Beginning with the Ubume Bird

“`

On the sixth day of the seventh month in the Year of Bingyin, it is auspicious to repay the gods and form alliances.

Li Yan replayed the video tapes of Zhou and Xu Tianci.

Xu Tianci wielded the Butterfly Dual Blades, his movements fluid as a dragon gliding through the water.

Zhou wielded a single Nine Rings Broadsword, his blade slashing wildly like splattered ink, at one point suppressing Xu Tianci to the extent that he couldn’t strike back. Li Yan watched the Wensheng Swordsmanship, as unpredictable as mercury spilling onto the ground, until his palms began to sweat.

Twenty-one slashes, exactly twenty-one slashes—Li Yan admitted to himself that he couldn’t find any opportunity to counterattack. And it was these twenty-one slashes that left Xu Tianci covered in bloody marks.

It was here that Li Yan’s eyes sharpened.

Counterattack!

Sure enough, within the recording, Xu Tianci’s waist exploded with power, his left and right hands clashing against the rings of the broadsword, leveraging the momentum to lash forward. Zhou, with his seasoned experience, thrust his broadsword upward to press against Xu Tianci’s neck. Xu Tianci shrugged his left shoulder and braced his wrist against Zhou’s forearm, stabbing his Butterfly Blades towards Zhou’s eyes. The tip of the butterfly blade almost grazed Zhou’s eyelids, chilling to the bone, while the Nine Rings Broadsword had already drawn a thin line of blood on Xu Tianci’s neck!

Whoever retreated would die.

In the end, the brute force of the Nine Rings Broadsword prevailed, and Zhou let out an angry shout, pressing Xu Tianci to retreat step by step. The rapid patter of footsteps tightened the audience’s hearts.

“Clang~”

Xu Tianci was forced to the edge of the platform, his body beginning to fall.

But Li Yan could clearly see that Xu Tianci’s foot had not missed its mark; it was firmly planted on the marble floor!

With Xu Tianci’s stumble, Zhou was convinced that he had misstepped, and with an ebb and flow of strength, changed his pressing attack to a horizontal shove, hoping to push the unbalanced Xu Tianci off the platform.

Sudden change!

Xu Tianci surged up like a hawk pouncing skyward, his Butterfly Blades sweeping against the Nine Rings Broadsword, prying open the central guard of Zhou’s chest and stepping forward while raising his waist. His Butterfly Blades hooked over the wrist of Zhou’s sword hand.

Blood splattered in all directions, and a half-forearm soared into the sky while the Nine Rings Broadsword clattered to the ground with a metallic ring.

Xu Tianci did not stop there. His knees hit the ground and his dual blades sliced in a cross pattern like a butterfly threading through flowers, leaving a ghastly X across Zhou’s belly…

Li Yan silently turned off the video tape, his face calm.

“He uses his head; he’s quite the fighter.”

Was Zhou wronged in his loss? Wronged, yes. If he hadn’t held back his force at the end and instead continued to push Xu Tianci off the platform without hesitation, the situation might have been vastly different.

Was Zhou wronged in his loss? Li Yan didn’t think so. A loss was a loss.

In a fight where life and death hang in the balance, if you aim to hold back, you must be prepared to pay the price. Besides, what makes you think your opponent isn’t feigning weakness? Li Yan himself had used this tactic before, deliberately showing his opponent a flaw in order to quickly end a boxing match.

“Xu Tianci uses the Eight Chop Sword, the true legacy of Ye Wen. Do you have any confidence?”

Red Ghost asked.

Li Yan nodded.

“Still using a sword?”

This time, Li Yan declined.

“I’ve injured my right hand, and although the Han Sword is fierce, it’s too taxing on my stamina. I want to switch it up.”

“Switch to what?”

“Against the Eight Chop Sword…” Li Yan pondered deeply; he had not come across the authentic Wing Chun Eight Chop Sword in Guangdong and felt a twinge of excitement at the prospect.

“The Bagua Sect has a signature weapon, the Zi Wu Mandarin Duck Axes.”

Yu Shu, who had been sipping his drink in silence, gave him a sidelong glance.

“You plan to use one with just your left hand?”

“It’s enough,” Li Yan stated succinctly.

“Arrogant.”

Taishuai shook his head, smiling.

Red Ghost glanced at Taishuai, then at Li Yan, and stood up with a hearty slap on his thigh.

“I’ll get it ready.”

With his departure,

only Li Yan and Yu Shu remained in the room.

“Drink?”

Yu Shu seemed to pull out a bottle of liquor from nowhere.

“No, thank you.”

“Oh.”

The two sat in silence, the atmosphere strange yet harmonious.

…

The Zi Wu Mandarin Duck Axes, a peculiar weapon passed down by the Bagua Sect’s founding master Dong Haichuan, consisted of a pair of crescent blades connected in opposition, resembling a distorted mathematical letter x with a gap in the center for gripping. It was an even rarer set of dual short blades than the Butterfly Dual Blades.

“Thud!”

Li Yan’s left hand wielded the circular blade, chopping it down on the Wooden Dummy.

“The Mandarin Duck Halberd is meant to be used with both hands. Using it only with your weaker left is too risky,” Yu Shu warned him.

Li Yan tightened the bandage on his hand and turned to look at the man.

“Red Ghost, since I’ve been in Longcheng for so long and haven’t had the chance to spar with you, why don’t we have a go?”

“No problem with a friendly spar.” Red Ghost tapped his cigarette ash, then added, “By the way, Yan, how have I treated you at Fuyi Building? How have I treated you?”

“`

“Correct.”

Li Yan tossed the Zi Wu Mandarin Duck Axes aside and quietly watched Red Ghost.

Red Ghost rubbed his temples, exhaled, and looked grimly toward the window.

“I grew up living off charity, never trained in boxing, but naturally, my fists got tough through fighting.”

He held up a finger, “I remember favors. Taishuai took me in when I had no food, I’d give my life for her. But tell me, when I’m good to others, how do they treat me?”

Li Yan didn’t speak; instead, he silently added layer upon layer to the bandage on his right hand.

“Alliance Victory is finished, you know that, right?”

“I know.”

“Judy’s enraged, the whole Hong Kong gang is shaking with fear, with your popularity, could you have forgotten?”

Red Ghost’s tone became even colder as he spoke.

“Brother Red Ghost, cut to chase.”

Red Ghost stood up.

“Someone came to me yesterday claiming you’re playing both sides, plotting to flip Fuyi’s table, is that true?”

Li Yan nodded.

“I did say that.”

Red Ghost didn’t move at those words, just looked at Li Yan, “Why betray me?”

“I said I would, but I never did,” Li Yan replied calmly.

“Is it because if Alliance Victory doesn’t fall, in just over half a month you’d attempt to usurp the leader?”

Li Yan chuckled; he would leave Hong Kong tomorrow, the words back then were merely to bluff Taizi Le.

Back then, after he and Judy broke up, he didn’t want to continue making money through her channel, so what to do? Switch the sky for the earth, trick Alliance Victory’s money – that was Li Yan’s initial thought, but ultimately, plans couldn’t keep up with changes.

Now, faced with Red Ghost’s questioning, Li Yan indeed felt awkward, though he never intended to follow through from the start.

However, he wasn’t worried about falling out with the people from Fuyi Building but was concerned about the events of that night getting exposed…

“Brother Red Ghost,” Li Yan chose his words carefully, trying to ensure that nothing he said could trip him up later.

“Did you discuss dealing with me with Taishuai?”

“Of course, I did,” Red Ghost said with a bitter smile. “She knows, told me to behave.”

“Since Taishuai said so, let me fight tomorrow’s boxing match.”

Red Ghost bit his thumb, stepped in front of Li Yan, “Now with Judy backing you, who would dare to touch you?”

Li Yan looked at the man who had taken great care of him since day one here, thinking everything had come to this point; he might as well play along.

A very presumptuous smile appeared on Li Yan’s face.

“Exactly, Brother Red Ghost, think about it, Taishuai’s temper is so fiery and she didn’t even touch me, you should consider it yourself.”

Red Ghost, with a baby-faced smile, also let out a laugh, leaned forward on his left foot, and his right hook landed hard on Li Yan’s face.

Li Yan could dodge, could block, but he didn’t, just watched as his face was hit.

Blood spattered.

Red Ghost stepped forward twice, his knee hitting Li Yan’s stomach, and while Li Yan bent over in pain, his fists pounded on Li Yan’s back.

The first punch Li Yan took willingly, the second knee hit he remained calm, but at the third punch to the back, Li Yan started to lose his temper.

He shoved Red Ghost off with his shoulder, touching the blood at the corner of his mouth.

“That’s about enough, I’ll hit back if you keep going.”

“Bring it on!”

“Dammit!”

Both charged forward!

…

On the seventh day of the seventh month of the Year of the Tiger, all is well.

“The two of you, what are you trying to tell me?”

Yu Shu rarely put down his wine bottle and glared with widened eyes. Liao Zhizong kept shaking his head beside him. The others wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.

Li Yan’s mouth was bruised, he didn’t speak, and Red Ghost, sporting two black eyes, looked sullen.

He noticed Ruan Hongzhi barely suppressing a grin and glared at him with his panda eyes.

“Laugh, laugh at your own damn head.”

“Enough!”

Yu Shu stopped Red Ghost.

“Li Yan has a fight today; we’ll discuss everything else after it’s done. Go on stage.”

She walked past Li Yan, patted his shoulder, and whispered:

“Have a safe journey.”