Spring in the Borderlands

Let us set aside the question for the time being who it is you are working for and how you made your way in here.

Hand over the sword. I'll take you to the Grandmaster.

A fickle-minded, perfidious man like him does not deserve to keep this sword.

Impudence!

The Grandmaster has defended Yumen's peace for a hundred years. How dare you speak ill of him?!

How pretentious. What do you even know? Out of my way!

I've arrested no small number of criminals, but you are the first one I've met to be so arrogant.

Solemn on the outside, but self-centered on the inside. I've met plenty of men like you!

I see I have no choice but to get you to comply forcefully, then.

Try it.

It's over. You've lost.

This isn't where we settle this.

If you would leave, surely you would leave us with an explanation?

I want answers, but you have none to give me.

You let her get away.

With her injuries, she won't get far.

Wei, your old bones don't seem to be much use here.

My sincerest gratitude, Lin.

You are master of the Chi Xiao, yet you need someone to come to your rescue when your mortal enemies come attacking?

I do not remember having made such an enemy.

......

A feint!

Hmph...!

You're injured. Where can you run?

You...?

......

Watch out, Grandmaster!

......

Grandmaster, what happened here?

This is my fault.

The sword has been taken.

General, the assassin could not be found within five miles of the inner city, and there are no signs of her receiving assistance from anyone.

No one else was ambushed, and neither the inner city core nor the armory show signs of having been infiltrated.

No signs, or has it been confirmed they have not been infiltrated?

We... cannot say for sure at this moment...

How could someone infiltrate the Yumen barracks and roam free... even after facing our four masters here.

Extraordinary.

I was too careless.

Do you have any clues regarding the identity of our assassin, Lord Wei?

Over the years, I've come across many who wanted my life, but I am alive and well nonetheless.

All of them have either given up on the idea or perished long ago.

I am not acquainted with our friend tonight.

......

Zuo Le, any discoveries on your end?

It all happened too suddenly. I wasn't prepared, and I wasn't able to take the assassin in, as a result.

I'm not asking why you were unable to capture the assassin. I'm asking you what you saw.

It was a young female assassin who infiltrated us and took the sword. She was hurt when she made her escape. Aside from that... I'm afraid I don't have anything.

......

Now that it has come to this, talking about it will do us no good.

Send the order out. Seal the city gates immediately, and set up checkpoints between each district. Do not allow unnecessary travel between them.

In addition, send the word to the entire city. At the Hour of Shen two days from now, Yumen will slow and adjust course. Have the masses make ready for this.

Yes, sir.

Zuo Le.

Sir!

Capture the assassin, locate the Grandmaster's sword, and find the Shanhaizhong hiding in the city. Do all three without failure.

You have three days. My personal troops are yours to command.

Keep this secret, and do not disturb the people.

Yes, sir!

Where's Lin?

He left as soon as the soldiers came.

Lin has no standing in the court, meaning he has no right to stand in attendance as you give your orders.

Is there anything I can assist with?

Seeing as the assassin is after your life, your safety should be the top priority.

Once this commotion calms, I will send a battalion to escort you back to Lungmen.

I ask you to stay indoors for the next few days.

May I ask what you mean by that?

Exactly what I said.

Yumen will take care of the rest.

Of course.

Our foe this time is exceptionally skilled. Perhaps I should...

I ask you to stay in the barracks and ensure the Grand Tutor's and Lord Wei's safety.

It is equally dangerous to allow the criminal to roam free in the city.

This affair began because of the Feranmuts. Considering you are who you are, you should not get yourself involved.

After all, the only ones who know your true identity are all here in the room.

Very well...

Do you have any objections to this arrangement, Grand Tutor?

I trust your judgment, Lord Exorcist.

Very well.

Execute these orders at once.

......

Grandmaster, are you alright?

I don't believe there's anyone alive who could do him harm.

It seems you really believe in me...

From the sound of it, you have heard already.

Let us set aside the issue of the soldiers outside the city for the time being. The defense of Yumen was part of your responsibilities to begin with. Considering this arrangement, Zuo Xuanliao clearly doesn't trust you.

Naturally, I understand and empathize with General Zuo's position.

Which is why I have a few things I need you to help me with, over the next few days.

This is highly unusual, and the foe we are up against is especially treacherous. I hope you'll lend Zuo Le a helping hand.

Given how he is, he may not be very receptive to me meddling with his affairs.

In that case, it would seem now is not the time for us to resolve the matter between us.

You need not say any more. I know the score.

With how little I have to do the next few days, I am hoping you will help me finish writing the last few chapters of the Book of Kung Fu as quickly as possible.

It is my duty, as your student.

Thank you.

If there is nothing else, Grandmaster, I will take my leave. Please get some rest soon.

How many more will you drag into this game...?

Once a pure stream of water flows into a polluted lake, you can no longer scoop any clean water from it. Don't you understand that?

Even if you try to replace it, you will never find her in all the chaos.

Why torment yourself with all this?

Hmm?

How could I have failed to realize that you were here as well?

Are you going to stop me?

If that's where we are going, you barely have any time left yourself.

I came here for the one. Why would I be concerned with only one-twelfth?

I could ask you. What makes you think that you can become him?

He and I. We have a score to settle.

That's not for you to decide.

Is that a truce you are seeking?

You really are nothing like your brothers and sisters.

I hope you'll show me something more interesting the next time we meet.

Miss! I heard you—

Keep it down.

I thought I told you not to seek me out in broad daylight.

It's good to see all of you in one piece...

Any progress on your end?

The Yumen markets are open for the first time in years. There are too many wares and people flowing in and out. We have no leads yet.

......

If it's not so convenient for us to look into this, let's have somebody else do it.

What do you mean...?

How many of the merchants at the markets here are locals, and how many are from Lungmen?

How many of the people behind us have missing paperwork at the L.G.D. or are in hock to us? Sift through them, and find someone who'd have an easier time than we would. It's not that hard.

Daai Siu Ze, this... sounds like it could be against the rules.

Do as I say.

......

Feranmut followers?

You needn't know where the intel came from.

Out of all the enemies that Yan has faced in the past thousand years, no small number of them lurked in the shadows.

Yumen may rely on Lungmen for its supplies, but you shouldn't be responsible for security within their borders.

Yumen is an impenetrable shield, but there are pests hiding behind that shield. They need to be exterminated by others.

I want to send you there to take care of this.

You can operate as a special L.G.D. commanding officer. On paper, you will be in charge of security while the two cities are connected, and you will have a certain level of support from me.

I need you to run a thorough investigation into the dangerous elements hiding among Yumen's citizenry and ensure its smooth sailing. Should the need arise, you may resort to the most extreme measures.

......

Why me?

Because you are Lin Yühsia. Because you can take care of this.

I want you to do in Yumen what the Rat King did in Lungmen all those years ago.

Chief Wei... You didn't discuss this with my father before you came to me, did you?

Yühsia.

Dad? You didn't tell me you were coming.

You accepted Wei Yenwu's mission. I came take a look.

So you've heard.

Investigating smugglers, eh?

I didn't want to trouble you.

Look at you, going through all the trouble to hide this from me. It's Wei Yenwu who you should be troubling.

You never considered turning this down?

Somebody has to maintain the peace here...

Wei Yenwu has many a capable character under his wing. Why must you of all people clean up his mess?

I...

Never mind. I could figure out what kind of excuses Wei is making even if I had to think with my tail.

You should know what's happened tonight.

So that's why the soldiers locked the city gate.

So much has happened in the span of a day. If this was really a coincidence, it would have to be a hell of a coincidence.

The Chief of Lungmen finds himself the target of an assassination attempt, the Grandmaster has his sword taken, and an Imperial Astronomical Bureau Messenger was killed. Each of these would make the headlines on its own.

And they all occurred within hours of each other. It's unimaginable what kind of forces are behind them.

When Wei Yenwu came to you, did he explain how dangerous this was going to be?

All I knew was this wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

Yumen is not Lungmen, and you are not me.

I know that well... I will deal with this carefully.

The agents I brought with me from Lungmen are all masters in their fields and have all followed you for years.

Plus, I know the world of jianghu... I've seen enough.

If you know what it is you are doing, then I won't keep rambling.

I just hope this will be resolved quickly without delaying your trip to Victoria.

It's just a study trip. I don't have to go...

You've helped me and the L.G.D. take care of plenty of things the last few years... to the point you haven't been able to do what you truly wanted to do yourself.

I did all that of my own volition, and it was all for Lungmen.

It's not your own choice if you haven't seen another path.

Sometimes I wonder if... perhaps, like Ch'en, you should—

*cough*...

Dad! Are you hurt?! I'll get a doctor!

No need.

It's been years since I've taxed my arms and legs so much. My bones are aching. Looks like taking walks in the park every day isn't quite enough exercise.

I'll take you back to the general's estate.

No need for that either. I'll find an inn nearby to stay the night.

Even getting to meet my old friends once is once aplenty, and I can't stand the atmosphere in that house tonight.

My, what a coincidence.

I heard a commotion at the edge of the city earlier in the evening, and I figured something big must've happened. And now that I find you here, Mr. Lin, I'm sure something big must've happened.

So what you are saying is, an old rat like me might as well be a plague?

Of course not. I was only joking.

Yühsia, let me have a few words with Mr. Lee in private.

Please excuse me.

From the looks of it, your search in Yumen hasn't been too successful?

Don't get me started. The man has been gone for well over a decade, I was never banking on finding him within a month.

But it doesn't matter how long it takes. We still have to look for him.

You are a carefree man. It's only when it concerns this old friend of yours that you burden yourself so much.

Maybe I owe him from a past life...

Since you aren't in a hurry, may I hire Lee's Detective Agency for a job?

How could I refuse a job from Mr. Lin himself?

That gets me thinking though. Haven't I been taking on a few too many troublesome jobs lately?

It goes to show what a capable man you are. We'll say I owe you one, if you do this for me.

Well, with such a generous offer on the table, looks like I really have to think this over and see if I can manage it.

Heh, only a crafty fellow like you could manage this.

One, two... nine, ten...

Urgh... All the names above me on the rankings look pretty tough...

Okay... Calm down... Just do your best...

Why can't I leave the city? Two of my brothers just died out there...

The gate is closed. Please leave.

Hey, be reasonable, can't you—

You?

Whoa, the Forte hunk with the golden mace got kicked right out of the arena.

That Feline girl has won five straight matches now!

Phew—

Hey. Ni hao. I watched all your matches today.

You've got amazing kung fu. Want to come work for me and my escort association?

Escort association?

Not interested.

Don't be so quick to refuse. With your skills, I can give you a more than decent wage!

I'm not planning on making a living with my fists. I have a degree in mechanical engineering, I'll have you know.

Mechanical what...?

Never mind that! That just means you're something of a scientist, right? Yeah, science! The escort association I'm talking about is a new kind of logistics company. Science graduates like you have a bright future with us.

Hey, don't just walk away. I'm serious.

So, that just happened...

It sounds you're going to have to wait till the lockdown is over before you can take your friends' belongings and news of their deaths back home to Shangshu.

I'm the one who brought them here. No matter how, I will bring them home.

Before I came to Yumen, I ran into Mr. Zheng in Shangshu by chance.

He told me that when the day comes that no one needs kung fu to protect themselves, that's when we will finally have true peace.

Dad is right about that, but for now, I'm more fond of another saying. An eye for an eye.

I will find the one who did this.

What are you two doing here?

Yühsia?

The government official lady from earlier?

I thought you said you'd get to the bottom of this? How are you going to get to the bottom of anything now that we're on lockdown?

You two know each other?

There's been a turn of events. Things are apparently trickier than I thought.

Then let me investigate with you!

I-I can help out, too...

It's too dangerous. I can't drag outsiders—

W-What's that sound?

Drums from the outer city district?

Look! The beacons are lit on the city walls.

It's the Wangfeng Festival, one of Yumen's traditions. It's a ceremony held every year at the beginning of spring, and it lasts three days.

The drums at the barracks are beaten for the citizens' benefit. Each beat tells them the city, the lands, and all Great Yan are safe.

As for the signal fires on the city walls, they are lit to guide the soldiers who gave their lives on the battlefield home.

Home...