. Lin Yühsia listens intently for any sounds outside. Minute after minute passes. Have the Catastrophe clouds drawn closer?

The night winds blow stronger.

You look impatient, Miss Lin.

Thank you for chatting with this old man. Perhaps it's because you thought I may still have the real data collected by the Catastrophe Messenger.

Take it.

Why would you give it away for nothing?

It's too late for Yumen to avoid the Catastrophe now, even if the correct data reached the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

I would like to make it clear that this plan was entirely my own. The folks who were taken into custody are innocent.

Good to see you still know what 'innocent' is, after putting an entire city's worth of people in danger.

There is act of nature, and there is act of man. They should not be confused.

You must have other reasons for delaying me.

Of course. I would not simply waste time on a day like today.

I had promised to help an acquaintance leave the city, but I have no choice but to go back on that promise after what happened at the Sword Forge last night. I can only hope to draw more attention and make it easier for her to get out.

The sword thief? Didn't you say the theft was unexpected?

Astute as ever.

But this is a rather silly matter. Too silly to talk about.

Let those who should leave, leave. Let the debts that should be settled, be settled.

You got what you came for, Miss Lin. You should leave.

There was one thing you didn't catch.

It's not just Zuo Xuanliao I hold a grudge against.

I picked this time and place to settle another debt.

You hide well. You made us work to find you.

You turned your back on our partnership.

Weren't you trying to silence me when you went to the Sword Forge last night?

Get the data from the girl. Leave this one to me.

Aye.

Maybe you misunderstood.

The old man opens a bag on his belt and takes out an unremarkable black iron hammer.

He glares at the Shanhaizhong and speaks through clenched teeth.

Hide? I've been waiting for a chance to finish all of you off!