With the deed done, Tao Geming walked back towards the Golden Witch, his arms crossed. "Satisfied?" He asked.

  "I am." She replied in earnest. "That had to have been one of the strongest techniques I've seen so far. It's a shame he didn't have his stick with him like in the old stories. He could have shown that other famous technique too."

  "Good riddance." Tao Geming spat. "Spared us some time. It would have been just another worthless little trick."

  "Are you sure you get to say that?" The Golden Witch asked. "I can feel just how badly you've been hurt, you know. Why did you even do that? There was no need to take one of his palms. I think you could have won without going that far."

  "To show you - and him - just how useless it really was."

  His remark left her deeply frustrated. She wondered if there was even any truth to the suggestion that he had taken the attack on purpose. But by the same token, frustrating as it was, it seemed childish to argue over the matter. Intentional or not, the outcome of the battle remained beyond question.

  Her voice tinged ever so slightly with contempt, she asked, "How long will it take you to heal that injury? You can't travel like this, can you? At least not as quickly as we need."

  Tao Geming idly rubbed at the blood drying on his tunic, but it was to no avail. His outfit was ruined. "By the time you're done playing with the Ming couple, I'll be fine."

  "You still haven't found them for me." The Golden Witch accused.

  "And now it will have to wait until tomorrow."

  She rolled her eyes. "It was not going to happen today regardless, was it? Because you were playing games."

  "And if you keep sticking your nose into my business, it never will!" Tao Geming waved her off and made to leave.

  Her golden eyes bore into his back as she watched him go. In the aftermath of their vicious battle, with all the words the two had exchanged, many questions lingered on her mind. But she knew that he would never answer them; not unless she revealed something about herself in turn.

  Even though Tao Geming had never said anything outright, every one of his words and actions carried with them a pervasive know-it-all air that she found unbearable, as if he knew more about her than he was supposed to. She believed that most of it was empty posturing, but the faint possibility to the contrary still frustrated her to no end.

  She had been forbidden from revealing anything before the time was right, but when it came to Tao Geming in particular, she wanted to keep her secrets not just out of obligation, but also out of spite.

  But for the time being, their alliance was proving far too beneficial to be discarded over petty grievances. After all, she just witnessed him drawing such an incredible expert with just his presence alone. Or at least so she thought.

  And besides, at the pace of their progress, it couldn't have been much longer now before all would be revealed regardless.

  The next day, they met again at noon. Everywhere they went, the streets would clear out in the blink of an eye. Not a soul remained who wasn't aware of who they were.

  Tao Geming declared that he had found their mark, and that they were to set out right away.

  Because their destination hadn't been far, Tao Geming felt no need to travel swiftly. Their time on the road inevitably gave way to idle conversation.

  The Golden Witch asked, "Have you ever heard of a city called Chang'an?"

  "Of course." Tao Geming replied, and impatiently drove the conversation forward, "You wanna go there? Why? Though the Tang still clings to their old imperial glory, they have no real influence to speak of. There's nothing for you there."

  "I heard it's a wealthy land with a long history. It must be full of martial artists."

  Tao Geming snorted. "They're certainly not short of them. The woman ruler has mandated that every able-bodied citizen, man or woman, must practice martial arts at least once a week. Those caught reneging on this obligation are punished, while those excelling in it are rewarded with laxer taxes."

  "That's quite clever." She chuckled. "So as I guessed, they must be rife with experts."

  "You would think so, but after all these years, the practice is yet to produce a single martial artist worthy of note."

  The Golden Witch mulled it over briefly. "...Well, perhaps that's only natural. Once a week? That's nothing. But perhaps this practice of theirs has, at the very least, provided an opportunity to uncover those with an affinity for martial arts?"

  "None that I've heard of." Tao Geming shook his head. "It would appear that the secrets of talent are not so easily unveiled. But this shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, talent is something ordained by the heavens. And the machinations of us mortals cannot hope to force heaven's hand; we can neither perceive nor manipulate its will. Heavens ordain, men obey. And as the idiocy of the Tang proves, trying to go against the natural order of things could only impede one's fate."

  "I did not expect to hear something so superstitious from you." Her golden eyes widened ever so slightly. "Just yesterday you were bragging about how worldly and practical you are."

  "Your childish remarks are irritating as always." Tao Geming's perpetual frown deepened. "Though we may be powerful, you and I, in the end we are mere flesh and blood, shackled to wander this earth until the passage of time grinds us down to dust. It is well known by now that talent cannot be passed down through blood, but neither does it come from any particular style of upbringing. The phenomenon that allows one to exceed his peers many times over defies all explanation. Therefore, it must come down to heaven's will."

  The Golden Witch unsubtly steered the conversation elsewhere. "So if they have no one of merit, how do they continue to preserve their autonomy?"

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  "With trade and tribute they tricked their neighbors into believing that their continued existence is of continued benefit." Tao Geming spoke with open disdain. But the venom left his words once he gave it more thought. "Well, that isn't to say that they are entirely toothless. There is a single expert among their retinue who guards the members of the imperial household and embarks on military action when the need arises. Though we've never clashed."

  "He guards them?" She asked. "Like a retainer in their employ? Why doesn't he rule the land himself?"

  "Hell if I know."

  "Well, why don't you know? You bragged about being to every place on the continent."

  "And it's true." Tao Geming defended himself. "But I've had no reason to go back there ever since they cracked down on gambling all those years ago and ran out all my old friends. After that I've had no interest in keeping up to date on the local affairs, and neither would it be trivial for me to learn about them now."

  "I don't think I'm following... What does gambling have to do with it?"

  "I don't care to explain myself to you." Tao Geming cut her off, much her to dismay. "Just take my word for it when I say there's nothing there worth seeing."

  "I have an appointment to keep." She curtly replied. "When the time comes, I'll be going with or without you."

  Since she left no room to argue, Tao Geming left it at that.

  ...

  The locals remained in such fear of the two martial artists that they dared not even approach the site of their battle until the strange pair had been long gone.

  And by that time, the attention of the Jianghu Investigative Bureau was drawn as well. It had rained overnight, degrading the beggar's already miserable form. But it did not present an issue in identifying him; the investigators that had been the first to arrive simply didn't know who the victim was. It wasn't until days later that Ye Wenyan arrived and forced his subordinates to treat the man's body with the respect it deserved. They had assembled all the facts that the locals could provide, but the story remained tattered and vague.

  Ye Wenyan arranged a humble funeral. The old beggar had been put to rest along a scenic route far beyond the town limits, his tombstone serving as a landmark to every weary traveler. It read: Ma Yi, valiant hero of the people, chief of the Beggar's Sect.

  "When we caught sight of them dashing by, you ran off after them so quickly, it took me days to find you again." Ye Wenyan muttered before the grave. He sighed heavily. "I just wish you'd told me what your plan was. Or did you have one at all? It's not at all like you to act so thoughtlessly, old friend. But, still, even though you so rarely brought your skills to bear, you were the best I'd ever known. If even you couldn't defeat them, is there anyone that can?"

  The news eventually reached the distant Chang'an. Inside her study, Wu Rong read Ye Wenyan's letter with shaking hands. When she was finished, it slipped from her fingers. The Jade Princess played with her dark hair for a long time, trying to quell her agitation.

  "They killed elder Ma." She declared. The bodyguard sitting in the distant corner had long ago noticed her concern, but the news still had him shifting uneasily in his seat.

  Wu Rong's eyes turned to the man. She put up a cocky, teasing smirk, but her voice shook ever so slightly. "What do you think, Cao Lai? When it comes to martial arts, are you elder Ma's equal?"

  Cao Lai sighed. "What a strange question. You're really losing it. ...Your majesty." He had to hastily append the ending.

  Wu Rong cast her gaze back to her desk, her smile fading.

  Cao Lai, perhaps realizing that he wasn't helping to soothe her nerves, shrugged and continued, "How could anyone know for sure? That stubborn old man never showed his skills to anyone. For all we know, he might have been nothing special."

  Wu Rong lifted her head again. "So you're saying you're stronger?"

  Cao Lai rolled his eyes. "I'm saying you should have more confidence in my strength than his. Because you at least know for sure that I have some."

  His remark briefly revived Wu Rong's smirk. She straightened her back, put Ye Wenyan's report aside and returned to her work.

  "The Bureau has made a big breakthrough in the case of the golden haired woman." Wu Rong summed up the contents of another letter. "Or so they say. They want me to personally meet with a witness. I'll have to arrange it after tomorrow's court session, so I'll be busy all day... But if even elder Ma couldn't get us anything, I can't say that I have high hopes for whatever this might be."

  "If you don't think it's going to be important, then just delegate." Cao Lai pitched in. "Or at least do it during court."

  "And air potentially sensitive information to the public?" Wu Rong shook her head.

  "What big secret are you expecting to discover about this woman?" Cao Lai asked. "She's just another freak of nature vagabond like Tao Geming. And just like Geming, it's only a matter of time until she gets bored and retires to some obscure corner of the world."

  "I will not permit any negligence in this matter." She insisted. "Especially from myself."

  Cao Lai sighed, leaving the matter be. "Just don't work yourself too hard, your majesty."

  The next day, at the end of a lengthy court session, Wu Rong received the two-man delegation from the Jianghu Investigative Bureau in the guest chambers of one of her palaces. Cao Lai remained perpetually at her side, his halberd always in his hands.

  To her surprise, the aforementioned witness had turned out to be another investigator, and a remarkably young one to boot.

  Bai Guo knelt before the Jade Princess.