Chapter Two: The Princess

In Wangmai, there lived a legendary figure known as "Dragon Phoenix Blade" Yue Yuncheng.

It was said that from an early age, he practiced martial arts and displayed extraordinary talent with the blade. On the day he drew lots as an infant, he chose a wooden sword, and ever since he began training, he became utterly absorbed in the study of swordsmanship. At the age of ten, with his martial skills alone, he fended off more than a dozen mountain bandits who had come to plunder their village. Consequently, three renowned masters of the blade sought him out, each wishing to take him as their disciple. Only the last, a gallant hero wielding twin blades, finally succeeded in accepting Yue Yuncheng as his student.

After ten years of seclusion, twenty-year-old Yue Yuncheng stepped into the tangled world of Wangmai’s martial society, carrying both his ambition and the profound skills he had honed.

Within months of his debut, Yue Yuncheng wiped out three bandit strongholds in the northern mountains of the Snow Kingdom in a single night, drawing the wrath of the remaining dozen or so bandit factions, who united to hunt him down. Escaping the northern mountains, he dealt with a number of local tyrants along the way before drifting into the Summer Kingdom.

In Summer Kingdom, Yue Yuncheng inadvertently discovered the location of a secret state prison, which again drew the authorities’ pursuit. During his escape, he slew a prison warden, making him the talk of the land.

It so happened that, at that time, friction had arisen on the border between Summer and Snow Kingdoms. The Snow Kingdom’s vanguard, Ye Linhui, and some of his troops were besieged by the Summer Kingdom’s army. Yue Yuncheng, fleeing to the border, intervened and helped Ye Linhui break through the encirclement. The two fought side by side, escaping with their lives, forging a deep revolutionary bond. Thus, the name of “Dragon Phoenix Blade” Yue Yuncheng—“always on the run, never once standing trial”—became renowned throughout the martial world.

In later years, Yue Yuncheng married and settled in his wife’s hometown in the Snow Kingdom, no longer wandering far and wide. Still, each year he would bring his wife to Shunxing City to visit Ye Linhui, so Ye Pei grew up knowing this “Uncle Yue.”

Because Yue Yuncheng’s son, Yue Zhe, was still young, Yue Yuncheng had him stay home to focus on his training and did not bring him along until one year, believing Yue Zhe’s skills to be sufficient.

That year, both Ye Pei and Yue Zhe were fourteen.

“Ah, old Yue! So this is your son? Come, come in quickly!” With hearty laughter, Ye Linhui welcomed Yue Yuncheng and Yue Zhe into the Ye residence.

“Son, go ahead and look around Uncle Ye’s manor. By the way, where’s Ye Pei?” asked Yue Yuncheng as they entered.

“I’m not sure—probably busy with something, but he’ll be along soon,” Ye Linhui replied.

Yue Yuncheng laughed, “Ha ha, all right then. Go on, son, have a look around.” And so, fourteen-year-old Yue Zhe wandered through the Ye residence, soon arriving at Ye Pei’s courtyard.

At that moment, Ye Pei was seated with his back to the door, reading. Hearing soft footsteps at the gate, he assumed it was Ye Feilan, come to play a prank, and called out, “Girl, I can hear you—no use pretending.”

Yue Zhe had no intention of tolerating such words. He barked, “Who are you calling a girl?! Open your eyes and see for yourself!”

Ye Pei, realizing from the voice that he’d mistaken the visitor, was about to apologize, but hearing phrases like “young master” instead, his own temper flared. “Before you act so arrogant, do you even know whose place this is? Who are you?”

But Yue Zhe was not one to back down. “So what if it’s your place? You want to hit me? Bookworm!”

Ye Pei set down his book. “Who are you calling a bookworm?”

“You, of course!”

“You little—are you looking for a beating?”

“Hah! As if I’d lose to a stinking bookworm like you!”

Ye Pei thought, Since childhood, I’ve excelled in martial arts—who does this fellow think he is? I’ll thrash him and throw him out.

Meanwhile, Yue Zhe thought, My father is a true hero, and I, Yue Zhe, have learned from the best since I was young. How could I lose to you? I don’t care what relation you are to Uncle Ye—first, a beating, then we’ll talk.

“Hah—!”

“Yaa—!”

…

In the main hall, Ye Linhui and Yue Yuncheng were happily reminiscing when suddenly they heard shouts and the clatter of shattered tiles and bricks. Recognizing the voices, they hurried outside, only to see two youths—one in fine clothes, composed and steady, the other in plain garb, graceful and spirited—climbing rooftops and darting between buildings, trading blows with gusto.

Seeing their sons fighting the moment they met, both fathers called out for them to stop, but their shouts were ignored. The two boys, wholly absorbed, smashed countless tiles as they fought their way toward another part of the estate.

Ahead lay the martial practice grounds. Their eyes lit up, and with a feint apiece, both leapt toward the grounds, each snatched up a staff, and the duel resumed.

“Bookworm Ye, not bad for a scholar!”

“Hmph, you must be Yue Zhe, then?”

By now, both knew who the other was, but neither had any intention of stopping. By the time their fathers arrived, both were fighting more slowly, each holding a broken staff, yet still swinging away, undeterred.

Such was the scene of Yue Zhe and Ye Pei’s first meeting—a meeting that established their unique greeting for all future encounters.

With a book, one stands tall; without, one falls short.

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

It was late March; the snow on the grasslands had yet to melt. At dusk, a horse-drawn caravan of a dozen or so people rode slowly along. At the head was a youth in brocade, his hand holding a scroll that swayed gently with the horse’s gait. Eight or nine other youths in plain clothes surrounded a carriage at the center.

“Mother!” A bright, clear voice rang out, and a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl, pretty and lively, lifted the curtain and jumped out.

“Sigh…” Ye Pei set aside his book, covered his face, and shook his head. “Keep moving.” He reined in his horse, letting the carriage catch up, and asked, “What is it?”

“Mother, I’m hungry! It’s so late—can’t we stop for the day?” Ye Feilan stared up at Ye Pei with wide eyes. Before Ye Pei could answer, a servant interjected nervously, “Young miss, you may not know, but bandits are rampant here. We must reach the town ten li ahead before nightfall.”

Ye Feilan pouted. “At this pace, how long will it take? Riding in the carriage is exhausting… And Grandma must be hungry too…” She glanced back at the carriage.

A gentle laugh came from inside. “Feilan, I’m not hungry. Your mother will decide.” Seeing the sun sinking toward the horizon, Ye Pei said, “If we rush, the bumps will be hard on you, and everyone must be hungry by now.” Raising his voice, he called, “Everyone, halt your horses and set up camp. We’ll rest here!”

Another servant protested, “Young master, we can’t! If we’re attacked by bandits, and something happens to madam or the young miss…”

“That’s enough. I said stop, so we stop. What, you’re not worried about me?” Ye Pei retorted.

The servant hung his head. “Young master, your martial arts are unparalleled—there’s no need to worry.”

Ye Pei fell silent for a moment, watching as the others unloaded tents from the wagon. He called out loudly, “Don’t mind me—see to your own tents, and leave two for me.”

With that, Ye Pei dismounted and entered the carriage, turning to the woman in her thirties beside Ye Feilan. “Mother, don’t worry about bandits. There’s no danger tonight—just rest easy.” Lady Ye smiled gently. “And why are you so certain, my son?” Ye Feilan chimed in, “Yes, mother, are you sure we won’t be attacked at night?” Ye Pei raised his chin. “Trust me. With my experience, there’s no way we’ll be in danger.” And with that, he stepped out of the carriage.

Ye Pei took two tents and set them up in no time at all. Watching the others struggle, he laughed heartily and called toward the carriage, “Mother, daughter, the tents are ready!”

“Ah Yi! Bring me a bow—I’ll go hunt some rabbits!” Ye Pei mounted his horse and called out. Ah Yi tossed him a bow, grabbed a quiver, mounted up, and rode off with Ye Pei.

By the time everyone had finished pitching their tents and were melting snow for noodles, Ye Pei and Ah Yi returned laden with game. Ye Pei carried a black spear, skewering five rabbits, while Ah Yi held two in each hand. The others set to skinning and preparing the rabbits for roasting.

As he worked, Ah Yi glanced at Ye Pei, who was chatting with her mother and daughter, and said to the man beside him, “Brother Rong, the young master’s aim is incredible!”

Xu Rong looked up. “Indeed. I heard Uncle Meng say the young master’s martial skills are unfathomable. Even General Ye marveled at his talent when he was a child. By the way, Ah Yi, that spear…”

“I have no idea. I was just saying there were too many rabbits to carry, and the young master just pulled that huge spear from his belt. Now it’s vanished again—I don’t know where it went,” Ah Yi replied.

After everyone had eaten, night had fallen. The servants lit several campfires and prepared to stand watch. Seeing this, Ye Pei asked, “What are you all planning?”

Xu Rong replied, “Young master, we’ll split into two groups and keep watch in all directions, in case of a bandit attack.”

Ye Pei shook his head. “You lot have little experience but many ideas. There’s no need—just leave two or three on watch at a time. If you’re tired, put out the fires and all sleep; it won’t matter much. Why wear yourselves out? How will you travel tomorrow with dark circles under your eyes?”

Ah Yi protested, “But young master, you know how lawless it is here! If we’re all awake and watching, we won’t be caught off guard.”

Ye Pei smiled. “I know. Don’t worry—there’s a ninety percent chance we won’t be attacked tonight.” He was about to explain further when Huang Qilin called for him, so he tossed out, “Just do as I say!” and went over to Lady Ye.

The servants, after hearing Ye Pei’s words, were divided.

“Shouldn’t we listen to the young master? He’s traveled a lot, after all.”

“What’s the point? The young master always travels with Uncle Meng; he probably doesn’t have much experience himself. It’s obvious we could be in danger at night. I say we stick with our plan. With the young miss and madam here, if anything happens, we’ll lose our heads.”

Soon, the servants settled on sticking to the original plan.

Meanwhile, with Lady Ye’s group:

“My son, tell me—why are you so sure there’ll be no bandit attack tonight?” Huang Qilin asked. “I think the others have a point.”

Ye Pei glanced at Ye Feilan, who looked equally puzzled. “Sigh… I’ve traveled for years—do you think I can’t judge a situation like this? Mother, do you know where these new guards come from, and why I brought them along on this journey to grandfather’s place?”

Without waiting for a reply, Ye Pei continued, “They were eliminated from this year’s recruitment for various minor flaws. They’re all from villages around Shunxing City. Though raised in the wild, Shunxing is the capital’s vicinity—under the emperor’s feet. Where are there bandits? Even in the northern hills, the only threat is wild animals. So, in this regard, my judgment is more accurate. Bringing them along is a good way to give them some experience.”

“Mother,” Ye Feilan asked, “are there really no bandits near Shunxing City?”

“Of course not. Does the government eat for nothing? Besides, people here aren’t so badly off—no one’s starving, so who would become a bandit?”

“But… Mother, didn’t the authorities say they wanted to clear out those dangerous gangs in the city? I heard Brother Alan in your courtyard say two gangs were going to fight outside the city one night. So the government isn’t that useful,” Ye Feilan pressed.

“Er… well, that’s… complicated. Anyway, that’s a difficult problem—harder than dealing with bandits,” Ye Pei answered, unusually hesitant for once. Lady Ye, who knew a bit more, smiled softly, while Ye Pei, seeing Feilan’s half-understood nod, breathed a quiet sigh of relief and cursed Alan back home under his breath.

When Ye Pei emerged from Lady Ye’s tent, he saw the servants had not put out their fires and were standing guard as planned. He sighed, said nothing, and went to sleep in his own tent.