Lake Boats Enter the Stronghold
Late spring had only just begun to turn warm, and the waters of Taihu Lake spread wide.
The birthday invitations sent out from the Four Seas Main Office outside Changmen were like a wind blowing along the waterways, carrying with them the spring scenery of Jiangnan, the face of the martial world, the courtesies of human exchange, and the testing of hidden undercurrents, all the way onto Juyi Isle.
Before midmorning, the Four Seas Main Office outside Changmen was already a tumult of voices and water.
The night before, it had been no more than a prosperous riverside headquarters with lamps stretching along the water. But at daybreak it suddenly showed another face. In the front court, guests were received and accounts recorded. In the rear court, invitation cards were sorted and gifts examined. Along the long riverside landing, flags crossed in layers of shifting shadow as vessels great and small moored one after another in orderly sequence. Pleasure barges from the south, great decked boats from the north, flat-bottomed cargo craft loaded with gifts, and swift escort launches all bore narrow red slips hanging from their bows. Upon each slip was written the character Longevity, black on gold-edged red, and beneath it was stamped the small seal of Taihu Brotherhood Gathering. Porters passed back and forth along the planked walkways beneath the weight of gift chests and longevity noodles. Account clerks stood nearby with brushes in hand, calling out names without pause. Black-clad stewards of the Four Seas Gang stood on either side, directing who should board which boat and who should be led to which courtyard, and everything was arranged without the slightest confusion.
Yet what truly made men's blood stir was not the display itself, but the people who had come.
Mount Hua and Flying Snow Manor, of course, needed no mention. But one glance farther along the landing showed gray-robed monks standing aboard one vessel, their garments spotless, their expressions calm and settled—visitors from Shaolin. On another came Wudang Daoists and lay disciples together, one lean and austere with a whisk in hand, another sword at his waist and hair bound high, each silent, though behind the latter followed two or three finely dressed young gentlemen. They looked very much like the same men who had gathered at the Changmen inn the night before to make trouble for "Young Master Bai." Among them, the young man with bound hair and sword, whose hem carried the cloud pattern of a Wudang lay disciple, had grown far more restrained than he had been the night before. His right wrist, too, seemed not yet fully recovered from the frost-cold force of that Flying Snow Divine Pellet. Farther off, several Emei women disciples disembarked from a midsized passenger boat, dressed in plain light green with swords at their waists, led by a middle-aged nun. From two boats coming in from the northwest came men of Kongtong and Kunlun, each road-worn and wind-blown, their weapons far harder and harsher than those carried by the guests of Jiangnan. Another somewhat older large vessel lay moored farther out, and from it came members of the Beggars' Sect. Leading them was a tall, spare man with smiling eyes: Deputy Chief Hu Xiaosheng. At his side was an old beggar, face weathered, back slightly stooped, Elder Li Gou'er. Behind them came Hall Master Mo Sanniang and Incense Master Cai Baozi. Though Jiang Wanli, chief of the Beggars' Sect, had not come in person, he had still given Qin Gang great face by sending these weighty figures to attend the birthday feast.
And beyond these famous orthodox sects were guests arriving boat after boat from Shandong, the Two Lakes, western Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and the northern provinces. Some brought chests upon chests of birthday gifts. Others carried only an old saber, a few invitation cards, and a reputation. There were chief escorts from security escorts, salt merchants, shipping bosses, strongmen from water forts, and even local officials and river officers sent by the court to present gifts. At the front lay a vessel flying an official banner on blue ground, from which several lesser clerks in court uniform carefully unloaded lacquered cases. Nearby stood an armored military officer at the rail. Though he was not in formal court dress, anyone could tell at a glance that he was a man of official standing. The people of the martial world might not think much of him personally, but they would still give three thin parts of face to the official skin behind him.
And this was only the surface.
Look more closely into the crowd, and the place grew still livelier. An old woman selling boiled water chestnuts had set up her stall beside a storyteller. A merchant dealing in incense medicines was followed by escort guards. An antique dealer was exchanging greetings with a manager from the grain-transport guild. A broker from the intermediary houses was helping out-of-town guests find inns and charter boats. Men of famous sects, local magnates, court officials, and all manner of people from every walk of life had crowded together at this mouth of the waters outside Changmen.
Fang Yingjie crouched behind a cargo chest on one of the outer guest boats, showing only half his head, his eyes wide and fixed on the scene.
Back on Mount Hua, the wind in one's ears carried the sound of pines, bells, and swords. Here it was the creak of oars, shouted calls, clicking abacus beads, hawkers crying their wares, and the thin groan of taut mooring ropes. Men were still men, but the roads had all turned to waterways, and even the bustle itself seemed to carry three extra parts of damp river air compared with the mountain.
Xi Qian was crouched beside him, watching in similar fascination. In a low voice she said, "So if a gang grows large enough, it really does become like a little court."
Feng Feiyun sat atop an overturned wooden tub, both hands tucked behind his head, a blade of grass in his mouth. Lazily he said, "There are courts on the water just as there are courts on land. Up in the mountains you look at the rules of the mountain gate. Here, what matters are the rules of the docks, the rules of the boat routes, the rules of trade. Whoever can truly get all of that into his grasp will have a voice louder than hoofbeats on the official road."
At that point his eyes suddenly lit up, and he jerked his chin toward the northeast corner.
"Look there. Those are people you ought to remember."
Fang Yingjie and Xi Qian followed his gaze. Beside a somewhat older large vessel, a group of raggedly dressed figures were coming ashore. Though their clothes were worn, their formation was not disorderly in the least. The man in front was tall, lean, and wiry, with smiling eyes. Even the way he walked carried a touch of easy good humor, as though he could greet anyone with three parts jest before speaking seriously. Beside him came an old beggar, face lined with hardship, back slightly stooped, leaning on a short staff. His eyelids drooped as though even lifting his eyes to look at people would be too much trouble. Behind them came a sharp-featured middle-aged woman with a neat waist and fierce eyes, and another plump fellow carrying an oil-paper packet in his arms and eating as he walked, looking less like a man coming to celebrate a birthday and more like one who had wandered into a market fair.
In a low voice Feng Feiyun said, "The Beggars' Sect has arrived. The tall, smiling one in front is Deputy Chief Hu Xiaosheng. The old one beside him is Li Gou'er, one of the sect elders. That woman is Hall Master Mo Sanniang. And the one hugging the food is Incense Master Cai Baozi."
At that, he tipped his chin farther back and laughed softly.
"And that girl behind them—you should remember her too."
Behind the others came a girl of sixteen or seventeen in an old blue-brown short jacket, her sleeves rolled high, a rope tied haphazardly about her waist. She took long strides, a half-sack slung over one shoulder, and at first glance looked more like a young fellow than many actual boys did. She was not ugly. In fact, her eyes and brows were rather clear and lively. But the moment she opened her mouth to speak, she did so in a hearty, open way, without a trace of girlish reserve.
"That," said Feng Feiyun, "is Jiang Wanli's daughter, Jiang Hui'er. She does not dress as a boy, yet the way she carries herself is more boyish than many men. If you run into her in future, do not treat her like a young lady. Treat her like a brother who can hit people."
Xi Qian found it amusing. "She truly doesn't seem like an ordinary girl."
Feng Feiyun gave a lazy smile. "There has never been only one kind of girl in the world. Up on Mount Hua you see too little. Only after you leave the mountain do you learn what sort of people are really out there."
As he spoke, the large barges ahead had already begun slowly casting off.
The vessel carrying Zheng Chong and Xuanyuan Xi was naturally among the most respectable of the guest craft. It was a two-decked barge with newly painted lattice windows and red lanterns hanging high at the bow. Mount Hua's birthday gifts were stacked neatly at the rear of the cabin. Standing at the front rail, Zheng Chong spoke to the Main Office stewards without haste, each sentence measured and proper. Xuanyuan Xi, meanwhile, still wore that same pale blue robe. Standing there amid the crowd and the red birthday slips, he seemed almost to have brought some of Mount Hua's clear mountain air onto the waters of Jiangnan.
Xi Qian looked at him from afar only once before quietly drawing back her gaze, though for some reason the tips of her ears had grown faintly warm.
Feng Feiyun caught it and twisted one corner of his mouth. "Little Daoist girl, he's only this close and already you can hardly bear to blink? Once we reach Juyi Isle, if that Brother Xi of yours really steals the show, how will you survive?"
Xi Qian flushed and spat softly, "There isn't one proper sentence in your mouth."
"All the proper sentences are already spoken by you Mount Hua people," said Feng Feiyun with a grin. "If I were proper too, I'd be bored to death."
As they spoke, the smaller guest boat they were on also left the shore.
Once it moved out from the river outside Changmen, it followed the broad waterway for a time before turning into still wider lake routes. The voices of the city gradually faded behind them. All at once the sky and water opened before their eyes, and Taihu Lake truly spread out ahead.
The spring wind over the lake was strong, and the water a pale blue-green. Large and small islets floated in the mist near and far. Fishing boats rocked slowly past the reeds. Swift cargo craft, flying little triangular pennants, slanted across the surface of the lake. Farther off, the mist and waves of Taihu stretched into the distance, sky-light and water-color blending together in one vast sheet like a length of silver-blue silk without end. The traffic on the lake was even more varied than that on the canal—boats carrying silk, tea bricks, timber, sacks of salt, and others carrying people who had come simply to join the excitement and celebrate Qin Gang's birthday on Juyi Isle.
From the large barge ahead, idle talk still drifted over the water.
"Gang Leader Qin's birthday this time has stirred up half of Jiangnan."
"More than Jiangnan. Shaolin and Wudang have both sent people, and guests have come down from the north as well. This is no ordinary birthday wine."
"The birthday wine is the lesser matter. The real excitement this time is the Qin family marriage business."
"Heh. A lovely wife in your arms and the waterways at your back—what more could a man want?"
A few others laughed quietly.
Hearing it, Xi Qian's brows could not help drawing together a little.
Feng Feiyun gave her a sideways glance. "Did you hear that? What those people say is Qin Xin, but what they are really counting in their hearts is Taihu Lake."
Fang Yingjie half understood and half did not. Yet for some reason, the phrase a lovely wife in your arms and the waterways at your back made him faintly uncomfortable.
He could not say why, and so only turned silently to the narrow, swift boat off to the west. That vessel still did not travel with the main group of birthday guests. It kept its distance across the lake, and at the bow still stood a white figure. When the wind blew, the hems of those white robes lifted, and from afar it really did look like someone shaped out of snow.
Following his gaze, Xi Qian glanced once and said softly, "That Young Master Bai is rather quiet today."
The corner of Feng Feiyun's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly. "That depends on whether today he is playing 'Young Master Bai,' or someone else."
Guests Arrive at the Isle
Around the hour before noon, a great isle finally appeared at the end of the lake.
It was nothing like an ordinary little patch of land in the center of a lake. From afar, waterways ringed it on every side. Docks stretched out from it. Shipyards joined onto timber walkways. Behind the walkways rose courtyards, pavilions, flagpoles, and watchtowers layer upon layer. At the highest point stood a great hall with black tiles and high-eaved corners, and before it flew a great banner with the two characters Juyi written enormous upon it. Behind the hall were several further tiers of buildings half-hidden among the trees: the front for discussion, entertaining guests, and laying out banquets; the rear linked to shipyards, storehouses, guard courts, inner residences, and hidden cells. It truly was the rooted base of a great gang.
Qin Gang ruled Taihu Lake, and the true root of the Four Seas Gang lay here on Juyi Isle.
The smaller guest boats, the great barges, and the swift launches docked one after another. Stewards, guards, accountants, and servants had long since lined up in readiness. The man receiving guests at the main landing was Qin Yaozong.
Today he wore a dark purple fitted outfit, belted in black, with a light cloak thrown over his shoulders. Standing at the landing with the wind at his back, he looked full of youthful vigor. The overbearing force in his brows and eyes could hardly be concealed. As guests arrived, he clasped his fists, offered greetings, sorted visitors, and assigned routes with movements that were both quick and steady. He truly held the scene like the young master of the greatest gang under heaven.
Watching through several layers of people, Feng Feiyun said quietly, "That Young Overlord is not just posing after all."
In a small voice Fang Yingjie asked, "You mean Qin Yaozong?"
"Rubbish," Feng Feiyun shot him a glance. "Who else would I be praising—you?"
Fang Yingjie choked on the retort and could only listen obediently.
"Look at how he receives people. He is not warm to everyone, nor is he cold to everyone. To Shaolin and Wudang he gives full courtesy. To the strongmen of the Two Lakes he gives full face. To the men from the court he keeps proper measure. Even casual guests and mixed strays do not leave feeling slighted. At his age, to be able to hold down this many people is not easy."
As he spoke, the Beggars' Sect group also came ashore.
The instant Qin Yaozong saw them, he strode forward first and clasped his fists with a smile. "Second Master Hu, Elder Li—your coming truly gives Juyi Isle face today. Though Chief Jiang could not attend in person, he has still sent all these weighty figures of the Beggars' Sect. My father will certainly take that goodwill to heart."
Hu Xiaosheng returned the salute with smiling eyes, his voice as easy to like as his expression. "Our chief had wished to come himself as well, but the sect has been tied up in affairs lately and he could not get away. Before we left, he specifically instructed us that Gang Leader Qin's fiftieth birthday was not an occasion on which courtesy could possibly be lacking."
Beside him, Li Gou'er coughed once and raised his half-lidded eyes, sweeping them over the flags, towers, and pavilions of Juyi Isle. In a hoarse voice he said, "No small display. Old Qin's birthday has not been wasted."
Standing behind them, Mo Sanniang clasped her fists with a grin. "Our chief also said that once he finds the time, he will certainly come to Taihu in person and share a drink with Gang Leader Qin."
Cai Baozi shifted the oil-paper packet from his arms into the crook of one elbow and chuckled. "The chief couldn't come, but at least his stomach could come first. With a scene this big on Juyi Isle, I imagine the kitchens won't be poor either."
The line was coarse, but it made several people around them laugh.
Jiang Hui'er was standing at the rear with her half-sack over one shoulder. By now, hearing Qin Yaozong and Hu Xiaosheng exchange courtesies without end, she had already lost patience. She blurted out, "What's the point of talking so much? First put the stuff down and find somewhere to drink water—that's what matters."
Qin Yaozong was startled for a beat, then recognized her and could not help laughing. "So Hui'er has come too."
Jiang Hui'er tipped up her chin. "What, am I not allowed to come?"
Hu Xiaosheng shot her a sideways glare, though there was not much real anger in it. With a smile he scolded, "Say less. Every time you open your mouth, it sounds like you mean to tear down the stage."
Jiang Hui'er curled her lip, but did not truly argue back. She merely shoved the thing on her shoulder into the hands of a younger beggar and began looking all around Juyi Isle with eyes full of curiosity and excitement.
On the far side of the great landing, the people of Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, and the others also came ashore one after another. Gray-robed monks, sword-bearing Daoists, nuns, strongmen, merchants, and officials entered Juyi Isle in wave after wave, and the spectacle only grew larger. Even the servants carrying poles and lifting gifts quickened their pace more and more, as though to miss even a single glance today would be to lose three parts of the excitement.
Zheng Chong and Xuanyuan Xi also stepped ashore together under the guidance of the Main Office stewards.
Qin Yaozong personally came forward to greet them. He looked first at Zheng Chong, then at Xuanyuan Xi, and his gaze lingered very slightly on the latter. The hint of sharpness in the smile at his lips deepened by a degree.
"Daoist Zheng, Young Master Xuanyuan." He clasped his fists and smiled. "Mount Hua has come from afar, and Juyi Isle is honored by your presence. My father was only just saying that if Mount Hua's boat had arrived, the guests were not to be neglected."
Zheng Chong returned the courtesy, his words polished and proper. Xuanyuan Xi merely inclined his head and said, "Many thanks, Young Master Qin."
The answer was extremely light, yet it did not sound distant. Qin Yaozong had originally meant to take a few more looks at this "hidden jewel of Mount Hua." But hearing him answer like this only made him weigh the matter more seriously within his heart.
Shangguan Lü and Zhuge Hui came ashore soon after.
Shangguan Lü, in snow-colored robe and gray fur mantle, remained as composed as ever. Zhuge Hui, meanwhile, looked about at lake and guests alike as he walked, smiling as though he had truly come simply to admire the spring outing. When Qin Yaozong stepped forward to greet them, the courtesies he extended were even heavier than those given to Mount Hua. After all, this journey between the Bai family and the Qin family was no longer only a matter of birthday gifts.
Even so, while ushering them toward the hall, the corner of Qin Yaozong's eye still swept back once toward the boats behind them. Yet he still did not see the white figure who was truly supposed to have come. At once the inside of his heart cooled by a thin layer.
The Bai family still had not placed the one person who most ought to be there out in the open.
Qin Yaozong was not the only one to see it. Those watching the excitement on the landing saw it too.
Feng Feiyun laughed softly under his breath. "Did you see that? The more proper and imposing the Bai family looks today, the harder it will be to save face later if Bai Yuchuan still refuses to show himself."
Xi Qian frowned slightly. "But Shangguan Lü doesn't look like the kind of man who would let things be handled this way."
"That's exactly why it will be worth watching," said Feng Feiyun. "When a man who knows how to hold things steady still ends up with matters like this, it's not because they don't know how to do it. It's because somewhere inside there's someone who refuses to follow the rules."
As he spoke, he looked again toward the smaller western landing.
That was where the white-robed fast boat had come in.
It docked very steadily, but did not press toward the main landing. Instead it stopped at a quieter water berth to the west. The hidden guards around it—some carrying burdens, some tying off ropes, some standing by a tea stall—looked casual, but in truth they covered that corner so tightly it was like a net cast over the place. When the white figure disembarked, he was still dressed as a youth. He lifted a hand to touch the brim of his cap, then turned and slipped through a side gate into the rear court, swift as a white fish darting into water grass.
Fang Yingjie caught only a glimpse of the back view, yet for some reason his heart gave a sudden leap.
First Meeting on the Flower Causeway
By afternoon, more than half the guests had arrived on Juyi Isle.
In front of the great hall were set the birthday tables, embroidered hangings, and congratulatory gifts. In the inner hall sat the elders and the people in charge. But in the eastern rear garden beside the waterside pavilion, another place had been opened up where the younger generation could move about and rest: a flower-lined causeway. Beside it the water stretched close at hand, planted with fresh willows and peach trees. Beyond the railing lay the softly rippling lake, and from time to time swift launches and painted barges skimmed along the outer routes. The day was bright, the wind warm upon the lake. Many of the younger guests had no patience for sitting at the front while their elders exchanged formalities, and so they drifted over here in growing numbers.
Keeping close to side corridors, trellises, and tree shadows, Feng Feiyun finally brought Xi Qian and Fang Yingjie to the waterside pavilion.
There were indeed many young people here.
There were sons of great families with swords at their waists, young masters of various gangs, southern gentlemen in pale robes who spoke with literary polish the moment they opened their mouths, and western boys in short jackets with sabers on their backs and hard pride in their bearing. A group of Wudang lay disciples stood together. Two young sword fighters of Kongtong had also arrived. Nearby, a Kunlun saber-man leaned beneath a willow tree, his expression cold. As for the Beggars' Sect, Jiang Hui'er had somehow already slipped into the crowd of young people and was arguing animatedly with several young masters from the water forts, louder than anyone else, with not the slightest trace of maidenly reserve.
Something stirred in Xi Qian's heart. In a low voice she asked, "Who are they waiting for?"
Standing behind a tree with folded arms, Feng Feiyun smiled without much smile in it. "Who else? The true focus of the day, of course. No matter how grand the birthday feast, if Miss Qin does not come out, then half the excitement is gone."
Fang Yingjie was just about to ask more when there came a soft sound from the flower gate.
First two maids bearing lanterns came through. Then several more female attendants moved out to either side. And then, when the flower gate opened, Qin Xin at last emerged in women's clothing.
Fang Yingjie needed only one look before it felt as though something had lightly struck him in the chest, and even his breathing slowed by half a beat.
The white-robed youth of the previous night had already been handsome enough. But now that this girl came forth, one could hardly believe the two belonged to the same person. She wore a spring robe in pale apricot and soft green, bound at the waist only by a thin silk cord. Her hair was not dressed in any elaborate manner, only fastened with a white jade hairpin, with one loose strand hanging by her ear and lifting lightly in the breeze off the pavilion. She was still very young, yet her brows and eyes were already vivid enough that no one could look away. More precious still, the lively spirit in her had not been crushed beneath women's dress. On the contrary, it only made her seem brighter and more radiant, like a branch of crabapple blossoming at the very height of spring, color at its richest, and yet carrying water-light and wind all over it.
If one stood her beside Jiang Hui'er, the contrast became even clearer. One did not disguise herself as a boy, and yet seemed more boyish than many boys. The other loved to dress as a boy, yet once she put on women's clothes, no one could fail to see that she was born to be a pearl of Jiangnan.
There had still been people speaking along the causeway moments before. But once she appeared, even several patches of laughter quieted.
Fang Yingjie stared blankly. It seemed to him that the voices, wind, and sounds of water around him had all suddenly receded. Only after a moment did he draw a low breath, not even noticing that his eyes had already gone wide.
Xi Qian had been looking too. But when the corner of her eye fell on Fang Yingjie's expression, something in her heart suddenly tightened for no reason. In a low voice she said, "What are you looking at?"
Fang Yingjie still had not come back to himself. He only murmured, "So... so she's a girl."
At the side, Feng Feiyun found it inwardly hilarious, though aloud he deliberately made things worse. "What's this, sickly one? Last night he was only a Young Master Bai, but today she's put on a skirt and already you've lost your soul?"
At that Fang Yingjie jolted and his face went red to the ears. He hurriedly looked away. But only a moment later, he could not help stealing another glance back.
Feng Feiyun saw it clearly, and the hint of laughter in him gradually faded by half a shade.
The night before he had only thought this "Young Master Bai" bold, troublesome, and amusing in the way she borrowed names. But now that she had come out like this, he finally understood what people meant by the Pearl of Jiangnan. Bright, quick, touched with a little pampered willfulness and a little rebellious refusal to be arranged by others—such a person was born to make men look at her twice.
The moment the thought arose, he pressed it back down himself and inwardly cursed his own busy mind.
Qin Xin, however, seemed not to place all those eyes around her fully at heart. Her gaze first swept across the crowd, swift and bright, as though searching for something. When she did not find it, the little gleam at the tip of her brow dimmed by half a line. But the next instant she smiled as though nothing had happened and turned to speak with several women she already knew, as though that searching glance had been no more than imagination on the part of the onlookers.
Feng Feiyun saw it most clearly of all. At once something stirred within him, and he knew that the person she was looking for was most likely not anyone else.
Just then Zheng Chong and Xuanyuan Xi came in along another flower path.
Xuanyuan Xi wore that same blue robe as before, with the black Qianyao Sword moving lightly at his waist as he walked. The causeway was crowded, and he did not move to the front, only followed beside Zheng Chong at an unhurried pace. Yet the moment he arrived, the eyes of those who had gathered by the waterside pavilion could not help splitting away toward him.
Naturally Qin Xin saw him as well.
The night before she had known only the name. Now seeing him in person, she, too, was faintly startled.
He was not like Bai Yuchuan, cold and clear as a moon over ice. Nor was he like so many young men of the martial world, eager to display a sharp edge. He was simply quiet—quiet like a spring pool in the mountains. When it lay still, it looked pale and clear. But once one looked more closely, the depths beneath could not be seen to the bottom.
So this is Xuanyuan Xi? She thought, and her heart gave a small involuntary stir.
Young guests nearby had already stepped up to exchange greetings. Zheng Chong handled them one by one. Xuanyuan Xi, too, could do nothing but pause. From several paces away Qin Xin looked at him twice, then suddenly smiled lightly and turned to ask one of the women beside her, "That one in blue—is he the Young Master Xuanyuan from Mount Hua?"
The other woman nodded with a smile. "He is. What do you think?"
The corner of Qin Xin's lips curved, and in her eyes there rose a glint touched with comparison. "He truly doesn't seem as dull as the stories say."
She spoke very softly. Others might not have heard it, but from behind the tree Feng Feiyun heard every word with perfect clarity, and inwardly he laughed again.
Now this was truly going to be lively.
Sizing People Up by the Waterside Pavilion
Before long, some of the younger guests began trying to edge nearer.
Some began by speaking with Zheng Chong. Some went to greet Qin Xin. A few bolder ones simply turned the subject toward Xuanyuan Xi. Today on Juyi Isle, the most eye-catching young man and young woman were both gathered here between the flower causeway and the waterside pavilion. It would have been stranger not to look at them twice.
Leaning against the tree, arms folded, Feng Feiyun watched the excitement and still did not forget to explain people to the two younger ones.
"See the one in moon-white robes turning prayer beads in his hand? That's the second son of the Gu family of Changzhou. His family has money. He himself has no real skill to speak of, but he loves pretending to be profound."
"The one with the saber on his back is the young master of an escort agency from the Huzhou region. There's some strength in his blade, but not enough sense in his head."
"The one farther off who keeps flicking his sleeve back like he's afraid people won't notice the jade ring on his thumb—that's the son of a salt merchant from western Zhejiang. If you meet someone like that on the road, staying as far away as possible is the best thing you can do. Much trouble, little ability, and if he dies he'll still likely drag others down with him."
"That Wudang lay disciple under the willow—his stance is steady and his eyes don't wander. There's at least a little real substance in him."
"That Kongtong fellow by the western railing has heavy sword energy, but he's too quick-tempered. If he ever really fights, he'll probably lose first to his own temper."
"And the one by the wine jar arguing loudest—you needn't bother learning her name. That's Jiang Hui'er. If she truly gets involved later, she'll most likely curse her opponent out before doing anything else."
Xi Qian found it both irritating and funny. "That mouth of yours truly spares no one."
Feng Feiyun did not even raise his eyelids. "If I spare them with my mouth, it becomes too easy to forget them in my heart. Misjudge a man, and on the road you're the one who suffers."
Following Feng Feiyun's gaze, Xi Qian suddenly noticed several familiar young men standing near the western trellis. They were exactly those same men who had surrounded "Young Master Bai" and made a racket at the Changmen inn the night before. The fan-bearing young gentleman at their head was still neatly dressed today and still wore a smile, but his right sleeve hung a little lower than before, clearly showing that the wrist had not yet recovered from the frost-cold force of the Flying Snow Divine Pellet. Beside him, the young man whose hem bore the cloud pattern of a Wudang lay disciple no longer carried his earlier swagger. He stood only at a distance, casting occasional glances toward the western corridor and then hastily drawing them back, as though afraid someone might notice.
Feng Feiyun laughed softly under his breath. "Did you see? The ones whose mouths were loudest last night are standing farthest away today. Once a man has taken one truly painful blow, he usually remembers a little better afterward."
Lowering his voice, Fang Yingjie asked, "They came to Juyi Isle too?"
"Rubbish," said Feng Feiyun. "What kind of people wouldn't come to see a scene like this at the Qin family's? It's just that some come to celebrate a birthday, some come to seek marriage, and some—"
He jerked his chin toward those few and twisted his mouth.
"Some come to lose face."
Fang Yingjie, however, listened with complete seriousness, his eyes moving back and forth over the people on the causeway as though he wanted to memorize every single way of reading people Feng Feiyun named.
Then, suddenly, he gave a low sound of surprise.
"What is it?" Xi Qian asked.
Fang Yingjie pointed toward a waterside corridor not far away. "That one... isn't that the servant who was with Young Master Bai?"
Xi Qian looked where he pointed. Sure enough, a blue-clad attendant carrying a tea tray was hurrying along from the western corridor. Halfway there, he seemed suddenly to remember something and quickly turned through another moon gate, his steps so rapid they were almost a blur.
Feng Feiyun followed the finger and glanced once, his certainty only deepening. Yet he still only smiled. "Sickly one, at least your eyesight hasn't been wasted."
"Then... then is Young Master Bai here too?"
"Who knows?" Feng Feiyun said, though in his eyes there was already a gleam waiting for the next bit of drama to unfold.
Just then, from the waterside pavilion came a louder burst of commotion than before.
Qin Yaozong had apparently arrived there at some point without them noticing. The moment he came, he first looked toward Qin Xin. Seeing that his younger sister had, for once, come out properly dressed in women's clothing and behaving calmly, the tension in his face eased by half a shade. Then, turning and seeing this whole cluster of young people gathered by the pavilion, three parts of excitement immediately rose in his heart.
"The weather is fine today, and everyone is here." He slapped the railing and laughed. "What's the point of standing around only talking? My father won't formally lay out the birthday wine until tomorrow. Since the younger generation has gathered here first today, why not have a little excitement by the waterside pavilion to add some color to the feast? It isn't a marriage contest, and it isn't to count as a formal match—just a bit of fun. Do you dare or not?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the hearts of the young people, which had been scattered in twos and threes, were drawn together at once.
Jiang Hui'er was the first to slam her wine jug down on the railing and burst out laughing. "Anyone who won't watch a good scene is a fool, and anyone who won't fight one is an even bigger fool! Young Master Qin, you set the rules first—I'll be the first one up!"
She shouted it so loudly that a fresh wave of laughter rolled around the pavilion.
Seeing Jiang Hui'er leap out first yet again, Hu Xiaosheng, standing some distance away, had a smile appear on his face touched by three parts helplessness. Li Gou'er clasped his hands behind his back and snorted with narrowed eyes. "That mad girl. No matter where she goes, she refuses to keep still."
Mo Sanniang, however, only smiled. "Let her be. When young people gather together, it would be strange if they didn't make trouble."
Cai Baozi, crouched at the railing and still chewing on a snack, chuckled as well. "If she didn't jump out first, then she wouldn't be the Jiang family's girl."
By now the younger disciples and some of the elders of Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, and the others had also slowed their steps near the raised platform, corridors, and waterside pavilions not far away.
From behind the tree, Feng Feiyun gave a low whistle. The gleam in his eyes deepened still further.
"Here it comes," he said softly. "The fun on this whole isle is finally starting for real."
Xi Qian's heart gave a small leap, and her gaze had already unconsciously gone to Xuanyuan Xi.
Standing under the corridor, Qin Xin lightly toyed with a freshly broken willow branch, but her eyes had brightened as well. Until now she had thought all these people coming to the door to ask for marriage were men who only knew how to work with their mouths. But the instant she heard Qin Yaozong suggest letting the younger generation first test one another's skill, an odd mixture of urgency and delight rose in her heart.
What made her anxious was this: if Bai Yuchuan still refused to show himself, would he not truly be overshadowed by others?
What made her glad was this: if someone really heated up the ground first, then perhaps he would finally be unable to hold back any longer.
Xuanyuan Xi, standing by the pavilion, still looked calm. Hearing Qin Yaozong say this, he first looked toward Zheng Chong. Zheng Chong's brows drew together slightly, as though he had already guessed a few parts of the meaning behind this bit of added color—and yet also knew that if Mount Hua withdrew too deliberately now, it would only make the sect seem timid.
Far off, the wind rose over the surface of the lake, and the willow strands beside the pavilion stirred lightly.
With a single line from the young master of the Four Seas Gang, Juyi Isle—until now only splendid and lively—finally gained the sense that though the blades were not yet drawn, the game had already begun.
Poetic Coda
Spring winds stir the waters at the lakeside shore;
A thousand masts draw near and come to rest.
On the flowered causeway, beauty first appears;
By the waterside pavilion, guests crowd thick as sand.
Mount Hua's clear radiance falls fresh upon the eye;
Taihu's bright moon has not yet borne them home.
When tomorrow asks who dares step forth the first,
The whole isle's wind and color will drift into the lamplight.
(End of Chapter Seven)