The four of them were laughing and joking when a piercing whistle suddenly cut through the air.
Everyone jerked their heads up and looked toward the city wall.
Before the signal arrow's whistle had faded, a beacon fire rose from the distant gate tower.
Black smoke shot straight into the sky, while flames leaped in the wind.
Everyone stared, dumbstruck.
Anyone could tell that a signal arrow followed by a beacon fire was no ordinary message.
Before long, urgent hoofbeats sounded outside the hall.
A horse galloped all the way to the entrance of Celebration Hall without slowing. Its rider swung down, hurried into the courtyard, and approached with dust still clinging to his armor.
He swept his gaze over the people in the courtyard, went straight to Zhang Yan, and presented a letter sealed with wax.
"An urgent order from the County Yamen."
Zhang Yan took it, broke the seal, and read it. His face darkened. "The situation in Qingzhou has suddenly grown dire. Another city is calling for help.
"The County Yamen conveys the Provincial Governor's order: Martial Artists in every county are forbidden to leave their assigned territory without permission. All martial arts schools must register their disciples immediately and stand ready for deployment."
At those words, everyone's expression changed.
If it were merely bandits roaming the countryside, there would be no need for an urgent order like this.
If it were merely the usual trouble from monsters or evil spirits, they would not have confined every county's Martial Artists to their own territory at once.
Zhang Yan closed the letter and swept his gaze over everyone. "From today on, whether you've become an Attendant or not, every disciple here is to train hard.
"Those assigned duties will carry them out. Those assigned night patrol will patrol. Those ordered to stand by will stand by. Anyone who causes trouble now will be dealt with under hall rules."
Everyone answered in unison, then dispersed.
Deng Qing and the others naturally had to cancel their gathering, saving Deng Qing some money.
Early the next morning, a letter of appointment arrived for Deng Qing. He had been named captain of the Ninth Squad.
Under his command were two disciples at the Skin Tempering First Layer and two Yamen Runners. They were responsible for patrolling the North Ward from Rat Hour to Ox Hour.
Fan Sheng brought the order.
He handed Deng Qing the Command Token. "The North Ward is a jumble of people and places, and its alleys are a maze. With the city on edge lately, you can't just go through the motions on night patrol.
"If you encounter anyone suspicious, seize them first, then report to the hall."
Deng Qing took the Command Token. "Understood."
Fan Sheng lowered his voice. "You've only just reached the Skin Refining Second Layer, yet you've been given a squad to lead. It's not because the hall is short of people. Senior Brother Zhang thinks you can hold the line."
Deng Qing put away the Command Token. "I'll be careful. By the way, Senior Brother Fan, now that I've reached the Skin Refining Second Layer, I can choose a new martial art.
"Could you help me decide? I want one with real fighting power."
"Focus on the job in front of you first. I'll give the training matter some thought."
With that, Fan Sheng turned and left.
Deng Qing spent the day getting to know his squad. That night, he led them to the North Ward.
The North Ward lay near the northern edge of the city. Shops, inns, and warehouses stood side by side. It bustled by day and was hardly quiet at night.
By Rat Hour, every shopfront had been shuttered.
Only the watchman's clapper sounded in the alleys, though now and then a stray dog darted along a wall and set off a flurry of noise.
Deng Qing walked in front with two Celebration Hall disciples, while the two Yamen Runners brought up the rear.
Nothing serious happened that night. They only caught two drunks and a thief sneaking over a wall.
As Ox Hour drew to a close, the fog in the North Ward thickened.
Deng Qing returned to Celebration Hall to report in, then prepared to go home and catch up on sleep.
He had just stepped out when he saw Li Cheng standing across the street.
Li Cheng wore a thick robe, with a layer of white frost on his shoulders. Clearly, he had been waiting a while.
Deng Qing walked over. "It's the middle of the night. Did you stay up just to waylay me?"
"I need to talk to you."
"From the look of you, it isn't something small."
"A storm is coming. What do you plan to do, Senior Brother Deng?"
"Get stronger, naturally, and follow the hall's orders."
"That makes sense. We've both reached the Skin Refining Second Layer, so we're eligible to choose a new martial art. If we choose something merely safe and ordinary, it might not save our lives when chaos comes."
"What do you suggest, Senior Brother Li?"
Deng Qing perked up. This was exactly what had been troubling him. He had asked Fan Sheng for advice, but Fan Sheng seemed caught up in other matters and had yet to give him an answer.
"I suggest choosing the one with the highest potential."
"Which one?"
"The Seven Forms of Settling Solitude."
Deng Qing paused. He had heard of the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude.
There were plenty of arts available to Skin Refining Second Layer disciples in Celebration Hall's martial arts library, but the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude was both the most famous and the most controversial.
Li Cheng said, "Daoist Dinggu created the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude.
"In his youth, Daoist Dinggu traveled through Qingzhou and killed countless bandits with these seven sword forms.
"The Swordsmanship spread afterward. Many martial arts schools in Qingzhou have copies, including Celebration Hall."
Deng Qing asked, "If it's so famous, why have so few people mastered it?"
Li Cheng gave a wry smile. "That's the problem.
"It has forms and a Mental Method, but no complete lineage. Understanding what's written is one thing. Being able to master it is another.
"At least in the past ten years, I haven't heard of anyone in Everjoy County who truly mastered it."
"Then why choose it?"
"Once you reach the Skin Refining Second Layer, you can't expect a master to spoon-feed you everything. As long as you have the Mental Method and the forms, you can train.
"Guidance makes the path steadier. Without a lineage, you have to feel your way along, and there's too much uncertainty.
"What makes the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude hard is the lack of a teacher to guide you."
Deng Qing frowned. "Even if you came to me, I don't think I could help much."
Li Cheng said, "Here's what I'm thinking. We can't master this Swordsmanship by shutting ourselves away and trying to reinvent the wheel. Train alone and, nine times out of ten, you'll go astray.
"If we train together, we can at least spar, break down each other's moves, and test our strength. That should work much better."
Deng Qing said, "Without guidance, the sword moves are one thing, but what about the Mental Method? There are bound to be plenty of passages we won't understand."
"Don't worry about that," Li Cheng said. "Once we choose the art, a senior disciple will explain the Mental Method. He may not grasp the true meaning of the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude, but he can at least explain its key terms."
Deng Qing looked at Li Cheng. "Then you choose the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude, and I'll choose something safer. Afterward, we can teach each other and each learn two arts. Wouldn't that be better?"
Li Cheng shook his head. "That works with other arts, but not the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude. The real difficulty isn't defending with its seven forms. It's the Mental Method and the Old Commentary. Those who haven't chosen this art can't copy the Old Commentary or sit in on the instruction.
"If you rely on me to pass it along, something will be lost in the telling. That missing piece could make training a path of a thousand hardships and ten thousand perils."
Deng Qing fell silent for a moment. "Why did you choose me?"
"Your talent is obvious," Li Cheng said.
"To practice the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude, I need someone to spar with and break down the moves. If not you, who else would I choose?"
Deng Qing smiled. "You don't have to spare my feelings, Senior Brother Li. There's another reason: I'm poor, right?
"All right, I'm ready. Name your price and buy me over."
Li Cheng laughed despite himself and pointed at Deng Qing. "I knew you wouldn't agree unless there was something in it for you.
"How about this? I'll provide the training ground and the meat, and you come train.
"If we master it, you get a powerful Swordsmanship art for free.
"If we don't, I'll give you one of my Li Family's martial arts and throw in ten taels of silver."
Deng Qing weighed it up. "Generous of you, Senior Brother Li. It's a deal."
His Tiger-Subduing Fist had reached Grand Mastery, so he did not lack a way to kill. If training with Li Cheng also meant plenty of meat to nourish his body, it would be worth it.
"Deal!"
Li Cheng grinned and bumped fists with Deng Qing.
Deng Qing said, "There's something I don't understand. Given your family background, you don't seem to need to study martial arts at Celebration Hall at all. Could you clear that up for me?"
He had kept that question to himself for a long time.