Chapter 7: The Surge of the Wind

The sky was dim, though it was midday. Monk Huigen, leading a donkey along the road, asked his master, the eminent Buddhist monk Wushi, who was seated atop the donkey, “Master, why did you impart the secret teachings of our order to that peasant woman?”

Wushi raised his eyes, gazing at his disciple with a hint of displeasure. “First, all beings are equal; where comes the distinction between noble and humble? Second, have you not heard the story of the old woman who fed Han Xin? Even a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring. The first is your fault, the second is the scenery you will witness in days to come.”

Huigen, ashamed, stopped in his tracks and clasped his hands in apology. “Master, your rebuke is just. I see my error. Yet I feel that though this young benefactress is diligent and kind, it is difficult to keep one’s heart pure in such chaotic times. People change; if she uses the teachings for wicked deeds…”

“I understand your concern,” Wushi replied. “But I only taught her how to release her internal energy, not how to command it. If fate lets us meet again, we shall know whether she turns to good or evil.” As he finished, shouts of robbery echoed ahead.

“Hey, you two bald thieves! If you want passage, leave your donkey, your luggage—and your lives!”

The mountain wind howled, brittle grass shivered, yet in these wild lands, simple folk had little sorrow; coarse clothes and plain food sufficed for daily life.

Wu Yueying supported Mother Lu as they entered Jingzhou City. They first sought out the keeper of the southern quarter, who guided them to a cloth shop to buy a bolt of middling fabric.

“When I first met Miss Yueying, she was mute. Now, thanks to the monk’s help, she speaks with a voice like a clear oriole, as lovely as music. Conversation flows easily—what fortune for the Lu family!” The quarter keeper personally led the way, beaming and praising Wu Yueying to Mother Lu.

Mother Lu, ever cheerful, responded modestly, walking slowly with Yueying’s support. Though her legs were weak, she was well-read and sensible, her words revealing the grace of an educated woman. The quarter keeper, both flattering and sighing, mused that Lu Ziji, born to humble folk, possessed vast learning thanks no doubt to Mother Lu’s guidance. He’d heard that a household in Ten Mile Village owned ten volumes of books—poetry, classics, military strategy—perhaps it was the Lu family.

Wu Yueying watched quietly, seldom speaking. She waited until Mother Lu had chosen the fabric and measured it for tailoring, then suggested they eat something to fill their stomachs after a stroll through the southern quarter.

Yueying intended to visit the Gu family’s restaurant for a free meal, but the quarter keeper, though encouraging, could not sway Mother Lu. She felt herself too poor to afford delicacies and did not want the quarter keeper to spend money on her behalf. Instead, they settled at a roadside noodle stall, ordering three bowls—one coin per bowl, one for each person.

As Yueying ate the hand-cut noodles, she felt a slight disappointment. She had rarely brought Mother Lu to Jingzhou, and today’s weather was fair, but in coming days the cold would set in, making outings difficult. Earlier, when the autumn sun was warm, she’d had no money and could buy nothing for Mother Lu.

“Hot flatbreads for sale! Fresh from the steamer, fragrant, sweet, and crisp!” came a vendor’s cry.

Yueying looked toward the sound. A burly man beside a cart called out, steam rising from the flatbreads, the scent of sesame filling the air.

“Mother, these smell delicious! I’ll buy three for us,” Yueying said, setting down her chopsticks, her smile blooming.

“Yueying, don’t waste money. Save what you can! Just buy for yourself and the quarter keeper,” Mother Lu replied, not unkind, but seeing Yueying so delighted, she agreed.

Yueying entrusted her earnings to Mother Lu, always consulting her before spending, for she was indebted to others and Mother Lu was her elder. Should anything happen to her, Mother Lu would have money to live on. Now, with a feud against the Cui family, who knew what madness they might commit?

Having bought two flatbreads, Yueying gave one to Mother Lu, one to the quarter keeper, keeping none for herself.

“Why aren’t you eating, Yueying?” Mother Lu asked, seeing her empty-handed.

“Mother, it’s rare to bring you to the city. You told me to save money, and I’m not craving hot flatbread, so I bought only for you and the quarter keeper,” Yueying replied, picking up her chopsticks. Just then, a quarrel erupted at the flatbread stall.

“Bah! Disgusting!” spat a young man dressed as a winter gentleman, wielding a paper fan, spraying saliva onto the steaming flatbreads. The vendor stood aside, cowed by his arrogance. Beside him stood a tall man, arms crossed, staring coldly at the vendor until his scalp tingled.

Yueying recognized the young man—it was Cui Miao. She quickly turned away, but it was too late. Cui Miao had sought her out; otherwise, why trouble a stranger’s stall?

The quarter keeper saw Cui Miao approaching the noodle stall with a smug smile and felt uneasy, glancing anxiously at Yueying.

Yueying sensed trouble, lowered her head, and whispered to the quarter keeper to care for Mother Lu, then comforted Mother Lu herself. Turning, she glared fiercely at the approaching Cui Miao, sprang from her seat, and fled, raising her middle finger as she ran.

Cui Miao watched the young woman escape, then swept an angry glance at the quarter keeper and Mother Lu, folding his fan and shaking his sleeves in fury. “Catch her!”

Only then did Mother Lu realize that this bully had his eye on her daughter-in-law, anxiety rising. The quarter keeper could only console her and silently prayed for Yueying’s safety.

With Cui Miao’s shout, a group of waiting thugs leapt up, shoving aside pedestrians, overturning vendor carts, and launching a chase through the bustling southern quarter.

Yueying felt aggrieved—she’d only wanted a meal and to bring Mother Lu out, but now trouble had found them, and her anger toward Cui Miao flared.

She darted through an alley, where a thug appeared, flashing crooked teeth in a lecherous grin. Yueying grimaced—how ugly! She judged him silently, then charged at him, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

The thug, seeing the beautiful girl rushing toward him, grinned wider and opened his arms to seize her.

Yueying sighed—ugly and shameless, trying to take advantage of her. Time to put her months of training to use. She grabbed his collar, pivoted to his side, swept his leg, and threw him to the ground. His teeth were knocked out, flying far.

Yueying dashed onward, hearing shouts behind her.

“Catch her! A string of coins for the one who grabs her, a hundred for whoever blocks her!”

She glanced back—dozens of thugs chasing her desperately. She laughed bitterly; greed drives recklessness—high rewards attract fools. She kept running. The thugs wondered how a mere girl could outpace them, growing faster and stronger the longer she ran. By the time they collapsed, breathless, she had vanished.

Cui Miao arrived, furious, and kicked the exhausted thugs, berating them. “Useless! You can’t catch a weak woman—what good are you?”

Beside him, Yuchi Yang squinted at the scene, understanding at last.

“Don’t be angry, Second Master Cui. I believe this Lu family girl is trained—her stamina is uncommon. Why not mobilize all the thugs in the southern quarter for a full pursuit?”

“Agreed. Let’s do as you say. I won’t rest until she’s caught today!” Cui Miao, having vented his rage, resumed his gentlemanly demeanor and nodded.

Yueying circled through a side alley, arriving near the Red Ribbon House. She glanced up; women on the balcony flirted with passersby, some tossing handkerchiefs to attract attention.

She looked back; no one was pursuing her. Relieved, she found a corner to rest. Laughter and banter echoed from Red Ribbon House.

“Farewell, Young Master Liu. Visit us again soon!” called out a woman.

Yueying watched as a man in green, flanked by two servants, strode away with a self-satisfied air. She recalled that he was the son of Prefect Liu of Jingzhou—a lecher, she thought.

Her mind drifted to her acquaintances Gu Renyi and Lu Feng, who had journeyed to Chang’an in pursuit of honor.

She considered the layout of the streets, debating whether to head for the city gate or seek refuge at the Gu family store. Suddenly, chaos erupted nearby; thugs were rampaging through the market, attacking vendors and seizing goods.

“Have you seen her? Have you seen a young woman? Answer me!” Li Si snarled, grabbing a bewildered pedestrian, spittle flying.

“N-no…”

“Huh?” Li Si, dissatisfied, punched the man to the ground. Blood streamed from his nose as he lay bewildered, having no idea what he’d done to deserve such a beating.

Yueying crouched behind a fried cake stall, hiding and observing the street.

Li Si, not sated, led his thugs to a straw sandal stand, eyeing a girl selling sandals with her father. He grinned wickedly. “Hey, isn’t that the girl we’re looking for? Brothers, get her!”

“Stay back!” The gaunt middle-aged man brandished a carrying pole, trembling yet determined, barring the thugs. “A Xue, run! Don’t worry about me!”

“Father, I…”

“Run!”

“Where will you run? Beat them!” Li Si roared, snatching a pair of sandals and smashing them onto the man’s head. The thugs piled on him. The man, weak and frail, struggled briefly before his pole was seized and he was pinned and beaten.

Yueying watched quietly as the thugs savagely assaulted the man. She drew a revolver from her waistband, spun it on her finger, then tied it to the wheel axle of the cart with a thread from her sleeve. She hid under the neighboring cake cart, yanked the thread, and a thunderous explosion shook the air like a bolt from the heavens.

The thugs, terrified, cowered on the ground, as did the spectators, clutching their heads and looking skyward.

But the poor man was left gasping, several bones broken, motionless on the ground.

The girl named A Xue, seizing the moment her father shielded her, ignored the mysterious thunder and fled, passing the stall where Yueying hid.

Once the commotion faded, the street returned to its noisy state.

“Filthy beggar! Selling straw sandals in winter—who buys them?” Li Si spat on the motionless man and stomped him viciously. “With such a daughter, you should sell her to Red Ribbon House for some cash—then you’d have a better winter! Fool!”

“Brothers, let’s go chase Master Cui’s girl!”

Li Si paid no heed to the man’s fate, caring only for his own amusement, and led his thugs after the girl.

As they passed the stall where Yueying hid, she kept her head low, watching them leave, then finally stood amid the din. The sandal stall was surrounded by people discussing the beating.

Yueying approached and saw the battered man, hair disheveled, blood streaming from nose and mouth, curled up pitiably.

“Ah, this…”

“This man’s from outside the city—a lone household, I think he’s called Xue Hongfu. I’ve bought sandals from him before.”

“He’s that down-and-out scholar Xue Hongfu. I once asked if he’d sell his daughter; he stubbornly refused. Now look at him—he’d have been better off selling her as a concubine, or to Red Ribbon House, than suffering like this!”

“Make way!”

A loud voice rang out. The newcomer wore a precious blade at his waist, its hilt engraved with the word ‘Escort.’ He was a junior captain from the Shui Jing Escort Agency.

Yueying saw that the young man, plain-faced but righteous, knelt to check the man’s breathing.

“Hey, Captain Lin Chen, how is he?” asked an onlooker.

Lin Chen squatted for a moment, then shook his head. “Too late—he’s gone.”

The crowd erupted—how could he be dead? This was trouble!

Yueying withdrew, watching the indifferent, argumentative crowd. Disgust and regret welled within her. She offered a silent minute of mourning for the stranger who died in the street.

Steeling herself, she looked toward the bustling street where the thugs had gone, and, recalling the way, followed after them.