A gentle breeze carried Yi Shuyuan over the city. Passing beyond its western outskirts in Lingdong, he saw Mai Lingfei and Pei Changtian standing opposite each other. From their stances, they were clearly about to duel.
Pei Changtian stood solemnly and cupped his hands in a salute to A Fei.
"Hero Mai, I am deeply grateful that you have once again accepted my presumptuous challenge. This will also let me see just how great a gulf still separates me from an Innate Expert!"
A Fei returned the salute.
"Rest assured, Brother Pei. I will hold nothing back!"
A smile appeared on Pei Changtian's face.
"Good! With those words from you, Hero Mai, I could ask for nothing more!"
A Fei looked around, taking in the city some distance away and the woods beside the distant imperial road. He still remembered how Mr. Yi had once instructed him in martial arts outside the city, showing him the gulf between himself and the Innate Realm.
Of course, Pei Changtian was a towering master of his generation. Their duel could hardly be called instruction; A Fei was merely fulfilling the other man's wish.
"After today, I will no longer concern myself with the affairs of the Rivers and Lakes!"
"Hero Mai, you..."
Seeing Pei Changtian's expression, A Fei smiled and extended a hand, inviting him to begin.
"Please!"
"Please!"
Whoosh... whoosh...
A gust swept past A Fei and Pei Changtian, setting their robes snapping in the wind. Though their martial prowess stood unrivaled beneath the heavens, they were already two old men.
Yi Shuyuan did not stay to watch the outcome of the duel. Instead, he left Deng Province with the breeze, then soared high into the sky, swaying gently as he flew toward the distance-and toward the place that had once been