Ch 80-89

chapter 80

“ Except for the self, there is nothing else.

— AFTER YAN WUSHI HAD LEFT, SHEN QIAO IMPATIENTLY TRIED to force open his

acupoint. Moreover, he worried how Yan Wushi would fare if he fell into Sang Jingxing’s

hands with his present wugong. The true qi within him circulated through his meridians

with excessive force for a moment, almost wanting to break out of his body. All that

filled his mind then was how his heart burned, as though it were being scorched,

before freezing over as though having fallen into a pit of ice. His entire person became

dizzied, such that he could not even determine the passage of time around him. It was

as though he had fallen into a state that was like that of a dream, yet still very real.

Part of this was the resulting torment of his body temperature alternating between hot

and cold; another part of it was because of his mind. It was as though his

consciousness wanted more than anything to separate from his body, but because it

was still tethered to this world by a single thread. From beginning to end, it was still

firmly bound to his body, forced against its will to travel alongside the chaotic

circulation of true qi, which rushed about with such fervor that it left him nauseous and

his four limbs unbearably numb.

The first half of Shen Qiao’s life passed him without much difficulty. Xuandu Mountain

was like a barrier that separated him from the dangers of the outside world.

Not only him, but all the others who resided upon Xuandu Mountain, including even

the obsessively ambitious Yu Ai. They had nearly broken away from this world, and

looked upon mortal affairs with a sort of naivete and expectation that all was fair.

However, because there was Xuandu Mountain, and because Qi Fengge had led them

and kept them away from the wind and the rain, none of them had ever paid attention

to the world beneath the mountain.

After that, however, it was as though Shen Qiao’s life had been split into two halves,

with Banbu Peak delineating this split. The former half was filled with comfort and ease;

the latter with the continuous rise and billow of ocean waves.

He had experienced a number of circumstances in which death would have been a far

more preferable choice than life. He had seen both the kindness and cruelty of

humanity—and in the end, his heart possessed not the slightest hatred. But even if he

had, it had died with Guanzhu and Chuyi, the way that it had when he had taken in a

disciple named Shiwu, just the way that it had when he fought alongside Bixia Sect,

and the way that it had the moment that Yan Wushi had done this so as to ward off

Sang Jingxing, vanishing with him like that of smoke and dispersed clouds, leaving not

a trace behind.

This thought fell upon his heart like that of a cold drop of water, scattering once it

made contact with warmth.

At that moment, his mind appeared to have thoroughly removed itself from his physical

body, from the Buddha statue that sheltered him, and from the small temple, arriving

at an unknown place—a vast realm that escaped language. All types of pain gradually

vanished from his body, leaving him further unaware, yet before his eyes came a

sudden light like that from the sun and moon illuminating the mountains and ocean

from far above, or the droplets scattered by a fish leaping into an ocean wave, shining

upon the stars.

His stopped acupoint slowly opened. The true qi that flowed through his body brought

with it a warm current, returning strength to his limbs and bones that had once become

numb.

Shen Qiao felt as though he had become a fish that, with a swish of its tail, was able to

leap into the boundless universe, inundated with stars. A steady, rhythmic sound

reverberated past him—the sound of water droplets weighing down the leaves which

carried them before sliding from them impatiently and falling upon the surface of a

deep pond, shattering the surrounding tranquility.

As he raised his head to look at the world outside, he sent a ripple through the deep

and transparent waters. A profound sensation that could not be described, but only

experienced, spread through him.

The droplets of water falling into the pond seemed more like it was falling upon his

heart.

All the world shifted with it.

A severe winter transformed into a warm spring in an instant. The flowing waters

around him had even become warm and harmonious. The countless other fishes

around him had quickly swam away. With a nod of their heads and shake of their tails,

they swam further ahead in a lively manner. The moon and stars floated upon the

surface of the water in fragments, carrying its magnificent luster and dazzling light

around it beneath, resembling a part of the galaxy.

Shen Qiao closed his eyes, feeling as though he had concluded the life that he had led

with the fishes, before once more being reincarnated into a life in the expansive pool

of water, waiting every day to fill it to the brim, for the flowers that bloomed around the

pond to pour out their worries, for them to fall and seal him there, within the waters.

With the turn of one hand comes the clouds of spring; with the turn of another comes

the rains of autumn. The clear sound of a clock resonates; the flowering peach

blossoms fill the trees.

He suddenly remembered a sentence from the Zhuyang Ce:

Except for the self, there is nothing else.

Shen Qiao still remembered when he had first come upon this very line, back when his

shizun had given him his volume of the Zhuyang Ce. Although he had used the true qi

of the Zhuyang Ce to reconstruct his foundations after having fought against imminent

death, this did not mean that he thoroughly understood every sentence within the

Zhuyang Ce.

At the time, before he had come upon this sentence, he had read another: The self

that enters the mind of the other, may do as they please.

Now this, he could understand somewhat. Frankly put, when one studies

swordsmanship, they must understand jian xin, or the will of the double-edged sword.

One who studies the equivalent with a single-edged sword must understand dao xin,

the accompanying will of the single-edged sword, just as well. One must know their

enemies before they are able to come unscathed through a hundred battles.

But in this way, the “other” and the “self” will have become one. Except for the self,

there is nothing else. How can they be told apart in such a way?

Shen Qiao at first believed that this was either written erroneously, or that Tao Hongjin

himself hadn’t thought about this to such an extent when he had written this.

However, at this moment, he suddenly understood the implicit meaning of this

sentence, feeling somewhat as though he had taken a roundabout path after hitting a

wall with his thinking.

Humanity existed within the liminal space between heaven and earth. There must first

be a self, before there can be an other. One judges others by comparing them to

oneself, the way that one may judge other living things. If one is unhappy, their world

is unhappy; if one is without sorrow, so follows their world. For the joy in one’s heart

Bai Rong laughed sweetly: “Xiao-shixiong, you really do like to weave all sorts of tales

about me every hour of the day. Could it be that you think that shizun will treat you

more favorably if you cut me down? Don’t forget that you belong to Yuan-zongzhu first

and foremost. If you want to change your status, then show some good faith. What use

is there in attacking a little girl like me?”

Baoyun, who stood by Yan Shou’s side, suddenly opened his mouth to speak: “We

haven’t yet found who we were looking for, and here you all are starting internal

disputes. Is this how Yuan-zongzhu and Sang-zhanglao teach their disciples?”

The tone of this voice was severe and ghastly, sharply contrasting with his solemn,

dignified appearance of a monk.

However, the effects were obvious. Bai Rong and Xiao Se immediately shut their

mouths and didn’t say another word.

Yan Shou glanced around once more. His line of sight finally fell upon the large statue

of Buddha. He paused, before taking a step towards it.

His actions attracted the attention of the others. Even Baoyun said: “Yi1, this statue of

Buddha is quite large. If it's hollow on the inside, then it could hide someone inside.”

Yan Shou looked the status up and down, starting from the top of its head down to the

pedestal it sat upon, before suddenly extending his hand and pulling away the sheet of

fabric it sat upon. After seeing the marks left upon the sheet of fabric, he laughed

coldly, and immediately struck the statue!

With Zhang Feng2 aimed right at the center, the crack on top quickly spidered

throughout the statue. A loud crash followed, and the Buddhist statue split into four!

There really was someone within it!

Everyone present gazed upon the figure that was hidden within the statue. Yan Shou

laughed loudly and flew towards them like an eagle hunting its prey—he threw himself

towards the man before him!

Before he had even made it there, his Zhang Feng had already swept across the area,

as sudden as the madness of wind and strong rain, the skies were filled with bloody

shadows—as cold as winter cutting into bone, filled with a ghastly dread coming down

1 咦 yi: an expression of surprise.

2 掌風:zhang feng. I believe this is the name of Yan Shou’s technique. Zhang = open

palm; feng = gust; wind; phoenix.

in torrents. It was enough to make someone feel as though they were being concealed

by the bloody shadow of Zhang Feng from head to toe while being taken by surprise.

There wouldn’t have been any room for them to have run—they would only tremble

with fear as hopelessness took over their hearts.

Even if Shen Qiao possessed the strength he had in the past, he would have been

caught completely unprepared against the palm of Yan Shou’s Zhang Feng—so large it

was that it blotted out even the skies—much less with the strength that he possessed

now, which was exhausted from having battled the four of them earlier.

When they had fought earlier, Yan Shou had feared how Shen Qiao reached the state

of jian xin. However, he had made out the details of Shen Qiao’s condition. He had

realized that Shen Qiao’s present internal strength was completely unable to sustain

any jian state. In short, though Shen Qiao’s progress on jian dao had developed

quickly, his foundational internal strength was unable to keep up. And this fatal flaw

wasn’t something that could have changed within the short amount of time he was

hiding for.

Therefore, he believed that this strike would at least be able to pin Shen Qiao down

where he was and leave him unable to act in an unpleasant situation, even if it wasn’t

strong enough to inflict serious damage upon the other man.

Just as he thought this, his Zhang Feng glided towards its target. The distance

between Yan Shou and Shen Qiao shrank quickly—yet the other man quickly blocked

him just in time!

Before Yan Shou’s eyes was a sea of white light, filled with cold, ominous killing intent.

It had even suppressed Yan Shou’s Zhang Feng and overflowed its bloodied shadows

as jian qi closed in on Yan Shou’s face!

“Yan-zhanglao, be careful!” Xiao Se shouted.

Yan Shou didn’t need Xiao Se shouting his throat out; he had already quickly retreated.

The others didn’t stand by and watch. Baoyun had leapt up and grabbed at Shen Qiao

from another direction.

Shen Qiao drew his sword, while jian qi followed the sword’s body, overflowing as it did

before being cleansed by true qi. A flash of teal fabric floated past elegantly, almost

seeming to transform into a bluish-green bow of light, and was only further enhanced

with and by the blade’s light—the sight of it was indistinguishably dazzling.

These weren’t truly empty words. Shen Qiao was fighting one against two, and up until

now, he hasn’t seemed to have exhausted himself. Not only Baoyun was unable to deal

with him—even Yan Shou was clearly showing signs of being close to defeat.

How could a single person suddenly become this strong?!

Xiao Se could only think this with such indeterminable bewilderment. He even

wondered if Yan Wushi had imitated the dual cultivation methods of Hehuan Sect—but

even if he had, the results wouldn’t be anywhere near this extent of Shen Qiao’s

improvement, especially within this short span of time.

He scoffed coldly, and felt disinclined to continue arguing with Bai Rong. Instead, he

continued to watch the battle that took place on top of the roof.

However, in the short time that the two of them had exchanged a handful of words, it

seemed that it was already clear who had won and who had lost the battle that took

place on the roof.

chapter 81

“ Stupid Shen-lang!

The hearts of Hehuan Sect’s people were not completely identical. This was very much

clear from Shen Xiao and Yan Shou’s battle.

Although Shen Qiao had reopened his acupoints earlier, his strength could not have

advanced this significantly so as to reach its peak within the span of an evening. At its

best, his meridians were able to expand, allowing him to recover some of his strength.

And his strength at present wasn’t much different from that of Yan Shou. However,

fighting against Yan Shou and Baoyun would be a more strenuous task.

But Baoyun gradually decided not to interfere after seeing how Shen Qiao focused all

of his energy into pursuing Yan Shou. He allowed Shen Qiao to ride out his winning

streak, while Yan Shou was beset by one problem after another.

Yan Shou was filled with great hatred. Moreover, he did not want to be underestimated

by the rest, so he wanted more than anything to kill Shen Qiao on his own.

Who knew that the Shen Qiao of the present was completely incomparable to the Shen

Qiao of the past. His Shanhe Tongbei sword was enough to ward anyone from

approaching him. Yan Shou had wanted to change from his defensive position to an

offensive one, but remained unable to for fear of the screen of light from the other

man’s sword. Amidst the light, the powerful and infamous “Bloodstained Monk” had

been suppressed to the point of being unable to land a single strike on his target. He

knit his eyebrows severely as he wore a grave and stern expression, as beads of sweat

appeared on his forehead.

He was cornered. Inevitably at some point, he was careless, and at that very moment,

the light of the Shanhe Tongbei sword expanded vigorously, heading straight between

Yan Shou’s eyebrows.

Baoyun naturally could not sit and watch as Yan Shou lost his life before his eyes. If he

had, then it would be difficult to explain once he returned to Hehuan Sect.

“What are you two standing there staring there for?!” he shouted directly at Xiao Se

and Bai Rong.

As he did this, he raised one hand and prepared to strike in Shen Qiao’s direction.

Xiao Se and Bi Rong could no longer stand on the sidelines and watch the way that

they were. They immediately entered the battle, each one prepared to attack Shen

Qiao.

However, when two experts are battling, a myriad of changes can take place within the

blink of an eye. The moment that they had already made an attempt to interfere with

the battle, they already heard Yan Shou’s tragic cries. This omen of death arose from

within the curtain of light emitted from the sword; and as the light vanished, did it

come crashing down.

An arm tumbled down from the roof to the ground. The moment they caught sight of

it, they knew that it was clear that Yan Shou had lost his upper arm. He repeatedly fell

made an attempt to retreat, trying to stop the bleeding as he dea as he wore a face

hideously distorted by pain. He, too, nearly fell from the roof, naturally unable to

participate in battle again.

Baoyun and Shen Qiao exchanged a number of moves in their battles, before the man

came to the sudden realization that Shen Qiao did not use up all of his strength in

battling Yan Shou just then. Rather, the jian qi of his sword remained abundant, and

flowed without pause; Baoyun considered the advantages and disadvantages of

prolonging this battle, and believed that, even if he emerged victorious, it would be a

wretched sort of victory. Moreover, he did not have any sort of profound hatred for

Shen Qiao. Even if he were to kill him, it would not be much to his advantage. It would

have been better to use a little over half of his strength so as to prevent Shen Qiao

from fulfilling his desire to kill Yan Shou instead of engaging with him for very long.

Right then, Xiao Se shouted: “Baoyun-zhanglao, Yan-zhanglao isn’t looking good!”

Outside of having lost his arm, Yan Shou’s entire body was covered in dozens of

internal and external wounds of varying sizes. At that moment, he had lost a significant

amount of blood. Even if he had closed his acupoint to stop the blood from flowing, he

would have had to circulate his inner strength and breathing. It wouldn’t have reduced

the bleeding by any significant means anyway. The more fatal thing was that the

technique Yan Shou utilized to earn his reputation as the Bloodstained Monk required

the use of the right hand that he had lost. Even if they were able to save his life, his

strength would be reduced by a significant amount with the loss of this hand. And this,

for those who studied wugong, would be the most fatal blow.

His mind was filled with hate for Shen Qiao, and hate for Baoyun and the others who

only stood and watched. Combined with hate and anger, he could only faint away.

Baoyun, upon hearing these words, took advantage of this opportunity to escape.

“Shen Qiao! There will come a day where you will repay in full for the crime you

committed of wounding an elder of our Hehuan Sect!”

Shen Qiao responded lightly: “There isn’t a better day than today, is there? Why wait

for some other time when we can settle things here now!”

Immediately after saying this, he pointed his sword in Yan Shou’s direction and flew

directly towards him. Clearly he was taking advantage of the brief moment wherein the

man would be unable to strike back and kill him at once!”

Baoyun was taken aback. It seemed that he did not expect Shen Qiao to be so

persistent .At once, he rushed ahead, with one hand ready to strike him

It was right at this moment that Bai Rong flew past. With the slender fingers of her soft

white hands, she produced sky blue lotus flowers, their appearance fine and exquisite,

elegant and charming—it was too much for anyone’s eyes to take in.

However, Shen Qiao’s sword swept across them, and the curtain of light from his sword

split into tens of thousands of images in a split second, forcibly dispelling Baoyun and

Bai Rong’s offensive maneuvers, even causing Bai Rong to strike Baoyun with one of

her hands.

“Bai Rong!” Baoyun shouted, angrily.

capital. I must ask, has something happened here? Did those subjects wrong His

Majesty in some way?”

“Oh, they certainly did,” the soldier said. “His Majesty wants to rebuild the Imperial

Palace. These people’s fathers and brothers, or perhaps even their husbands, were

once subjects of the Imperial Court. Every single one of them submitted a memorial to

the Emperor expressing their opposition against reconstruction, infuriating His Majesty.

They were the ones who caused this.”

“Rebuild the palace?” Shen Qiao said, taken aback. “According to what this poor

Daoist knows, His Majesty is hardworking and spends very little, as though he were one

to not seek a life of comfort and pleasure.”

“Daozhang, I must offer you some advice,” the soldier said nervously. “Do not ever

utter these words once more when you reach the city! The former Emperor indeed did

not spend luxuriously and loved his people. But this new Emperor isn’t like this at all!

The crown prince didn’t even observe his father’s death for even a full month. He even

said to the people that they didn’t have to either. We don’t even have to mention what

happened to those who submitted an opposition against him!”

As Shen Qiao listened to his words, his expression had darkened greatly. His heart

nearly skipped a beat from astonishment.

Yuwen Yong had died?

chapter 82

“ It was elder cousin who killed uncle!

The soldier, upon seeing the great change in Shen Qiao’s expression, believed that he

was unable to accept this news, and said so as to comfort him: “The former Emperor

was never fond of Buddhist or Daoist teachings. However, now that His Majesty has

ascended the throne, he has relaxed the restrictions once placed upon Buddhism and

Daoism. He even renewed Buddhism’s position as the state religion. Daozhang, you

should be able to walk freely throughout Chang’an city. There is no need to fear that

you will be pulled away and interrogated.”

Shen Qiao smiled bitterly. Is this what they call good fortune found in miserable

circumstances?

“Then why is it that His Majesty refuses to observe the mourning period for his father?”

The moment that he said this, both soldiers had completely tensed. They glanced

about left and right and, once they noticed no one was paying any heed to their words,

said in a low voice: “How could we possibly know something like that?! Daozhang, it

would be better if you didn’t ask so many questions!”

Shen Qiao asked once more: “In that case, do you know of the current status of the

Prince of Qi, Yuwen Xian5?”

They were some of the lowest rank of soldiers; the last known whereabouts of the

Prince of Qi was indeed something that they would not be involved with knowing.

As a result, Shen Qiao no longer had anything to ask. He thanked the two men and

finished his tea. Once more, he watched as the soldiers prepared for their journey to

take away the wives and families of the officials who had opposed the Emperor, and

bid them farewell. He then undid the reins of his horse that he had tied to a nearby

fence, mounted it, and headed directly towards Chang’an.

The moment he reached the city of Chang’an, Shen Qiao no longer felt as though the

city had changed as significantly as he had before. It was still quite lively, still filled with

people moving about, coming and going in endless streams. It was still much more

prosperous than that of the capitals of other provinces. However, the only difference

was that there were more government officials in the city streets, especially in those

that lead up to the palace. Some were doing inspections of the area, while others were

escorting convicts. Men and women made up the convicted people; as well as young

and old. It was just the same as when he had been just outside the city. Fear and

anxiety filled their faces, seeming completely out of place with that of the lively city.

Shen Qiao stopped to look around. The sound of children crying amidst the troops of

soldiers was unbearable for him. However, he understood very well that, even if he

were able to save them, regardless of whether or not the crimes these families had

been accused of was justified in any way, he had no means of helping them settle

down elsewhere. In the end, there was a high chance that it would cause them to face

even more serious punishments.

5 Recall that this is the general that Yan Wushi supported a long time ago over the useless crown prince

(Yuwen Yong’s son) to be Yuwen Yong’s successor. Warning, if you Wikipedia him you’ll most likely be in

historical spoiler territory. Just to reiterate once more, Prince of Qi refers to his title. It doesn’t refer to

the country of Qi.

Luckily, he was able to recognize Shen Qiao and Dou Yan. He restrained himself from

calling out, before returning to a normal tone of voice as he addressed them:

“Shen-daozhang? Dou-erniang?”

Dou Yan slipped out of Shen Qiao’s arms and spoke in a clear, crisp voice: “Shibo21,

please do not be surprised! Ah-yan did not come here with any cruel intent!”

Su Wei quickly stood to open the door and inspect the area outside. After seeing that

there was no one spying on them, he closed the door once more, before turning

around to speak to them: “Why have you come here? Ah-yan, I heard that the Dou

family has now been surrounded by people from His Majesty. They have been looking

for you.”

“Yes. It’s because I made so much trouble for my mother and father,” Ah-yan said,

dejectedly. “His Majesty was afraid that they would send me away into hiding, and is

now keeping his eye on our family. I can’t go back, not for now at least. I can only ask

Shibo for his protection.”

“We were at the Bian residence when we happened to run into the Duke of Sui,” Shen

Qiao said. “It was he who had us come here to look for Su-xiangong.”

Su Wei sighed. “All right, then. The two of you, come with me for now.”

He did not inquire further about any details. It seemed that he already had some

knowledge of what had taken place. Only Shen Qiao found everything completely

beyond his expectations after entering Chang’an, and could only take things as they

go, not knowing much else.

Su Wei straightened, and pushed in the bookshelf. Behind it was a secret hallway. He

took the two of them down there, before reaching a bedroom at the end.

The bedroom was not completely isolated from daylight, however. The window from

the outside was obscured by the shade of trees, allowing sunlight to faintly shine

through. Had it been summer, it would have been a wonderful place to hide from the

sun and heat. At the same time, it was quite good at hiding people from view, making

it very difficult for their pursuers to follow their tracks.

A single person stood by the window with their back towards them. His hands were

crossed behind him. Seeing Su Wei open the door, he turned around and, upon

catching sight of Dou Yan, could not help but say, surprised: “Er-niang?”

21 世伯: shibo: uncle. an affectionate name for a friend older than one’s father.

He himself had met Yuwen Yong once, and he knew that the other man was not the

sort of person that would easily overlook this.

Su Wei suddenly remembered that he had yet to introduce Shen Qiao, and so he

quickly said to Yuwen Xian: “Your highness, the Prince of Qi. This is Shen-daozhang of

Xuandu Mountain.”

Yuwen Xian sighed: “It seems that Shen-daozhang does not know. Prior to his death,

the former Emperor had disciplined the Crown Prince severely. Once, because he knew

that the Crown Prince was addicted to drink, he would not allow the Eastern Palace25 to

have even a drop of alcohol on the premises. The Crown Prince had always resented

him, but could only endure it bitterly while the former Emperor was still around.”

And everything else that happened did not need to be explained. Shen Qiao had

already understood it.

Yuwen Yun had suppressed emotions for too long. It was inevitable that it would take a

toll on his temperament, and turn him into someone brutal and violent. But his father

was in the more robust years of his life26; Yuwen Yun himself did not know when he

would succeed to the throne himself. In the end, he simply could not wait any longer,

and decided to act upon it.

As for whether or not Yuwen Yun himself, despite being the Crown Prince, was able to

secretly kill Yuwen Yong with only his own strength—this matter was not worth pursuing

now. Yuwen Yong had prohibited the practice of Buddhism and Daoism, fell the

country of Qi, and even prepared to go to war against Tujue. His enemies were

everywhere under the sun, which meant that more and more people would be willing

to cooperate with Yuwen Yun. Of them, only Empress Ashina had the most favorable

position of them all, and had significantly more opportunities to act than they did.

Shen Qiao suddenly remembered Yan Wushi and his previous evaluation of Yuwen Yun,

as well as his own judgement of the political affairs of Northern Zhou, and saw how

each of these things had now become reality.

And then, he remembered what had happened at the small temple. His heart trembled

somewhat, and he could not help but sigh deeply, before suppressing everything else.

25 This is the residence of the crown prince in the Imperial Palace.

26 Referring to the ages of 30 and 50.

“I heard outside the city that Yuwen Yun was preparing to reconstruct the Imperial

Palace, and had even imprisoned a number of those who submitted a memorial against

him?”

It was both because Yuwen Yun did not win popular favor, and that Shen Qiao was not

an ordinary citizen, that not a single person found it inappropriate that Shen Qiao had

directly called the man by his entire name, and not ‘His Majesty’.

Su Wei said: “That is a rather long story. After the death of the former Emperor,

tradition states that we should observe a mourning period for a little over a month.

However, His Majesty only observed it for ten days before ordering that the mourning

period should come to an end. It was then that a number of people in the court

advised His Majesty to comply with his filial duties. However, His Majesty said that

because the Yuwen clan had descended from Xianbei people, there was no need to

abide by Han traditions, and that the Emperor’s matters had no need for the nonsense

of the ministers. Afterwards, those who showed any sort of opposition whatsoever

would be labeled as rebellious subjects and traitors, caned, and then have their entire

families banished from the capital.”

Yuwen Xian continued: “His Majesty additionally disliked how narrow the halls of the

palace were, saying that it did not suit the dignified air of the Imperial family, and

demanded that the palace be reconstructed. He had even constructed a garden

outside the palace, and had the entire royal family go on a brief hunting break. By

then, the Imperial Court had just fallen Qi and exerted quite a lot of labor and wealth

to do so. The former emperor was unwilling to raise taxes on the common people, and

instead took the riches of the Qi Palace delivered and prepared to have them counted

and added to the National Treasury. But who would have known that His Majesty

would take it and even add it to the Imperial Treasury…”

Once he said this, he even laughed bitterly: “A number of people had submitted an

opposition as a result of this. Yet His Majesty had suppressed them down completely.”

Shen Qiao frowned: “To think that such a valiant man would have such an unworthy

son.27 How unfortunate!”

All of Zhou had once prospered with each day. Could it be that it would be all for

naught in the hands of this child?

27 The literal idiom here is: ‘The father is a tiger, yet his son is a dog.” I translated it into its understood

meaning. It’s pretty harsh but it sounds quite strange in English, doesn’t it?

“And what can I do when Yuwen Yun threatens my family?” Yuwen Xian responded

furiously. “Do you think that I can put their lives aside, while focusing my thoughts and

efforts on taking the throne? If I did that, how would I be any different from Yuwen Yun?

If one’s name is improperly established, then his words will be untrue. Yuwen Yun was

always the successor to the throne. Regardless of what he has done to the former

Emperor, how many people even know of it? And even if I were to lead the troops to

charge into the Imperial Palace, Xueting could easily have Yuwen Yun escape. And by

then, they will rule as king wherever they please. The Imperial Court of Zhou will break

out into internal strife, and the hard work placed in uniting the North under good

circumstances will be completely dashed. All of this was pieced together with the

painstaking efforts of mine and my brothers. How could I watch myself become a man

guilty for indirectly leading Zhou into turmoil?”

Su Wei was silent.

Dou Yan appeared to understand all that he said. Her eyes shimmered with tears ready

to fall.

Shen Qiao could not help but sigh inwardly to himself.

There were a number of people who were born naturally inclined to honesty and

tenderness. It would not matter if they had killed anyone before, or even how many

they had killed. Even when the world is in chaos, it was inevitable that this sort of

personality would never be able to transform into someone ruthless and ambitious.

Therefore, even if Yuwen Xian knew what he needed to do, he would be unable to do

it.

“Wuwei29 ah, you have never been interested in engaging with matters regarding the

Imperial Family. You saw that I was different from them, that I treated human life with

more sanctity than they did—wasn’t this why our friendship was strong in the first

place? Yet in the end, why is it that you are the one trying to convince me to walk the

same path as they do?”

Su Wei sighed deeply, before bringing his hands together in respect: “It was I who

misspoke. I must ask Your Highness not to blame me!”

Yuwen Xian placed one hand on him: “You are the man who understands me best.

Others only speak of my high-ranking background and experience in the military, that I

have led armies galloping into battlefields and killed countless enemies. But if I could

29 无畏: wuwei. This is Su Wei’s courtesy name.

have been the one to make the decision, I would never have joined the army from the

start. I’d rather find somewhere nice, with green hills and clear waters, and bring all my

family there to spend the rest of our lives growing flowers. That is truly a happy life!”

Yet now, it is as though the god of destiny were making fools of them. The great Prince

of Qi, whose strength once shook all the land, could only now hide here as the

situation worsened.

Yuwen Xian, upon noticing everyone’s dejected silence, took the initiative to ask Shen

Qiao: “Daozhang, what plans do you have now?”

Shen Qiao thought for a moment, before responding: “I must ask if the Prince of Qi

knows of Bian Yanmei’s whereabouts?”

Yuwen Xian shook his head.

“Right after the death of the former Emperor, every member of the Bian residence

disappeared in the span of a night. No one knows where they’ve gone. I believe that

Bian-xiong most likely knew of what would take place today, so he quickly left as soon

as he could. Now that I say that, it seems that he had more foresight than I did.”

“If you do not dislike it, Shen-daozhang, you can remain at the Su residence a little

longer,” Su Wei said. “You treated us, the Su family, with kindness that day. My mother

thinks about you from time to time, and my younger brother has great respect for your

skills and your character. A coincidence that we met today. I could bring my mother

and brother out to pay their respects to you.”

Yuwen Yong was dead, and Bian Yanmei was nowhere to be found. On top of this, as

much as Shen Qiao wanted to find Yan Wushi as fast as he could, he did not know

where to even search. He could only slowly listen for the movements of both the

Huanyue and Hehuan Sects. Many roads led to Chang’an; sooner or later, news would

pass through here more quickly than it would anywhere else. For the time being,

remaining here was very well the only choice that he could make.

After thinking of these things, Shen Qiao said: “Then it seems that I must trouble the

Duke of Meiyang for the time being.”

Su Wei smiled: “There’s no need to treat me like a stranger. You may call me Wuwei.”

While they spoke amongst each other, a knock came at the door. When Su Wei came

to open it, he saw his most trusted servant standing outside: “Langjun, there are two

people at the rear gate. An adult and a child. One calls himself Yan Ying, His Highness

by one and hide them in safe areas, in case the Emperor were to fly in a rage and

commit some sort of atrocity!”

Yuwen Xian asked: “Then the Princess had you bring Qilang out?”

“Yes. The princess said that Qilang was the youngest, and that his name had yet to be

added to the family register. If something were to happen, then he would be the

hardest to find. She then had me bring Qilang here specifically to see you.”

That his wife, the Princess, had considered even the very worst of circumstances, struck

Yuwen Xian with sorrow. He could only hold the child in his arms more tightly.

Su Wei, however, spoke in a severe voice: “You said that it was Wei Xu who told you to

do this? Did you discover anyone following you and Qilang on the way here?”

Yan Ying thought hard: “There shouldn’t have been. I was very careful…”

The moment he said this, Shen Qiao’s expression darkened as he stood.

The others could not help but glance at him: “Shen-daozhang?”

“There are troops closing in on us right now!” Shen Qiao said.

As everyone’s reactions changed fearfully, Su Wei shouted: “Hurry! Everyone into the

hidden room!”

Yuwen Xian responded: “We won’t make it. The others were most likely tailing after Yan

Ying, and preparing to surround the Su household. They intend to draw a net over all

of us. If the Su residence doesn’t give us up, His Majesty won’t rest!”

“That bastard, Wei Xu!” Yan Ying cursed, slapping his thigh as he did. “He wanted me

to search for the Princess on purpose. He knew that she would trust me and tell me

where you were, so he trailed me as a result!”

As they said these things, the troops had already reached the outside of the Su house.

They beat at the doors with a force that shook the heavens and weighed menacingly

upon them. Even though they were in the parlor, they could hear all of it.

The head housekeeper of the Su residence appeared and said to them: “Master, it’s

very bad. There are many people outside, saying that they received an order from His

Majesty. They wish to apprehend the Prince of Qi. If we don’t open the doors, they

said that they will force themselves in! What can we do?!”

Yuwen Xian sighed: “Luck and misfortune share the same realm; but it is misfortune

that we cannot hide from. It seems that I can’t escape what fate has in store for me.

Open the gates. I will go along with them; I will not allow them to harm a single

member of the Su family!”

“Like hell if you’re going anywhere!” Su Wei shouted, stamping his foot. “Even if you

didn’t, the Su family would not be able to escape from the crime of harboring a

criminal on the premises. Why must we make such a big deal anyway? You hurry and

hide first, I will deal with them myself! I don’t believe that they will dare to tear down

this Su household!”

“Seems like the Duke of Meiyang does not think very much of His Majesty. He’d rather

shelter a traitor of the Emperor and bring disaster to his family instead!” A cold laugh

reverberated through the air. Despite its distance, they could make it out distinctly.

For those without any cultivation, like Su Wei, every word struck their chests like that of

lightning striking them.

Amidst the people who had entered, there was Yuwen Qing, the man that Shen Qiao

had met that time he had passed through the country of Chen. But the man speaking

was not Yuwen Qing. Rather, it was someone behind him.

This man was no stranger to Shen Qiao. The moment he caught sight of Shen Qiao, his

expression betrayed a sense of astonishment, before putting on a sneer:

“Shen-daozhang. From one end of the world to the other, where would we be unable

to meet? Why do we always run into each other wherever we go?”

“Murong Qin.” Shen Qiao said this name with a cool indifference. “I trust that Chen

Gong is doing all right?”

Murong Qin laughed. “Naturally he’s doing very well. I forgot to tell you,

Shen-daozhang. Because of our young lord’s great service in offering the Tai’e Sword,

His Majesty has now conferred him the title of Duke of Zhao.”

T/N: Did Yuwen Yun really kill his father in history? I doubt it—remember that this is

historical fiction. However, all the motives were there. And since Yuwen Yong had a weak

constitution, it wouldn’t be too difficult. Coupled with knowing that Yuwen Yun had been

an especially shitty guy, it really isn’t something to put past the Crown Prince.

Yet a sheathed sword’s blade appeared before his face.

And the man wielding it was beautiful—fair and slender like that of the finest jade,

without a single flaw.

However, Murong Qin had no intent on enjoying the view. He grabbed at the sword’s

sheathe. The moment that he laid one hand upon it, he suddenly remembered what

this sword was, and the identity of its master.

Then, he remembered how, in the ruined city of Ruoqiang, the way that Shen Qiao had

fought the horde of monkeys on his own.32

For this reason, his movements came to a short pause.

It was at this moment that the sword was drawn back beyond his reach. Murong Qin

quickly stepped back, barely missing a strike to his face.

When he fixed his eyes upon the man before him, he could see that Shen Qiao had not

yet unsheathed his sword.

His Daoist robes floated up with the wind, complementing his graceful, exquisite

beauty, repelling the dust of this mortal world, free of all impurity. He looked the most

incapable of causing any harm compared to anyone else present.

However, Murong Qin knew that this was a false appearance. Though he had once

underestimated Shen Qiao, he did not dare to look down upon him after what had

happened in Ruoqiang—this man who possessed enormous strength within him.

He composed himself, before asking in a cold voice: “Shen-daozhang, are you no

better than a dog? Why do you constantly stick your nose into anything that catches

your eye?”

“You have not yet reached a final conclusion regarding the crimes of the Prince of Qi,”

Shen Qiao said. “Yet you want to implicate an innocent child?”

Murong Qin smirked: “He had the nerve to kill the former Emperor. Naturally his family

is guilty by association.”

Dou Yan could not stand this any longer. She said aloud in a sharp voice: “The Prince of

Qi didn’t kill the former Emperor! The former Emperor was killed by Yuwen Yun!”

32 FRRRR IS THAT WHAT YOU REMEMBERRRRR LMAOOOOOOOO IM … WOW

Both parties began to fight brutally. The Su household participated in the battle with

dignity. Yan Ying still wanted to save Yuwen Xian, yet the other man shouted: “If you

wish to come along with me, then it would only confirm the accusations they have

against me for planning to kill the former Emperor. Take Qilang and escape with

Shen-daozhang! Go far away, and never come back here!”

“Your Highness!” Yan Ying could not possibly accept this reality.

“Father wants to use his death to chastise His Majesty, and have him see matters

clearly. That way, this chaos will also come to a calm as well, won’t it?” It was Yuwen

Song who had said this.

“That’s right! All of you, hurry and leave!” Yuwen Xian shouted, filled with both grief

and happiness, seeing how intelligent and thorough his son was, knowing very well

that he would become an outstanding man in his lifetime—yet he felt great sorrow for

the fact that he would never be able to see his own son become an adult. “If you take

me along, you won’t be able to escape. Moreover, I cannot possibly leave the others

behind at the Prince's residence!”

Yuwen Song suddenly fell to his knees, bowing deeply and touching his head to the

ground three times before Yuwen Xian.

Tears fell from Yuwen Xian’s eyes like that of rain, before he turned away.

Yan Ying’s eyes reddened. He grit his teeth, then rushed to pick up Yuwen Song and

join Shen Qiao, who was carrying Dou Yan. Both men left the Su residence under Su

Qiao and the others’ vigilance, before rushing to the city gates.

They could hear a man’s final cry from behind them, and then immediately the sound of

Murong Qin’s callous laughter: “His Majesty gave us this order as well—if Yuwen Xian

put up any resistance, then have him killed, so that he can serve as a warning to the

others.”

He killed Yuwen Xian directly, having taken advantage of Murong Xun and Tuoba

Liangzhe fending off Madam Qin and the others. He had even made sure that the

sounds of his actions reverberated loudly, so as to make Shen Qiao and the rest hear

him.

“That traitor!” Yan Ying was so angry that he had come to a stop with Yuwen Song in

his arms, tears rolling down the boy’s face.

“Don’t look back! We have to escape before anything else!” Shen Qiao shouted.

In the span of their brief conversation, Murong Qin had already caught up to them

from behind. Shen Qiao held Dou Yan with one hand, while holding his sword in the

other. However, Murong Qin was one of the top wugong masters in the country of Qi.

Now, even Chen Gong relied on him for support. Naturally, only one swing from this

sword wouldn’t be enough to take him down. His movements were quick, and his

sword techniques were eccentric and cunning. He was very good at learning his

opponent’s weak points and attacking them there. But Murong Qin knew very well that

this present Shen Qiao was not a man that he would be able to kill. Therefore, he could

only draw closer to Shen Qiao, and wait to strike Dou Yan, causing Shen Qiao to tend

to her. Once he has created this opening, he would be able to stop Shen Qiao in his

tracks.

Dou Yan looked at the glint and flash of clashing swords in terror. Yet she said not a

word, only clinging tightly with her arms around Shen Qiao’s neck, so that she would

not divert his attention for even a second.

Murong Qin said in a stern voice: “Shen Qiao! You’re carrying that child with you at the

same time that you’re protecting those two over there! Outside the city will be masters

whose wugong are stronger than mine! Just how far do you think you’ll be able to go

alone?!”

However, Shen Qiao remained unmoved: “So long as the dao33 is with me, it wouldn’t

matter if I were faced with tens of thousands of people. I will prevail.”

His jian qi surged forwards. Murong Qin was unable to block it in time, before it struck

his chest severely, leaving a wound that spurted out a jet of fresh blood.

Yet Murong Qin showed no fear of battle. Instead, he laughed loudly, with the intent to

ridicule the other man: “Your dao34? Tell me, what is your dao? In this mad world, only

the winners and the strong take all. If your dao was useful, then why is it that you faced

setback after setback everywhere you went? Why did you lose the position of zhangjiao

at Xuandu Mountain? If your dao had any use whatsoever, why hasn’t that wonderful

man you love so much shown himself yet?”

33 Here, Shen Qiao sounds like he is referring to the following dao from Daoism: the origin and source of

all things. It can be translated in many different ways, including The Way / Road / Path / Method.

According to Daoism, it is the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the

principles of Yin and Yang and signifying the way, or code of behavior, that is in harmony with the

natural order. In these novels, characters often try to gain insights into the Dao, which can give them

supernatural powers or even control over aspects of the natural world (thanks Wuxia World!)

34 While here, Murong Qin is using the more literal term: the ‘path’ in which one chooses to lead their

life.

The guard at the gate knew the man’s identity, and paused, not daring to act rashly.

However, he spoke to the other soldiers around him: “Continue to fire! Do not stop

without my order!”

“Stop!” Puliuru Jian shouted. “Commander, His Majesty did not order you to slaughter

the family of the Prince of Qi! What is the meaning of this?!”

Liu Fang laughed: “Sui-guogong. I do remember before that the Prince of Qi, Yuwen

Xian, once told the former Emperor to be on his guard around you.35 Yet you not only

do not hate him, you are speaking on his behalf. What reason is there for this?”

“It was the Prince of Qi’s duty to offer words of advice to the former Emperor for the

public good. Though I may not possess a great capacity for tolerance, this child is

completely innocent! Commander, why not just let him go? This would be a truly

virtuous action on your behalf!” Puliuru Jian said.

Liu Fang thought for a moment. Yuwen Xian’s prestige in the court had won great

admiration from the common people Now, the Emperor suddenly wanted to launch an

attack on him. Many people had yet to react, but once this issue reached them, the

number of people who would plead for leniency to be granted upon the Prince of

Wang’s family would certainly be quite great. Why would a single person want to come

in contact with such unfortunate luck, anyway?

“Fine. I will leave Sui-guogong with a shred of dignity. However, I must let you know

that it wouldn’t matter if I were to show mercy on the boy. His Majesty had already

prepared a number of masters on the outskirts of the city to launch an ambush. Even if

this little boy were to make it through the door, he will still be walking to his death.”

Puliuru Jian’s heart fell. He could not help but glance outside the gates.

Beneath them, he could clearly make out Yuwen Song tumbling out of the city gates.

Yet he would be met with three people walking towards him—

a bald man,

a man with one arm,

and another with an impressive appearance, with all his limbs attached36.

35 This is really funny because (this is a historical spoiler, so highlight and read at your own risk) Puliuru

Jian kills the entire Imperial Yuwen household once he becomes Emperor. In other words, he’s not an

especially trustworthy man haha. Strangely enough, he doesn’t kill Dou Yan’s family, though her mother

is Yuwen Yong’s elder sister.

36 YES she really kept this detail YES it sent me when I read it

It seemed like someone had selected the top three masters in all of jianghu and had

them put together to close in on a small child. It was truly excessive, like that of using a

butcher’s knife to slaughter a chicken.

Puliuru Jian did not recognize the bald man, nor did he recognize the one-armed man.

However, he was able to make out the last one.

“Chen Gong? Does His Majesty really place that much value upon Yuwen Song that he

would even send Chen Gong out?”

Everyone knew that the Duke of Zhao, Chen Gong, was the newly arrived and favored

minister of the Emperor. Chen Gong had won the Emperor’s heart, and had even

offered the Tai’e Sword to him, even going as far as to submit a recommendation for

the Hehuan Sect to him so that the powers would be split between them and the

Buddhist Sects, conveniently substituting Huanyue Sect’s original influence and power

at the Emperor’s side. Yuwen Yun couldn’t be any more eager to check and balance

their powers. Chen Gong, as a result received his grace, like that of success following

well-placed conditions.

Liu Fang affirmed Puliuru Jian’s words: “They mean to eliminate him completely. Many

have spoken about Yuwen Qilang’s innate talent and intelligence. His Majesty is afraid

of sowing the seeds of disaster for the future, leading to a great disaster that may

come to him.”

While both men were talking, Yuwen Song had already stopped in his tracks. He gazed

up at the three men approaching him, as though he did not know how to react.

Baoyun smiled at him: “Yuwen Qilang. I must ask you not to run any further. His

Majesty gave us an order, saying it didn’t matter if we brought you back dead or alive.

So if you behave and come back with us, it’ll prevent you from experiencing a lifetime

of suffering.”

Puliuru Jian watched from afar, sighing inwardly to himself. He could only think: could it

be that the final blood tie to the Imperial Yuwen household is destined to meet his end

here?

Just as he thought this, he saw a man’s silhouette fly through the city. Upon seeing that

the gates had been closed, the man leapt upwards, as though he were treading upon

clouds. Each step took him higher. The soldiers on the city walls had yet to react before

the man had already flown over them, before gracefully returning beneath the walls.

His steps light as air, his feet clear of dust. A great bow of light stretching through the

sky37, aloof and distant like that of a strong wind.

This sort of qinggong method had been applied with absolute perfection. If both Liu

Fang and Puliuru Jian were in complete awe of it, then it would go without saying what

the other soldiers thought.

“To the three opponents who have formerly lost to me before, I must ask that you

forgive this poor Daoist for appearing late.”

Shen Qiao, with Dou Yan in his arms, almost seemed to have fallen from the sky before

the three men.

chapter 85

“ What a true hero!

As this was not their first meeting, self-introductions became unnecessary. Yan Shou

had lost one of his arms to Shen Qiao, so the moment he laid his eyes on him, his

desire to kill him was clearer than ever—it was perhaps stronger than the hate that

filled everyone else’s heart at the sight of him.

Chen Gong, however, revealed a smile: “It has been some time since we met in

Ruoqiang. Shen-daozhang, I trust that you have been safe and well?”

Shen Qiao appeared as though he had no desire to speak with him. He did not even

find it worth the effort to respond with even a single word.

Had it been the Chen Gong of before—whose self-esteem was strangely high, yet

looked down on himself upon meeting someone else—it was very likely that he would

have exploded with rage, pulling up his own sleeves and ready to beat the other man

down. However, time had passed. Now, with his higher position, his influence was

stronger. The scope of his mentality had also appeared to have broadened along with

it. He did not fly into a rage at the sight of Shen Qiao’s cold gaze. Rather, he spoke to

the other man in an amicable manner, advising him in earnest: “Shen-daozhang.

37 天阔虹影: tiankuo hongying: this is the literal translation of the name of Shen Qiao’s qinggong

method.

Buddhism and Daoism has been prohibited for such a long time. But now that His

Majesty has ascended the throne, he has released these restrictions placed upon

Buddhism and Daoism. Daozhang, do you understand what His Majesty means by

this?”

Shen Qiao remembered when they had first met at the ruined temple, Chen Gong had

looked upon even a lurou jiabing as though it were a rare treasure, and he could barely

read more than a handful of characters. Yet here he was, bringing up the fact that the

former Emperor had once prohibited the practice of Buddhism and Daoism. One could

only fear that the stepmother that had once driven Chen Gong out couldn’t possibly

have dreamed that his stepson would end up as he did today. Upon comparing these

two things, Shen Qiao could only think of the good and bad fortune one comes upon

in life— that which was unpredictable, that of being born into chaotic times. However,

if one was willing to forego their personal integrity and sense of shame, then all they

would need was wild ambition and courage to be able to become an inspiring example

for others to better themselves, like that of Chen Gong.

“What does he mean by it?” Shen Qiao asked, detachedly.

Chen Gong smiled: “His Majesty does not have any prejudices against Buddhism or

Daoism. So long as both pledge allegiance to the court, His Majesty will treat them as

his equals. Shen-daozhang, you are from Xuande Mountain. You were selected as

zhangjiao—you, who did not pass onto others what he himself was set on doing. Yet

you were taken advantage of by some malicious fiend who seized the position of

zhangjiao from you. If you are so willing, His Majesty would be happy to use all his

power to support you in once more taking the position back. Now, Xuandu Mountain’s

present status is gradually being replaced by Qingcheng Mountain. If you have the

Imperial Court’s support and wish to restore to Xuandu Mountain the glory of the best

Daoist sect in the world, then all you’d have to do is snap your fingers and you’ll have it

done. What do you think about this?”

As clever as Dou Yan was, she did not quite understand most of this conversation which

had involved the influential parties of jianghu. However, she could hear the enticing

tone in Chen Gong’s voice. Though there were three men on his side, it seemed that all

of them were afraid of the strength of the man who was presently carrying her. This was

why it was to their benefit to lead him on instead, so that they could avoid a battle.

Would he be persuaded? Dou Yan felt somewhat nervous. She could not help but exert

more of the strength with which she used to cling to the lapels of the man’s outer robe.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Yuwen Song, whose hand was being

held by Shen Qiao, seemed quite nervous as well, despite the serious expression he

wore. It was clear that he had the same worries as she did.

Baoyun began to speak, picking up where Chen Gong had left off: “That’s right.

Shen-daozhang, just as there is no long-lasting friendship in this world, there are no

long-lasting enemies, either. Though there were some misgivings between you and the

Hehuan Sect, it was because the two of us had different points of view, and each

adhered themselves to their own views while demeaning the other. Sang Jingxing once

said to me that the reason why you had fallen into his hands that day was completely

because Yan Wushi had you under his control and presented you to him with both

hands. He had even lured Sang Jingxing in with his words, leading him to lose sight of

himself. In the end, we share the same enemy, don’t we? And that enemy is precisely

Yan Wushi. His Majesty’s talent is one that can reach all over this land. We once did not

get along on good terms with the Buddhists, yet now, we are willing to serve His

Majesty with our utmost power. If the Daoists become a part of us, then we would

become a legend to be told across the country. Once all the world is united, the Daoist

sects’ statuses will rise as a boat does with the tides. With how favorably His Majesty

views the Daoists, he could even make you a National Teacher, not to mention the

zhangjiao of Xuandu Mountain again. His Majesty himself would certainly be very

happy to allow for that.”

That day, Baoyun witnessed just how terrifying Shen Qiao was—Shen Qiao had cut off

Yan Shou’s arm before his eyes after all. Baoyun believed that, had he been Shen

Qiao’s opponent then, he probably wouldn’t have ended up any better off than Yan

Shou.

And Yan Shou, he wanted to get revenge on Shen Qiao for having made him lose his

arm; however, this desire for vengeance didn’t blind him. If one could keep themselves

from having an enemy as fearsome as Shen Qiao, then they really ought to do just that.

Had Bai Rong been here, she would have been completely astonished. To think that

the Shen Qiao she had met from the very start—a man who was both blind and in such

dire straits, without even the slightest wugong left in his body and was cruelly

mistreated by all sorts of people—could move forwards from having not a single thing

to his name and being taken advantage of by one person after another. That he could

now, in such a short amount of time, corner the elders of the Hehuan Sect and force

them to stand against him, ready for combat, or suffer the consequences otherwise.

“I once met the former Emperor in the Imperial Palace when he was still alive,” Shen

Qiao said. “At that time, he had already expressed his willingness to lend me some

support and have Xuandu Zifu become a pillar for the Daoist sects. If I had wanted to

agree, I would have done so then. Why would I do so now? With regards to honor and

prestige, wouldn’t the former Emperor be much more reliable than Yuwen Yun?”

What he had meant to imply by saying this was that he looked down on Yuwen Yun.

“Fine then,” Chen Gong said. “It seems that Shen-daozhang would rather fling himself

into the throes of danger for the sake of these two children who have nothing to do

with you. However, because of our past friendship, I would like to give you a word of

warning. If you do this, then you are undoubtedly putting yourself against the Imperial

Court. Perhaps the Buddhists, the Hehuan Sect, and even the officials of the Imperial

Court may be unable to bring you down now, but in the future when Zhou is able to

unite the country, the entire world will become your enemy. Have you thought this

decision through?”

Shen Qiao’s expression betrayed a faint sort of astonishment: “Friendship? Could you

explain what sort of friendship we shared? Was it the friendship in which you indulged

Mutipo and betrayed me for your prosperous life now, forcing disaster upon me as you

did?”

Any warm and generous nobleman would eventually come upon a day in which they

mock and ridicule another with frigid irony and scalding satire. Shen Qiao would not

have said such words had it not been for Chen Gong’s shamelessness and the

despicable impression Hehuan Sect had left on him.

Upon hearing Shen Qiao bring up the past, a strange expression fell over Chen Gong’s

face. It was one of embarrassment, guilt, and rage—as though he were recoiling in pain

from having his mask torn off38.

“Shen Qiao. You never understand the times, do you?” Chen Gong sneered. “In that

case, don’t blame me for what I’ll do.”

Yan Shou was long filled with anger for Shen Qiao. In his eyes, all of what Baoyun and

Chen Gong said was useless garbage. In jianghu, decisions were made with raised fists.

And those who threw the hardest punch—those whose wugong was superior—were

those who made the last word. Yan Shou was ashamed of the day that he had lost his

arm, and would never forget his desire for revenge so long as he lived. It didn’t matter

whether or not Shen Qiao agreed to Chen Gong’s enticing agreement. He would have

killed him either way. Therefore, just as Chen Gong finished speaking, he was the first

38 The saying here was, ‘having his face ripped off’, where ‘face’ refers to the ‘having and losing’ of

face/face=dignity.

to leap forwards. With a speed resembling that of a peal of thunder, he threw himself in

the direction of Yuwen Song, who stood by Shen Qiao’s side.

His objective was clear. He wanted to strike Yuwen Song, and leave Shen Qiao no

choice but to move and protect the boy. This way, he would reveal his own weak

points.

Yan Shou was incredibly fast. The moment he had this thought, his hand had already

swept in front of Yuwen Song’s face, just barely touching his hair. Shen Qiao naturally

used his sword to block him. Yan Shou had already predicted this—which was why he

immediately changed his target to Dou Yan, who Shen Qiao held in his arms!

If he landed this strike, then the little girl’s head would split into seven pieces before

she bled to death.

Baoyun and Chen Gong, of course, did not linger around. The moment that Yan Shou

began to move, they followed in suit.

Both of them divided the work of attacking Shen Qiao amongst each other.

Ever since they last met in Ruoqiang, Chen Gong’s wugong seemed as though it had

progressed significantly. His sword moved like a deep green wave, with a speed

resembling that of a racer snake. The true qi that followed it rippled over in layers. If

one were to look more carefully, it would not be difficult to see that his wugong was

multifaceted, as though it carried with it the strongest qualities of each major school of

thought.

Chen Gong thrived from becoming the most beloved official in the court. Though Shen

Qiao was the man who had given him a glimpse of the dao of wugong, it was Mutipo

who had taught him wugong personally. However, Mutipo’s wugong was only good

enough to be considered second-class. Chen Gong quickly came to the realization that

there would be a limit to what he could learn from studying under Mutipo. His talents

surpassed him. Chen Gong, for whom nothing passed his ears, began to set his sights

further. Once he began to follow along Gao Wei, the Qi Emperor, Chen Gong naturally

came in contact with many of the wugong masters of the country of Qi. Amongst these

masters were Murong Qin and the members of the Hehuan Sect. Additionally, Chen

Gong had inadvertently taken the wugong he had studied, and merged it with that

which he learned from the Zhuynang Ce. Without knowing, each step he took on the

path to studying wugong became higher than the last.

His movements were as delicate as fine jade, hardly inferior to that of Shen Qiao nor

Yan Wushi’s. Perhaps if Tao Hongjin were alive, even he would praise this prodigal

as simple and as complex as it could be.

The three of them—Chen Gong, Yan Shou, and Bao Yun—were engulfed by this ‘white

wave’. Shen Qiao was only one man, yet his image almost seemed to divide itself into

great numbers. Each man felt as though a supreme weight fell upon them. Their

offensive attacks did not only come to naught, but had instead retaliated against them

in full. Their desire to inflict violence returning to the source.

Liu Fang was not well-versed in wugong. At that moment, he let out a sound of

surprise: “That Shen Qiao is a monster of some sort. How could he produce so many

images of himself just like that?”

Puliuru Jian began to explain: “Those are just illusions. It was produced from his jian qi.

Shen Qiao has made great achievements in his studies of jian dao; he has certainly

reached the peak of perfection in his skills. I’m sure that he has even surpassed Qi

Fengge at his age Truly, the student surpasses his master39!”

Liu Fang himself had heard the name Qi Fengge before. The number of great masters

in this world was already quite small; however, every great master undoubtedly had the

power to take the heads of thousands in battle and leave as they like. Therefore, the

Imperial Court would use their utmost power to try to draw them in. Even Yuwen Yong,

as obstinate as he was, relied heavily upon Yan Wushi. He would not put on the

arrogance of an Emperor before him.

At present, Shen Qiao still had a short distance to go before he could be considered a

great master in his own right. However, this distance would not take ten years to close.

The moment Liu Fang heard Puliuru Jian’s words, a look of terror fell over his face. He

said anxiously: “I was never ordered to fire arrows in Shen Qiao’s

direction…Sui-guogong, you saw it yourself. Our orders were given to us by the

Emperor, so we had no other choice! If Shen Qiao—er, Shen-daozhang has some sort

of misunderstanding, then you will certainly help us make things clear to him, won’t

you!”40

“Certainly,” Puliuru Jian replied. “Commander-in-chief, I know that you have your

duties, and cannot work independent of them. Naturally I understand.”

39 青出于蓝而胜于蓝: “the color blue is made out of indigo, yet it is significantly more vivid.” I used the

translation of this idiom’s meaning, rather than the literal translation.

40 this is so funny the man thinks shen qiao is a monster it’s so cute

Liu Fang sighed inwardly to himself, before the battle beneath him drew back his

attention once more: “Do you think that Chen Gong and his party will win this battle?”

Puliuru Jian and Liu Fang were not the only men paying attention to the fight. The

soldiers on top of the city gates were watching with rapt attention at this brilliant

battle, filled with the shimmering of blades and aura of death. Shen Qiao was carrying

the two small children as well, which could have prevented him from using his utmost

potential—yet he remained perfectly calm and at ease, which would have left anyone

in awe of his ability.

Everyone valued heroes, regardless of how time passed. Though the audience stood

by the Emperor’s orders and had no choice but to act upon Yuwen Song, all of them

had held Yuwen Xian in great esteem. And Shen Qiao put himself in danger for these

two children, even though he had no connection to them. With such admiration in their

minds, how could any ordinary person not gaze upon him with respect?

The day he killed Kunye , only the people of Bixia Sect were there to witness it—and it

was a scene that truly shook the world, which was why it was such a pity that so few

were there. Now here he was, beneath the stares of thousands—one against many,

staking great wins with but a single man’s strength.

This single battle will determine whose reputation will be heard across the world!

Shen Qiao pulled Yuwen Song behind him, while he pulled Dou Yan closer. The curtain

of blades he had produced earlier was able to defend him from Chen Gong and

Baoyun. He gently swung the tip of his sword, and then—like that of the bright moon

breaking through clouds, overflowing with splendor, a sharp light surged in the

direction of Yan Shou’s head.

Yan Shou had struck three times—yet each strike was swallowed up by the jian qi,

leaving him no choice but to retreat backwards several steps. He had assumed that,

with Chen Gong and Baoyun, Shen Qiao would be stretched thin across the three of

them. However, he didn’t think that Shen Qiao would completely ignore the two men

and instead send a wash of jian qi rushing towards him with the strength to overturn

whole rivers and oceans.

He quickly brought up his one hand to block it, but the very moment he did, he

experienced a sharp stab of pain—the light from the sword had already arrived right

before his eyes!

And his entire arm was swallowed up by the boundless white light. The pain that he felt

was exactly like that of the day he had lost his other arm, and sent such fear throughout

his body that he experienced, for the first time in his entire life, the desire to turn his

head and run away.

His desire to battle had completely vanished, just as his killing intent was forced out of

him. At that very moment, Yan Shou wanted to find a way to escape unscathed. But he

had forgotten that the very moment that he intended to run away, it meant that he had

already lost.

The sword’s light filled the sky, and became all that he could see. But there was only

one sword, just as there was only one sword that pierced him from behind, jabbing

right into the back of his heart.

Yan Shou looked down. He saw the point of the Shanhe Tongbei’s sword, stained with

red.

The red of his own blood.

The Shanhe Tongbei sword, dyed in red, almost made a sort of humming sound. The

sound itself was incredibly quiet; however, Yan Shou found it strange that he was able

to hear it so clearly.

Perhaps it was because it was plunged right into him.

Before he could acknowledge this, Shen Qiao had pulled the sword out of him. Yan

Shou staggered backwards several steps, before falling heavily to his knees.

From behind, the battle continued on, unchanged. However, it would no longer need

him to participate.

“What a true hero!” Puliuru Jian could not help but exclaim from on top of the city

gates.

Though the other onlookers didn’t say a word, their expressions clearly revealed how

they shared the same thought.

This sort of outstanding man would always win the admiration of the people, regardless

of the time and the place.

Beneath them, Baoyun and Chen Gong were shocked at the sight of Yan Shou’s death.

However, their offensive maneuvers remained undeterred. Rather, they became even

more swift and fierce, like that of harsh wind and rain. The two of them both implicitly

agreed to avoid taking Shen Qiao head on, instead targeting Dou Yan and Yuwen

Song.

Because Shen Qiao decided to compromise with having the two children leaving him

vulnerable, then by taking care of the children, they were making the following

message: when fighting on the boundary of life and death, what mattered was wins

and losses—not the method in which a win would be gained.

Today, if they did not kill Shen Qiao, then this man would almost certainly become a

source of great misfortune for them!

Both Chen Gong and Baoyun thought this very sentence at almost exactly the same

time.

Chen Gong’s sword moved with great speed. Baoyun, however, charged at him in a

strange and unpredictable way. The two of them surrounded him—one on the left, the

other on the right, cooperating with one another harmoniously. They knew that Shen

Qiao’s jian qi was impressive, but it couldn’t possibly continue forever without

becoming exhausted.

Shen Qiao turned towards Yuwen Song—however, it was not to protect him from the

front. Rather, it was to toss Dou Yan into his arms.

Yuwen Song did not need to be instructed. He understood what Shen Qiao meant to

do in a single moment. With both arms outstretched, he caught Dou Yan, who was only

a head shorter than he was.

With a single sweep of his arm, Shen Qiao carried the children several zhang away,

before turning himself around and rushing back.

His strength surged forward like the rush of a great wave, with an imposing manner

that made his presence clear, like that of a stone bridge following a bow of light41. His

impressive strength carried with it the faint sense of a man who could govern the

country, in contrast with the gentle and mild sword technique he had utilized before.

Chen Gong quickly understood the nature of the oncoming force, and used his sword

to pierce through the jian mu42. He rushed towards him without hesitation--however,

just as he found himself in the clear, he realized that the target standing in front of him

had somehow been Bao Yun.

Behind me—!

41  石梁卧虹: This is an excerpt of a poem that hangs on the Seventeen Arc Bridge of the Summer Palace

in Beijing.

42 剑幕: jian mu refers to the curtain of jian qi emitting from Shen Qiao’s sword.

Just as he thought this, Chen Gong turned around, and was met with a wash of jian qi

surging towards him.

However, just as Baoyun saw through the same illusion that Chen Gong had been a

victim of, it was too late—he had already struck Chen Gong.

Chen Gong had no choice but to retract his sword technique so as to sidestep

Baoyun’s palm maneuver.

However, Shen Qiao was precise. Together with his sword, he surged directly towards

Baoyun.

When two tigers are at war, one will certainly be wounded.

Baoyun had used all of his strength into his palm maneuver from earlier. However, in

the middle of executing it, he realized that his target had been Chen Gong, so he had

to withdraw half of his internal strength. But once this was done, it was difficult to

reverse. The light of Shen Qiao’s sword surrounded him, pouring out from furious

waves with the power of a thousand jun, rushing in Baoyun’s direction!

Fresh blood shot out of Baoyun’s body. Shortly after, a bloody puncture wound also

appeared on his throat.

Two elders of Hehuan Sect died by Shen Qiao’s hand, one after the other.

Chen Gong, having seen early on that circumstances were rather unfavorable for him

then, had already turned and rushed in the direction of Yuwen Song and Dou Yan the

moment that Shen Qiao pierced through Baoyun with his sword.

Their target that day was Yuwen Song. It was Yan Shou who had made the assertion to

insist on killing Shen Qiao. Now, if Chen Gong were to bring Yuwen Song back, he

would have fulfilled his duty.

But he didn’t think that Shen Qiao would have reached such heights upon his

cultivation of jian dao. He had just killed Baoyun, having rushed at him with such

speed, his qinggong filled with brilliance, leaving no trace of his steps.

Fully aware of Shen Qiao’s speed, Chen Gong was certain that even if he were to

capture Yuwen Song, he would unavoidably have to fight Shen Qiao head-on.

And if he were, though he would eradicate any future source for trouble, it would mean

placing himself in fatal danger. Of course, it didn’t take much thinking to realize that

the latter potential was more important than the former.

Chen Gong made a quick decision to leave Yuwen Song untouched. Halfway there, he

had changed his direction, rushing instead towards the city. He used his qinggong to

its utmost power, quickly leaping over the city gates by stepping upon the bricks

bulging out of the walls.

Shen Qiao had no desire to chase after him. He took Dou Yan and Yuwen Song in his

arms, and flew in the opposite direction.

He had sheathed his sword, leaving his two arms open to carry the two children. In a

single breath, Shen Qiao rushed two or three li away, until the was a significant

distance away from the city gates, before finally stopping.

He put the two children down, and staggered forwards several steps, before coughing

up a mouthful of blood43.

“Shen-daozhang!” Dou Yan shouted out, quickly running to support him.

Though Yuwen Song didn’t utter a word, he had also ran over to take Shen Qiao’s other

arm and help him stand. With some effort, they were able to support half of Shen

Qiao’s weight.

“It’s nothing…” Shen Qiao spoke to comfort them as he clutched his chest. His mouth

was filled with the taste of blood.

Baoyun and Yan Shou weren’t ordinary opponents. They were Hehuan Sect

elders—though they didn’t place top ten in the world, they were still one of the few

masters across jianghu. With Shen Qiao’s present strength, he was able to kill two of

them in a single breath. It sounded awe-inspiring, but made at no small cost.

Earlier, when they had battled, he had sustained a number of strikes. If Chen Gong had

not been caught off guard by the unflinching, deceitful illusion that he had projected

before him, and instead had paid more attention, Chen Gong would have easily

realized that Shen Qiao had nearly spent his strength.

Dou Yan’s eyes filled with tears. She tried with all her might to keep from letting them

fall.

“Don’t cry!” Yuwen Song said to her. “There’s a pavilion up ahead. I’ve been there

before. Let’s go over there and sit.”

43 oh baby… :c

Just then, Shen Qiao was turning over a number of thoughts in his mind. Earlier, when

they were battling, no soldiers had come out to hinder them. Perhaps it was because

Yuwen Xian had earned the sympathies of these men, so they had secretly wanted to

help him. He knew that they would be unlikely to put them in danger within a short

period of time, so he didn’t use true qi to take the children away.

Dou Yan nodded quickly, and the two of them helped Shen Qiao walk ahead.

After going a short distance and turning a corner, they came across a small pavilion.

However, two people were already standing beneath it.

Outside stood a horse.

“It’s Ah-die!” Before Shen Qiao could react, Dou Yan had already recognized the other

man’s identity. However, she did not leave Shen Qiao behind. Instead, she remained

there supporting him until they reached the inside of the pavilion, when she flew

towards the man.

“Ah-die!”

“Ah-yan!”

Dou Yi held his daughter tightly, his expression filled with surprise and joy in an instant.

Yuwen Song watched this scene unfold before his eyes, and could not help but think of

his father, who had died in such a tragic way. Tears began to flow down his cheeks after

having been held back by him for a long time.

A hand rest on top of his head, gently smoothing down his hair. It carried with it some

warmth.

It was Shen Qiao.

Yuwen Song did not speak, nor did he allow his crying voice to be heard. However, he

could not help but draw closer to Shen Qiao somewhat, and lean into his body.

Between them formed an implicit trust and understanding, despite only knowing one

another a short amount of time. This was what arose from having survived the trials of

life and death with one another.

Dou Yi cupped his hands together and bowed before Shen Qiao: “Thank you,

Shen-daozun44, for your kindness in saving my daughter’s life! I will never forget your

great virtue and generosity for as long as I live!”

He was expressing his deepest gratitude, which was why he had even used the

honorific of highest seniority within Daoism to refer to him.

Qi Fengge, Shen Qiao’s teacher, had also been referred to as Qi-daozun.

“Dou-langjun, there is no need to thank me.” Shen Qiao’s voice was somewhat hoarse

and weak.

“My name is Zhangsun Sheng, of the Zhongnan Faction,” said the man who stood at

Dou Yi’s side. “That day at the Su family’s birthday banquet, I was fortunate enough to

have met Shen-daozun for a moment. You may remember me somewhat.”

He took out a small porcelain bottle.

“These are Yulu pills45. We use them in the Zhongnan Faction to heal internal wounds,

and are somewhat effective. Shen-daozun, please do take some.”

Shen Qiao did not hesitate. After thanking him, he accepted the pills.

“The Prince of Qi’s injustice is known by all across the land,” Zhangsun Sheng said. “It

is a pity that his great achievements intimidated His Majesty, and that His Majesty

acted perversely and made false charges against a loyal and true man. This crime will

be known by all. Because I had my family to attend to, I hesitated in taking action.

Now, after seeing daozun’s actions, I feel greatly ashamed. I must ask daozun to accept

my show of respect!”

Shen Qiao extended one hand to help him stand: “The dao is practiced

three-thousand ways; the dao each person may choose is not the same. There is

nothing you have done that should be criticized. Without your help in the background,

I would not have been able to escape so easily. However, I am one and alone, and the

Su family is not. The entire Su family is still in Chang’an, yet they rebelled alongside me

against Yuwen Yun. Will they be all right?”

Zhangsun Sheng said: “Yes, don’t you worry. My shifu is from the Zhongnan Faction,

yet the Zhangsun family has some connections within Chang’an. We can easily take the

44 道尊: daozun. Same meaning is dao zhang, but ‘zun’ shows more seniority.

45 玉露: dewdrops.

Su family away and hide them in the Zhongnan Mountains for a brief period of time.

Why don’t you take Yuwen Qilang along there? Although Zhongnan Mountain is not a

famous sect, we have enough courage to rebel against the Zhou Emperor’s pawns.

However, Shen Qiao shook his head: “No, the Zhongnan Mountains are too close to

Chang’an. If Yuwen Yun insists on pursuing after us, there isn’t a place where we can

stay for very long at all. I want to take him further away. Once we’ve completely

distanced ourselves from danger, we can consider things after.”

Zhangsun Sheng glanced at Dou Yi, before he sighed and said: “All right. This horse

won’t be able to cover a thousand li in a day, it’s a very rare and fine breed. Daozun, if

you are feeling out of sorts, then take him instead. It will make things a little more

convenient for you!”