Farewell

Early morning, Liu Li Village, riverbank, beneath the Big Willow Tree.

Liu Yuanzhou practiced the Plum Blossom Fist move by move. Pointing, sweeping, chopping, hacking—the fist techniques were fierce and forceful, heavy with power, brimming with tiger-like might. The Plum Blossom Fist had originally favored agility and speed, yet in his hands, its bearing was the complete opposite.

Ever since Miss Qin had taught him this set of Plum Blossom Fist several months ago, he had practiced diligently every day without pause. He had now thoroughly mastered the set, grasping both its movements and the techniques of exerting force, yet he always felt that something was still missing.

It was as though a veil stood in his way, blocking his sight of what lay beyond. He felt that if he could break through that veil, his Plum Blossom Fist would surely enter a new realm. Yet after nearly a month of practicing by conventional methods, he had made almost no progress. Thus, over the past few days, he had tried interpreting the set in different ways. Where it originally emphasized nimbleness, he practiced with plain, unadorned solidity; where it was originally light and dexterous, he leaned toward overwhelming force and crushing weight.

After practicing like this for several days, he happily discovered that his fist techniques had improved once more. He was not far from breaking through that veil.

After finishing his practice, Liu Yuanzhou picked up the towel on the ground and wiped the sweat from his neck and arms. He sighed inwardly. "It's already May 1st today. Alas, who knows how much longer these peaceful days of practicing martial arts can last?"

Liu Yuanzhou's trip to the city had been moved up. Just the day before yesterday, Third Master had received a letter from his eldest son in the city, Liu Jiali. The letter said that Liu Yuanzhou was to enter the city in early May, because certain matters regarding joining the sect had to be handled by Liu Yuanzhou himself.

This was a full month earlier than originally planned. Upon receiving the letter, Third Master hurried over to discuss it with Liu Yuanzhou's family. In the end, they decided to set out for the city on May 5th.

There were only a few days left for him to stay at home. Once he reached the city, there would surely be many trivial matters to deal with, and he would not be able to practice martial arts too openly. That was why Liu Yuanzhou lamented that his days of wholeheartedly practicing martial arts were drawing to an end.

As for his stance training, his progress had grown slower and slower. He had only barely reached Eighteen Segments. In more than two months, he had gained only four segments. Compared with when he had first Entered Samadhi, when he could gain five or six segments in a single month, his current progress was outrageously slow.

Still, this was normal. The further any skill was practiced, the harder it became. To make even the slightest breakthrough required several times, even dozens of times, the effort and time spent before.

Miss Qin had told him all this beforehand, so he was not impatient. He merely followed the proper order, practicing his stance twice each day, morning and evening—neither more nor less.

With the power of Eighteen Segments in his stance training, his strength had increased by far more than double compared to before. He could now easily lift a massive boulder weighing some four hundred jin, whereas half a year ago, he could not even lift a stone weighing over a hundred jin.

Besides his increased strength, every aspect of his physical ability had undergone a fundamental leap—he ran faster, jumped higher, reacted more sharply, and even his mind had become much quicker. It could be said that his body had changed beyond all recognition, as though heaven and earth had been overturned. He truly wondered what he would become like after his stance training broke through Twenty-Five Segments and he attained Whole Strength.

Lost in such thoughts, Liu Yuanzhou unknowingly walked into his family's courtyard.

After breakfast, Zhang Shi announced that the whole family would rest for the next few days. First, all the crops had been planted, so there was no longer much work to do. Second, Liu Yuanzhou was about to leave home for the city, and the family needed to prepare things for him to take along. They said a poor household should travel rich, and Liu Yuanzhou was going to work in the city. No one knew when he would next return, so there was even more to prepare.

After clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, Zhang Shi and her daughter-in-law Li Shi busied themselves taking apart, washing, mending, and sewing Liu Yuanzhou's clothes. Clothes for all four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—had to be prepared, and several new sets had to be made as well.

Once he went to the city, he would inevitably have to deal with social obligations. The Liu family was merely an ordinary farming household; what good things did they have? Nor could they give Liu Yuanzhou much money. They could only prepare homegrown rice, beans, and fresh vegetables, and that became Liu Da and Liu Yuanbo's task.

Liu Yuanzhou was chased outside. Zhang Shi's exact words were, "Go play with Hu Wa and Xi Zi. If you want to drink, there are still several jars at home. Don't stay here and be an eyesore." After saying that, she wiped away her tears.

For a moment, Liu Yuanzhou's heart felt heavy as lead.

Carrying two jars of wine, Liu Yuanzhou arranged to meet Liu Chuang and Zhang He at Third Master's home.

Third Master personally cooked two dishes to go with the wine, one meat and one vegetable, then served up a huge bowl of Pickled Vegetables. Once he had set them on the table, he went out for a stroll. Young men drinking was no fun for an old man to watch.

He too wanted to find some old companions in the village to chat with. This time, once he went to the city, if nothing unexpected happened, he would likely settle there for good.

Liu Yuanzhou, Liu Chuang, and Zhang He sat on the heated brick bed and drank, chatting idly about inconsequential things. Before long, all three were seven or eight parts drunk.

"Second Child, Third Master treats you really well, finding you such a fine job," Zhang He said enviously.

"Heh heh, of course. Don't you know how capable Second Child is?" Liu Chuang took a gulp of wine by himself, then suddenly chuckled.

Liu Yuanzhou felt a burst of discomfort at those words. It was not that there was anything wrong with what Liu Chuang had said, but his tone seemed to carry mockery.

Perhaps he was in a bad mood, or perhaps he was drunk and talking nonsense. Liu Yuanzhou comforted himself with that thought.

Yet nothing showed on his face. He merely said with a touch of self-mockery, "What ability do I have? It's all thanks to Third Master looking after me."

Liu Chuang opened his mouth to say more, but Liu Yuanzhou beat him to it. "Xi Zi, how has Xiucai been lately?"

Zhang He said, "He went to the city a few days ago. I heard the Prefecture Exam is next month, so he probably went early to prepare."

"Heh heh, lackey, come drink a cup with your brother." Liu Chuang raised his cup and waved it at Zhang He, then drained it in one gulp himself.

Zhang He froze, his wine cup stiffening in his hand.

Liu Yuanzhou hurriedly raised his cup and clinked it against Zhang He's. "Ignore this fool. Once he gets drunk, he starts spouting nonsense. Come, brothers, let's have one."

Liu Chuang was truly drunk. He began babbling nonsense, crying one moment and laughing the next, muttering curses under his breath. In the end, he vomited all over Third Master's heated brick bed.

Helpless, Liu Yuanzhou told Zhang He to stay behind and clean up the mess while he slung Liu Chuang's arm over his shoulder and took him home.

After he and Xiao Hua helped Liu Chuang into bed, Liu Yuanzhou left.

"Brother, have some hot water to sober up." Xiao Hua brought over a bowl of hot water.

"I'm not drinking. Let me drink myself to death." Liu Chuang suddenly flung out his arm, and the bowl in Xiao Hua's hands fell to the ground with a smack.

Fortunately, the water was not hot, but Xiao Hua was badly frightened. Crying, she ran to find her father and complain.

Liu Chuang was completely unaware of what he had done. Through bleary drunken eyes, he stared at the broken cave dwelling roof, so miserable that he wanted to die. Why can all of you go to the city to work? Why can you take the Xiucai exam, while I can only stay in this rotten cave dwelling?

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Soon, it was May 4th, the day before he left home, and a fine drizzle began to fall from the sky.

Over the past few days, Liu Yuanzhou had deliberately visited the Liu clan elders in the village, and he had drunk twice with the cousins he was close to, treating it as a farewell.

At last, on the fourth, he had some free time. Yet Liu Yuanzhou still had one matter that troubled him.

That day, when Zhang He had spoken of Wang San's arrest, Liu Yuanzhou had vaguely felt that they had taken Fatty Wang's murder too simply. The Wang family might be more powerful than they had imagined.

Wang San was the White-Haired Taoist's disciple, and the White-Haired Taoist was very likely a martial master. The Township Official did not have the ability, nor the nerve, to arrest a martial master's disciple. The Wang family had to be supporting this from behind the scenes.

The authorities had most likely discovered that Fatty Wang's killer was a martial master. On the surface, among the villages within ten li of Crouching Tiger Slope, only the White-Haired Taoist and Martial Master Zheng were martial masters. Martial Master Zheng naturally could not be the killer, so suspicion naturally pointed toward the White-Haired Taoist.

He also thought of something else. Wang San had borne a grudge against Fatty Wang. If the authorities followed the trail of that enmity, they would very likely trace it back to them, because everyone had seen the grudge between them and Fatty Wang.

There was no need for any evidence. Even if it were merely routine questioning, given Liu Chuang and Zhang He's current state, there was a strong chance they would let something slip. After all, when had they ever experienced such a thing?

The moment he thought of this, Liu Yuanzhou grew anxious and hurried to find Liu Chuang and Zhang He. The three slipped into a remote, dilapidated cave dwelling in the village, their clothes soaked by the rain.

"Second Child, Xi Zi, I was drunk that day and spoke nonsense. Don't take it to heart," Liu Chuang said with an awkward grin.

Liu Yuanzhou had no mind to waste words with him. Besides, he had not taken that matter to heart, while Zhang He was even more carefree, laughing it off.

The two then asked Liu Yuanzhou what urgent matter it was. Liu Yuanzhou told them his suspicions and finally said solemnly, "Hu Wa, Xi Zi, if you are questioned, you must stay calm. Don't panic. Bite down on one story: that night, we were drinking at Third Master's home. Do you understand?"

Liu Chuang and Zhang He's faces immediately turned deathly pale, and their bodies began to tremble. Whether from fear or cold, no one knew.

Seeing them like this, Liu Yuanzhou felt powerless for a moment. In a matter like this, it all depended on one's mental fortitude. There was truly nothing he could do to help them. Besides, he was leaving tomorrow.

He suddenly regretted telling them his suspicions. Telling them had only left them flustered and panicked.

In the end, Liu Yuanzhou could only comfort them. "Don't scare yourselves either. This is only a guess, just in case. The authorities may not have the energy to investigate everyone one by one. There are plenty of people in the villages around here who had grudges against Fatty Wang."

Only then did the two look as though a great weight had been lifted from their hearts.

May 5th. Early morning. The misty rain fell like silk, like fog.

In Liu Yuanzhou's family courtyard, a group of people gathered in the rain.

A donkey cart stood in the courtyard, its bed fitted with a rainproof canopy. Third Master had hired the donkey cart at Crouching Tiger Slope, and it would take them to Yan Province City.

Everything they were bringing had already been loaded onto the cart. The cart bed was stuffed to the brim, leaving only enough room for Liu Yuanzhou and Third Master to sit.

"Father, Mother, take care of yourselves." Liu Yuanzhou dropped to his knees in the muddy ground with a thud and knocked his head three times before his parents.

Liu Da and Zhang Shi hurriedly helped their son up. Zhang Shi wiped her tears as she complained to Liu Yuanzhou, "You've dirtied your new clothes." As she spoke, she used her sleeve to wipe the mud stains from his clothes.

Liu Yuanzhou stood quietly, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone. His elder brother and sister-in-law, Xi Zi and Hu Wa, his second uncle and second aunt, and all his brothers and sisters. Take care, he silently said in his heart.

After exchanging farewells with everyone, Liu Yuanzhou turned and climbed into the donkey cart. Third Master had already been sitting inside. He called out, "Let's go."

The driver raised his whip and cracked it against the donkey's rump. The cart slowly began to move.

The people behind them kept waving. Zhang Shi wept into her husband Liu Da's arms. Liu Da supported his wife with one hand and wiped the moisture from the corner of his eye with the other. Ah, had the rain grown heavier?

From beginning to end, Liu Yuanzhou did not look back. He kept his eyes tightly shut, afraid that the moment he opened them, his tears would come pouring down without end.

Bearing Liu Yuanzhou, the donkey cart broke through the curtain of fine rain, left Liu Li Village, and sped toward the great city of Yan Province.

In the misty rain, Crouching Tiger Slope, Wang Family Estate.

Wang Dafa sat silently in a high-backed chair in the main hall, his face haggard.

"Master, the township still has no leads. Wang San has also been proven unrelated to this matter. As for the White-Haired Taoist, he vanished after his duel with Martial Master Zheng that day. Wang San does not know where he went either." Biao Zi stood at the side and reported the progress of the case.

"What does the authorities plan to investigate next?" a man seated opposite Wang Dafa asked in a deep voice. He wore black brocade robes, and the gleaming golden belt around his waist was particularly eye-catching.

Biao Zi hurriedly bowed and replied, "In reply to Eldest Master, the Township Official said he would report it to the County Yamen. Since this case involves a martial master, he will ask his superiors to send capable constables down to investigate." This man was Wang Dafa's brother-in-law, Li Changda. He was also a great landlord in the nearby Sun Family Town, even more powerful than the Wang family. He had come to handle his nephew's funeral affairs.

"Bullshit! Long Danian simply doesn't want to investigate the case. A martial master committed the crime? I don't believe it. How could there be such a coincidence?" Li Changda cursed, slamming his palm heavily onto the table. Even the teacups trembled.

Biao Zi shuddered. This Master Li was not someone to provoke. He had a violent temper and would strike people at the slightest disagreement.

Wang Dafa seemed unmoved by it all, merely staring blankly at the misty rain beyond the window.

"Biao Zi, withdraw two hundred taels of silver from the storehouse. Investigate in secret. Find out whom Second Brother had made enemies with during the month before his death. If the authorities won't do it, I will." Wang Dafa suddenly said through clenched teeth.

"I'll add another two hundred taels. Look into the month before that as well. I refuse to believe we can't find anything!" Li Changda snorted coldly.