Chapter 8

As two exemplars decide victory and defeat, blood sheen stains a sword.

Holding his enmity for ten years, a letter brimming with anger is sent.

The youth turned around and waved his hand, saying, “Never mind! Just let him go! Anyway, he knows he was defeated.” Aluan turned and ran over to her horse, taking it in hand to cross the bridge and chase after Li Fengjie. The youth rushed over with one hand holding a sword and the other grabbing hold of Aluan’s arm. He laughed and insisted, “Miss, why are you going after him? I dare guarantee once he’s crossed this river, he won’t venture west of the bridge again.” Aluan flushed red as she wrested her arm away and stamped angrily, saying, “But then he’ll just run away! We’ll have let him killed for nothing!” The youth smiled and said, “It’s you were in the wrong, with all of you fighting just him!” Qin Deyu came over to talk her down as well. Lu Zhizhong clasped his fist toward the youth and asked, “What is this brother’s honorable name?” The youth said, “I’m surnamed Ji.” Qin Deyu asked in surprise, “Could it be that our friend here is Ji Guangjie?” The youth nodded and smiled.

Upon hearing that this was the Xia of Longmen’s grandson Ji Guangjie, Ge Zhiqiang and the others hurried over to greet him, all saying, “Brother Ji, it is a true honor to finally meet one as great as you!” Ji Guangjie cupped his fist as well and said some polite words. The young lady Aluan had originally admired the youth’s exceptional swordwork and martial arts that surpassed Li Fengjie’s, but then grew angry at the frivolity of his actions. Now that she heard this was the much talked about Ji Guangjie, she was even more startled into attention. She saw that Ji Guangjie was no older than twenty-four or twenty-five years. He looked confident and open, and his body was short but robust. His complexion was a little bit dark, and he wore blue creased coat and pants. A tassel of red thread was tied to his sword.

Ge Zhiqiang and Lu Zhizhong called over idle men to lift the dead and wounded into wagons while also trying their hardest to involve Ji Guangjie, asking him to wait here a moment and then to enter Chang’an city together and go to the Lishun security office to rest up. However, Ji Guangjie said, “I’ve come to Chang’an to see my uncle, and I’ll be staying here for at least two or three months. There will be many days for us to gather together to come, so allow me to trouble you another day!” He went beside the bridge where a servant of his was holding on to two white horses, and he sheathed his sword. The three, Ge Zhiqiang, Lu Zhizhong, and Qin Deyu walked over and asked, “Might we know which lane of the city your esteemed kin lives on?” Ji Guangjie said, “My humble kin lives on the salt shop street and runs the Guangyifu money dispensary. You will be able to find me there.” He mounted his horse, cupped his fist and said, “Farewell!” He departed with his servant in tow. He went a short distance and looked back. He cupped his fist again, and then turned around and rode off.

Aluan, Ge Zhiqiang and the others watched the two horses grow distant before turning back around. They saw that the idle men they had temporarily employed had already carried the injured Cheng Fengshan, Jin Zhiyong and Eighth Zhang, and the tragically dead Han Bao, all into wagons. Ge Zhiqiang couldn’t help but sigh and wipe away tears. It wasn’t until then that two officers from this town dared approach. Ge Zhiqiang said, “The attacker’s already fled. You needn’t report this to your higher-ups.” He gave the officers ten taels of silver and entrusted them to distribute it to those who had helped and those who had come to watch, instructing them not to tell anyone else what happened here today. Then, Ge Zhiqiang and the others mounted their horses and returned to Chang’an city with the wagons.

Ge Zhiqiang sighed all the way, saying, “The decades-long heroic reputation of our Kunlun School is all but lost! We’ve let this one insignificant Li Fengjie cut and hurt us, twice wounding and killing seven or eight of us. And then once another comes, this Ji Guangjie, he defeats Li Fengjie without breaking a sweat. What a disgrace! How can we run security offices like this, or travel upon Jianghu? It seems to me it’s best for all the disciples of our Kunlun School to go see our master together to cry bitterly. Then, we’ll shutter all the security offices!” The sunlight had already dried the muddy water on his person, but his appearance grew increasingly pitiful. Lu Zhizhong, Liang Zhen and the others all sat silent on their horses with their heads lowered.

Aluan was so furious her delicate countenance was entirely purple. She fumed, “On what basis would you close all the security offices of the Kunlun School? If none of you will run them, I’ll do it. Not only will I still be called a hero in Jianghu, but two days hence I will have a martial contest with Ji Guangjie. In a few days, I’ll take revenge on Li Fengjie. This feud must be settled. If you had all allowed me to fight him one-on-one, I guarantee you I wouldn’t have let him go. With all of you a confused mess in there, I couldn’t even properly display my saberwork!” At these words of hers, even Ge Zhiqiang stopped talking.

When they returned to the city interior, Ge Zhiqiang had the dead and wounded brought back to their homes first. When he got back to the security office, he laid troubled on his bed. Aluan sat angry in the room she was staying in and cursed ceaselessly with rage, slamming the table and stamping her feet. All the people in the security office hung their heads, disheartened, none of them were as happy as they had been in days past. Lu Zhizhong sat fretting in Ge Zhiqiang’s room for a while and thought things over. Then, he lifted his head and said, “Brother, there’s no use in us just worrying here. Among men, there are martial arts both strong and weak, and when they fight, there are winners and losers. This incident can’t be counted as much. The security offices can remain open, Jianghu can still be traversed, and vengeance must also be taken. If Jiang Xiaohe comes, we must still deal with him!” Ge Zhiqiang said, “I’m not afraid of Jiang Xiaohe coming. But right now, I truly do not have the face to go out and meet with people!”

Lu Zhizhong shook his head and said, “It seems to me the imminent danger is still Jiang Xiaohe! Ah! Let’s not mention him for now and speak only of the present. We saw Ji Guangjie’s martial arts today. Not only are his martial arts stronger than ours, they surpass Li Fengjie’s. A character like him is truly worthy to be the Xia of Longmen’s grandson. We were in the wrong today when we fought Li Fengjie, a group against one, but he can help us drive Li Fengjie away. It was clear he thought highly of our Kunlun School. He was very genial, both young and enthusiastic. Wouldn’t it be better for us to become good friends with him? On one hand, it will guard against Li Fengjie’s retaliation, and on the other, it will prepare for Jiang Xiaohe’s arrival when we’ll have a good helping hand.”

Before his disciple-brother finished speaking, Ge Zhiqiang shook his head and said, “So we have to ask the grandson of the Xia of Longmen to boost our strength because our Kunlun School can’t do it alone. Well then our master’s thirty years’ reputation will be completely smashed!” Lu Zhizhong said, “No, the master would surely agree. On the day that brother Jiang Zhiyao arrived at Dasan Pass with Miss Luan, he told me that this journey wasn’t only to allow Miss Luan to see the world, but also to find a husband for the young miss. Before he departed, the master whispered this to Brother Jiang. No matter where it is, if they encountered a young man of talent, someone whose martial arts surpassed Miss Luan’s own, he could have them get married.” Ge Zhiqiang jumped off his bed, saying, “All together, Ji Guangjie is true enough a young man of talent. Not only do his martial arts far surpass the young miss Aluan’s, but even the master may not be able to beat him. In terms of family background, how thunderous it is to say the grandson of Ji Junyi the Xia of Longmen!”

Lu Zhizhong said, “This match is sent from the heavens, and we must not pass this opportunity by. What’s more, Jiang Zhiyao is already on his way back to Hanzhong to ask our eldest brother to come.” Ge Zhiqiang said, “Even if our eldest brother didn’t come, we can still make decisions for his daughter.” Ge Zhiqiang had Lu Zhizhong remain at home to keep a close eye on Aluan and to not let her leave the house. He hurried back to the northern house to change his clothes and told those outside to prepare a wagon. Shortly, Ge Zhiqiang changed into a clean set of clothes, so that he looked like a different person than the one who had previously crawled out of the river. Bringing a servant with him, he departed in a wagon toward the salt shop street to call upon Ji Guangjie.

Ji Guangjie was currently staying at the Guangyifu money dispensary. It was not a large business, and it was run in partnership by his uncle Zhao Baofu and another man. Ji Guangjie was resting in the counter house, so when Ge Zhiqiang came to visit, he was there to receive him. The two exchanged some words of Jianghu courtesy first, before Ge Zhiqiang inquired into Ji Guangjie’s family background. Ji Guangjie said, “My late father passed away before my late grandfather. My grandfather had long been disillusioned with Jianghu, so when my father was still living, he gave up his arms and took up scholarly study. The examination rooms were unfavorable, however, and he only attained xiucai status and had a rough life until the end. In my childhood, I studied under my father and achieved xiucai rank at fifteen years. Yet, my grandfather didn’t want the transmission of his martial arts to end with him, so he had me learning literature from my father and martial arts from him, for the sake that if I couldn’t rise in the ranks of the civil service, I would still be able to make a living using martial arts. In the ten years since, both my grandfather and my father have passed on and all that remains at home are my widowed mother and a cousin and his wife. The examination rooms have not been advantageous to me either, so I’ve set forth for some experience and made some friends in Henan. I’ve come now to Guanzhong to see my maternal uncle, and after two or three months, I’ll set out for the capital to seek out an official position.”

Ge Zhiqiang listened to Ji Guangjie’s words and came to like him even more, quickly saying, “Brother Ji, you should stay here longer and enjoy yourself. You needn’t hurry off to Beijing. Our brothers feel an immediate familiarity with you, and our master Bao Kunlun may come to Chang’an after a few days. The old man would be pleased to meet one as great as you.” Then he added, “If you hadn’t helped us by beating Li Fengjie away today, our Kunlun School would have lost all our men! Afterwards, the master’s granddaughter praised you highly at the security office and asked me to bring you back, so she could meet you and consult with you about martial arts.”

Hearing this, Ji Guangjie couldn’t help but smile. He nodded and said, “Very well. I’ll go over there tonight and we’ll speak more then!” Since this counter house was rather small and the attendants were often going out or coming in, it wasn’t convenient to talk. Ge Zhiqiang sat for a while longer before taking his leave. After he left the money dispensary, he went to the homes of Han Bao, Eighth Zhang and the other wounded to check up on them, earning himself a chest full of worry and grief. However, the sliver of comfort in his heart was that he had already made friends with Ji Guangjie. With such a highly skilled man, they could safeguard their current occupations. Moreover, if the match is made for Aluan, he would be family to the Kunlun School.

When he returned to the office, he ordered a feast to be prepared and also had people clean out a room across from the counter house. That day, many friends of the security trade came to ask after them. Ge Zhiqiang had no choice but to put on a face, saying, “We very quickly overpowered Li Fengjie, but because he is the disciple of the Dragon of Shu, his martial arts were quite remarkable. The escorts Han and Cheng, Eighth Zhang, and our brother Jin Zhiyong were wounded, the worst of which was truly the escort Han’s, who was injured for our sake and died.” The others all gave Ge Zhiqiang some encouragement and then brought up the matter of Ji Guangjie. Ge Zhiqiang naturally boasted some, saying that Ji Guangjie and I were old acquaintances, and that his grandpa and our master were also old friends; that he was heading into the province today and when he crossed the Ba Bridge, he came upon us as we surrounded Li Fengjie, about to take his life; and that it was because Ji Guangjie had hurried over to talk us down that we let Li Fengjie go. In actuality, the others had already found out all the details about what happened during the fight that morning by the Ba Bridge, but they couldn’t point out the truth, so they commended Ge Zhiqiang and then all left.

After these men departed, Ge Zhiqiang felt very ashamed. He went into the inner yard to check up on his son’s wounds and saw that they were still very serious. He listened as his daughter-in-law said that a moment ago, Aluan had wanted to leave, but when Lu Zhizhong stood in her way, she almost raised her saber against Lu Zhizhong. Upon hearing this, Ge Zhiqiang couldn’t help but be extremely concerned. He hurried to Aluan’s room and said, “Young miss, don’t be impatient. In any event, Li Fengjie has fled, but eventually we will capture him and settle our grudge. Not long ago, a person coming from Hanzhong told us that your father would set off in half a day. He’ll probably arrive in four or five days. I’ve also sent friends to Zhenba county to invite over the old master. The old master hasn’t ventured out in many a year, but our Kunlun School has encountered a great enemy this time. The old master can’t afford to set out.”

After Aluan heard that her grandfather and father were on their way here, she believed it to be the truth, and though her anger had not yet abated, she nodded and said, “All right. I’ll wait for my grandpa. The old man and I will go out and look for Li Fengjie together. No one else’s help would be of any use.” Then she asked, “Where is that Ji Guangjie staying right now? Didn’t I hear some time ago that he wanted to fight our Kunlun School?”

Ge Zhiiang shook his head and laughed, “All that talk before was all people spreading misinformation. Actually, he’s just like family to all of us. See that he helped us drive Li Fengjie away today by the Ba Bridge and you’ll know this. This man is truly a young hero, only twenty-five years this year. He hasn’t yet started a family, and he’s come now to see his uncle. I plan on keeping him here to stay a few days, a perfect chance to consult him about the martial arts of the Longmen School. I’ve invited him here tonight for food and drink, so you can meet him, young miss.”

Aluan shook her head furiously and said, “I’m not meeting him!” Ge Zhiqiang said, “Don’t get angry, young miss. If you were still at home, I wouldn’t be able to bring him to meet you, no matter who it was, but now that you’ve ventured out to travel upon Jianghu, you can’t be so particular about rules and etiquette. Not to mention, Ji Guangjie has long been a friend of our Kunlun School. You and he are just like sister and brother with different surnames, so there’s no great harm in seeing him. I went to call on him just now, and right when he saw me, he said, ‘Who was that young lady who was confronting Li Fengjie at the Ba Bridge?’ I told him that it was my master’s granddaughter. He then said, ‘No wonder her martial arts are so good.’”

Hearing that Ji Guangjie had praised her, Aluan couldn’t help but feel a little happy, but when she thought more about it, she still shook her head, saying, “I’m not meeting him, unless he wants to compare our martial skill a bit. Uncle Ge, when he comes later, inquire about Li Fengjie’s background, and ask him where Li Fengjie’s now run to. The way I see it, he let Li Fengjie go today at the Ba Bridge, so the two of them have probably known each other a long time. Perhaps they are even disciples under the same master. Otherwise, why are they both called something-jie?” Ge Zhiqiang cut in, “That is not the case. They definitely don’t know each other, or else how would Ji Guangjie be able to help us out? No matter how you look at it, Li Fengjie was considered defeated today.”

When he finished, Ge Zhiqiang went to the outer courtyard again to attend other matters. He discussed a long while with Lu Zhizhong what to say to Ji Guangjie, and how to ingratiate themselves with him. When evening came, there came only Qin Deyu of the Huazhou security office, whom Ge Zhiqiang had asked to come to assist him.

It wasn’t until they lit the lamps that Ji Guangjie arrived. He brought his servant as before, riding atop two horses. The servant was carrying his sword for him. Ji Guangjie was wearing a purple garnet silk vest on his person, a cap on his head and thin-soled officials’ boots on his feet. In his hand he held a folding fan. He had a natural charm and a straight-forward bearing. The three Ge Zhiqiang, Lu Zhizhong and Qin Deyu invited him into the western house with the utmost modesty and politeness. When Ji Guangjie saw the table laden with a lavish feast, he clasped his fist and said, “Sirs, there’s no need to be so courteous. It would have been enough just to have a bit of any sort of wine. This really concerns me!” Ge Zhiqiang laughed, “It’s the first time we’ve invited you. In the future, we’ll see each other daily and it’ll be as if we were family. We won’t be so courteous again.”

Ji Guangjie laughed and took off his long coat, revealing a rice-colored silk shirt and pants. Ge Zhiqiang and the others motioned him toward the seat of honor. He declined it weakly before sitting down at the head of the table. Ge Zhiqiang offered him a toast first, and Ji Guangjie said, “Why don’t we pour our own and drink our own? You needn’t be so polite.” Thus the four sat facing each other, drinking enjoyably and talking loudly. Ji Guangjie spoke of his grandfather the Xia of Langzhong’s life’s deeds, and of his own experiences knocking about various places in Henan this time. He told them about how he wounded Liang Gao the Iron-armed Monkey with his sword in Luoning, and how he defeated Gao Qinggui the Divine Hawk with his fist in Kaifeng. He narrated with brows flying and his expression dancing, causing Ge Zhiqiang and the others to truly revere him.

Lastly, Ji Guangjie spoke of Li Fengjie, saying, “I have known his name for a long time, and I even encountered him in Kaifeng briefly. He probably failed his civil service examinations as well, and according to him, he’s the disciple of the Dragon of Shu, but I don’t know whether that’s true or not. Yet, his sword technique is quite good, and in these last couple years he’s conducted himself quite honorably on Jianghu. Thus that I only defeated him today and didn’t take his life was for this reason. But this was just the first time. If there’s a second time I am presented with his offenses, it would be difficult to guarantee he won’t be hurt!”

Ge Zhiqiang nodded, threw back a cup of wine and then said heatedly, “Brother Ji, you may have been unwilling to hurt him and released him, but we have an enmity with him that cannot be undone. In the last ten days, he’s wounded my son and killed my disciple-brother Miao Zhiying. Today, he’s killed and wounded another good many. If we let him go, it would reflect too much incompetence on all of us in the Kunlun School and the escorts and fighting masters of Guanzhong. Thus, we now have people going to various places to ask our friends to come. When they arrive and after our funereal rites are finished, we will split up and look for Li Fengjie. We may not have to harm his life, but we must make him answer for his wicked injustice.”

Ji Guangjie said, “When the time comes, I will certainly help all of you out. Li Fengjie was spared my sword today by the Ba Bridge, but if he doesn’t accept defeat, he will be back to face us sooner or later. I, however, do not fear him one bit. Forget about the Dragon of Shu’s disciple. Even if the Dragon of Shu himself was still living and had treated me poorly, I would give him a fight!”

When Ge Zhiqiang and the others heard Ji Guangjie consent to aid them against Li Fengjie, they all became extremely cheerful. Lu Zhizhong asked at this time, “Brother Ji, you’ve come from another province. Do you know of anyone in Jianghu called Jiang Xiaohe?” Ji Guangjie shook his head and said, “I’ve not heard of this name. Might I know where he comes from and how Brother Lu knows him?” Ge Zhiqiang sneered, “He is an insignificant one of the younger generation, and he has accumulated much ill-will with the Kunlun School. He was then accepted by an old master, another insignificant personage in Jianghu.” Ji Guangjie waved his hand, saying, “Then that’s nothing to worry about! Besides my late grandfather the Xia of Longmen, the only other renowned man of Jianghu in the last century is the Dragon of Shu. Lately, we’ve seen that the skill of the Dragon of Shu’s disciple Li Fengjie is only so great, so how good could the disciples of any other be?” Qin Deyu nodded and said, “Well spoken!”

Thus, Ge Zhiqiang raised a full cup of wine and passed it over to Ji Guangjie. Ji Guangjie laughed and accepted it. He was about to bring it to his mouth to drink, when they suddenly heard a very loud whack as a roof tile flew in from outside, shattering the porcelain plates on the table. The men in the room all stood up in alarm. Ji Guangjie ordered the lights extinguished, whereupon the few lamps and candles in the room were all immediately put out. Ge Zhiqiang and the others took their blades down from the wall, while Ji Guangjie pulled his sword from the hands of his servant into his own. He instructed Ge Zhiqiang and the others in a whisper, “Don’t panic! This must be work of Li Fengjie. Just leave him to me!” By the time he said this, people had already started fighting atop the eastern house. They heard the striking of blade against blade ringing out loudly.

Ji Guangjie rushed out of the room with his sword in hand and Ge Zhiqiang and the other followed behind. They heard a woman’s voice shouting out from the roof of the eastern house, “No one is permitted to help me. If anyone tries to do so, I’ll cut them with my saber!” Ji Guangjie couldn’t help but smile when he heard her. He leapt onto the roof with his sword and the woman turned her saber at him, asking him sternly, “Who are you?” Ji Guangjie dodged her saber and raised his sword to engage Li Fengjie. Li Fengjie used the time to jump onto the neighboring roof and stood laughing brashly. Ji Guangjie grew indignant and tread as if flying across the roof tiles to give chase. Li Fengjie dashed from roof to roof as if he was running on level ground and soon he disappeared without a trace. Because the buildings under Ji Guangjie’s footsteps were all inns, the people inside all woke up in distress and lit lanterns and shouted out about catching the thief. It was no longer opportune for Ji Guangjie to continue his pursuit, so he could only return with his sword to the security office in frustration.

At this point, Ge Zhiqiang and Lu Zhizhong had already urged Aluan off the roof and blocked her from giving chase. Aluan stamped her foot repeatedly and yelled loudly, swinging her saber erratically. Ge Zhiqiang snatched the saber from her hand and said, “Niece, you cannot be so petulant in this matter right now. With him hidden and us exposed, how are we to chase him? If anything were to happen to you, how will we face our master and brother when they come in a few days?” Aluan stamped her foot and said, “What are you talking about? You are all too timid, too weak and powerless! You’ve let him humiliate our Kunlun School to the end and you are still loath to put it all out there!”

Ji Guangjie had already jumped off the roof by now. He waved his hand and said, “Miss Bao, don’t be impatient. It’s good that Li Fengjie has come looking for me. I don’t think he’ll be able to leave here within half a day. I will surely be able to catch him tomorrow, tie him up and hand him over to this security office!” Aluan stamped her foot angrily and said, “Who says you can butt into our business? Could it be you think that we wouldn’t be able to capture him without you and your Ji surname?” Ji Guangjie simply smiled. At this time, two of the rooms were lit once again. Ji Guangjie said, “I invite Miss Bao to come and have a drink with us. I think Li Fengjie might come back again later. If he does, none of us will raise a hand. We’ll rely on you to fight him, miss.” He then laughed and walked into the western house, giving his sword to his servant to sheathe. He sat tall at the head of the table and poured himself some wine to drink.

Aluan followed Ge Zhiqiang inside, but she didn’t drink wine. She simply sat on a stool with her saber firmly in her hand. Her eyes were directed out the window, as if she anxiously craved for Li Fengjie to come again. Ji Guangjie remained at ease and continued raising his cup and drinking with Lu Zhizhong and the other two, sneaking a glance every now and then at Aluan. At this point, Ge Zhiqiang was very upset and he couldn’t shake it, though he forced himself to talk and interact with Ji Guangjie. By the time they were done with the food and wine, it was already late at night. Ji Guangjie was a little drunk and was looking over at Aluan more often. He praised repeatedly, “The miss’s martial arts are truly powerful. I really respect you. There aren’t very many xia women in Jianghu right now.” Aluan did not say one word to Ji Guangjie. She sat in the room a while before she left the room with her saber. She leapt onto the roof and went in search of intruders.

That night, Ge Zhiqiang kept Ji Guangjie in that room to spend the night after they cleared it out, and Qin Deyu slept in the counter house. Refusing to let go of the saber in her hand, Aluan walked back and forth atop the roofs of the various houses in the front and back courtyards, not sleeping a wink all night. Ge Zhiqiang and Lu Zhizhong were constantly on the alert for intruders as well. By no means did they close their eyes, though fortunately, nothing else happened that night.

When the following day came, Ji Guangjie ordered his servant to return to the Guangyifu money dispensary to retrieve his belongings, for he had decided to stay here long-term. Wearing a silk vest and clasping his sword, he roamed through the streets of Chang’an. Taverns and teashops and numerous inns, he searched them all, but found no trace of Li Fengjie. In the evening, he returned smiling to the security office and Ge Zhiqiang prepared wine so that they could drink in the western house again. Saber and sword were both at the ready, and the door to the western house was opened wide, especially for the sake of their awaiting Li Fengjie’s arrival. The young lady Bao Aluan too had ridden her horse with saber in hand, searching all around for half the day, and in the evening, she walked back and forth on the roofs, carrying her blade. However, they heard not the slightest about Li Fengjie, making all of them extremely nervous.

After another two or three days, Ji Guangjie had numerous strips of paper cut out and wrote on them under his own brush: “Wanted: Li Fengjie. The outlaw Li Fengjie killed and wounded several escorts from this office a few days ago. In his cowardice, he fears punishment, and has gone into hiding without a trace. If anyone knows of his whereabouts, and they disclose the information to the Lishun security office, they will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver, absolutely guaranteed.” In total, he wrote more than a dozen slips of paper. When Ge Zhiqiang entered the room, he saw this and furrowed his brow, saying, “I’m afraid this might be an empty exercise. Li Fengjie is very cunning. If someone comes to inform on him, I’m afraid he’ll have long fled before we go looking for him.” Ji Guangjie smiled and said, “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure my method will bring results and we’ll be able to capture Li Fengjie tonight.” Thus, he had the attendants at the security office split up and post the bills. The bills were posted in and out of the city as well as at various important intersections, causing a lot of people to crowd around to look at it. This caused even more of a stir around the matter. Ge Zhiqiang also went to every yamen to call in favors and explain the situation. Bao Aluan still rode her horse to search everywhere, and Ji Guangjie sharpened his sword at the security office while he waited, but straight into nightfall they heard nothing of Li Fengjie.

Ji Guangjie was truly annoyed, so he went out the door without wearing his long coat or taking his scabbard, carrying only his brightly glimmering sword as he walked through the jumble of people. Many people looked at him as he crossed several streets, and he listened closely to the conversations of others, but he still didn’t obtain the whereabouts of Li Fengjie. He entered a large inn and gloomily drank wine until he was half-drunk before he left with his sword. The drum of the second watch had already rolled past and the people walking the streets were now sparse. The moon and the stars were vastly arrayed above the horizon.