Officials

It was a quarter past eight!

At the usual time and place, a copy of the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette rested quietly in Chen Wu's hands. Anyone who looked closely would have noticed that the paper was three days old; even Legend of Dayu'er hadn't been updated to its latest chapter.

Chen Wu didn't care. An old newspaper could still serve as cover. Right now, he had only one concern—where was Old Jin?

They'd agreed to meet at Xiguan Crossroads at this hour, but Chen Wu simply couldn't spot Old Jin anywhere.

Drawing on his experience from three days ago, Chen Wu looked toward the direction from which Qiao Weisheng's carriage was due to appear. Sure enough, a carriage rounded the distant street corner. Its frame was built from fine timber, but its decorations were understated.

It was Qiao Weisheng's carriage!

Damn it, had Old Jin stood him up?

Just then, a plucked-string tune rang out across the rather deserted street—boing, boing, boing, boing—followed by a rich male voice.

"Ah—"

Chen Wu felt reassured. Old Jin and his sanxian had arrived.

Tch, he always made such a flashy entrance!

Old Jin had no idea what Chen Wu was thinking. His singing and playing continued without pause.

"Heaven has its way, and down comes the sweet rain.

The earth has its way, and out rise the roots of the five grains—

Ah, the court has its way, and loyal ministers and fine generals emerge.

A family has its way, and filial sons and worthy grandsons emerge, ah—"

At last, Chen Wu sensed Old Jin's location. Looking over, he saw him perched on the eaves of a three-story building at the crossroads, twirling a few withered blades of grass between his fingers. Old Jin played the sanxian with great relish, seemingly lost in the melody.

But as Old Jin sang, Qiao Weisheng's carriage seemed bewitched. It moved slower and slower until it came to a dead stop in front of the building where Old Jin sat. No matter how fiercely the coachman and servants whipped and urged the horses, they remained rooted to the spot.

The melody flowed on, and Old Jin's voice rang out again.

"Heaven has no way, and down come raging winds and driving rain.

The earth has no way, and salt flats spread out, barren and white."

As Old Jin sang, the people outside grew frantic, but the carriage remained utterly silent, as if its occupants were taking their time, enjoying the tune.

"The court has no way, and out come treacherous ministers and villains.

A family has no way, and out come rebellious sons, oh, hey, oh—"

The instant the final note faded, the sanxian suddenly split open, sending a cone-shaped sword springing from within and straight into Old Jin's hand. He became like a dark cloud, shooting down from the eaves as swiftly as an arrow loosed from its string, yet without a sound.

The slender, cone-shaped sword was like a venomous fang. It slipped through the gap in the carriage window and stabbed diagonally downward into the carriage.

Clang—

A clash of metal rang out. Then, with a boom, the carriage roof and doors blew apart. Old Jin flipped backward through the air and landed once more on the eaves.

At last, the commotion drew the attention of passersby, who all turned to look.

The carriage had lost its doors and roof, revealing the people seated inside.

Besides Qiao Weisheng and Guo Xuchu, there was a third person.

He wore a crown and a blue brocade robe embroidered with the pattern of some kind of animal. He sat calmly beside Qiao Weisheng. With his limited knowledge, Chen Wu guessed the pattern was an insignia from an official's robe, though he couldn't tell what rank it signified.

Guo Xuchu gripped the scabbard in his hand and stared intently at Old Jin, shielding the other two behind him.

"The Star-Pulling Sword, Guo Xuchu—your reputation is well deserved. I took the initiative and struck first, yet I couldn't gain the slightest advantage." Old Jin's sunglasses had fallen away, revealing his tightly shut eyes.

"I've long heard that the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower's Patrol Commissioner in Gan Province is blind. I thought it was just a rumor, but it seems it's true." The man in the brocade robe spoke.

Guo Xuchu frowned. "I should be the one replying. The Crown Prince's Mansion may throw its weight around, but its authority doesn't extend to me."

"Some people may have bright eyes, but their hearts have long gone blind," Old Jin sneered. "It's because there are so many people in court with bright eyes and blind hearts that the world grows worse by the day."

"You insolent rogue!" the man in the brocade robe snapped. "The Great Shun now commands the respect of all nations, and the people's hearts are united. Your Yongjiu School defies the court and assassinates high officials. That is the very definition of going against the tide!"

"Hahahaha!" Old Jin burst out laughing. "It's a family without a way that breeds rebellious sons. The Great Shun court lets nobles and wealthy merchants swallow up the land, driving refugees to flood both Yu and Wan Provinces. That's what it means to go against the tide!"

"Impertinent!" the man in the brocade robe cried angrily.

Guo Xuchu shot the man in the brocade robe a sidelong glance but didn't move.

The man in the brocade robe came to his senses and hurriedly amended, "I saw this man speaking so brazenly and lost my temper. I hope Mr. Guo will forgive me."

Guo Xuchu snorted without replying. The man in the brocade robe turned awkwardly toward Qiao Weisheng.

"We're all doing this for the court. His reaction is understandable." Qiao Weisheng gave him a look and smiled as he smoothed things over.

"Very well."

Guo Xuchu's expression turned solemn. He raised the scabbard in his hand and slowly drew his sword.

"This sword is three chi and three cun long. By the weights and measures agreed upon in the Rotterdam Convention, that makes it one hundred and ten centimeters. Since my battle with Qi Lin, I've spent three years wounding people only with the scabbard. I haven't used this sword once."

As Guo Xuchu drew his sword, the light around them seemed to be drawn toward it. Even space itself appeared to twist.

"The Star-Pulling Sword!" The man in the brocade robe was so captivated that the words escaped him.

"I know. You've nurtured this sword with your Concentrated Spirit, giving it the power to distort light and bewilder the senses. Draw it at night, and it feels as if it's pulling down the stars."

Old Jin spoke at an unhurried pace, his voice laced with mockery.

"I heard you spent all your money on this sword, while you live in poverty yourself. What a pity. This old man is blind and can't see its wonders. No matter how you activate it, it's useless against me. Under my qi, this sword is utterly ordinary, no different from any other longsword."

Hearing that, Chen Wu stopped looking with his eyes and sensed the scene with his qi instead. The feeling of space twisting vanished, leaving only an unremarkable treasured sword.

So that was it! The sensation of light being drawn in and space twisting was nothing but an illusion.

"I'm not showing off this sword. You're a formidable opponent, so I must give it everything I have. It's the least I can do to show my respect."

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Xuchu surged toward the eaves like a dragon. A single thrust forced Old Jin to dodge sideways and retreat with the movement. The tiles beneath his feet shattered, scattering in all directions.

With the advantage, Guo Xuchu pressed his attack without mercy. Before his first move had even run its course, he swept his sword sideways, keeping close to Old Jin's shadow. The surrounding light scattered, making Old Jin's figure flicker in and out of sight. Old Jin's face grew grave as he raised his cone-shaped sword, blocking the edge of the Star-Pulling Sword.

Clang—

The cone-shaped sword struck the Star-Pulling Sword, halting Guo Xuchu's attack. Old Jin lightly touched the mechanism on the hilt, and the sword's conical blade began spinning like a drill.

Zzzrrr—

The spinning cone-shaped blade scraped against the Star-Pulling Sword, letting out a shrill, grating screech. Everyone who heard it felt dizzy. The sound of metal scraping against metal made Chen Wu feel irritable and uneasy, too.

Guo Xuchu ignored it and changed his move again. His sword tip circled along the direction of the cone-shaped sword's rotation, thrusting straight toward Old Jin's sword hand.

But Old Jin retreated, swaying and spinning with the movement. He stuck close to the Star-Pulling Sword, dispelling the force of its attack as he withdrew all the way to the edge of the eaves. Guo Xuchu's sword technique had run its course, and the cone-shaped blade suddenly spun in the opposite direction.

A forceful vibration surged back along the Star-Pulling Sword, compounding the earlier tremors. Guo Xuchu hadn't anticipated this move. A violent shudder traveled through the hilt in his hand, making his grip falter. He hurriedly pulled back, breaking contact with Old Jin's cone-shaped sword.

As Guo Xuchu withdrew his sword, Old Jin's true force erupted. He stepped forward and bullied his way into close range, his cone-shaped sword darting like a striking snake. It clung to the other man's weapon before thrusting in the opposite direction, straight toward Guo Xuchu's face. The killing intent was so chilling that even the onlookers felt their hearts leap into their throats, as if Old Jin's earlier defense had all been preparation for this counterattack.

Guo Xuchu remained calm in the face of danger. He merely glided backward with a light touch, retreating several feet as if he could shrink the earth beneath him. He dodged the thrust and faced Old Jin once more. Old Jin's earth-shaking lunge had been brushed aside with ease, without a trace of effort.

Crack, crack, crack.

A faint sound of breaking came from beneath Guo Xuchu's feet. Several cracks had spread across the tiles.

This was the first time Guo Xuchu had retreated since the fight began.

Chen Wu watched, utterly enthralled. The two had fought for only an instant, but they'd darted back and forth like a rabbit bolting and a falcon swooping, each unleashing one astonishing move after another. And now the fight had returned to a deadlock.

"Heroes of the world are as plentiful as carp crossing the river!"

In the tense silence, a voice rang out. Chen Wu followed the sound with his qi, only to sense someone he hadn't expected.

Monk Zhongcheng!

Chen Wu turned to look and saw Monk Zhongcheng walking toward him with a smile.

Wasn't this guy supposed to be keeping Zhang Zhihe occupied? What was going on?

Where was Zhang Zhihe?

Chen Wu glanced around, thinking Monk Zhongcheng might not have gone to hold Zhang Zhihe back after all. He worried Zhang Zhihe might suddenly appear, too.

"Don't worry, sir. Iron Ruler Silver Fox can't come," Monk Zhongcheng whispered when he reached Chen Wu's side. "Cloud-Grasping Iron Hand Wu Chengyi broke through to the sixth-stage Zhoutian Realm last night and escaped from prison in the middle of the night. Zhang Zhihe is busy trying to catch him."

"Capturing Wu Chengyi was Zhang Iron Ruler's greatest achievement, and it earned him an order transferring him to the Capital City. Now that Wu Chengyi has escaped, that achievement has lost much of its shine, and his future looks bleak. Zhang Iron Ruler must be tearing his hair out right now. He won't have time for this!"

Wu Chengyi? Now he remembered. Old Ma had mentioned him—the Red Lantern Society's Red Pole, the man Zhang Zhihe had captured, who was on the verge of the sixth stage.

Hiss—

The timing of this escape was far too convenient.

Chen Wu stared at Monk Zhongcheng, his face full of suspicion.

"A monk does not lie. It wasn't this humble monk who helped Master Wu escape," Monk Zhongcheng said with a radiant smile. "I merely passed the true meaning of Tummo to Master Wu through heart-to-heart transmission. I never imagined he'd be so gifted, grasping the principle by analogy and breaking straight into the sixth stage. He then broke free of his shackles and fled."

Damn, that excuse had the same ring as "It wasn't me, it was the weapon"—no wonder he was a monk who made his living talking.

"Quite a trick," Chen Wu said admiringly. "But, Master, what are you doing here?"

"There's a retired navy admiral nearby who donated six hundred and sixty silver dollars in incense money to the White Pagoda Temple where this humble monk lodges. So I volunteered to recite the Contemplation Sutra for the admiral's ninety-year-old mother and pray for her blessings. I've been staying at the admiral's residence these past two days, and I happened to run into you."

As he spoke, Monk Zhongcheng paused and looked toward the eaves, his face feverishly excited.

"What's more, it's my great good fortune to witness two peerless masters battling!"

As Monk Zhongcheng spoke, Guo Xuchu and Old Jin attacked each other again atop the eaves. Their swords clashed, and the distorting light and ear-piercing din once more churned the space around the two masters into chaos.

Chen Wu, however, saw clearly. At the height of their fight, the force within a foot of their bodies was like the eye of a typhoon—compact and contained, gathered without dispersing. Beyond that foot, their force blasted in every direction, striking the surrounding bricks and tiles, and even reaching the passersby in the street.

The onlookers were driven back again and again by the scattered force, yet the battle still held every one of them spellbound.

A stroke of inspiration came to Chen Wu. He understood that the best moment to strike had arrived.