A Superior Martial Art

"Follow me."

The girl's voice was wooden.

The three walked four or five li through the dark passage before finally seeing a glimmer of light. When they emerged, they were outside a hidden cave somewhere on the eastern shore, with a steep path descending toward the water.

Below, the ground was open, everything visible at a glance.

A swift boat lay hidden in a rocky inlet.

Looking back, they saw a line of torchlight not far away, spreading in the opposite direction.

Mantuo Mountain Island's shoreline stretched more than thirty li, making it impossible to post guards everywhere. Although Madam Wang knew of this secret escape passage, she was not at the manor to direct matters, and the back-and-forth had delayed the transmission of her orders.

Her subordinates had yet to react and were still casting their net in a sweeping search, never imagining their targets had already escaped behind them.

"Miss Wang, thank you for agreeing to show us the way."

As though she had not heard, Wang Yuyan looked up. Tonight, the crescent moon curved like a hook, silent and desolate.

It felt as though a sharp knife had been plunged into her heart as well. Lake water lapped against the shore below, and she could not help stepping forward. The steep cliff dropped four or five zhang, with jagged rocks everywhere. For a martial expert, leaping down would have been a trivial matter.

For a girl who had never practiced martial arts, however vast the knowledge within her, the only outcome would have been a fragrant flower's death.

"Don't!"

Li Yu swiftly reached out and pressed a hand against her shoulder. Coming to her senses, she retreated two steps and smiled bitterly.

"I... I wouldn't. I still have my cousin..."

Mu Wanqing frowned slightly, bewildered. Why had she suddenly developed a wish to die when everything had been fine?

So delicate and affected...

Li Yu released her and said, "Miss Wang, before we entered the secret passage, there was actually a knock outside the courtyard. It was probably an expert your mother sent to check on your safety."

"You mean..."

The girl's phoenix eyes, utterly dim a moment before, suddenly brightened. She looked at the two of them for confirmation.

Mu Wanqing was briefly taken aback. Now she understood too. Her gaze grew complicated, and after a moment's hesitation, she nodded emphatically.

"Mother still cares about me..."

Wang Yuyan believed it completely.

The woman in black had been harboring hostility toward her all along and had absolutely no reason to lie to put her at ease. Delight appeared on her face, and she felt sincerely grateful for the blue-robed man's kindness.

"Thank you... I'm so happy... I still don't know your name?"

Li Yu smiled. "I'm..."

Mu Wanqing immediately said, "Don't tell her!"

Li Yu paused, then nodded slightly.

Right.

She was Madam Wang's daughter.

Wang Yuyan immediately realized the problem, and an apologetic look appeared on her face. After a little thought, she took a book from inside her robes and offered it to Li Yu. Since it was something she had kept against her body, handing it over like this left her rather embarrassed.

Mu Wanqing asked warily, "What is that?"

Her cheeks slightly flushed, she explained, "This is a superior finger technique. Practiced to its depths, it is no less than the Dali Duan family's One Yang Finger or Shaolin Temple's Mighty Vajra Finger, and it has further subtleties... I originally meant to send it to my cousin for his consideration, so it also contains some insights I've annotated. They're hastily written. I hope you won't disdain them."

"Not at all, not at all. Thank you, Miss Wang."

Li Yu accepted it happily. He had no doubts whatsoever about the Wang family's gifted girl's judgment. In the martial world today, three schools were famed for their finger techniques: Shaolin, Dali, and Murong. But could those truly be the only three brilliant finger techniques in all the martial world, throughout history?

People won fame through martial arts, and martial arts won fame through people.

They merely brought each other success.

Ripples spread across the lake as the little boat slipped away.

Under cover of night, they were fortunate enough to go unnoticed.

He looked back. The girl in the white dress still stood on the hill, all alone, gazing up at the moon.

The swift boat drew farther away, and the island grew smaller until only a black speck remained.

Seated on the gunwale, Mu Wanqing looked toward Li Yu rowing at the stern. "What are you looking at?"

Li Yu pointed at the black speck. "Look. Doesn't that place resemble a prison?"

Mu Wanqing shook her head. "Mantuo Manor, with its riot of camellias-everyone calls it a fairyland on the lake. Oh, and there's a girl as beautiful as an immortal too. How does it resemble a prison in the slightest?"

But Li Yu said, "Everyone has something they cannot obtain. Desire itself becomes a prison, trapping oneself and others too. Even an immortal descended to the mortal world would probably be no exception."

A smile filled Mu Wanqing's moonlike eyes. "Why have you suddenly started preaching Buddhist scripture? Have you attained enlightenment and decided to shave your head and become a monk at Cold Mountain Temple?"

Li Yu laughed heartily. "That would be good too. Cast off the three thousand strands of worldly troubles and seek a life of peace and freedom. I could spare myself fifty or sixty years of detours."

Thump!

The swift boat reached the shore.

Li Yu tossed down the wooden oar, walked to the bow, and slowly sat down. Looking toward Mantuo Manor again, he could not help feeling the relief of having survived a calamity. He uncorked his wineskin and drank deeply. Strong liquor flowed down his throat, easing his chest.

Mu Wanqing smiled. "Monastics have five precepts: no drinking, no killing, no stealing, no lying, no... anyway, with your disregard for the rules and precepts, if you became a monk, you'd certainly disturb the peace of the Buddhist order."

"What is the fifth precept?"

Li Yu looked at the woman beside him. The bow was narrow, and they sat very close together, their clothes touching. Both wore equally dark colors, almost blending into one in the hazy night. He caught a faint, delicate fragrance. It smelled lovely, so he moved a little closer and asked again.

Mu Wanqing said softly, "You know perfectly well. Why ask me again?"

Li Yu tipped back his head and took a mouthful of strong liquor, then smiled. "It seems I'm not destined to become a monk in this lifetime."

"More nonsense. I'm not as easy to coax as Miss Wang."

"Let's not talk about her. She's another pitiable person."

"What's pitiable about her? She's the young lady of Mantuo Manor, with the Langhuan Jade Grotto at her disposal and a cousin she longs for day and night whose name resounds throughout the martial world... speaking of which, what exactly is that book she gave you?"

Li Yu took out the book. It was not thick, only twenty-odd slim pages.

"Soul-Losing Finger?"

They looked at the first illustration.

The little figure held one hand in a fist, extending only the thumb to thrust forward. The circulation of Qi through the meridians, the crucial points and nodes, and the difficult passages all had extremely detailed annotations, drawing widely on other sources and explaining profound principles in simple terms. They filled four or five pages, all in the same graceful, neat handwriting, clearly the work of the gifted girl.

It was called "Giant Wave Finger."

In the second illustration, the thumb, ring finger, middle finger, and little finger were all bent, leaving only the index finger pointing forward.

It was called "Ringing Cauldron Finger."

In the third illustration, only the middle finger extended forward.

It was called "Gong and Drum Finger."

In the fourth illustration, following the sequence, it ought to have been the ring finger, but instead it was the little finger.

It was called "Chilling Courage Finger."

Only in the fifth illustration did it come to the ring finger, extended in a strange posture. The circulation through the meridians was entirely different from the preceding four illustrations as well. On close examination, it was simply a defiance of orthodox principles, almost inconceivable.

"This is the actual Soul-Losing Finger... the forceful finger thrust cleaves the wind, producing a sound wave that scatters the listener's thoughts, leaving their soul lost and their spirit adrift... before they can defend themselves, the finger force arrives, claiming their life in an instant, leaving them unaware even in death..."

Li Yu was delighted.

This finger technique was tremendously powerful and truly deserved to be called superior. Moreover, the gifted girl's notes were equivalent to an exceptionally attentive and considerate teacher. Practicing it, he would likely achieve twice the results with half the effort.

Mu Wanqing smiled. "Her wholehearted devotion to her cousin ended up handing you a bargain."

Li Yu smiled. "That's what they call 'what is destined to be yours will come to you in the end.' She said it was for both of us. Once we return to Green Willow Manor, you can make yourself a copy too."

"I don't want anything of hers."

Mu Wanqing raised her head and gazed toward the eastern sky, on the verge of paling. An early-rising bird with red feathers flew over the trees, its call clear and crisp. The smile slowly faded from her face, gradually giving way to a complicated expression.

"I can't go back to Green Willow Manor with you."