Volume One, The Monarch's Decree Chapter Eighty-Six, Sweeping the Four Quarters Clear of Bandits

The visitor was no outsider. Master Cai had a son, already past thirty, yet unwilling to take up the family craft. Though broad-shouldered and formidable, built beyond the ordinary, Cai Master had always believed him born for the forge. From an early age, the boy had learned every last trick of his trade, and had even won a modest reputation in Fire City.

A few days earlier, after yet another quarrel, he had stormed off in anger. Only this morning had he returned. No sooner had he stepped through the door than he saw the scene before him and mistook it for a threat to his father. Acting on impulse, he made a reckless move. Master Cai stormed over and landed two slaps on him, but they were no more than a mosquito bite to such a body.

“General Liu, forgive the disturbance. This is my worthless son, Cai Wu! Hurry over here and pay your respects to General Liu!”

Master Cai seized Cai Wu by the arm and pulled him, head lowered, before Liu Xiaoyi.

Liu Xiaoyi looked up. The man was even taller than he had first seemed, a towering figure more than three zhang in height, looming nearly a whole person above him.

“General Liu? The one commanding the city army?” Cai Wu scratched the back of his head. In the morning light he studied the other man carefully, and found him unlike the young general he had seen yesterday. “I peeked at you from afar this morning. You don’t look like him.”

“What a way to speak! You start brawling the moment you meet someone. If you cannot finish repairing this wall, you are not to leave again!” Master Cai kicked him once more. Age had stiffened him, and the blow failed to move his son at all; instead, he nearly lost his own balance.

The wandering heroes lingering upon the courtyard wall, having witnessed what had just happened, dared not even show their faces. They were local swordsmen from around Fire City, and most of them knew of Cai Wu. Though his skill was nothing to boast of, heaven had at least given him a body that would not go hungry. Yet Liu Xiaoyi had sent him flying with a single sword strike. How formidable, then, must this General Liu be?

Cai Wu was scolded again. For a man in his thirties, he looked just like a child who had been rebuked, head drooping miserably, his face full of displeasure.

“My boy is good in every respect save for this foolish temper. He has caused me no small amount of trouble outside. I beg General Liu not to take offense.” Master Cai was a man of standing and reputation, but with his son he was utterly helpless. In matters of worldly tact, Cai Wu was hopeless, as impenetrable as stone.

“Old man! You are no spring chicken yourself, so stay here and rest well. I will see General Liu out.” Cai Wu lifted up the heavy sword and slung it across his back. Then he went to the water vat beside the courtyard wall and plunged his whole head into it, hoping to clear his mind.

Liu Xiaoyi sheathed the Green Radiance Sword and cupped his fists toward the gathered onlookers. “Gentlemen, I thank you for coming to witness the birth of the Green Radiance Sword. Whatever the matter may be, it has nothing to do with Master Cai. If anyone seeks an answer, come to me.”

To fail in obtaining the treasured blade and instead go after the blacksmith’s trouble—such a thing might be beyond the wit of men of high standing, but these rough-and-ready street heroes were another matter entirely.

At his words, the shifting shadows around them stirred. As he stepped out through the collapsed courtyard gate, those figures vanished into the distance one by one.

Master Cai tidied up for a moment, put away the smithing tools in the room, and then suddenly slapped himself on the forehead. “This is bad. That boy is never coming back now! Damn it all—if he comes to harm out there, his ancestor will be the one slapping my face!”

Cai Wu had long wanted to go out and temper himself through travel and trial, but Fire City had never had any truly great heroes. This time, having caught an opportunity, he did not care whether it was true or false; first he would follow along, and worry later. At worst he could run back again. His legs were his own—he could go wherever he pleased.

“How far is your home from the south gate of Fire City?” Liu Xiaoyi had arranged to rendezvous with the army at the south gate that day. With the people’s help, reconstruction had gone far more smoothly than expected and was soon completed.

Cai Wu followed behind, counting on his fingers. “Five hundred paces, though I could walk there in a little over three hundred. General Liu, what sword art did you just use? Can you teach it to me? I learn real fast.”

“You want to learn? Then watch closely.”

Liu Xiaoyi drew his sword and sprang high into the air with a stamp of both feet, sending a slash backward. A crescent of sword light rushed into the morning mist, and a clang rang out. A figure burst from the fog and charged straight at him.

Liu Xiaoyi flicked his blade, and the surrounding mist spun with his robes as he moved. Sword strike followed sword strike, each faster than the last. Cai Wu stared so hard his eyes nearly crossed, and in his distraction he barreled into an empty stall beside him.

The wandering heroes trailing after them appeared and disappeared like ghosts. Each time the Green Radiance Sword struck, a different weapon answered. Liu Xiaoyi heard it clearly: there were more than twenty of them.

A flash of brilliance filled his eyes. From his sleeves, several chess pieces suddenly shot out, striking the tall wall beside him. A few cries of pain sounded, and figures marked with fresh blood leaped away into the mist.

“Even hidden weapons? We can’t wait any longer!” Three heroes sprang out, each bearing new wounds, and attacked Liu Xiaoyi from both sides with their blades.

Cai Wu thrust out his back, and the door-plank-like greatsword bounced upward. He seized it tightly in both hands and swung toward the three of them. The three, however, easily sidestepped the blunt and unadorned attack, and their three blades came close to Liu Xiaoyi.

Then Cai Wu saw a full moon rise before his eyes. Cold gleam drifted past from behind, and when he could see clearly again, all three had already lost their lives.

Liu Xiaoyi’s expression did not change as he took ten more steps forward. Before him stood a swordsman with iron rings bound around both arms, blocking his path.

“You do not use a sword. Why seize one?”

“To hang at my waist. It looks good.”

“The city’s reconstruction is already nearly complete. Do you not know that I led the army?”

“I am grateful, but tell me—would you rather be a hero, or a general?”

Liu Xiaoyi’s mouth curved upward. The Green Radiance Sword rang sharply in response to his breath, the hum of the blade like a swarm of bees leaving the hive. “I will spare your life. If you want to follow me, you may come anytime.”

“Iron Wire Fist, Ma Shan. Please instruct me.”

With a thunderous roar, his true energy burst from his body and shredded his outer shirt. He twisted his arms and drove out his fists in the posture of twin dragons emerging from the sea, rushing straight at Liu Xiaoyi. The Green Radiance Sword met the force head-on, colliding with his blow in the plainest manner imaginable.

Liu Xiaoyi retreated three steps. Ma Shan retreated one.

With six iron rings on each arm, overlapping and striking together, Ma Shan did not pause. He continued to throw punch after punch, each clash against the sword aura, trying to press Liu Xiaoyi down by sheer cultivation advantage before he could recover.

Heavy as a mountain—that was Liu Xiaoyi’s first impression. From the force transmitted through the Green Radiance Sword, he knew at once that the other man was a master of fist arts. His hands were larger than those of ordinary men, and every knuckle was thick with calluses, proof of years spent training his fists.

Flesh fist met sword edge, yet the skin never changed color. Each time Liu Xiaoyi tried to unleash a sword move, Ma Shan would seize the opening and close in, sticking to him like a shadow, breaking his momentum with one dozen punches after another.

Cai Wu watched from the side with mounting dread. Several times he wanted to help, but when he raised the heavy sword he found the two men’s auras bound too tightly together, leaving no opening at all.

“Oh dear, you two are making me anxious to death. General Liu, go on and beat Old Ma down! He’s bullied me plenty in the past!” Cai Wu shouted encouragement, and Ma Shan seemed to hesitate for a heartbeat. In that tiny opening, Liu Xiaoyi thrust out the Green Radiance Sword. His sleeves swept once, and eighteen chess pieces flew in an instant to Ma Shan’s face.

Ma Shan brought his palms together and clamped down on the blade, hurling it aside to avoid the pieces aimed at his upper body. But his legs were struck again and again, battering him to his knees.

Had Liu Xiaoyi not held back, both legs would have been crippled on the spot. At such close range, the pieces could easily have pierced him straight through, rather than merely striking the joints.

“Fire City is no place for you to display your fists and feet. Come with me to Central Plains.” Liu Xiaoyi beckoned. The Green Radiance Sword flew back from the ground into his hand, its tip resting against Ma Shan’s brow.

Ma Shan did not hesitate. He joined his fists and bowed deeply. “Ma Shan is willing to follow General Liu and be at your command!”

“Hahaha, Old Ma, since you came later, you ought to call me senior.” Cai Wu laughed as he helped Ma Shan up and pounded him hard on the shoulder.

Ma Shan wrinkled his nose. “I’m following General Liu, not you useless fool. Wait until your scrap iron can even touch me, then speak.”

The two had known each other for some time, and their temperaments were much alike, so they had quarreled often. As for Ma Shan’s skill, it was always Cai Wu who got beaten black and blue.

“Then just wait. I’ll learn a couple of moves from General Liu, and those flying stones from earlier will be enough to flatten you!” Cai Wu’s loud voice drowned out the sound of iron chains slicing through the air. By the time Liu Xiaoyi reacted, it was too late. Four iron chains simultaneously bound his limbs and yanked in four directions.

Liu Xiaoyi was dragged up into the air, and true energy surged along the chains. “Got him! Snatch the sword!” The four heroes quickly tightened the chains and rushed toward Liu Xiaoyi, knocking the Green Radiance Sword from his grasp as they advanced.

“Childish tricks. Laughable.” Liu Xiaoyi was unhurried. The Green Radiance Sword did not fall to the ground; instead it turned in a circle and flew up again, drawing a ring across the throats of the four who charged in. Four heads fell at once.

Controlling objects with power was something Liu Xiaoyi had learned in secret, and he was still somewhat unskilled at it. Fortunately, the sword was keenly sharp, and by taking them by surprise he cut down the four men.

He kicked away the chains. The Green Radiance Sword deftly flew back into his hand, and he thrust it into its scabbard. “If the rest of you will not come out, then I’m leaving.”

Only then did he realize that, in the blink of an eye, he had already reached the foot of the south gate. In the distance, the military formation was visible, banners fluttering. Liu Xiaoyi deliberately paused beneath the gate for a moment, but the heroes hiding and darting about behind him no longer dared move.

“Then farewell to all the heroes of Fire City. Liu Xiaoyi takes his leave. Until we meet again!” He cupped his hands in salute, then walked out of the south gate without once looking back.

Tang Qiu had been waiting there with his troops for quite some time. Seeing Liu Xiaoyi arrive, he hurried down from his horse to welcome him.

“These two are from Fire City?” Tang Qiu also ordered two warhorses brought over, but when Cai Wu mounted one, the sturdy beast seemed almost unable to bear the weight.

“This one is Ma Shan. We met yesterday. The other is Cai Wu. There’s no time to lose—let’s set out at once.” After a brief introduction, Liu Xiaoyi mounted and rode onward with the rest of the army.

As he traveled, he could not help but feel grateful that he had entrusted the force to Tang Qiu. Compared to himself, Tang Qiu was unquestionably the more competent commander.

The formations were strict and orderly. Grain, fodder, and supplies had all been replenished in Fire City, enough to push all the way to White Jade Capital in one stretch, far more abundantly than the vanguard had possessed.

“Word came from ahead. Feng Nanque has taken three cities in succession with his elite troops, and the road all the way to the foot of Lengthy Joy City has now been opened. The other surrounding towns have all surrendered at the first sight of our banners. We only need to press forward at full speed.” Riding beside Liu Xiaoyi, Tang Qiu relayed the scout reports one by one.

He had not slept for two nights, dark circles hanging beneath his eyes, yet it did nothing to dim his excitement. To command a battle of such scale was the scene he had dreamed of day and night. How could he dare betray Liu Xiaoyi’s trust?

“Lengthy Joy City... I do miss it somewhat. Have the men quicken their pace. We will make camp only after reaching the city walls.” Looking in the direction of Lengthy Joy City, Liu Xiaoyi’s thoughts were stirred in a thousand directions.