Two days later, a message arrived.

It was a rest day, and Gaam Yuk Ying, Gou Dzing, Chan Bik and Cheng Baak-hap were sharing a leisurely breakfast on the mountainside, surrounded by falling leaves. People had started talking about how often the group were together now, and with word slowly starting to get out about Gaam Yuk Ying's abilities, despite his best efforts to be as lazy as possible, the nosy were starting to turn their eyes greedily in their direction. Was this the beginning of a powerful new group? Were Chan Bik and Cheng Baak-hap hiding their abilities too?

A junior disciple of the Way of the Mountain presented the message to the group with shaking hands and overly eager greetings, which Gaam Yuk Ying ignored and Gou Dzing awkwardly accepted. He waited until the disciple had dashed out of sight to exaggerate the encounter to his friends, to open the letter.

'Little Brat, Old White's Kid, I've decided you both need to take part in what's coming next. Come to Juk-hoi immediately. Be prepared for a long stay away from the sect. Bring the little girl with you.'

"Does that mean Cheng Si-dze can't come with us?" Chan Bik demanded immediately. Cheng Baak-hap tried to smile but it was clear she was disappointed.

"Bik Si-mei, there's not really a reason for me to go..."

"Baak-hap Si-dze, you can't leave me with these two..."

Gou Zing tried not to laugh at the way the two girls sighed pitifully to each other, but Cheng Baak-hap caught him.

"What's the matter, great Jade Exorcist? You've been remarkably cocky since a certain someone showed some interest in you." She hid her mouth behind her hand in a pantomime of modesty. "That's a little unbecoming of the Head Disciple of the Way of the Mountain, don't you think?"

"Is Cheng Si-mei jealous?" Gaam Yuk Ying asked Gou Dzing mildly. Gou Dzing snorted wildly and received a heavy fist in his side from his junior sister. Cheng Baak-hap wasn't a large person, but her fists struck like boulders. Trying to recompose himself, he realised that there was a tiny smile on Gaam Yuk Ying's lips and it set him off again.

"Gaam Si-hing! You did that on purpose!" Chan Bik shouted, diving for him. Although she had a Fire affinity, Gaam Yuk Ying's high cultivation level meant that he easily avoided her, and the picnic devolved into chaos.

Cheng Baak-hap, with Gou Dzing in a headlock, watched Chan Bik chase Gaam Yuk Ying unsuccessfully around the mountain.

"Are you really not going to say anything to her?" Gou Dzing asked, taking advantage of the lull in violence.

Cheng Baak-hap let him go and sat up rigidly. "Bik Bik is someone who is going to be the direct disciple of the Vermilion Bird. I can't..."

"Can't what? So it's okay being friends with Ng Dzeung disciples but nothing else?"

Her pretty lips twitched. "I... I have no confidence."

"Not everything's about fighting, Cheng Si-mei. Your administration and logistics skills are second to none. How are all us muscle-headed martial artists supposed to organise ourselves?"

"The other day..." Cheng Baak-hap began quietly, "Some disciples from the Clear Sight School cornered her by the Main Library. They harassed her about spending time with us, as disciples of other schools, and..."

"With the skills that Yuk Ying and I have, I suppose."

She shifted uncomfortably. "And then they made fun of her appearance. Said she looked too soft... they said her freckles looked ugly! What ugly! They're like... a sprinkling of stars. And what's wrong with looking a little soft? They're the ugly ones! But I couldn't even teach them a lesson." Her narrow eyes became angry slits.

"So wouldn't it make sense to tell her how much you care?"

Cheng Baak-hap's cheeks turned a little pink.

"Huh. Cheng Si-mei has a foxy appearance but she's quite modest," Gaam Yuk Ying observed, popping up suddenly beside them. "So she's the type to act mature but is really innocent and -"

"ARGH! Why have you suddenly become so talkative?! Shut up!"

Gaam Yuk Ying dodged behind Gou Dzing without a single change in expression. Chan Bik caught up at this point and so Gou Dzing found himself being used as a human shield while Gaam Yuk Ying nimbly danced around and the two women threw attacks indiscriminately. "Everyone... we should- Careful! -get going. Just- OW! -come with us, Cheng Si-mei."

They finally organised themselves to set off once Chan Bik and Cheng Baak-hap ran out of energy. It still took several hours for Gou Dzing and Cheng Baak-hap to hand over the general running of the school to the other senior disciples and to prepare for travelling. They otherwise left inobstrusively, without a farewell.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The forest was quiet. The four trekked without words in single file, Gou Dzing in the lead and Gaam Yuk Ying at the rear. Chan Bik kept glancing around. Cheng Baak-hap would pause occasionally and look back at the looming mountain, dwindling in the distance.

"There's no-one else here, Chan Si-mei," Gou Zing said softly, without turning around. "You can relax. And Cheng Si-mei, Mount Fa isn't going to disappear. It'll still be there when we come back."

She laughed, soft and short. "I know. I've just... It's been a long time since I saw it like this."

"Have you not been away from Mount Fa for a while, Cheng Si-dze?"

"Not since I arrived. I came to the mountain when I was a little girl and never left since."

"Wow, then this... This is your first trip! We should see as much as possible! I've been to Yuk-hoi before with my father, I know all the local specialities! We should try everything..."

Chan Bik chattered happily, forgetting her anxiety. Gou Dzing glanced back with a smile at the two girls excitedly discussing what they would do, then caught sight of Gaam Yuk Ying's face.

The silver eyes had lifted warningly. A second later, Gou Dzing understood why.

Chan Bik and Cheng Baak-hap suddenly found themselves hemmed in by the two men, who had both drawn their swords. Lo Fu Ngaa flashed blindingly, making Gaam Yuk Ying frown at how conspicuous it was. Chan Bik couldn't help commenting, "Matching hilts?"

Gou Dzing looked embarrassed.

"Matching hilts?" Teem Djeung Baak slipped out from between the trees and stared at their swords with her too-large eyes.

"Do you not have anything to do other than weirdly lurk in the forest?" Chan Bik grinned nervously. "I guess you have no friends."

Teem Djeung Baak ignored her. She tipped her head to one side. "... matching hilts. Little Handsome, you're cheating on me?"

"..."

Those giant eyes went flat as they turned on Gou Dzing. "I should have killed you last time."

Cheng Baak-hap stared. "Who...?"

"Stay back, Si-dze," Chan Bik interrupted, raising her weapon, a spear as tall as her shoulder. "She's the one from before..."

"I see..." Cheng Baak-hap gripped the staff that she had brought.

"Stay here," Gaam Yuk Ying said shortly. Before anyone could move, he darted forwards, Lo Fu Ngaa stabbing for Teem Djeung Baak's throat. She only just managed to dodge the sharp blade, its razor edge whining through the air, but it left a light gash in her skin.

"Still not enough," she muttered, hopping back several paces. Lo Fu Ngaa sang out again, slicing through her ear. She threw a flurry of knives out desperately towards the three cultivators behind Gaam Yuk Ying, but he batted them all away with ease before they could reach their targets. Still, it gave her enough time to turn and flee.

"Yuk Ying," Gou Dzing cautioned, before the other man could follow her. "We should move from here as quickly as we can. I know you're fast, but if you chase after her now, we could be caught up here for a while. We don't know if there's anyone else here either."

Gaam Yuk Ying looked at him, then looked at the two women. They both nodded their agreement. He sheathed Lo Fu Ngaa silently. The four of them increased their pace.

"Did she say something to you?" Cheng Baak-hap asked, a little out of breath. Gou Dzing offered to carry her and she accepted without argument. With her recent training, Chan Bik was able to move quickly enough to keep pace with the two men.

"'Still not enough'," Gaam Yuk Ying repeated.

"What still isn't enough? What's she up to?" Cheng Baak-hap frowned with thought while Gou Dzing carried her piggyback. "Was she hoping to beat you? Did she think she had some new skill? Perhaps a new cultivation method? Did you notice anything, Gaam Si-hing?"

"... a little faster?"

"Her speed increased... But how could she hope to match the speed of the direct disciple of the White Tiger of Metal? Only fire-attribute cultivators of the highest levels would be able to move faster."

"Meaning the Vermilion Bird, or her direct disciple?" Chan Bik observed.

"Exactly."

"Do you think it's possible that... she has something to do with Lady Ling Gwong's disappearance?"

"You think she's working with the demons?"

"Is that possible? How would she communicate with them?"

"We're just speculating at this point," Gou Dzing pointed out. "We need to get to Yuk-hoi as soon as possible and let Master know. Chan Si-mei, can you run any faster?"

Chan Bik's breathing was becoming a little uneven, but she tightened her jaw and nodded. The three cultivators picked up their pace, Gou Dzing taking the lead with Cheng Baak-hap, Gaam Yuk Ying following Chan Bik.

They reached Yuk-hoi several hours later, in the dark, without any further sign of Teem Djeung Baak. Chan Bik collapsed to her knees, and Cheng Baak-hap hastily gave her water after sliding from Gou Zing's back. His breathing was heavy. Only Gaam Yuk Ying looked alert and unaffected.

"This way." The Grandmaster's little servant-spirit, Ah Sik, beckoned them from the entrance of a small teahouse built against a cliff. Ducking behind a curtain at the back of the shop, they soon found that the interior was far larger than the outside suggested, with a series of corridors and rooms carved into the cliff itself, which was formed of soft limestone. Ah Sik led the way, sliding open a door to reveal the Grandmaster and two other women seated at a low table.

"Come in, all of you. Ah, I should have expected I would see Little Zeng here. No, don't speak right now. We don't have much time and there's a lot to fill you in on." The Grandmaster turned to explain to the two women. "These are disciples of the Mount Fa Sect. My direct disciple, Gou Dzing, who still hasn't broken through to Third Daan-tin levels..."

Gou Dzing sighed deeply.

"Gaam Yuk Ying, Old White's disciple, who has reached the Third Daan-tin level. Chan Bik, the one with the high aptitude for fire, and Cheng Baak-hap, one of my senior disciples with excellent administration skills."

The two girls blushed a little to be praised in front of others, particularly ones with as impressive an appearance as the two women sat before them. Both were tall and slim like willows, yet there was no doubt that they were strong and sinewy. The one directly next to the Grandmaster had long, chestnut-coloured hair in a high ponytail, tanned skin, and eyes the grey-brown colour of a slow river. Something in her grin looked very similar to the Grandmaster's.

"One of my grand-daughters, Gong Lau Yan," the Grandmaster said. "And the third rank in the Third Head of Yeung Tin Wong's Army, Maan Dzi King."

Gong Lau Yan stood and bowed energetically in greeting to the new arrivals, although her smile looked a little forced. Maan Dzi King was more subdued, bowing with a neutral expression before seating herself again. Her long dark hair was unbound, and where Gong Lau Yan's eyes made one think of a river, Maan Dzi King's were as deep blue as the sea. Chan Bik could barely keep her gaze away.

"Master, please tell us what you have learnt."

"First, the reason why we are all here. The six of us..." Her caramel-brown eyes found Cheng Baak-hap. "... seven of us will be heading into demon territory. We will be negotiating Ling Gwong's release."