Chapter One: The New City

A single meal cost a hundred taels of silver. The innkeeper, fearful they might not have the funds, only grinned with delight upon seeing the payment.

The State of Chu was renowned for its military prowess, and a strong martial spirit prevailed. Few travelers or merchants on the road went without arms; even those merely seeking refinement would hang an ornate sword at their waist. Soldiers patrolled the main thoroughfares, never disturbing passersby, evidence of the strict discipline within the ranks.

The walls of New City soared eight fathoms high; only those with exceptional agility could hope to vault them. The bricks and stones were made from the hardest blue granite, rendering them nearly impregnable. Flags fluttered atop the towers, soldiers stood in formation. Before the gate, the moat spread five fathoms wide, and thirty guards were stationed at the entrance. The enormous cost of construction and the rigorous defense justified its reputation as the foremost military stronghold in the realm.

Zheng had once sought to build a military town even grander than Chu’s New City, but failed to find a site with comparable strategic value. The expense was prohibitive, and the ambition ultimately faded away.

New City occupied a unique position: to the west lay the border with Chen, the northwestern mountains led to Han, and just beyond the northern gate was Zheng’s territory. This strategic importance had compelled the King of Chu to spare no expense in erecting the fortress. In times of war, New City had performed countless feats, earning the name “the Unfallen City.” It stood as Chu’s proudest emblem of military might.

The guards at the city gates did not hinder their entry. Within, many of the pedestrians were scholars, yet even they carried swords, and many wore thin silk armor, a fashionable custom. Clearly, the status of martial artists in Chu was extraordinary.

Upon entering, Baiyue first ensured everyone changed into clean garments and groomed themselves before heading to Plum Garden Manor.

When they arrived, they found the manor lavish, though less so than the Sunset Sect’s estate in Golden Light City. Someone scoffed, “People always said he cooked the books; the sect leader turned a blind eye. Looks like there’s truth to it.”

Baiyue had long suspected as much. Though Plum Garden Manor nominally belonged to Sunset Sect, it had already become independent, and its master paid no heed to her orders. The sect still needed the manor to expand its arms and provisions business in Chu, so she could not rein it in.

The gatekeeper did not recognize Baiyue. Upon hearing she was the sect leader, he pondered a moment before saying, “That sounds familiar. Wait here, I’ll inform the master.”

The elders and disciples of Sunset Sect were infuriated.

After a while, footsteps sounded from within, and the gates opened. A man in his forties, with a long beard brushing his chest, bushy brows, and piercing eyes, led several attendants out, his face plastered with smiles.

“Ah—Sect Leader, your arrival honors us! Forgive me for not greeting you sooner—please, come in, come in…”

One Sunset Sect elder sneered, “So Elder Bai Mei remembers the Sect Leader after all. This gatekeeper hears ‘Sunset Sect Leader’ and says it’s familiar—what a fine ‘familiar’!”

The man swung backhand and slapped the offending gatekeeper, knocking out his teeth amid a mouthful of blood.

“Useless fool! I mention the Sect Leader all the time, and you don’t know who she is!”

The Sunset Sect elder knew it was mere theater and snorted, saying no more.

The manor’s main hall was a hundred paces from the gate. Seven or eight buildings of varying height and grandeur stood within, enough to house two or three hundred people. The hall’s exterior was covered in gold lacquer, extravagantly ostentatious.

Once seated, attendants served tea. Baiyue had barely sipped when Bai Mei said, “Sect Leader, I have heard of the upheaval in Golden Light City. Decades of foundation destroyed in an instant… But that foolish King of Chen paid dearly for it. Over a thousand homes within the city were burned, and three thousand acres of Golden Light fields razed! The news has reached Chu, and all curse the King of Chen for his folly and lack of virtue!”

Baiyue, having heard the details, remained calm. She set down her cup and said, “Since you’ve heard of Golden Light City, I need not waste words. Were those arms sold recently?”

“They’re still in the warehouse. The carts broke down en route, delaying delivery by two days. They arrived three days ago. What are your intentions, Sect Leader?”

“Show me those arms. I wish to keep a portion for use.”

“Certainly! Sect Leader, Elders—this way, please.”

Bai Mei led the way. Outside, ten carriages were waiting. Everyone climbed aboard. They traveled across the city for half an hour, stopping before a workshop.

Inside, workers were still busy. The arms were stored in an underground vault, a thousand paces wide, with ten tiers of shelves, nearly all filled with armor, swords, spears, and other weaponry.

Baiyue handed a set of dark silver dragon-scale armor to Bu Jingxian, a Cloud-Swallowing Steel suit to Gui Jianchou, then had the sect members choose their own battle gear and weapons. Bai Mei, puzzled, saw Baiyue and Bai Xing both take two sets of women’s phoenix-scale armor and finally asked, “Sect Leader, what is your plan?”

“The Sunset Sect is no more. After these arms are sold, I intend to rebuild the sect here in New City. The martial spirit is strong in Chu; establishing ourselves will inevitably involve violence, so we need these to prepare for conflict.”

“I see.” Bai Mei nodded repeatedly. “If that is your wish, I will do my utmost. As it happens, there is another manor in the city. If you don’t mind its age, you may reside there. Everything you need is provided, so you won’t have to trouble yourself with arrangements.”

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

With the arms secured, they returned by carriage to Plum Garden Manor.

The banquet was ready. Bai Mei’s wife attended but was cold toward the Sunset Sect members. When Bai Mei asked her to greet the Sect Leader, she ignored him. The elders and disciples were indignant, eating in silence before requesting to rest. Bai Mei, unable to persuade them, had carriages send them to the vacant manor in the city.

After Baiyue and her group left, Bai Mei turned to scold his wife.

“Why didn’t you pay your respects?”

She sneered, “What’s the point? If she had come before, out of respect for the arms and provisions she supplied, I would have shown her some courtesy. Now she’s penniless, here to freeload, and still expects to act like the Sect Leader? What are you thinking? Why keep them here? Do you expect they’ll forge weapons and produce grain again?”

“Bah! Women only care about immediate profit!” Bai Mei snapped, sitting in the hall with his tea. His wife, bewildered, followed and pressed him.

“What are you scheming?”

“I am not from Chu, and I never mastered the Sunset Sect’s martial arts. Here, my achievement is reaching sixth rank and overseeing commerce in East City—that’s my limit. Chu values martial skill, and women can hold office too, but only if they have true ability. Those who are all reputation and no substance meet a bad end. Challenges and duels are frequent; without real skill, you can’t hide.”

“So what? Aren’t we doing well enough?”

“‘Well enough’—nonsense!” Bai Mei, angered, cursed. “One son is useless, two daughters are wayward! What will become of us? Even now, the city’s martial sects trouble us constantly. I am an official, but what use is that against martial artists? They form cliques, all with backgrounds, and look down on scholarly families like ours. The Sunset Sect may be gone, but Baiyue and her sister have not lost their skills, nor has the sect forgotten how to forge weapons. The Sunset Sect members could help with the workshop, and as for Baiyue and her sister—what do you think of their beauty…”

He hadn’t finished before his wife struck him hard.

“You old lecher! The back courtyard is full of concubines and you still aren’t satisfied…”

“Enough!” Bai Mei erupted, startling his wife into silence. “Can’t you let me finish?”

“Go on, but don’t think of making them concubines!”

“You! Foolish woman. Baiyue and her sister are beyond my reach. No matter how destitute, they are not women I can touch! With their looks, if introduced to the city governor’s sons, surely one will become the governor’s wife…”