After a brief discussion, Tao Geming's findings sent them the next town over, where the Gallant Glaive would be holding his next performance within a spacious hall fit for over a thousand people. Tao Geming had even gone a step further and taken care of their admission, setting the stage for Liao Lan's master to go about her task as she deemed fit.

  When it came to her tests of skill, Tao Geming himself never interfered beyond the setup, always leaving it in the Witch's hands. But he never shied away from observing the fruits of his labor whenever the opportunity presented itself, though his perpetual scowl seldom revealed his true thoughts on her battles.

  Guo Xiu's name drew a sizeable audience; the building was packed to the brim. Shao Luli, Liao Lan, and Tao Geming had to squeeze their way past the crowds to get to their seats. The Golden Witch was not among them; she kept her plans a mystery to everyone but herself, and her only instruction to the rest of them was to attend the event. But just in case, Liao Lan made sure to save her a spot next to them.

  The disciple of the Golden Witch was ill at ease. That Tao Geming was seated to her right, silently scowling as he usually was. Liao Lan couldn't wait for the show to start so that she would have something to distract herself with from his continuous presence. Every passing minute dragged painfully as all the spectators took their time to settle down.

  And things went from bad to worse when the man in question decided to speak up unprompted.

  "What do you make of that master of yours?" Tao Geming asked. "What do you suppose her background is?"

  Liao Lan rolled her eyes. Suddenly they were on speaking terms? Liao Lan hadn't deigned to answer his question at first.

  Tao Geming exhibited an uncharacteristic amount of patience. He let his initial question linger in the air, not sparing the matter another word. And though she wanted to continue ignoring him, a small part of her burned with the desire to converse about that golden haired woman, as her own disciple had never had any desire to indulge her in the topic.

  After a long pause, she finally gave in to the temptation. "I believe she is a celestial who descended from the heavens to play around with us mortals."

  Tao Geming threw his head back and laughed. "Boy, am I glad I asked! What a theory!"

  Liao Lan frowned. "And what does his highness think? Because a theory is all you have as well, isn't it? She has never divulged anything of her background to you either, am I correct?"

  Tao Geming couldn't deny it. But nevertheless, he boldly proclaimed, "An unknown sect must have trained her for a secret mission."

  "A very levelheaded explanation." Liao Lan snorted. "But when it comes to her, only a fool would cling to the reasonable and the mundane. Do you not realize that she yearns to be underestimated? And to settle on something merely sensible could only serve to play into these games of hers. Common sense does not apply to my master!"

  Tao Geming shook his head. "You idiot. Leaping straight to crap about ghosts and devils is playing along with her games all the same. That kind of mentality is poison to one's progress as a martial artist. You'll never surpass someone you hold in such inflated regard." He shot her a derisive glance. "Not that there was any hope for you to begin with."

  "I held no such aspirations in the first place." Liao Lan said, meeting his gaze with a stern one of her own. "But it's inspiring to know his highness holds such an optimistic outlook on his own future."

  "Fool." Tao Geming spat. "You misread the situation. I can dispatch your master whenever it pleases me. It's not her skill that's staying my hand right now from teaching you some proper discipline."

  Tao Geming's features darkened. The intensity behind Liao Lan's glare hadn't faltered even as cold sweat began to run down her spine. She suddenly grew wary of his deadly fingers as they twitched in restraint.

  Tao Geming continued, "And another thing you misjudged - the tolerance I'm willing to extend to this affair can only be stretched so thin. At this point I'm wondering if your irreverent attitude is worth dealing with or if I should just turn you into a smear on these seats and handle the consequences later. Sure, she'll complain for a while, but do you really think she's gonna cry over spilt milk for long?"

  Liao Lan realized that she may have taken the verbal jousting a step too far. Her mind raced in search for the words that might defuse the situation.

  But at that moment, the ringing of a gong erupted from the stage, quieting the crowd and drawing the stares of every spectator. The start of the show gave Liao Lan the perfect excuse to look away. She felt the man's eyes lingering on her even as she tried to focus on the performance. But as the music picked up and the show began in earnest, he finally relented, allowing the matter to drop.

  Shao Luli, sitting at her master's side, covered Liao Lan's shaking hand with her own. The young disciple was not oblivious to the escalating tensions right beside her. Her touch brought Liao Lan immediate relief. She slowly exhaled through her nose, calming her nerves, and tried to immerse herself in the spectacle.

  The play told the story of an ordinary man who was pushed into the role of a folk hero by the tyranny of a local lord. Reprising the role of Guo Xiu the Gallant Glaive was Guo Xiu himself, a tall and potbellied man with a full head of dark brown hair whose well-groomed beard reached down nearly to his chest.

  At this point Liao Lan began to wonder if Guo Xiu was even his real name.

  The adventures of the Gallant Glaive turned out to be a captivating tale that kept Liao Lan's attention with remarkable ease. Elaborate sets and catchy songs brought the performance to life. The exciting acrobatic sequences that made up the faux battles outed some of the performers as likely martial artists, though their feats would leave a lasting impression only on the crowd of laymen and not the trio of experts sitting in their midst. While Liao Lan and Shao Luli became engrossed in the story, Tao Geming kept shifting in his seat and softly grumbling like a bored and impatient child.

  "This guy has as much in common with the common man as the earth does with the sky." Geming derided the narrative at every opportunity. "He was born into wealth. Pretending to be an ordinary pleb is just pathetic."

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  The women ignored him.

  There was an unquestionable strength in Guo Xiu's arms as he displayed his skill with arms. He spun his glaive as though it was without weight, wowing the crowd with ease. Liao Lan noticed that his weapon was among the very few up on stage that had been made of quality steel and even sharpened, ready for real use at any moment. She guessed that the other four battle-ready glaives on display belonged to his personal disciples, for who else would be trusted to wield live steel during a play?

  At one point in the tale, the hero sought to slay a fiend. As he concluded a boisterous song that testified to his own bravery, he swung his glaive and pointed it beyond the stage. And for a time, nothing followed the gesture. The pause had soon dragged on to the point that seemed unintended even to the spectators. Some of the actors exchanged confused glances.

  But then the eyes of the performers widened. Some nervously backed away. The Gallant Glaive and his disciples frowned, their stances subtly shifting to those better suited for genuine combat.

  Out onto the stage emerged an enormous fiend draped in colorful furs and numerous scarves that left a lengthy trail behind each step. A massive red mask exaggerated the performer's already towering stature into something that verged on the uncanny and gave off a hint of the truly supernatural.

  The fiend turned towards the crowd and flashed its hideous crimson visage. The spectators gasped in shock. Glaive in hand, the monster spread its long arms wide and twirled round and round, gleefully celebrating its arrival.

  As if that prodigious build alone wasn't enough for Liao Lan to instantly recognize her master, she caught hints of golden locks and white robes slipping past the mask and furs. She leaned forward in her seat, her face aglow with excitement. Unbeknownst to her, her young disciple was rolling her eyes as she observed.

  "Oh, that moron..." Tao Geming hissed, covering his face with a hand. "What the hell is she doing? I have to keep traveling with her after this... Just being seen next to her is going to be a humiliation!"

  Liao Lan suddenly gasped, catching sight of another peculiar detail. "Her glaive is just a prop!"

  Guo Xiu's disciples had had enough of the fiend's antics and stepped forward, waving their weapons. But their master suddenly raised his hand and halted them. After a pause, he whispered something inaudible and waved forward, prompting one of the men to run off backstage.

  Tao Geming mused aloud, "Must be wondering about the people she went through on her way here. I doubt she killed them, though."

  The Gallant Glaive drew near, finally addressing the monster. "Let's see what you can do!"

  Guo Xiu's feet struck the wooden stage hard and suddenly he was right beside her, the edge of his glaive bearing down on her red mask. Another knock resounded across the hall and the weapon stopped in its tracks. Though the spectators guessed that the attack was blocked, they hadn't seen the fiend's weapon move at all. And before they even knew it, she had already shifted from her previous spot and appeared at the Gallant Glaive's side, swinging at his feet. Guo Xiu parried her attack and repositioned himself to face her at a less awkward angle.

  Even the untrained could easily gleam the difference between the performative pirouettes they had been exposed to so far and the battle that now unfolded before them. But they could not follow the action with their eyes. They heard the sounds and saw the immediate aftermath of every maneuver, but they had nothing but their imagination with which to fill the gaps.

  And that was not what they came here for. The crowd was quiet and confused. The thought that this wasn't part of the performance was slowly taking shape in their heads.

  Liao Lan was one of the few present who could follow along with every exchange. Guo Xiu was bold in his attacks, but every one of his strikes was nullified by her fake glaive.

  After the two had traded two dozen blows, it seemed to have finally dawned on him that he was not making any progress. Guo Xiu dashed back, rapidly making distance. The fiend did not pursue. The Gallant Glaive lowered himself into a new stance.

  But just when it looked like he had finally reconsidered his strategy, he suddenly lunged right back into the reach of her blade. His glaive spun around him like a steel whirlwind, cutting off every conceivable method of approach while inadvertently slashing the surrounding set to ribbons.

  Guo Xiu pressed forward, his polearm darting in and out to harass the fiend with quick and ceaseless attacks. Though his technique was a defensive one in nature, it only served to further enable his aggressive fighting style while minimizing all risk to himself.

  Liao Lan noted, "That must be the real version of the Plum Blossom Glaive. It barely resembles the theatrical one."

  The maneuver reminded her of Lady Rose Vine's whip technique. But what Guo Xiu's glaive had lacked in reach it made up for in control, allowing him to restrain his enemies with the unpredictability of his weapon's path.

  His opponent knew better than to prod at this tornado and instead beat a hasty retreat. The windows of opportunity for evasion had suddenly dangerously narrowed and she no longer had the luxury to take her elaborate attire into consideration. She moved so quickly that the furs and scarves flew off her body, and her oversized mask was sliced apart and fell to the floor. Soon nothing but the white robe remained, and the golden hair flowed freely.

  And though the Golden Witch had indeed been suppressed and forced on the defensive, Guo Xiu's blade still failed to leave a single mark on her body, and her smirk never left her face. As the fight dragged on, sweat began to bead on his brow.

  His fatigue created a brief opening. The Golden Witch suddenly stepped into the path of his swinging glaive and forcefully rammed her staff against his. His flow interrupted, Guo Xiu had to desperately scramble to regain a semblance of defense. And yet he was allowed to back away utterly unimpeded.

  But then his foe lowered herself into an all too familiar stance.