Two Road-Side Meetings
You are on the road again. A lone man travelling with seven girls would attract no end of attention, and as such they have tried to disguise themselves to the best of their ability. With Qilin’s help, Yunzi, Armaiti and Lingshu could almost pass for men from a distance, but there was no helping the others. Still, no matter how you tried to hide it, a skilled master would be able to discern that something was off. You wonder just how Bai Jiutian had kept up the ruse for so long and so close to so many other master pugilists.
And just as you thought about it, you spotted her waiting for you and your entourage by the side of the deserted country road.
“Young Master Bai?” Song Lingshu’s voice is awkward and hesitant – what happened back at Qingcheng may still weigh on her.
“Miss Song, it is a pleasure to see you today,” Bai nods, in full gentleman mode. Her disguise is indeed impeccable. She holds up one hand and says, “I am not here to pick a fight. I merely have something to discuss with Xu Jing.”
“Are you sure about this?” whispers Yunzi as you make to dismount the carriage.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got it all under control.”
Hopping off, you walk towards Bai Jiutian.
“Alright, what is it, Tian’er?”
She scowls. “Do not call me by that name again. Out of the kindness of my heart, I have decided to share some information with you. Bear this in mind as you head east.”
You bob your head, waiting for her to continue.
“I found no trace of Zhang Manxing’s body at the bottom of the gorge, although I did manage to retrieve my sword. I reported that the both of you fell off in your battle and went missing. It would not do for him to reappear alive if I had previously confirmed him dead, so…”
“Yes, I understand. The Zhang family might still come after me to find out where Manxing is instead, if he doesn’t return to them,” you say. “We did agree on this, after all. I can have no complaints.”
“If he does return to them this deal will be the least of our problems, but I suspect it will not be that easy. That part of Mount Hua is treacherous and there are rumours a great beast has moved in recently. He should not be that blessed by the gods. Besides that, I have influenced certain people to begin talking about Zhang Manxing. Bad-mouthing the dead might not be a very honourable thing to do, but I do not think he deserves any. Furthermore, as much as Zhang Manlou cares for his brother, he and his family are a little more concerned with finding the manuals at the moment.”
“How is
that going, then?”
“I discussed the matter with my
shimu. Besides the fragment of the Jiuyin manual that I copied from under their noses, they should not have any of the full books yet.”
“Your
shimu could be lying to you.”
“She could be,” says Bai, and the tone in her voice warns you not to go any further with this line of conversation. It appears to be a rather sensitive issue to her.
“Are you done yet, darling?” calls out Qilin impatiently from the driver’s seat.
“Just a second!” you respond.
Bai Jiutian shakes her head, clucking her tongue. “A grown man travelling the country with seven women. You are truly a scoundrel, Xu Jing.”
“Of course,” you smile, and clasp her hand tightly, twining your fingers with hers. “Good luck, Jiutian-
xiong. I’ll let you know what I find out east.”
She is stunned for a moment. Then, with a sudden shout, Bai wrenches her hand away and slaps you across the cheek. “Y-y-you reprobate! This is no way for a gentleman to behave! I’ll remember this!” she shouts, storming away red-faced.
“He acts just like you, Yunzi,” laughs Qilin when you return to the carriage, the side of your face smarting from Bai's slap.
“What? I don’t behave like that at all!” replies Yunzi indignantly.
“Oh… could Xu Jing and Young Master Bai actually be…” Lingshu seems lost in her own thoughts, on the other hand, a blush creeping into her cheeks.
Shaking your head, you carry on, travelling towards the east.
***
You track down Xuxian’s path easily: the former Shaolin monk had been moving in a straightforward route from town to town, always towards the temple. It looks like he had been pursued all the way too, but he had constantly managed to defeat his pursuers, leaving them battered but not dead, and ready for another attempt.
Of course, he also left them behind in your path… and you were not anywhere near as merciful when they recognized and attacked you. In this way, you mopped up those after him step by step, without his knowledge.
Soon, you narrow the distance to just a village; you should be able to catch up with Xuxian just before he enters Luoyang.
Giving the horses and the carriage a rest, you take a break at a road-side inn. Your martial arts practice has been going well, and the girls are also improving steadily, no thanks in part to the fights they’ve been involved in on the way here.
“Excuse me?”
Someone interrupts your meal. Looking up, you see a couple in their mid-thirties. They are well-dressed, with refined looks. The man is dashing and the woman elegant.
They also appear to be people of the
jianghu – their posture tells you that they bear no small measure of skill, and they are bearing swords.
“May I help you?” you ask.
“I was just wondering, my good sir – you are Xu Jing, the Man Tiger Pig, are you not?” asks the man.
“You’ve got the wrong person,” you smile.
“I’m afraid not. Though the description we were given was of a one-eyed youth travelling with seven girls, and there do not seem to be
seven girls here… I think we have still found the right person,” says the woman.
“I am sure I know myself better than you do, sir. I am not Xu Jing,” you repeat. It would be easier to avoid trouble if possible, and you sense that what is coming up next is nothing but trouble.
Of course, you also know that it is not going to be so easy. “Perhaps before you demand my identity, you should introduce yourself,” you shoot back.
“My apologies,” the man bows. “I am Zuo Qingfeng, and this is my wife, You Lanhai.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” the woman says as she too bows in greeting.
“It is unfortunate that our paths are to cross in such a manner, Xu Jing, but I am afraid I must take your head with me,” says Zuo Qingfeng.
“Only if you are sure you have the right head,” you laugh. “Even so, why are you so keen on taking the head of Xu Jing?”
“We have our… difficulties,” says You Lanhai regretfully. “We only have business with you… please ask your friends to stay out of this if they do not want to get hurt.” She casts an imploring look at Yunzi, who seems to be preparing for a fight.
Zuo Qingfeng and You Lanhai… the names of these two are known to you; the swords at their side must be the famous twin swords, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. You have heard that they were living in seclusion, far from the troubles of the
jianghu, and wonder just why they are attempting to kill you all of a sudden, but it looks like you will not be able to find out any more with just words. Their killing intent is becoming clear; you think you would be able to draw more information out of them in a fight... if you would risk it.
Cao’er tugs at your sleeve and nods. She seems prepared to hurl some needles at the couple.
***
A. You accept the request for a duel; you will bring this outside and take them on by yourself. They are after you alone, and you are also somewhat confident you can at least match them without any assistance.
- You take the opportunity to practice your Wuxiang Qiankun alone against a duo known for fighting in tandem.
- You don’t use Wuxiang Qiankun; you don’t think you need to.
B. You accept the request for a duel but ask to fight in pairs – it is only fair. You pick one of the girls to fight with you. Seeing the sword-using couple, you’re feeling tempted to try having someone close by your side during a fight too.
- Qilin
- Cao’er
- Yifang
- Song Lingshu
- Xuezi
- Yunzi
- Armaiti
C. You have Cao’er throw the needles at them to create a distraction and attempt to take them down inside the inn itself. You don’t feel like fighting fairly here; you’ll just have to defeat them as quickly as possible with whatever means you have.
D. You have Cao’er throw the needles to create a distraction, and take the chance to make a run for it. They don’t seem to be very willing to fight – perhaps they will not be so motivated to give chase if you escape them here.