An Uninvited Guest

Night fell over Twin Osmanthus Alley on Dyeing Street.

Ye Jingtang led his old horse through the dim alley, looking around.

Niao Niao had spent the whole day out and was in a good mood. Lying on the baggage on the horse's back, claws pointed skyward, Niao Niao watched the stars and hummed a little tune:

"Chirp, chirp, chirp~..."

As its name suggested, Dyeing Street was a poor neighborhood packed with workshops. Now it had fallen on hard times, leaving only a handful of small workshops nearby. Once darkness fell, hardly a soul could be seen.

Twin Osmanthus Alley was even worse. No one had paid it any attention for years, and fallen leaves had piled up on the road, rustling softly underfoot.

Ye Jingtang had just made a round of the hiring market. There were plenty of jobs, but any offering three strings of cash a month were snapped up.

As the saying went, "The poor study letters; the rich practice martial arts." As a martial artist, Ye Jingtang needed a fair amount of money just to buy all his training equipment, never mind a fighter's enormous appetite. Those jobs clearly would not do.

Although he had found no work, he had secured somewhere to live. Ye Jingtang had thought two taels of silver would never get him a foothold in the Capital City, but after asking around, he discovered the treasure that was Twin Osmanthus Alley-all dozen or so courtyards in the alley belonged to one landlady. For two taels a year, he could take whichever one he liked.

Ye Jingtang paid half a year's rent, and the landlady did not even give him a key. When he arrived, the place met his expectations perfectly-a dozen aging, neglected courtyards, almost none with uncracked walls, and only two or three with intact doors. He doubted many people would want to live here even for free.

With just himself and Birdie to feed, Ye Jingtang had no one else to worry about. He did not mind the conditions and pushed open the door of a courtyard that looked passable.

Fallen leaves covered the courtyard. The doors and windows stood open, and the room inside was empty apart from a bed frame. There was not even a table or chair.

"Chirp..."

Niao Niao hopped down from the horse's back and made a circuit of the room before looking at Ye Jingtang with big, glossy black eyes. The meaning was probably-Why don't we go back and stay with Big-Boobed Sister?

Ye Jingtang ignored Niao Niao, tied the horse in a corner of the courtyard, fed it some fodder, then took the bedding off its back.

Clack, clack-

Sparks flew from the fire steel, and then dim yellow candlelight filled the bare-walled little dwelling.

Ye Jingtang leaned his saber against the wall and surveyed the empty room. Suddenly, he noticed that the floor was quite clean. The dry straw laid over the bed was slightly indented, and when he bent down for a closer look, he even found a long hair.

"Hmm?"

Ye Jingtang picked up the hair and examined it. It was in good condition, so it could not have been left very long ago. Someone had stayed here recently.

But both men and women wore their hair long in this era, so he could not tell its owner's sex.

Could the previous tenant have left it...?

Ye Jingtang was a little puzzled but did not dwell on it. He tossed the hair outside and brought over his sheets and bedding to make the bed.

Meanwhile, Niao Niao mischievously pecked at the little bundle, trying to get at the dried meat they had bought.

"Still eating? Haven't you noticed what a dump we're living in? If I can't get hold of some money, I'll have to sell you next month."

"Chirp~"

Niao Niao hopped twice, indicating that all that plumpness was just fluff and would not fetch much money.

Ye Jingtang had just smoothed out the sheet when he heard a faint sound outside:

Whoosh-

It sounded like a breeze sweeping into the courtyard and stirring the fallen leaves.

Ye Jingtang frowned, took hold of the saber hilt beside him, and looked out through the window, which served only a decorative purpose.

A figure had appeared in the courtyard!

Amid the pitch darkness, the silver moon shone like frost. Its light spilled over the wall and illuminated only half the courtyard.

The figure stood between light and shadow, wrapped in a cloak and wearing a bamboo hat. Ye Jingtang could make out neither build nor sex. A long spear wrapped in black cloth was held at an angle.

The figure stood utterly still and silent. Clearly, this visitor had not come with good intentions.

Ye Jingtang discreetly lifted a finger, signaling Niao Niao to quietly fetch the escort captain serving under him. At the same time, he tucked his saber horizontally behind his waist and went to the doorway.

"Who are you? Is this perhaps your residence?"

The visitor in the bamboo hat was, naturally, Big-Boobed Sister, who had come to check on the young man in the middle of the night.

Pei Xiangjun said nothing, however. She let the spear slide through her hand, gripped its butt with one hand, and raised it level. Sweeping a semicircle through the old courtyard, she pointed it at Ye Jingtang. At the same time, she tipped up her hat, revealing a grotesque mask over her face.

Holding a nine-foot spear level by its butt with one hand was impossible without a solid foundation.

At the sight, Ye Jingtang quietly retreated half a step and gripped his saber hilt with his left hand, ready for battle. But rather than attack directly, she kept the spear level and gave her wrist a slight shake.

Crack-

A whip-like report rang through the moonlit alley.

The black cloth wrapped around the spear instantly burst apart, revealing its black-lacquered shaft.

The silver spearhead gave off an eerie, cold gleam beneath the moon. Once the cloth shattered, a trembling note like a dragon's cry could be heard from the blade:

Hummm-

A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Jingtang's eyes. Holding a spear with one hand was easy enough for him, but shattering the cloth wrapped around it with a shake was beyond his abilities.

Knowing he was outmatched, Ye Jingtang put on a look of delighted surprise and glanced toward the courtyard gate.

"Hero Wang?!"

Pei Xiangjun swiftly turned her head.

Bang-

Ye Jingtang stamped hard against the ground and shot upward, leaping onto the roof before sprinting toward the bustling streets.

Unfortunately, this trick might have worked on an ordinary martial artist, but tonight's visitor was anything but ordinary!

Once on the roof, Ye Jingtang heard no sound of anyone jumping behind him. Instead, a fierce rush of air came from above.

Whoosh-

Ye Jingtang drew his saber and glanced up from the corner of his eye. To his shock, the visitor who had stood motionless a moment ago had moved after him yet overtaken him, soaring thirty feet into the air. With both hands on her spear, she brought it crashing toward his head with the force of a blow that could cleave Mount Hua.

The house was only ten feet tall. That leap was roughly three stories high. It was the first time in his life Ye Jingtang had seen anyone jump so high, and horror surged through him!

Facing an attack like Mount Tai crushing down on him, Ye Jingtang swiftly raised his saber horizontally overhead and braced its spine with his right hand.

Clang-

Crash-

Amid the clash of metal, the old roof instantly collapsed.

The spear smashed Ye Jingtang down into the room. He felt a savage force within it that he could not possibly withstand; even after landing, the impact left the soles of his feet aching.

"Please, wait..."

Ye Jingtang tried to talk his way out, but the unexpected spear wielder gave him no chance. She plunged through the hole in the roof and thrust straight at his face.

Clang-

Ye Jingtang swept his saber across. With a deafening crash, sparks burst through the room, and the sputtering candle was blown out.

The spear thrusting through the roof was like an iron pillar weighing a thousand pounds. His slash knocked it only slightly sideways.

Seizing the opening, Ye Jingtang sprang up with both hands on his saber, sliding its edge along the shaft toward her fingers in an attempted counterattack.

But after touching her spear tip to the floor, she flew backward through the roof and landed lightly on top. Her spear pointed diagonally into the courtyard, and she did not press the attack.

Ye Jingtang hurriedly stopped and held his saber before him in both hands, maintaining his guard.

Thump, thump, thump...

The moonlit courtyard fell deathly silent. A heartbeat that sounded ready to burst could be heard clearly.

Beads of sweat dotted Ye Jingtang's forehead. He held his saber perfectly still and stared at the figure on the roof.

After a brief standoff, she tipped up her bamboo hat and spoke in a hoarse voice that sounded neither male nor female.

"You don't know the Eight-Step Mad Blade?"

Ye Jingtang frowned. He had trained under his adoptive father since childhood, learning ordinary saber and spear techniques. He had never heard of the Eight-Step Mad Blade.

As for any related manuals, he had never encountered those either. The only books describing the martial world available in his little frontier town were miscellaneous works such as Tears of a Heroine, An Erotic History of the Martial World, and Legends of Amorous Heroes. He had read plenty of them. He had learned no fighting moves, but he had certainly learned plenty of positions...

"I'm just an escort guard. I've never heard of the Eight-Step Mad Blade. All I know are a few miscellaneous moves. You may have the wrong person."

"The Eight-Step Mad Blade was created by the Previous Dynasty's Blade Champion and passed down to the saber grandmaster Zheng Feng. When you drew your saber at the Jade Resonance Tower today, your opening stance resembled it. The authorities will probably come knocking soon. But you truly don't know it, so there's no need to worry. At worst, they'll beat you up once more to test your abilities."

*?*

Another beating?

Ye Jingtang could roughly deduce that "Zheng Feng" was the alias his adoptive father, Pei Yuanfeng, had used in the martial world. He really had not expected his adoptive father to be a genuine grandmaster.

But if you had such a badass saber technique, why didn't you teach me sooner?

Fine, don't teach me-but why give me its opening stance? What am I supposed to do if someone recognizes it...?

Looks like you won't be getting any spirit money burned for you this year...

Countless thoughts whirled through Ye Jingtang's mind, but his expression remained natural. Since the visitor seemed to be offering a friendly warning, he asked:

"I've never heard any of this before. Who are you?"

"The Red God of Wealth."

Ye Jingtang briefly searched his memory and was inwardly startled. He had heard of the Red God of Wealth. It was the title of the head of the Red Flower House, a powerful organization in the martial world. Also known as the Spear Chief, this person ranked Seventh Under Heaven-even higher than his adoptive father's enemy.

Although rumors said the Spear Chief seemed to have changed, even a starved camel was bigger than a horse. No wonder this person was so formidable...

"So you're the head of the Red Flower House. I've long heard of your great name. May I ask why a senior like you has come to offer guidance to a junior like me?"

"You're good material, and I hate to see talent wasted. Would you like to learn spear techniques?"

Ye Jingtang froze. "You want to take me as your disciple?"

Holding her spear angled toward the ground, Pei Xiangjun spoke with all the bearing of a master:

"The Overlord Spear is passed to only one person in each generation, and that person must lead the Red Flower House. We've only just met and know nothing of each other. It's too soon to discuss discipleship. Show me your abilities and character first. Only if you measure up will I consider teaching you and telling you the truth about the Red Flower House."

Unlike the Green Bandits, the Sky-Pacifying Sect, and similar forces, the Red Flower House kept an extremely low profile in the martial world. It quietly tended its own little patch of land and was not on the authorities' list of organizations to eradicate.

Having grown up in an escort agency, Ye Jingtang already made his living in the martial world. Joining a powerful organization with such "upright" ways and being groomed as the successor to a towering figure would be like ascending to heaven in a single step.

Ye Jingtang had no intention of becoming someone's disciple, but he currently had nowhere to settle in peace. With such a broad road laid before him, he could find no reason to refuse for the moment. After some thought, he asked:

"I've long admired your reputation. It would be my great honor to have a chance to learn fine spear techniques. May I ask what you think of me so far?"

"The Red Flower House does business. Its leader's martial skills matter, but understanding human relationships and the ways of the world matters more. You visited the Pei family today, and you seem to have some connection with them. Go help them with their work. I'll observe your abilities and character from the shadows."

*?*

Ye Jingtang blinked. Something felt a little off. He studied the visitor's figure again, but unfortunately could make nothing out...

"My father told me to give the property to the Pei family. After that, we're to have no further ties..."

Pei Xiangjun said sternly, "I'm telling you to help them. You'll work for pay, and neither side will owe the other anything. I'm not telling you to become some rich young master. If you really feel awkward, simply don't take any wages. Are you unwilling even to lend your relatives a hand?"

Her voice was hoarse, and her bearing was every inch a master's, but no matter how he listened, those words sounded nothing like a formidable overlord of the martial world... more like a woman wheedling...

Ye Jingtang had a suspicion, but he could not confirm it. After thinking it over, he nodded.

"Very well. I'll do as you say. But I'm a straightforward person. To me, martial skills are 'shoes.' Whether the shoes are good or bad doesn't matter; I only care about the person wearing them. If I decide later that you aren't suitable, I hope you'll forgive me."

"That's how people of the martial world should be. I came unannounced and took up your time. Whether this works out or not, I won't leave you with nothing but empty hopes."

With that, Pei Xiangjun vanished from the roof and disappeared into the night...