Chapter 22

Baozhu looked at the right hand he held out. It was not the one that had been burned, and no strips of cloth bound it. Like him, it looked thin, raised blue veins spreading beneath pale skin, but its sinews and bones were sharply defined, lending it an impression of great strength. She knew how cold that hand was. While he lay unconscious with illness, she had indeed been forced to touch it once.

She had simply never imagined that he cared so much himself-so much that he would actually run away because of it.

Then she looked again at the shame and apprehension in Wei Xun's eyes, and all her indignation melted into pity. She had never expected someone so aloof and proud to confess so sincerely. Everything she had imagined before had been a misunderstanding; she had worked herself into a needless temper. Baozhu thought, If I leave him standing here like this, will he get frightened and run away again?

Whatever she thought, she could not bear to leave him standing there with his hand extended.

"I know you're ill," Baozhu said softly, "but that isn't your fault. I... I don't find you repulsive." Her voice dwindled to a mosquito's hum as she slowly reached toward him. An uncontrollable blush spread across her cheeks, as though a thin wash of rouge had given her the flushed look of wine.

Even through her sleeve, she could feel his cool body temperature seeping through the fabric. This time, however, his hand was gentle, unlike those claws of steel and iron, hard, cold, and merciless, that she had felt last time.

Wei Xun waited with extraordinary patience until she lowered her guard and placed her entire right hand in his palm. Only then did he turn his wrist, catch her with matchless speed, and peel back her sleeve as though stripping a bamboo shoot, exposing her wrist and the back of her hand-and the bruises on that fair wrist.

Baozhu started. When she tried to pull free, it was already too late; he held her securely in his palm. Panic seized her, and she cried out, "You-you dared to trick me!"

Wei Xun lowered his head to examine her closely. A dark claw-shaped bruise stretched from her pulse point around her right wrist. Pale yellow had already spread along its edges, standing out painfully against her flawless, delicate skin. It was unmistakably his handprint. This was the secret she had been hiding in her sleeve for days.

His grip was firm but gentle. His fingers pressed against some unknown pressure point, leaving Baozhu's arm numb and weak. She pulled again, but still could not break free.

Both knew perfectly well how she had received the injury. Baozhu had kept it hidden because she did not want him to know she had personally gone up to the loft to visit him. Besides, it had been unintentional, and was not worth pursuing.

Now that the evidence stood as solid as a mountain, Baozhu could only turn her head away and imitate his and Huo Qi's manner, declaring with the bold defiance of a wandering swordswoman, "I already said your illness wasn't your fault. We all practice martial arts. Who can roam the world without suffering a few flesh wounds? We can put this grudge behind us."

"No!" Wei Xun said, his face expressionless and his voice cutting through iron.

He knew, of course, that if Thirteenth Son had not intervened in time, that grip would have crushed every bone in her hand. She would have been crippled forever, never again able to dip her fingers in dew and write those beautiful, upright characters.

He had endured countless vicious beatings and weathered many illnesses. Those things were so commonplace to him that they scarcely deserved mention, yet now that they had happened to her, he could not bear even the slightest injury. Worse still, he never let a grievance survive the night, but this time he had done it with his own hands. There was no one from whom he could seek redress for her. In his heart, he could never put this grudge behind him.

"Does it still hurt?" Wei Xun asked quietly, his voice hoarse. Baozhu scoffed. "It's been days. I'd already forgott-ow!"

Before she finished speaking, Wei Xun pressed down firmly, then slowly felt along each bone, searching for signs of torn tendons or fractures.

Tears immediately welled in Baozhu's eyes. She did not really think there was anything worth crying over; she had simply been prone to tears since birth. The slightest provocation sent them streaming down, and once she began, she could not stop. It was precisely because she shed so many pearls, and had grown up round and lustrous as a jewel, that her parents had given her the name Baozhu.

She knew what Wei Xun was doing, because the imperial physicians examined bruises and injuries in the same way. Back then, however, her father, mother, or elder brother would always hold her in their arms, stroking and coaxing her to ease the pain. Now she had to face this ruthless, heavy-handed little thief alone, and in the dead of night, she dared not even cry out loudly.

Facing Baozhu's trembling and tear-filled eyes, Wei Xun hardened his heart and carefully felt over her entire right hand. Only after confirming that neither tendons nor bones had been damaged did he release her.

She had only just made her bold declaration, yet moments later she was crying pitifully despite herself. Baozhu felt she had suffered a terrible loss of face. He put on that pathetic act and used my sympathy to lay a trap and lure me in. He really is full of wicked schemes.

Wiping her tears with her sleeve, she angrily searched for something to call him. But her refined upbringing had left her vocabulary bare of particularly vicious insults. After struggling for a long time, she finally squeezed out, "You're a sly, vicious, bad lynx."

Wei Xun let out a long sigh, utterly helpless. There probably isn't another insult in the world so pitiful, endearing, and ridiculous. With a wry smile, he said, "I never claimed to be a good person."

He knelt on one knee, exposing his back and neck-the places most vulnerable to a treacherous attack-to her. "Old Yang is upstairs listening to you cry. He's going frantic. Hurry back up."

Startled, Baozhu immediately looked up at the window of the Reflection Pavilion. Sure enough, a silhouette paced anxiously in the dim candlelight, not daring to make a sound. Her face grew hot. Although she did not think she had done anything shameful, she was deeply embarrassed. She stared at Wei Xun's back, wondering whether he had another trick in store, and hesitated to move.

While waiting upstairs, Yang Xingjian had accidentally overheard a few fragments. As a subject, he knew he ought to play deaf and dumb in such matters. But a sudden silence had fallen below, and he had no idea what had happened. Worried that Baozhu might be suffering at Wei Xun's hands, he finally lost patience, seized a heavy inkstone, and poked his head out of the window. "Fang Xie? Fang Xie?" he called softly.

Wei Xun's senses were far keener than an ordinary person's. He plainly knew Yang Xingjian was listening upstairs, yet had said nothing. That made Baozhu feel even more mortified, until her whole body seemed to burn. Arguing now over whether they should avoid impropriety was utterly pointless. Steeling herself, she went over, leaned onto Wei Xun's back, and wrapped both arms around his neck.

With her on his back, Wei Xun drew a clear breath and sprang to the second floor. One hand caught the bracket beneath the eaves, his fingers locking around it like steel hooks, suspending their combined weight in the air. With his other hand, he steadily delivered her to the window. Afraid Baozhu might fall, Yang Xingjian dropped the inkstone and scrambled to help her inside.

Once she entered the room, Wei Xun did not follow. Crouching at the window, he said, "I'm going to fetch Thirteenth Son."

He turned to leave, but Baozhu blurted out, "You..."

Wei Xun turned back and gazed at her, waiting for her to finish her instructions.

Baozhu composed herself. Concern and worry lingered in her eyes as she softly urged, "All three of you, be careful."

Wei Xun nodded and answered earnestly, "We will." Then he sprang onto the roof and sped toward the place where he had arranged to meet Huo Qi.

Unexpectedly, a faint crack sounded beneath his foot: he had somehow stepped on and broken a roof tile. Since completing his training as a youth and setting out into the world, he had never made such a careless mistake.

Wei Xun could not understand it. Have I grown heavier from eating so well with her lately?

Another strange sensation came over him. Although he had already left her at the Reflection Pavilion, her faint, elegant fragrance still lingered around him, wrapping him softly in clouds and mist. Even after running this far, it felt as though he still carried someone warm and soft on his back.

He had put her down, yet had not truly let her go.

The night was quiet, the bright moon gleamed like a pearl, and for a moment Wei Xun stood rooted to the spot, his mind adrift.

Wearing only a pair of underdrawers, Thirteenth Son hung suspended by chains, wounds covering his body. Blood dripped down his bare feet and pooled on the ground, already half congealed. The jailers had exhausted themselves taking turns whipping him. Unable to keep going in the latter half of the night, they had slipped away to shirk their duties, allowing him to steal a little sleep as well.

Although a whip soaked in salt water stung terribly against the skin, the wounds were less likely to fester, so there was little to worry about. The boy lowered his eyes toward his nose and his awareness toward his heart. Free of distractions, with all four elements empty, he slept soundly.

Suddenly, the chains swayed faintly from above. Thirteenth Son woke from his dream, opened his eyes, and looked up. There was Wei Xun, crouched on the beam like a great cat, smiling and winking at him.

Thirteenth Son's heart immediately settled, and a smile blossomed on his blood-streaked face.

Wei Xun drew a dagger and sliced diagonally across the chain. There was no clang of metal, only a soft hiss as the iron parted like mud. Thirteenth Son landed barefoot. The moment his hands were free, he forced apart the shackles around his wrists, veins bulging along his forearms, and broke them in two quick efforts. He pulled his wrists out, swung his arms back and forth, and shook out his stiff shoulders, immediately feeling relief throughout his body.

Wei Xun released the other prisoners hanging from the beams as well, then drifted down like a blue-green feather, landing without a sound.

"Where's Ninth Lady?" Thirteenth Son asked.

"Is she the only one you remember?" Wei Xun teased with a smile.

Thirteenth Son lowered his eyes, but did not directly deny it.

"She's fine," Wei Xun said. "She's drinking tea at the Reflection Pavilion."

Huo Qilang jumped down from the beam too, carrying a heavy bamboo cage.

Seeing the two standing side by side filled Thirteenth Son with confidence. He hurried to find his monk's robe, shoes, and socks, gathering them into his arms. Then he peered curiously at the bamboo cage, where several large white snakes writhed and coiled together. "Where did you catch such big white snakes, Seventh Senior Brother?"

"It's all Wei Da's fault for being so demanding," Huo Qi said with a grin. "Where was I supposed to find white snakes? I only found flower snakes, so I swiped a bowl of white paste from a paperhanging shop and painted them one by one. What a bother. If we're going to stir up trouble, we'd better hurry. The color will come off soon."

The three fellow disciples moved so swiftly their feet scarcely touched the ground, opening every cell door. The jailers seemed dead asleep; not a single one emerged to stop them. Evidently, Wei Xun had knocked them all unconscious by striking their pressure points. They told the prisoners who could still walk to carry the wounded who could not, evacuated everyone from the cells, and then released the snakes.

"What about the enemies outside?" Thirteenth Son asked.

"I'll draw them away. Take your time getting out," Wei Xun said. With that, he parted from the other two and left alone.

Before dawn, a great clamor erupted at the County Yamen. The runners startled awake, unaware of what had happened, and rushed toward the center of Xiagui County. They saw the night porter and clerks fleeing through the main gate, their faces drained of color as they shouted that the snake demon had come for revenge. In the yamen courtyard, several white snakes as thick as an arm reared their necks, opened blood-red maws, and flicked their tongues.

The bizarre pearl theft remained unsolved, and the tale of a snake demon seeking vengeance had already taken deep root in people's minds. Though the officials would not mention it openly, those carrying out their orders believed it firmly. Now that so many strange happenings had erupted at once, everyone was scared out of their wits. The timid thought only of saving their own lives; who had any attention left for the prisoners?

Then someone shouted, "There's someone on the roof!"

Everyone looked where he pointed. High atop the main hall of the County Yamen stood a slender figure in green robes, leisurely surveying the entire Xiagui County Yamen.

"It's the Green-Robed Wanderer! That notorious thief!"

Although no one could make out his features, the runners had spent so long searching under Bao Lang's command for this legendary outlaw that the image of green robes and someone leaping across rooftops had become deeply engraved in their minds. One glance was enough to make them shout. Those with sabers drew them; those without went to fetch bows and iron nets, intending to overwhelm the chivalrous thief with sheer numbers.

Once they began gathering, Wei Xun gave a light laugh and broke into a swift run. He vaulted and leaped across the rooftops, twisting and darting like a nimble blue-green bird, or an elusive green phantom. One moment he went east, the next west, then doubled north before turning south, never pausing. The runners could only chase him, dragged this way and that like kites on a string.

The residents around the County Yamen were also awakened by the chaos and came out to watch. From within the yamen came the sounds of men and horses thrown into confusion, people scurrying like rats and fleeing like wolves. Some shouted that white snakes were killing people; others cried that a thief was flying through the sky.

After running lightly for a while, Wei Xun suddenly realized no one remained behind him. Looking back, he discovered that he had run too fast and too silently, losing the main force pursuing him. He folded his arms and waited on the eaves, then involuntarily craned his neck to glance toward the Reflection Pavilion.

In the distance, he saw a graceful figure standing at the window with a bow, looking toward him as well. Wei Xun had left the bow and arrows for Baozhu to defend herself. He had never expected her to find a good position and stand ready to cover him, lest another archer shoot him down.

Wei Xun's heart leaped. Heat surged through his chest, scorching and stinging as though pepper were roasting inside it. Suddenly, a thought he had never had before arose: I've already deliberately exposed myself today, and carelessly cracked a tile. Why not follow one mistake with another, abandon my usual thief's habit of moving silently and unseen for a while, and make an earth-shaking spectacle? That way, she won't always be kept in the dark, unable to see anything clearly.

With that thought, Wei Xun sprang up and kicked a tile hard toward the gathering runners, startling them. A sharp whistle drew every eye to him. Then he drove his feet down and raced heavily across the roof, kicking and smashing the tiles, ridge ornaments, and roof beasts along his path, raising a tornado-like gale as he swept past with a roar that shook heaven and earth.

The forty or fifty thousand inhabitants of Xiagui County saw shattered tiles and stones flying through the sky, a raging flood dragon wreathed in dust surging through the air. It lunged left and charged right, hurtling fiercely toward the Many-Treasures Pagoda of Lotus Flower Temple. Then a green-clad figure shot out of the billowing dust, twisted his supple waist, and spiraled swiftly up around the pagoda, as lithe as a swimming dragon.

The green-clad man swept his outstretched arms past the thousands of bronze bells around the pagoda, setting them all ringing together. He circled faster and faster, higher and higher, until the whole pagoda seemed to quake and the bells rang deafeningly. Everyone in the city stared openmouthed, wondering what calamity had overtaken heaven and earth to produce such a spectacle of soaring dragons and dancing snakes.

Huo Qi swept onto a rooftop and reached down to pull her junior fellow disciple, Thirteenth Son, up beside her. Watching the earth-shaking spectacle Wei Xun had created in the distance, she exclaimed in astonishment, "Good heavens, Wei Da is spreading his peacock tail!"

Thirteenth Son admired Wei Xun so much he could have prostrated himself in worship. Delighted, he asked, "Is Eldest Senior Brother's technique called Spreading the Peacock's Tail?"

Huo Qilang burst out laughing and stroked his bald head. "You don't understand, and you don't need to. All you need to know is that he's extraordinarily happy right now."

Wei Xun toyed with the runners pursuing him, drawing them forward and back as he twisted through the covered corridors, easily dodging the hidden weapons and stray arrows flying after him. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a plate of peaches in a room he passed.

He stopped short, backed up several steps, and nimbly slipped through the window. Wiping his hands on his clothes, he picked up two ripe red peaches, held the smaller one in his mouth, and tossed the larger one a couple of times in his hand. Then he climbed out through the window on the other side and continued running with the peach between his teeth, teasing those exhausted, miserable men.

Only when he judged that every prisoner who could escape the County Yamen's Prison Ward had done so did he conceal his footsteps and movements. He circled several times, confirmed that no one was following, and returned to the Reflection Pavilion.

Having witnessed that earth-shaking, brazen prison break, Baozhu and Yang Xingjian stared at him in utter astonishment, at a loss for words.

Wei Xun crunched on his peach and handed the other one to Baozhu.

Baozhu accepted it dazedly, unsure how to begin eating. She held the whole peach and considered it from every angle, then parted her rosy lips and took a bite, managing only to nibble off a little skin.

Wei Xun broke into helpless laughter. Only then did he remember that this precious, pampered princess had never eaten a whole piece of fruit. Servants always peeled it and carefully cut it into small pieces for her. He took the peach back, deftly broke it into two halves, and returned it, a mischievous smile on his face and laughter dancing in his eyes.

Only now did Baozhu recover a little. Realizing he was mocking her inability to eat a whole fruit, she blushed and said awkwardly, "Cutting it open keeps you from eating worms."

"Yes, yes," Wei Xun said with a smile. "If half a worm appeared, that would be a catastrophe. The heavens would surely rain tears."