Chapter 35: Jiang Nan Pursuit

Zhao Ti saw the sword was no more than a chi from him; the girl's eyes held a cold glint as she leaned back: "Where did I lie?"

"You are not a Dali person!"

Zhao Ti immediately laughed: "When did I ever say I was a Dali person? I am a Song person, out traveling. I heard Dali had fine scenery, so I came here to sightsee."

The girl kept her long sword steady: "What place in the Song are you from?"

Zhao Ti thought, if I say Suzhou, you'll probably thrust that sword straight down. Although right now even if you had a hundred chances you couldn't stab me, and if I got one chance you'd be done for — but how could I possibly say that.

He said: "I am from Dongjing."

The girl showed a trace of puzzlement: "The Song capital?"

Zhao Ti nodded: "Naturally the capital. Has Miss perhaps been there?"

The girl slowly withdrew her long sword: "Never been, but from your accent you really don't seem like…"

"Don't seem like what?"

The girl gave a cold snort: "Where do you get so much talk!"

Zhao Ti spread both hands: "Miss wants me to leave, and if I don't you'll kill me. Outside they won't let me leave, and the moment I step out blades come at me. What am I to do now?"

The girl looked at him for a moment: "Even if I don't kill you, staying here means you'll lose your life in the end."

Zhao Ti said: "What do you mean by that?"

The girl said coolly: "Once the people outside break in, not a single blade of grass or tree in this courtyard will be spared, let alone a living person like you."

Zhao Ti laughed: "Then isn't it death either way? But there are too many people outside — I can't get out. Better to stay."

The girl glanced at him, said nothing more, and just stood there motionless, facing the courtyard gate. But not a single person outside dared enter, not even a head poked out.

Zhao Ti knew the people outside feared Mu Wanqing's sleeve arrows — the mechanism fired them fast and vicious, and they were tipped with deadly poison. Even a scratch on the skin would cost one their life.

After another pause, Zhao Ti said: "It's not dark yet. Once night falls they'll surely storm the courtyard, but… it'll also be easier to escape then."

The girl said: "You mean to flee at night? There are ambushes all around outside. At night they're in the dark and you're in the light — wouldn't you just be cut down? I think daytime would be easier."

Zhao Ti rubbed his forehead: "Then why don't you leave now?"

The girl sneered: "One more word and I won't kill you myself — I'll throw you straight out that gate and let them kill you!"

Zhao Ti sighed softly: "Then I'll say nothing. I'll wait till night to leave." Saying so, he rose and made for the stable.

The girl shouted: "Where are you going?"

Zhao Ti said: "I saw the horse liked me, wanted to take another look."

The girl said: "You're not allowed to go anywhere. Even if you're not with them, that doesn't make you a good person. And even if you were, I'd kill you all the same!"

Zhao Ti sighed and sat still. The girl held her long sword, facing off against those outside. Slowly the sky dimmed. The maid came over cautiously: "Miss, I'll go make something to eat."

The girl said: "Be careful."

Zhao Ti said from the side: "What's the use of being careful? Your courtyard isn't small. It's fine now, but once it's dark and they climb over the walls, which side can you guard?"

Hearing this, the girl's face beneath the veil changed drastically; she was silent for a long time.

Zhao Ti couldn't see her expression and added: "Don't you have any friends coming to help?"

The maid whispered then: "Miss, in the valley…"

The girl said: "Don't say it. And don't bother cooking — just bring some dry rations and clean water."

The maid nodded, then hurried away on quick footsteps.

Zhao Ti, thoroughly bored, circulated his Phantom Sound true Qi, and for a moment his bearing took on a somewhat feminine air.

The girl suddenly said: "Is your Wu Gong very high?"

Zhao Ti thought for a moment: "Flashy fists, embroidered legs — looks good in a fight, hardly fit for proper company."

The girl sneered: "At least you have some self-awareness. If I leave once it's dark, what will you do?"

Zhao Ti said: "I'll leave with Miss."

The girl gave a cold snort: "I knew you were scheming just this — seeing I have a horse, you want me to carry you out of the encirclement! Earlier when you wanted to head that way, was it to steal the horse and flee?"

Zhao Ti nodded: "Yes."

The girl was briefly stunned, then murmured thoughtfully: "Why admit it?"

Zhao Ti laughed: "What's there not to say? In this moment of peril, we should be frank with each other to get through the crisis. If I lied now, it would breed suspicion and wouldn't help the situation."

"If it weren't perilous… you'd have lied?" The girl's voice turned icy.

"Yes," Zhao Ti said.

"Then why admit that too?" The girl's tone faltered again; her pitch-dark eyes fixed on Zhao Ti.

"Seeking fortune, avoiding harm — human nature. If things weren't urgent, stealing the horse would let me escape the encirclement. Once Miss found out and pressed me, if I answered truthfully, you'd probably take my life with one thrust." Zhao Ti smiled.

The girl's long sword pointed at Zhao Ti again: "I hate lying men most of all. I can't keep you — I'll kill you now, so that when we break out you won't have a chance to ambush. Since you've admitted you'd lie, I won't believe a single word you've said."

Zhao Ti thought, you don't hate lying men — you hate all men, don't you? Didn't your master Qin Hongmian say every man under heaven is heartless and ungrateful?

He said: "Has Miss never told a lie?"

The girl was briefly startled, then reflected — she herself had lied too. As a child, after playing too long in the mountains, she'd feared her master's scolding on returning and made up all sorts of stories. Even her master had lied. Not to mention the distant past — on this very trip to Suzhou to kill that Wang woman, hardly a word she'd told outsiders along the way was true.

But she wasn't about to admit it now: "I haven't!"

Zhao Ti smiled without a word, watching the sky turn to dusk. The western setting sun was like blood; its light poured down, bathing the courtyard in red and gold — even the girl's hair tips took on that color, extraordinarily beautiful.

Watching Zhao Ti looking as though he were admiring the scenery, the girl suddenly flared with anger. Her long sword trembled — she meant to teach him a lesson. But just then, a scream came from the inner courtyard behind: it was the maid's voice.

"They've started…" Zhao Ti frowned.

The girl said nothing, raised her sword, and rushed toward the back.

Zhao Ti stood up and followed slowly. Holding this position was pointless anyway — it wasn't some narrow pass where one man could hold off ten thousand. He couldn't fathom what Mu Wanqing was thinking.

Arriving before the rear courtyard room, he saw the maid lying beside the stone path, lifeless. Two men in jianghu attire lay there too, each with sword wounds to vital spots, already dead.

The girl was wiping her sword. Seeing him come over: "Why aren't you off saving yourself?"

Zhao Ti glanced toward the courtyard gate: "There are too many of them out there — going out now is no different from walking to death. I'll wait till it's fully dark."

The girl was silent for a moment: "What you just said is true—they really do plan to come in once it gets late."

Zhao Ti shook his head: "They've moved up the time."

The girl glanced at him, walked into the main hall of this inner courtyard, and lit the lamps inside, their glow flickering faintly.

Zhao Ti followed her in: "Why light candles? Wouldn't that give the enemy an easy target?"

The girl flew into a rage at his words: "I knew you were coming in—am I supposed to sit with you in a dark room? I'd rather cut you down with one sword and spare myself all this fuss."

Zhao Ti said: "Miss, though your words are fierce, I know you are not the sort to slaughter the innocent."

The girl stared at him for a long moment, gave a cold laugh, and walked over to sit down in a chair inside.

Zhao Ti surveyed the hall for a moment. Seeing it was very spacious, stretching far from east to west, he went to the flower table and tray on that side, took a piece of fruit, and ate it.

After a short while he finished eating, sat down right there, and closed his eyes to rest.

He did not know how long had passed before the sky outside was completely dark. Beyond the window only the night wind blew past; not a single insect chirped, and the atmosphere grew suddenly deep and still.

After another moment, he suddenly heard sounds coming from all sides—how many people, he could not tell. A dozen or so breaths later they drew closer, as if they had already crept right beneath the window.