Returning Home, Departing to Open the Heavens

A large group of guests, young and old, had appeared out of nowhere at the little martial arts school in Xianyou County, Qingyuan Prefecture. The county's night watch had heard nothing, and none of them were on the register. Once the county office got wind of it, officials rushed over first thing in the morning to demand their passage documents. No matter how close the county magistrate was to Old Brother Xu, the runners dared not turn a blind eye. Any slipup could cost heads all the way up the chain, from the magistrate to the prefect and beyond. For some, losing their official hat was hardly better than losing their head. Fortunately, the school did not make things difficult. A young County Lieutenant led the visit himself. At the sight of three unusually styled documents, he immediately elbowed aside a clerk beside him, then turned and examined them carefully. He returned them to the young woman with utmost respect. Hers was one thing—she was a wanderer—but the other two were mountain-and-river passage documents commissioned by the Great Li Ministry of Revenue and issued by the Ministry of Rites. The young lieutenant understood at once. Never mind nine children; they could have brought ninety and still "roamed like immortals" through Xianyou County.

Chen Ping'an had rarely risen so late. The sun was high before he came out of his room. He had just stretched when he saw Pei Qian practicing the Six-Step Stance, calm and composed. The chubby Cheng Zhaolu and two little girls were following along nearby. Cheng Zhaolu practiced earnestly; Nalan Yudi and Yao Xiaoyan were merely playing. Jiang Shangzhen crouched on the steps with his hands tucked into his sleeves, watching the men of the school, though it was hard to tell whether they were watching the