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The sun sets in the west.
Both the people and the city walls cast long shadows, covering the stalls by the road. A vendor closes his umbrella and yawns.
Yawning Vendor
Closing up! 30% off on what's left so I can go home for dinner!
Bored Vendor
Just go. Tourists these days don't care about your toy weapons anymore.
Yawning Vendor
I would have joined the army if I had the skills to forge real swords.
Bored Vendor
Say, I saw a tourist carrying a blood-red sword yesterday. Now that was something unusual. I wonder where it came from...
The girl looks around, perplexed. She has never seen a scene like this before.
The ground rumbles slightly underneath her feet, likely a sign that the nomadic city is decelerating. The people on the streets seem completely unperturbed by it, going about their business as usual.
She smells the aroma of food, and remembers that she has not eaten for two days.
Jieyun
......
The soreness all over her body hits at the same time as the hunger.
Her legs take on a mind of their own, following the scent to a restaurant.
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Waiter
What would you like?
Jieyun
Er... whatever that person is having.
Waiter
Cold noodles with roasted meat for table three!
It is near dinner time, and the place is almost full. A good, hearty dinner is the most comforting thing for honest, working people who have been busy all day.
The TV on the wall plays a martial arts drama on repeat, the familiar story occasionally catching the attention of the customers.
Jieyun
(Why does the man in the box look like him?)
Jieyun
(The swordswoman next to him looks a little like Shifu, but not quite the same...)
Jieyun
(What does 'adapted from true events' mean?)
Waiter
Your noodles, miss.
Jieyun
T-Thank you.
Townsfolk A
I say a hundred-meter scroll signed by every single person in town. Now that's a meaningful gift!
Townsfolk B
Ni sha le ma? The Grandmaster is going on a journey. How is he gonna carry that?
Townsfolk B
Better to have something practical, like some local food for him to eat on the way.
Townsfolk A
How many years has the Grandmaster protected Yumen?
Townsfolk B
All I know that he's been around since before my dad was born.
Townsfolk A
He must be more than a hundred! No wonder he's leaving his post. It must take a toll on him.
Townsfolk B
But I've heard some jianghu wanderers say that they've seen him lately, and he still looks like he's middle-aged.
Townsfolk A
Wait... is he immortal or something?
Townsfolk B
I heard there are those who live much longer than normal, thanks to Arts. The Grandmaster must be one of those.
Townsfolk B
Anyway, the one thing everyone should remember is that he's the hero and protector of Yumen.
Townsfolk B
Never heard about a spouse or kids, though. What a shame, when you consider that General Zuo's son has already reached adulthood...
Jieyun
(They called him a hero?)
Waiter
How did you like your meal, miss?
Jieyun
It was very good.
Waiter
Now, the bill...
Jieyun
I...
Waai Fu
I'll take care of it.
Jieyun
Th-Thank you...
Waai Fu
Sure... Now how about that, we meet again.
Waai Fu
Did you lose your wallet, or just forgot?
Jieyun
I... lost it...
Waai Fu
Ouch, that's unlucky.
Waai Fu
Looks like you're new around here. I'm guessing you don't really know the place? I'll go with you to report the loss.
Jieyun
Th-Thank you, but I'm fine...
Jieyun
I-I'll pay you back next time!
Waai Fu
Hold on.
Jieyun
?!
Waai Fu
Is this the sword you said you were looking for?
Jieyun
Are you trying to take it too?!
Waai Fu
What do you think I am, a thief?
Waai Fu
But I've heard rumors that a special sword went missing. Could it be...?
Jieyun
...I have to go.
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Huai Tianpei
Who's there?
Huai Tianpei
Show yourself!
Lee
They say you don't try this with martial artists.
Liang Xun
Especially not with the martial artist.
Lee
Am I a goner if he just takes a swing by instinct without looking?
Liang Xun
Then I would have to arrest him for manslaughter.
Huai Tianpei
......
Lee
So, did I win the bet?
Liang Xun
You did.
Lee
I had a bet with Liang Xun over how you'd react when you saw us.
Lee
He said you would turn around and leave, but I said you would freeze on the spot.
Liang Xun
Never seen one who could read others better than you.
Lee
Well, he is my oath-brother. Not exactly a stranger.
Huai Tianpei
......
Lee
Don't worry, Waai Fu doesn't know you're here.
Lee
A reunion of father and daughter calls for a grander occasion, after all.
Lee
I'm not like our lord magistrate over here, who drags me into trouble the first time we see each other in a dozen years.
Liang Xun
Yes, I know I owe you one...
Lee
Is it too much sarcasm if I keep harping on this?
Huai Tianpei
......
Lee
Well, there's no one else here, just the three of us.
Lee
We have wine and food. Shall we sit down and chat?
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Lungmen Tourist?
The locations of all the suspicious warehouses have been sent to your terminals.
Lungmen Tourist?
Check them one by one, going from east to west. Move quickly; time is short.
Lungmen Tourist?
Don't do anything rash, if you find something. Contact the others, and we'll move in togeth—
Meng Tieyi
Were you looking for me?
Lungmen Tourist?
?!
He reacts quickly. Years of experience have taught him when it is time to fight, and when it is time for flight.
As soon as he turns around, however, he feels a hand on his shoulder, immobilizing him.
Meng Tieyi
Why are you trying to run, if you're looking for me?
Lungmen Tourist?
You...
Meng Tieyi
Sharp, but not enough guts. Fix that, and there's potential for bigger things for you.
The old man withdraws his hand.
Meng Tieyi
Tell Miss Lin that I will be waiting for her at the warehouse in the southern city, on fifth street, block seven, at the Hour of Shen.
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Lee
......
Liang Xun
......
Huai Tianpei
......
Lee
Not drinking?
Liang Xun
I'm still on duty.
Lee
What about you?
Huai Tianpei
Alcohol isn't good for you.
Lee
Well, what are we gonna do if we're not drinking or talking? Just stare at each other?
Lee
Didn't you have something to ask him, Mr. Liang?
Liang Xun
I could ask you the same.
Lee
Have we gotten to the point that we can't talk while sober?
Huai Tianpei
If you have something to say, say it.
Liang Xun
What have you been doing...?
Huai Tianpei
Wandering.
Huai Tianpei
Looking for strong opponents in each new place, until there's no one left. Then I move on.
Lee
I had to study Mr. Liang to see what the changes were over the years. You, Waai, or I guess Huai, you wear them on your face.
Huai Tianpei
What changed?
Lee
You got old.
Huai Tianpei
That's obvious.
Lee
I was actually worried I was going to hear someday that you died in a duel.
Huai Tianpei
Would I?
Lee
There's always someone better, as they say...
Liang Xun
So... how long have you been in Yumen?
Huai Tianpei
Three years.
Huai Tianpei
There's someone here who promised to fight me.
Huai Tianpei
He said it could take three years, five years, ten years, maybe more.
Liang Xun
Huai Tianpei, so obsessed with earning fame, learning patience...
Huai Tianpei
What's a few years here? There's no one else to fight anyway.
Lee
So you've been working at the clinic for three years.
The scent of herbal medicine covers up the aroma of the wine. There is nothing left but a bitter taste.
Lee
'Pulsatilla yanensis', 'psychotria rubra', 'zanthoxylum avicennae', 'senecio scandens'...
Lee
I spent almost a month asking the various schools, never imagining that you were right here in this clinic opposite the inn.
Huai Tianpei
Debts have to be paid.
Lee
Then you know who it is you owe the biggest debt.
Huai Tianpei
......
Lee
That's all I have to say. What about you, Mr. Liang?
Liang Xun
Just here to see how an old friend is doing. It's not an interrogation.
Lee
Huai Tianpei has been in Yumen for three years. You've been here a while yourself. But you picked this time to visit.
Liang Xun
It's no time to consider private sentiment, when there is unrest in the city.
Lee
In your patriotism, you won't even permit commoners like us to think of private sentiment?
Liang Xun
What do...?
Huai Tianpei
I'll sit for a while longer if you're really here to reminisce about old times.
Huai Tianpei
But look at us, we've gotten to the point where we can't even talk freely?
Huai Tianpei picks up his cup, drinks it dry, and leaves the room.
Lee
Did you get the answer you were looking for, Mr. Liang?
Liang Xun
I guess so.
Lee
As Huai Tianpei's oath-brother, or as the advisor of Yumen?
Liang Xun
I should be used to you seeing through things by now.
Lee
Maybe you should change your habit of bringing trouble on yourself. At least don't get to the point where you don't even have someone to talk to.
Liang Xun
There's a job he just might be the right man for...
Lee
Like how you had me handle that goblet?
Liang Xun
Nothing that complicated.
Lee
Even when he's Huai Tianpei, he's still Waai Tinpui.
Liang Xun
He's the hardest to change.
Lee
What about you and I?
Liang Xun
......
Lee
The same flowers, the same wine, but the spirit of youth is no more.
Lee
It's precious enough that we can still sit around the same table and chat a little over a drink. It's a fool's errand to try to go back to the past.
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Jieyun
You're trying to stop me too?
Waai Fu
A lot has happened over the past couple of days. There's a lot happening that I'm not sure about.
Waai Fu
If you mean no harm, I suggest you stay and help explain what's happening.
Jieyun
I don't have time.
Shanhaizhong Member
Hand it over.
Jieyun
No!
Waai Fu
Did they follow you?
Jieyun
I don't know them.
Waai Fu
Are you the ones who been causing trouble around town?
Shanhaizhong Member
Stupid girl—
Jieyun
(Was she holding back when she fought me in the ring?)
Waai Fu
These crooks sure can bark, even if they can't bite.
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