THE COURTYARD WAS FULL of corpses, the gutters streaming with blood. The assassins were counting the bodies when a tall man clad in black dragged Xiahou Lian over by the collar and tossed him onto the pile. Xiahou Lian's white undergarments were instantly soaked with blood, its stench overwhelming his nostrils and turning his stomach. As he struggled to his feet, he glimpsed Xie Bingfeng's and Lady Xiao's bodies. They were still locked in an embrace, their faces frozen in grotesque expressions of terror.
The assassins encircled Xiahou Lian, staring.
"Mahoraga, what happened?" asked Uncle Duan.
The Mahoraga removed his mask to reveal a cold, stern face. "He let someone escape."
Uncle Duan glanced at Xiahou Lian, then asked, "Who?"
The assassin who'd been playing hopscotch earlier chimed in. "I don't know. He gave whoever it was his clothes and mask. The Kinnara and I thought it was him, so we let them go. Right, Kinnara?"
Qiu Ye didn't speak. He simply patted Xiahou Lian on the head.
"Who gave you the gall to let our prey escape, Xiahou Lian?" asked one assassin coldly.
Another assassin laughed. "Must've been the Garuda. His mother's achievements give him more than enough confidence—there's nothing he won't do. Once, he even plucked all the feathers off my hen."
"I've checked," the assassin counting the bodies reported. "All hundred and eight members of the Xie household are here."
The assassins exchanged glances. "Are you sure?" asked the Mahoraga.
"I'm sure," the assassin replied.
The hopscotch-playing assassin protested, "I definitely saw someone wearing his clothes leave, though. They also had your dagger, Uncle Duan."
Uncle Duan wasn't at liberty to mourn his lost weapon. "I think we can let this one go. We're not short any heads, so it's not the end of the world." Turning to the Mahoraga, he added, "No need to be so hard on a child."
"A child?" the Mahoraga sneered. "I've been killing people since I was twelve. No one ever told me that I was still a child. Besides, the abbot is strict and impartial. If he finds out, we'll all be whipped."
Uncle Duan sighed and turned to scold Xiahou Lian. "Tell us, you brat! Who did you let go? You always cause trouble the moment I take my eyes off you!"
"A young girl of the Xie household," Xiahou Lian replied hoarsely.
"Why wasn't her name on our list?" asked the Mahoraga.
Xiahou Lian mixed his lie with some truth. "Xie Bingfeng always neglected her. And he was so offended over something she'd said that he didn't even have her memorize the memorial. They probably never even added her name to the Xie household registry."
"Where did she go?" the Mahoraga pressed.
"I'm not sure."
The Mahoraga drew a dagger and pressed it to Xiahou Lian's chin, forcing the boy to look into his cold eyes. "Don't play games. Spit out everything you know."
Xiahou Lian met his gaze without flinching.
Something glinted in Qiu Ye's fingertips, and a blade as thin as a cicada's wing pressed against the Mahoraga's wrist. Qiu Ye smiled. "Qiye Garden forbids unauthorized punishment."
The Mahoraga narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to protect him, Kinnara?"
Qiu Ye calmly increased the blade's pressure on the Mahoraga's wrist, forcing the other man to lower the dagger. His smile didn't waver. "I'm simply upholding the temple's rules."
The Mahoraga didn't argue further and reluctantly sheathed his dagger.
In Qiye Garden, the authority of the Eight Legions was second only to the abbot. The seven legions other than the Garuda were evenly matched in strength. Qiu Ye was famous for Qiushui, a double-edged blade as thin as a cicada's wing that was designed to be held between his fingers. His fingertips twirled it endlessly. Qiu Ye had assassinated countless master martial artists, but it was his role as Qiye Garden's executioner that truly stirred fear. He was the leader of the Hall of Executions' assassins, so any traitor to Qiye Garden would meet their end under his blade.
The Mahoraga was also one of the Eight Legions, however. Even Qiu Ye had to show him some respect.
"So you still remember the temple's rules? Then, as the executioner, do you know what punishment Xiahou Lian deserves for letting our prey escape?" The Mahoraga's gaze turned sinister. "To be killed without mercy," he said, enunciating each word.
"Even if he is to be killed without mercy, the abbot must order his execution before I can carry it out," Qiu Ye said.
Seeing that the two were about to come to blows, Uncle Duan pulled them apart. "Enough, both of you. Right now, our priority is to find that young girl." He directed a question at Xiahou Lian: "What's her name?"
"Xie Jinglan," Xiahou Lian replied. "'Jing' as in 'quiet,' and 'lan' as in 'orchid.'"
"The kid is lying," an old-sounding voice suddenly interjected. Xiahou Lian turned his head to see the Qiye Garden mole who'd once given him a saber manual and medicine. The elderly man approached them slowly, leaning on a cane.
Now Xiahou Lian was done for. Deceiving these fools would now be impossible.
"The Xie household has only one Xie Jinglan. He's a boy—and he's also the young master Xiahou Lian served. This kid's too tenderhearted—he probably developed feelings for him." The old man tapped Xiahou Lian's skull with his cane and shook his head. "I told you before that you weren't cut out to be an assassin. See? Now you've made a mess."
Damn meddler. Xiahou Lian clenched his fists.
"This kid is cunning and full of lies! We won't get anything out of him without torturing him first," an assassin from the back weighed in.
Qiu Ye glanced at the man and repeated, "Unauthorized punishment is forbidden in Qiye Garden. We'll deal with this back at the temple."
"Why would it be unauthorized? We can't answer to Wei-gonggong without retrieving the escaped prey. Otherwise, the Garden's reputation will be ruined, and then what? If the abbot were here, he'd definitely extract our prey's whereabouts through torture," the man sneered. "Or is the mighty Kinnara afraid that the Garuda will come after you if she returns to find out that you punished her son?"
The Mahoraga sneered. "Don't worry, Kinnara. We haven't heard from Xiahou Pei in three months. She probably died in the Western Regions."
"You're full of shit!" Xiahou Lian shouted with reddened eyes. "Fuck you! You'll be eaten by ants before anything kills my mother!"
"Shut up, Xiahou Lian!" roared Uncle Duan.
Qiu Ye held Xiahou Lian's head to stop his flailing. He sighed. "You're only partially correct. I am afraid of the Garuda. But I'm also afraid of the abbot."
"What do you mean?" asked the Mahoraga suspiciously.
Qiu Ye smiled. "Haven't any of you ever wondered who Xiahou Lian's father is?"
"You mean... No, impossible!"
The assassins were all stunned.
Qiu Ye chuckled softly, his voice low and clear. "That's right. Xiahou Lian's father is our abbot, the Shixin Buddha."
There was neither surprise nor joy on Xiahou Lian's face. He stood there frowning, as if he preferred not to hear the abbot's name.
"How is that possible?" an assassin asked. "Why would the abbot and Xiahou Pei want to have a child? And why would the abbot ignore Xiahou Lian all these years?"
Uncle Duan sighed. "The abbot wouldn't, but Xiahou Pei would. Over a decade ago, the abbot was quite handsome..."
The expression on each assassin's face became complex. The abbot must have struggled to keep this secret shame concealed for so many years. No one dared to comment.
The Mahoraga played with his dagger, sneering. "I doubt the abbot ever meant to acknowledge this kid. Don't forget, the abbot took Xiahou Lian's twin brother, Chiyan, at birth. Supposedly, the abbot has been raising and teaching him diligently on Heimianfo Peak. Under his guidance, Chiyan has already mastered Qiye Garden's saber techniques. Both boys are his sons, so why does he ignore one and pour all his effort into the other?"
"Maybe the abbot and the Garuda agreed to take a child each and go their separate ways," someone suggested.
Twin brother? Xiahou Lian was shocked. He'd never known that he had a brother. He looked up to ask Qiu Ye about it, but the man's grave expression forced Xiahou Lian to swallow his words.
"The abbot never intended on keeping him," said the Mahoraga, "so I doubt he'll care if we deal with him."
Most of the assassins nodded in agreement. Xiahou Pei had always been eccentric and self-centered, and many in Qiye Garden disliked or held grudges against her. Now that they had a chance to punish her son, no one was keen on wasting it.
Still, someone asked, "But what if Xiahou Pei returns...?"
"I already told you, that woman's probably dead—" the Mahoraga replied coldly.
Before he could finish, a long saber cut through the cold night air, shooting toward the Mahoraga's head. The Mahoraga drew his blade quickly and deflected the attack. The saber spun in midair and landed in a slender hand.
Everyone turned to see a woman emerge from the darkness, her figure slender as a crane's. Illuminated by the moonlight, her cheeks shone as brilliantly pink as roses, her lips were fire red, and her eyebrows were as sharp as blades. Despite its powerful aura of bloodlust, her face was breathtakingly beautiful.
The woman's mouth curved into a provocative smile. "Who says I died in the Western Regions?"
Xiahou Lian's eyes lit up. "Mother!" he shouted.
Everyone was stunned to see Xiahou Pei. She had disappeared into the Western Regions for three months, yet here she was, alive and well. Her return could mean only one thing: The Chakravarti had fallen at her hands. All eyes were drawn to the bulging, bloodstained snakeskin bag at her waist. There was no doubt that it contained the Chakravarti's head.
The Chakravarti had killed three of the Garden's top assassins yet had ultimately been slain by Xiahou Pei's hand. Her skills with the saber were unmatched in the Garden, second only to those of the abbot.
Fear filled the Mahoraga's eyes as he subtly stepped backward.
"Well, isn't this unfortunate? I didn't lose so much as an arm or a leg. I'm so sorry that I've come back unharmed and dashed your long-held hopes." Xiahou Pei pulled Xiahou Lian to her side, her grin dangerous and mocking. Her smiles were always menacing; that sight alone filled others with trepidation.
Hiding his fear, the Mahoraga said coldly, "Xiahou Pei, your son let a young lady from the Xie family escape. Don't assume being the strongest of the Eight Legions means you can just sweep this under the rug!"
The old man from earlier coughed. "A young master," he corrected the Mahoraga.
Xiahou Pei shrugged. "Do you think I'm a coward, like you? I don't need to sweep anything under the rug. Hey, Qiu Ye, what's the Garden's penalty for permitting escape?"
"According to the rules, Xiahou Lian should be executed," Qiu Ye answered. "But in this case, I suspect the abbot might show some leniency."
Xiahou Pei looked down at Xiahou Lian. "If you let him go, you must've paid that careful thought first, correct?"
Xiahou Lian nodded. "I did."
"Then what do you want to do? Meekly accept your punishment or fight to the death? If you pick the first option, I'll take you back to the mountain. If you pick the second, I'll kill everyone here, and we'll go on the run together."
Even Xiahou Lian was stunned by his mother's boldness. He knew she was powerful—but to the point of taking on twenty top Garden assassins?
The assassins all erupted at once. They pointed at Xiahou Pei, shouting. "Xiahou Pei, you're so arrogant! Even if you could kill us all, the Seven Fifteen you've taken will kill you sooner or later!"
"Then I'll just live as long as I can. Why worry about the rest?" Xiahou Pei laughed, then asked Xiahou Lian, "So, what's your choice, son?"
"Can you really beat them all?" Xiahou Lian asked suspiciously.
"Of course not, but my Xiao-Lian has grown up. He has a sweetheart! What's her name again? Right—Xie Jinglan. What does she look like? Is she as pretty as Lady Liu?"
Xiahou Lian blushed with embarrassment. "Mother... Please don't joke around." Still, he couldn't help thinking that Xie Jinglan was far more beautiful than someone like Lady Liu, who had to envelop herself in blush and powder.
"Ha ha ha! All right. Listen, son, do what you like—but you must bear the consequences of your choice. Whatever you decide, I'll stand by you. Even if it costs me my life." Xiahou Pei hugged Xiahou Lian, a radiance like that of stars in the night sky eclipsing the bloodlust in her eyes.
All Xiahou Lian's anxiety vanished, and he swelled with courage. He now felt he could face anything. Wiping the dirt from his face, he took a deep breath.
All the assassins stepped back, then slowly began to slide their sabers from their scabbards.
Having worked with Xiahou Pei for years, every assassin knew that she was a madwoman. She always worked alone, refusing backup or support. New assassins admired her bravery, attributing it to an unshakable will to win. But those who'd known her longer understood that she was determined not to win but to die.
All people valued their lives, but Xiahou Pei feared neither life nor death. She considered the lives of her prey as trivial as an ant's and regarded her own life the same way. That was how she had become Qiye Garden's sharpest blade.
All the gathered assassins took her at her word. If Xiahou Lian chose to run, Xiahou Pei would draw her saber, the world-renowned Hengbo. Killing all the assassins might not be possible, but her skills could still ensure that more than a few of their number wouldn't live to see the next day.
This madwoman, they cursed in their hearts. Madwoman!
Finally, Xiahou Lian spoke. "I'll accept my punishment, Mother. Take me back to the mountain."