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Like Pebbles
at the Water's Edge Fandom: Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon
Shanxi Province, China, 1852 When the last of the summer warmth sank out of the air and came to rest as frost spun like strands of silk upon the hardening earth, Li Mu Bai returned. Yu Shu Lien saw the manner of his coming. She was returning from the well with freshly drawn water, and had paused to rest at the side of the road. Although the day was cold, exertion had made her thirsty, and she dipped her face to the bucket's cool, sweet lip to drink. When she raised her head, she saw a horse trotting towards her along the track, bearing one so old and frail that he was hunched over in the saddle. Then she looked again, and saw the rider was no old man. The horse drew closer, and still she did not move, only watched, afraid that if she went to him, the spell would somehow be broken and she would find it was another. It was no spell; Li Mu Bai had come back. The horse drew closer, so close she could see its ribs poking out through its skin, stretched tight over bones. Li Mu Bai's skin was also a tight canvas on his skull, and his clothes were caked with equal measures of dirt and blood. The bottles which hung from the saddle knocked against each other, making a hollow sound, and the sacks which had been stuffed with provisions when he had left to pursue Meng Si Zhou's killer were limp and empty. His sword, the Green Destiny, hung at his side; the blade was sheathed in its scabbard, but there were flecks of rust-brown blood on the shaft just beneath the hilt. Hastily, Shu Lien bent down to the bucket and scooped up water in her hands. "Drink," she said, and held her cupped hands to his lips. She felt his tongue brush her palm as he drank greedily and gratefully. Water dripped from between her fingers, and she knelt to replenish the supply until he had drunk his fill. When he could speak, he said, "Forgive me. Forgive me, I have not found justice for Meng Si Zhou." In spite of the water, his voice was still cracked and dry, and in his eyes Shu Lien saw pain deeper than the well she had just come from. "You are alive," she said, "and this brings me more joy than news that you had bought vengeance with your death." It was the truth. The cherry blossom had been heavy on the trees when Si Zhou, her betrothed, had been killed. In the months which had passed since his death, Shu Lien had come to realise that this grief, this simple, aching lack of him, would always pierce her as sharply as it had at the moment when she had seen him fall. Mere revenge would not ease it, and she was sick in her heart of loss and grief. "You are alive," she said again, "and I rejoice," but Li Mu Bai no longer heard her. Exhaustion and injury had sent him into sleep beyond sleep. The horse, aware of the change in its rider, dipped its head and snorted gently at Shu Lien. I have done my part by bringing him here, it seemed to be saying. Now do yours. Li Mu Bai slipped forward, his head coming to rest against the horse's mane. His arms dangled limply, the reins slipping from his fingers. There were red weals on his palms, testimonies in flesh to his determination, his friendship, his loyalty to Si Zhou and to herself. Shu Lien took the horse's reins and began to lead it along the track, towards the long, low buildings of the school, where fragrant smoke rose from the chimneys and there would be food, and healing, and deserved rest. Shu Lien tended Li Mu Bai for three days, and when he awoke, at last, on the fourth day, she was kneeling beside the bed-mat. He sat up with a start, and stared at Shu Lien as if he did not know her. Then his hand shot out, seeking the hilt of the Green Destiny, which Shu Lien had set on the floor by the bed-mat. Once the sword was in his grasp, some elemental part of himself appeared to return to him. "You are hungry, I am sure," Shu Lien said, and unfolded the contents of the cloth bundle she had brought from the kitchen, presenting to him a spread of freshly made rice-cakes and a selection of dried fruits from the autumn harvest. She smiled when Li Mu Bai, instead of replying, simply reached for the food and began to devour it. He was a monk, with long years of training in controlling the desires of the flesh, but he was also a man, and Yu Shu Lien knew that men who have not eaten properly in weeks feel hunger like dragon's fire in their stomachs. She waited in silence until he had eaten his fill, and made no comment on his uncharacteristic lack of manners. "Thank you," he said when he had finished. And then, dropping his head in an attitude of supplication, he said, "I am sorry. I beg your forgiveness." Shu Lien wondered if he remembered the many times he had made the same apology during the fever of his healing. "You have no need to," she told him. "Meng Si Zhou's murder is still unavenged." "Yet I know you have sought nothing else since you left here so many months ago. You have given your strength and your heart and very nearly your life to this cause. Si Zhou would have asked nothing more. Neither do I." She paused before adding, "It is I who should apologise to you." He looked up at her, genuinely startled. "Why?" "While you searched for the killer of my betrothed, I remained here." "I am a Wudan Fighter. To travel, itinerant, is my way. You have responsibilities -- the school, your work. You could not have come with me." Quietly, she said, "My heart desired it." "My heart also," Li Mu Bai said. "Your skill and your wisdom would have made the journey less arduous." "Then let neither of us speak of apologies again," she said. Li Mu Bai hesitated, then inclined his head to her in a gesture of acquiescence. She knew she had done nothing to alleviate his sense of failure, but while he was under her roof as her guest, he would honour her request. "If my horse has recovered, I will recommence the pursuit," he said and, as if to demonstrate his intention, began to push himself up off the bed-mat. Shu Lien saw at once that he was not as fully recovered as he believed, and the truth was quickly apparent to Li Mu Bai also, as his legs buckled beneath him. Moving quickly, Shu Lien placed her arms around his chest; Li Mu Bai, taken aback by his own weakness, responded instinctively by clutching her in return. They swayed gently together for a moment, and Shu Lien thought of trees, growing up out of the earth beside each other and rocked by the same wind. Then, conscious that such physical closeness was inappropriate between an unmarried man and woman, she helped him back down on to the sleeping mat, and retreated to a spot several paces distant. "Your horse is stabled alongside my own and has recovered from the trials it has suffered," she said. "You, however, have not. You require a period of healing, Li Mu Bai. You would honour myself and my house by choosing to spend it here." Li Mu Bai did not reply immediately. At last he said, "Your hospitality is a mark of your character, Yu Shu Lien. But I fear I would only bring you dishonour by staying here." Shu Lien nodded, and pretended gravity. "Yes -- often I have heard it said that having the greatest warrior of an age as the guest of a household is a shameful thing." She raised her head and smiled, so that he would interpret her gentle chiding as it was intended, and not take offence. She hoped he would not: although she did not know Li Mu Bai as well as Si Zhou had, she had often overheard the two men talking and laughing together as they sparred, ate or drank tea, and she had gained a sense of his character from afar. She thought of him as a tiger, a creature of immeasurable strength and grace, self-contained and yet occasionally playful. But that had been the man he had been, before he had sworn vengeance for Si Zhou's death and had almost met his own in its pursuit. The man before her now considered his mere presence beneath her roof an insult to the memory of her unavenged betrothed. Li Mu Bai looked at her for a moment, apparently uncertain how to respond. Then his expression softened fractionally, and he bowed his head. "Forgive me, Yu Shu Lien. I have indulged my own grief, and forgotten yours." "If you would stay here while your strength returns, it would be as if a part of Si Zhou breathed again," Shu Lien said. "That which both our hearts long for," Li Mu Bai said, and the matter was decided. Although Li Mu Bai began to recover within days of his arrival, it was soon clear that it would be many weeks before his healing was complete. The first snow came, and he was still too weak to get up and leave the bedchamber for any length of time. He hid his frustration well, saying only that enforced confinement gave him more time in which to practise his meditations, but Shu Lien could see the tiger within him growing restless, prowling the confines of its cage impatiently. The winter deepened, clutching all the land around in its white-fisted grip, and Shu Lien made some changes to her daily routine, delegating some of the time she spent instructing the school's students to her more able assistants so that she could spend the hours after the evening meal with Li Mu Bai. Her purpose in this was twofold. Firstly, the reputation of Li Mu Bai was such that the students and instructors were in awe of him, and the guest bedchamber had become something akin to hallowed ground within the school. The Wudan, Shu Lien knew, had no need for company -- and yet she disliked to see a guest in her house so isolated, and wondered if perhaps a greater degree of human contact would hasten his recovery. Her second reason, she admitted to herself, was more selfish: now that Meng Si Zhou was lost to her, she desired to preserve his memory by learning all that she could of him, and she wondered what aspects of her betrothed had been known to Li Mu Bai and not to herself. "He was the most honourable of men," Li Mu Bai said, his expression serious, when she explained this to him. "He would have kept no secrets from you, I am certain." Shu Lien poured fragrant tea into Li Mu Bai's cup, then her own. "Forgive me; I have not made myself clear," she said. "The bond between two warriors who fight shoulder to shoulder is different to the bond between a man and a woman. A man may reveal different aspects to each, even though he does not deliberately seek to conceal himself." Li Mu Bai inclined his head. "You speak truly, and with great insight." "Then tell me of Si Zhou, as if he were a stranger to me." And so they drank tea, and talked. More snow came, and the school withdrew into itself for the duration of the long, harsh winter, like a snail curling up inside its shell. Most of the instructors and students spent their days in the main hall, where the fires were kept stoked and the atmosphere was close but warm. As Li Mu Bai continued to convalesce, he spent less time in the guest bedchamber, and more here, until the other residents of the school began to accept him as a welcome -- if still daunting -- presence. Shu Lien was quietly pleased with this development, although she did not remark on it. Now that her conversations with Li Mu Bai had relocated, however, their content also changed. They still spoke of Meng Si Zhou, but now their dialogues ranged further, encompassing philosophy, poetry and music. Shu Lien even found herself confessing to Li Mu Bai her desire to re-establish her father's business, Sun Security, which had provided the talents of fighters trained at the school to anyone requiring their specialised and prized skills. When Li Mu Bai was able to return to physical training, it seemed perfectly natural for Shu Lien to join him. As a Wudan warrior, she was certain his abilities would be far beyond her own, and while his skills were exceptional, his long recovery and lack of recent practice put them on a more equal footing than she had expected. As a result, their mock combats became occasions of true exhilaration and challenge for both, as Li Mu Bai worked to regain his full strength, and Shu Lien pushed herself to match his progress. He never offered the story of how he had come by the injuries which had nearly killed him, and Shu Lien did not ask. His wounds had been sustained in the pursuit of justice for Meng Si Zhou; that was enough. The snows melted, the earth blushed green, and the trees were once again heavy with blossom. When the spring sunshine warmed the air, Shu Lien ordered the doors of the school thrown open to the light. The new school term began, and the courtyard again rang with the school instructors' barked commands and the clash of swords as their students attempted to execute them. It was on such a day that Li Mu Bai came to Shu Lien as she threaded a path through the busy courtyard, offering words of advice and encouragement to the students as they practiced. The day was bright, and the sky above cloudless. Li Mu Bai lifted a hand to shade his eyes as he fell into step at Shu Lien's side. "The sun has returned, and brought with it not only spring's warmth but also the strength I lacked in the winter's darkness." Shu Lien smiled, but her heart was heavy. "This news comes as music after long silence." She tapped the shoulder of a young man who was attempting, inexpertly, to wield a sabre: "The sword is not your enemy, Ding Zhi Heng, the person at the other end of it is. Pretend the weapon is an extension of your arm. Like that, good. Now, try again." They walked on, and shortly Li Mu Bai spoke again. "I have lately sensed a sorrow within you, Yu Shu Lien." Shu Lien said nothing, but she felt her limbs stiffen, as if cold stone had settled within them. She tried to mask her response, but it was too late: Li Mu Bai's trained eyes had seen her reaction. Immediately he cast his eyes down. "Forgive me. I have spoken out of turn." "No," Shu Lien said. "You are correct, Mu Bai." "Then perhaps you will permit me to extend my boldness by commenting on the root of your unhappiness. I believe it is the blossom on the trees which is its cause. It reminds you of the blossom which weighed down their branches one year ago, when Meng Si Zhou was killed." Shu Lien raised her head and looked out, across the courtyard, over the heads of her students and out over the fields beyond the school's walls. The blossom was indeed heavy on the trees, tiny ruptures of white and pink bursting out along each branch's length. The sight made her heart ache. "It is true," she said, "that spring will never again hold for me the same pleasure it did before it became the anniversary of Si Zhou's death." She paused, then turned to look at Mu Bai. "This year, it brings another sadness also, for it marks the end of your healing. You will go soon, and I -- I will miss our conversations." Mu Bai nodded. "I, too, have been giving much thought to the matter of when I should leave here." Leave here. Simple words, but they stung her like the angry insect's bite. "And what have you decided?" "That I cannot go yet," Mu Bai said. Shu Lien stared at him, uncomprehending. "But you are recovered." "Thanks to your care, I am. All through the winter, you have given me shelter and food, and asked for no payment." The notion was so ridiculous that Shu Lien could not suppress a smile. "Have the Wudan now begun to carry purses like merchants?" Also smiling, Mu Bai shook his head. "If that day ever comes, I will lay down my sword and open a tea shop instead." Shu Lien laughed at the incongruity of the mental image that conjured, but Mu Bai was already serious again. "No, I can offer no payment in coins, but I owe you my service. I do not intend to leave here until I have discharged in full my debt to you." He did not add, and to Meng Si Zhou, but Yu Shu Lien understood his meaning perfectly. He had not succeeded in avenging her betrothed's death, and so he offered her his service, for as long as she wanted it. "You have often spoken to me of the business your father established, and your desire to revive it. I believe I could be of great help to you in achieving that goal." For a moment, she made no reply. To be freely offered the service of a Wudan warrior -- and not any Wudan warrior, but Li Mu Bai, the greatest of all -- was an honour worthy of one from a much higher station than her own. At last she turned to him and bowed. "You show me esteem far beyond my humble rank." "It is no more than you deserve," Mu Bai said, and Shu Lien felt her heart leap -- not from pride at the respect he had shown her, but simple delight at the thought of his continued presence.
Ahead of her, Li Mu Bai tugged at the reins of his mount, and it too drew up. He looked back at her, a slight smile on his face. "Perhaps. Although I suspect that the limits of creation are always just beyond the eye's capacity to see." Shu Lien nudged her horse back into motion, and they recommenced the journey. They had not gone much farther when the path began to flatten out and widen, and Shu Lien was able to draw alongside Mu Bai. Soon after, the path became a paved road, against which the horses' hooves clipped sharply. The road curved, and suddenly an extensive and opulent dwelling appeared, a series of long, low buildings set in a 'U' shape around an open courtyard at the centre of which a fountain danced. "I have not often seen such a fine dwelling outside of Peking," Shu Lien commented. "Hu Jin Ming must be wealthy indeed." "Yes," Mu Bai agreed. "So wealthy, that I wonder why he has need of us when he could easily afford to keep many well-trained warriors on his payroll." It was a good question, and not one Shu Lien could answer. The truth was that she had been privately wondering much the same thing since Hu Jin Ming's servant had arrived at the school two weeks earlier, bearing a message of such importance he had been instructed to relay it to Shu Lien in person. The message was: Hu Jin Ming sent greetings to the daughter of Yu Hsueh Liang, who, he was given to understand, had recently begun accepting commissions in the name of Sun Security. Hu Jin Ming, a humble trader, had such a commission in mind, a trifling matter he was certain would cause her no great inconvenience. If she would consider meeting with him to discuss the particulars of the task, she would find herself his honoured guest. Seeing the mansion rise up ahead of them, Shu Lien felt that either Hu Jin Ming's sense of perspective or his sense of truthfulness had been flawed when he had described himself as a 'humble trader'. She began to wonder if he had been similarly evasive when he had called the task for which he wished to hire her a mere trifle. As they rode into the mansion's courtyard, Shu Lien saw that preparations were well under way for some kind of celebration. Servants were busily hanging decorations and lanterns from the eves of the buildings, and several carts laden with provisions were parked outside what was clearly the entrance to the kitchens. Seeing them approach, one of the servants -- an older man who had the harried air of one on whose head responsibility lies -- greeted them with a bow. "I offer you greetings on behalf of the master of the house, honoured guests." Shu Lien and Mu Bai bowed politely in return. "His hospitality is to his great credit," Shu Lien said. "Please inform your master of our arrival. He will wish to speak to us immediately." The servant blinked, and looked a little puzzled. "Ah, I am sure he will wish to speak to you -- but perhaps later. After you have had a chance to rehearse." Mu Bai raised an eyebrow. "To… rehearse?" "For your performance," the servant elaborated. "At the banquet, yes?" At their twin expressions of incomprehension, he looked suddenly unsure. "You are the musicians, are you not?" "Indeed they are not, Deng," said a voice from behind Shu Lien. "You would do well not to insult accomplished warriors by confusing them with the entertainment." She looked around, and saw a man walking toward them. He was stooped over with advancing years but still nimble on his feet; his tone was light, as if he meant his words in jest, but Shu Lien could not help but notice the cold anger in his eyes. The servant, Deng, appeared able to read his master only too well: his face took on a look of terror, as if the possibility of receiving a beating had just hardened into a firm probability. "The fault is ours, Hu Jin Ming," she said. "We did not announce ourselves." "The daughter of Yu Hsueh Liang should not need to," Hu Jin Ming said, his manner instantly one of warmth and welcome. He bowed low. "Welcome, Yu Shu Lien. I dealt with your father and had high regard for him; I hope our relationship will be similarly blessed." He turned to Mu Bai, and was about to greet him when his gaze fell upon the Green Destiny. The sword was half-hidden under the folds of Mu Bai's clothing, but a portion of its ornate scabbard was visible. "No musician ever carried an instrument of such balance and beauty as this. The one who bears a weapon such as this must be a warrior of great renown. You are welcome in my house, stranger." Mu Bai bowed low. "Let me not be a stranger here henceforth. I am Li Mu Bai." "Many are the tales I have heard of Li Mu Bai, the greatest Wudan warrior of our times." "I am he, here in the service of Yu Shu Lien and, through her, in your service also." Hu Jin Ming smiled, and this time there was no disparity between face and eyes. "Truly, Yu Shu Lien, you have brought blessings to my house today." "I hope to bring you good service, too," she told him. "Hu Jin Ming, your letter spoke of a task in which I could assist." Hu Jin Ming nodded. "It is, as I wrote, a small matter, and hardly worthy of your great skills --" He looked particularly at Mu Bai as he spoke, "-- but you would ease the concerns of an old man by agreeing to help. You have doubtless noticed the preparations my household is making for great festivities. My daughter, Xin Ying, is to be married shortly to the son of Li Jing Quan. Li Jing Quan holds the position of assistant to the governor of Hebei province, and is a man of great learning and influence." Hu Jin Ming's face shone with barely-concealed satisfaction. "This is truly an occasion for rejoicing," Shu Lien said. "Indeed," Hu Jin Ming said. "Tonight, we are celebrating the fortunate match which has been made. Tomorrow morning, Xin Ying is to leave for Tianjin, where her groom awaits her. I wish you to accompany her on the journey, and see that she reaches her new home safely." Shu Lien glanced at Mu Bai, and saw an echo of her own puzzlement reflected in his expression. But she said only, "It is a great honour to be entrusted with the safety of one so precious to you. I do not accept lightly this responsibility, and I will do all within my power to discharge it successfully." Hu Jin Ming smiled, but again his eyes were flat as slate. "See that you do, Yu Shu Lien," he said. Then, like a bamboo wind-chime tossed in the breeze, his manner was cheery once more. "Now, my friends, you have journeyed far and your horses are not yet even stabled. Tomorrow, your duties commence; tonight, you are my guests, and I will be glad to treat you as such at the festivities." "We would be honoured to share in your joy," Shu Lien said. The meeting with Hu Jin Ming had left Shu Lien feeling uneasy, although she could not have explained exactly why. She wished to speak privately to Mu Bai, but the occasion did not arise for many hours. As soon as Hu Jin Ming had left them, a female servant arrived to lead them to separate guest quarters. Once alone, it took Shu Lien only a little time to unpack the few belongings she had brought with her; then she washed, using the jug of water and the bowl which had been left out for the purpose, and lay down on the bed-mat. She did not feel tired, but the evening's festivities would doubtless continue until well into the night, and she knew she should take the opportunity to rest now. When she opened her eyes again, the light streaming in through the windows of the room had taken on the amber quality of early evening. Shu Lien rose, rolled up the mat, and left the bedchamber. She walked unchallenged through the passages of the house -- she supposed she and Mu Bai were only two more unfamiliar faces among many guests tonight -- but became disoriented by the mansion's size and myriad rooms and antechambers. Taking the first door through which the evening sky was visible, she went outside, and walked through the courtyard, then past the servants' quarters and the stables, until she came to the sheltered gardens behind the house. The air here was still, and perfumed with jasmine, the flowers opening now that dusk was falling. She pushed the branches aside gently, seeking not to cause damage by her passing, and walked beneath canopies of blossom until she found him. Mu Bai was sitting, perfectly still, in the middle of a tiny clearing in the heart of the garden, his eyes closed. He was performing his evening meditation. She approached him, her feet crunching on the gravel, and sat down as quietly as she could near him. After a moment, he opened his eyes and exhaled. "Forgive me if I disturbed you," Shu Lien said. "You did not," he said. "My meditation was -- troubled." Shu Lien nodded. "As was my rest." She leaned forward and, keeping her voice low, said, "The route between here and Tianjin is well traversed, and there is little risk of attack by bandits. I cannot see why Hu Jin Ming would desire special protection for his daughter while she travels it." "Perhaps he is merely exercising the prerogative of a father to be over-protective of his child." There was a noise from the shadows behind the bushes close to them, a sound so gentle it might have been nothing more than the evening breeze stirring the leaves. Yet it sounded to Shu Lien like a stifled sob. "Do you truly think that is the explanation, Mu Bai?" she asked. He was silent for a moment. Then, in a voice which was little more than a whisper, he said, "Perhaps this is not the place to discuss our host's motivations." More loudly, he added, "The festivities will start soon. We must retire to prepare for them." With a single motion, he rose, and Shu Lien rose also. They bowed to each other, and Mu Bai left, heading out of the garden along the same path that Shu Lien had followed to find him and making more noise than she knew he ever would unless such was his intention. Shu Lien took several steps after him, then stopped and retreated into the deepening shade, and waited. She did not have to be patient for long. Only a few moments had passed when a shape -- a young woman, Shu Lien judged, although almost as petite and slim as a child -- emerged into the clearing from behind a clump of lush bushes. She stood for second with her back to Shu Lien, shifting her weight rapidly from foot to foot. Her body shook with silent, barely contained emotion. "It will be a fine night," Shu Lien said. The young woman spun around; Mu Bai's ruse had worked, and she had clearly believed herself alone. Shu Lien regretted the distress they had caused her, but she did not see how else they could have brought their quiet spectator out into the open. So she pretended not to notice the girl's evident unhappiness, and instead lifted a hand to indicate the sky above, where the first stars were just becoming visible. "I meant -- the night will be a fine one for the festivities, don't you agree?" The girl hesitated, and then seemed to gather herself sufficiently to reply. "Fine -- perhaps. A fine night for others, but not for me." Carefully, Shu Lien said, "You do not share in the joy of the household?" The girl laughed hollowly. "It is not my joy." She raised her gaze to meet Shu Lien's; as she was several inches shorter, she had to lift her chin to do so, a position which gave her an attitude of defiance. "You are not one of my father's noble guests. Who are you? Are you one of the musicians?" Shu Lien hesitated before she spoke, before deciding not to correct the girl's misapprehension. "I am your father's servant and therefore yours also, honoured Xin Ying." It was not exactly a lie. "Everyone is a servant of my father," Xin Ying said bitterly. "His money buys him whatever he pleases. But happiness cannot be measured in coins or written up in ledgers, and so he has no understanding of its value." Suddenly, her anger seemed to drain away, and she made a small choking noise. When she looked at Shu Lien again, there was fear in her eyes -- no, Shu Lien thought, something that ran even deeper than fear. She was terrified. "If you wish to serve me, help me. Help me escape." "To do so would break my word and my bond." The girl let out a low moan of desolation; possessed with the desire to comfort her, Shu Lien hesitantly placed her hand on the younger woman's arm. "Child, is what your father asks so terrible a thing? Many unions such as yours have been greatly blessed. Your betrothed may be a man of good character and pure heart." "He may be, but --" Xin Ying stopped, then blurted: " -- but I love and am loved by another. I cannot marry the son of Li Jing Quan." Ah. The oldest of all stories. Shu Lien exhaled heavily. "Let me tell you a little of myself. When I was a girl, younger than you are now, my greatest desire was to make a good marriage. Then my father fell ill and died. I had no brothers, and I realised that my father's work would die like fruit on a withered vine if no one took on his role. And so the course of my life changed, like a river dammed." She paused. She would not tell Xin Ying how she had long resigned herself to living a life whose fulfilment rested in duty and not love, until she had met Meng Si Zhou, or how the loss of the love she had known with him had been so much harder to bear than her previous belief that such joy was not for her to share in. "The life I lead is not the life I would have chosen for myself, but it has its rewards. Sometimes, all we can do is our duty." "You speak of duty; I desire freedom." Xin Ying shook her head, a wildness in her eyes. "And duty will never satisfy my father -- he demands nothing short of total obedience from me, as if I were -- a shadow puppet, stripped of my will." Tears were streaming down her cheeks, running down to the tip of her chin and falling on to the back of Shu Lien's hand. "Why do I waste my breath on you? You cannot help me; no one can." "Wait --" Shu Lien called after her, but it was too late. The trees rustled as Xin Ying ran through them, and Shu Lien was alone in the dark garden, surrounded only by the strengthening perfume of night-blooming jasmine. As darkness fell, the house of Hu Jin Ming underwent the final stage of its transformation into a place of celebration. A battalion of servants bearing glowing wax tapers flitted around the courtyard, lighting the hundreds of paper lanterns which hung from every ledge and swayed gently in the warm breeze. Before Shu Lien's eyes, the mansion was outlined in light, as if some playful spirit had passed by and dropped long strings of shining pearls in its wake. Pearls were also much in evidence among the party guests -- along with many other precious stones and jewels, and robes cut from brightly dyed silks. Since well before sunset, carriages had been arriving at the mansion's entrance, bringing guests like an invading army to the celebration. Every carriage was pulled by horses whose eyes bulged and flanks shone with the effort of pulling these great and opulent weights up the steep hill to the mansion. As each carriage stopped outside the house's entrance, its doors were flung open and the chief servant, Deng, announced the occupants in tones of reverence. The honoured guests descended, and the carriage was swiftly taken to the stables, in preparation for the arrival of the next. Soon, the courtyard was thronged with the noble families of the province, all dressed to honour their host and impress their neighbours. Shu Lien could not help but mark how her own plain garments set her apart from the other guests; twice already she had been mistaken for one of Hu Jin Ming's serving girls. She envied Mu Bai, who wore the same simple clothes he always did, and yet carried himself with more nobility than any other man present. "Such beauty," she murmured to him as they walked through the crowds of laughing, talking people. "This is a kind of beauty," he agreed. "Although there are other kinds I have found I prefer." "Such as?" "The stillness of a garden at dawn. The grace of one who wields a sword with skill and assurance, as do you." Shu Lien glanced at him, but Mu Bai's was peering into the crowd of guests. "Strange… The guests have arrived, but I do not see the host." Shu Lien searched the faces around them, and realised he was right. A low stage had been erected in one corner of the courtyard, and a group of musicians were playing a lively tune; a little distance away, a troupe of costumed acrobats performed tricks and tumbles to the loudly expressed appreciation of their audience. But Hu Jin Ming was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Xin Ying. Suddenly, Mu Bai froze. Shu Lien looked at him curiously. "What is it?" "Over there…" Mu Bai said quietly. He had not moved, but his stance, his gaze, his whole focus had shifted to rest on a single individual. Shu Lien looked, and saw a man who was dressed in clothes which were as fine -- perhaps finer -- than those of the other guests, although much less ostentatious. He walked with purpose, not through the crowd but around its margins, and where his path threatened to cross that of another, Shu Lien saw that it was invariably the other who hastily removed him or herself. They are afraid of him, she thought. "Do you know that man?" she asked. Mu Bai's expression was grim. "Yes, although I wish that I did not. His name is a curse, and the earth dies where his feet touch it. He is a sorcerer, a dealer in black knowledge. He is called Yao Wenyuan." "I wonder why he is here," Shu Lien said. "I do not know. I hope very much it is not at the invitation of Hu Jin Ming. If he is..." Mu Bai left the sentence unfinished, but the dark look he wore spoke his thoughts clearly enough. Suddenly, Hu Jin Ming's servant, Deng, appeared at one of the dark doors of the mansion. He hurried to Yao Wenyuan, bowed deeply, and beckoned the older man closer to him. Shu Lien saw Deng cup his hands and say something directly into Yao Wenyuan's ear. Perhaps he was only trying to make himself heard above the noise of the festivities; or perhaps, suggested a more suspicious voice within her, what he had to say was not for the ears of others. Yao Wenyuan listened to Deng intently. Then the two men walked quickly around the edge of the courtyard, before disappearing through an open door into the shadows of the house. Mu Bai made a small gesture -- a tiny movement of his finger -- and Shu Lien understood his intention perfectly. She replied by means of an equally slight inclination of her head, and together they began to drift towards the periphery of the party. Once they had extricated themselves from the main body of guests, it was an easy matter to slip unnoticed through the same doorway Yao Wenyuan and Deng had taken. As soon as they were inside the house, the noise of the party -- the guests, the laughter, the music -- faded to a distant hum. It was as if, Shu Lien thought, they had passed into the realm of spirits, and the real world had become as insubstantial as echoes and fog. For some reason, the idea disturbed her more than it should have, and she suppressed a shudder. Ahead of them, the silhouette of Yao Wenyuan and the servant, Deng, were moving quickly along the dim corridor. They were evidently in some haste. Mu Bai motioned to Shu Lien to wait for a few more seconds, and then they set off after the men, padding softly along the edges of the hallway. Every moment, Shu Lien expected Yao Wenyuan to turn around and fix them with an accusing stare, but he appeared oblivious of the fact he was being tracked. The corridor ended in a simple paper screen door. The paper was semi-translucent, and beyond it Shu Lien could see the glow of lamps -- the only ones lit inside the mansion, in contrast to the bedecked courtyard -- and the wavering, distorted shapes of people moving about. Deng pulled back the screens just enough to allow himself and Yao Wenyuan access to the room beyond; as they vanished inside, Shu Lien saw Deng's hand tug the screen back into position behind him. Now that Yao Wenyuan and Deng were inside the screened room, there were two more shadows projected on to its walls -- that of Yao Wenyuan was tall and imposing, while the servant's was smaller and stoop-shouldered. It was like watching a shadow-play of puppets, Shu Lien thought, a strange drama acted out only for herself and Mu Bai. Suddenly, one of the largest shadows split into two elements as a tiny, sylph-like shape broke away from the greater mass. The small, girl-shaped shadow darted across the screens. "I will not! No, father, not for honour and certainly not for you!" It was the voice of Xin Jing, and the defiance Shu Lien had heard in her voice when they had spoken in the garden was even more pronounced now. Another shadow marched over to her and raised its arm. A second later, Shu Lien heard the unmistakeable crack of flesh on flesh. "What do you know of honour, ungrateful child?" Hu Jin Ming's voice cried. "Wretch!" He struck her again, and Xin Jing choked back a sob. Shu Lien recalled the authority of her own father, who had been able to command the respect and obedience of his children without using his fists. For a man who had been able to use a sword with the precision of a needle, he had been strangely abhorrent of the use of force in any form. Or perhaps that wasn't strange at all. "We must help her," she whispered to Mu Bai. "The master may run his house as he sees fit," Mu Bai said. His voice was without inflection, and for a second Shu Lien hated him for his coldness. "We have no right to interfere." "We must help," she repeated. "We cannot." Shu Lien opened her mouth to argue with him, but was cut off when, within the room, Hu Jin Ming said coldly, "I am your father, Xin Jing, and you will obey me. Yao Wenyuan will see to that." The tall shadow appeared to slide, rather than walk, across the room, slipping in and out of focus as Yao Wenyuan's distance from the lamps which lit the chamber varied. When he spoke, his voice was as cool as chilled water and as cloying as syrup. "Your father only wishes what is best for you, my child." There was a pause, and then the sound of a wet splat. Shu Lien did not realise what had happened until she saw Yao Wenyuan's shadow wipe its face. Xin Jing had spat at him. Shu Lien felt herself tensing on Xin Jing's behalf, in anticipation of the blow which would surely follow such insolence, and was surprised when, instead, Yao Wenyuan began to laugh. The sound of it chilled Shu Lien. "You have great spirit. Perhaps we will be able to capture that spirit, yes?" He leaned towards Xin Jing, and she curled her body away from him, although she was backed into the corner of the room and there was clearly nowhere for her to go. "Why this fear?" Yao Wenyuan asked, a note of mocking hurt in his tone. "I am your friend, Xin Jing. See, I have brought you a gift." The girl's voice shook, but her words were clear. "The only gift I desire is freedom." "Ah, but my gift is much better than mere freedom, Xin Jing," Yao Wenyuan said. His shadow was moving; to Shu Lien, it looked as if he were holding something up to show to Xin Jing, although the silhouettes were blurred and she could not tell what it was. "Look at it. Look at the pretty carvings on its surface. See how delicate they are! And when I open the lid, like this, see how it is lined with soft silk. So warm, so comfortable. So inviting…" Yao Wenyuan's voice grew quieter still, and his tone was oddly reassuring, even comforting. Shu Lien found her thoughts drifting unbidden to memories of her childhood: playing with scraps of dough in the kitchen while her mother baked bread, running alongside her father when he fetched water from the well. How much simpler her life had been then, how much safer. And how much she desired to curl up again in her father's warm embrace... She gave a start; a sharp prod from Mu Bai had broken her reverie. His voice low and urgent, he said, "Do not listen to the words of Yao Wenyuan. He uses them the way bandits use ropes and chains, but where they tie up the body, he binds the soul." A spell! Shu Lien felt a coldness creep into her limbs as she understood what was happening: Hu Jin Ming was conspiring with the sorcerer to control his daughter through magic. She got up. "Shu Lien, no," Mu Bai said urgently. "You must not --" Shu Lien did not heed him. She ran to the end of the hallway, pulled apart the screen doors, and plunged into the shadows. Xin Jing was standing in the corner of the room, her father and Yao Wenyuan on either side of her, while Deng and another servant hovered some distance away. Hu Jin Ming glared at Shu Lien with open anger and hostility, but she paid no attention to him. Shu Lien stared at Xin Jing, helpless to understand the change in her countenance. A second earlier, the girl had been both angry and terrified; now, she gazed with placid blankness at Shu Lien. Yao Wenyuan moved to cover something he was holding with the folds of his sleeves, and smiled at Shu Lien. They have worked their enchantment, she thought. I am too late. Xin Jing, forgive me; I should have broken my word to your father. Hu Jin Ming looked Yao Wenyuan, and his fury melted into a false, knowing smile. "Honoured Yu Shu Lien. Are you lost?" Shu Lien felt a presence at her side. It was Mu Bai. He bowed to the room at large. "Forgive us. We were seeking -- a private place -- and strayed into the family chambers." The servants smirked knowingly at each other. Shu Lien felt her face burn with shame. "Of course," Hu Jin Ming said. "The festivities, the wine… it is a night for celebrations. Of all kinds. Deng, escort our guests back to the courtyard." Shu Lien said nothing until Deng had left them in the anonymous safety of the crowd of guests. Then she could hold back her anger no longer. "How could you insinuate such a thing?" His expression was neutral, but in his eyes she saw real pain. "I know your honour is absolute. But those men -- they are without honour, and so do not expect to find it in others. I knew they would understand the implication, and find such vicarious pleasure in it that they would not wonder if we might have had other motives for being alone together inside the house." He closed his eyes for a moment, as if he could not bear to look at her. "Forgive me, Shu Lien." It was, she realised suddenly, the first time he had addressed her without the formality of her family name. Tightly, she said, "I understand; I am not certain I forgive. I do not know what evil charm they have worked on Xin Ying, but I know that we might have acted to prevent it." "Or perhaps Yao Wenyuan might have worked some enchantment on you," Mu Bai said. "Do not underestimate his power." "In the morning, Hu Jin Ming will give his daughter into our care and expect us to deliver her to her waiting groom in Tianjin like -- some package." One of the guests standing nearby glanced around at Shu Lien, and she realised she had begun to speak more loudly as her anger had grown. With an effort, she controlled herself. "I will not be a part of this, Mu Bai. We must help Xin Jing." His expression was grave. "Shu Lien, she may be beyond our power to help." Furious, she rounded on him. "Is that how you comforted yourself when you watched Si Zhou die? Did you tell yourself there was nothing you could have done to save him, too?" Mu Bai looked at her. For a moment -- a long, terrible moment -- Shu Lien thought he might raise his hand to her. Then a stillness seemed to settle on him, like snow on a mountain peak, and he seemed to shrink and harden. He turned his face from her, and walked away. The music and laughter of the festival continued all around her, but Shu Lien could think of nothing to celebrate.
After she had eaten breakfast, the servant, Deng, arrived to summon her into his master's presence. She followed him to a room at the back of the mansion which overlooked the gardens. Hu Jin Ming sat in a low chair, a smug king of his domain, while his daughter stood at his side. Xin Jing wore a gown of blue silk; her dark hair was tied into elaborate braids, and her face had been powdered and her lips and cheeks coloured. She was beautiful, yet her eyes were as lifeless as those of a doll, and when Shu Lien searched her gaze for some sign of the spirit she had shown before, there was no indication that Xin Jing so much as recognised her. Li Mu Bai was also present; he was seated close to Hu Jin Ming. The master of the house had evidently wished to breakfast with the great Wudan fighter and bearer of the Green Destiny. Shu Lien refused to look at him. "Good morning, Yu Shu Lien. I trust you rested well." She bowed. "I did, Hu Jin Ming." It was an effort to force out the next words: "I give humble thanks to the master of the house for his kind hospitality." "This is a day of great sadness for me, for my daughter is leaving. But my sadness is tempered by the knowledge that she is eager to take up her new role as a wife." He turned to Xin Jing. "Is that not so, Xin Jing?" "It is so, honoured father," Xin Jing said. Her voice was a quiet whisper, as feeble as an echo. "Then let us delay no longer," Hu Jin Ming said. "A carriage has been made ready for Xin Jing; my servant Deng will drive it. Your horses are rested and saddled, and you will find I have provided you with ample provisions for the journey." He swept past Shu Lien and pulled back the screen doors. Deng followed him; after a moment, so did Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai. But Xin Jing simply continued to stand where she was. When Hu Jin Ming realised his daughter was not with him, he stopped and looked back. "Follow us," he said, and Xin Jing stirred into dreamy motion. Outside, their horses were waiting, as well as Xin Jing's carriage; hitched to this there was a smaller cart loaded with supplies and the gifts Xin Jing would be bringing to her husband and his family. The crowd of guests gave a collective approving sigh at the appearance of Xin Jing. As the girl stood on the threshold of the exquisitely woven carpet laid out between the door and the carriage, Shu Lien supposed that her passivity might be taken for serenity, her vacancy for calm. Shu Lien and Mu Bai mounted their horses, then waited while Hu Jin Ming bid his daughter a final ceremonial farewell. When Deng climbed into the driving seat of the carriage and tugged on the reins, there was a slow welling of noise from the crowd of guests, a chorus of blessings, good wishes and cheers. As Shu Lien rode away from the mansion, the happy sound continued to ring mockingly in her ears. She was glad when they had passed out of sight of the house of Hu Jin Ming, and silence descended on the group. Shu Lien spoke to Mu Bai only to discuss the particulars of the route to Tianjin, and Deng's few words were directed at his horses. And Hu Xin Jing, a pale ghost inside the carriage, said nothing at all.
Xin Jing, of course, said nothing. They found a suitable site at the side of the road and stopped. Li Mu Bai worked to light a small fire, while Shu Lien beat down the long grass to make a place to sleep. Deng fussed over his horses, complaining about the lack of ideal stabling conditions -- the grass was too dry for them, the ground too soft and the air too cold -- until Mu Bai mildly suggested that if he wished to improve the animals' lot, he might do best by taking positive action and locating water for them. Deng shrugged and grunted and complained some more, but eventually took the point and a bucket and went to find a stream. Xin Jing sat in the carriage where, Shu Lien now knew, she would remain until told to get out and join them at the fire. In the past two days, it had become clear that Xin Jing only responded to direct commands. Unless she was told to do something, she did nothing; further, questions elicited no response, only orders. When asked if she were hungry, she merely regarded the inquirer blankly, and would not touch food placed in front of her unless the meal was accompanied by the command to eat. Shu Lien had discovered this on the first night of the journey, as well as another, even more disturbing, aspect of the girl's condition -- not only would Xin Jing not start an action until told to, she would not stop until told to either. This had become clear to Shu Lien when she had requested the girl to wash her hands, and returned an hour later to find her still scrubbing. Her fingers had been bleeding when Shu Lien, appalled, had told her to stop. The dry tinder Mu Bai had gathered crackled and sparked into life, and the small clearing brightened with the fire's glow. He looked in the direction of the carriage. "Perhaps Hu Xin Jing desires to join us." "Xin Jing desires nothing," Shu Lien said, unable to keep the anger from her voice. "She is under a spell, and can act only as she is ordered. You know it as well as I, Mu Bai." He sat back from the fire, and quietly conceded, "I do." "In two days, we will reach Tianjin," Shu Lien said. "What will happen to her there? Will her husband-to-be reject this soulless shell? Or will he accept Hu Jin Ming's gift of a puppet-wife? Whichever, she will remain as she is now until the end of her days." The horror of that truth hit her again with all the force of a fresh blow. "This is injustice, Mu Bai. Did you not vow to fight such evil?" "I did," Mu Bai said. His voice was quiet, his gaze turned inward. Shu Lien lifted her hands in helpless incomprehension. "Why then do you stand by and do nothing?" Mu Bai said nothing for a long time. He stared into the flames of the fire, as if seeking wisdom in them. Suddenly, a change seemed to come over him. He rose, and turned to Shu Lien. "I do not." Then he walked past her, towards Xin Jing's carriage. At first, Shu Lien thought he had some plan to break the girl from her trance, but then she saw he was not going to the carriage door, but to the driver's seat at the front. She watched curiously Mu Bai as he opened the leather bags which hung on either side of the seat and began to search them. "What do you seek?" "You recall on the morning we left, Hu Jin Ming invited me to breakfast with him." There was a note of distaste in Mu Bai's voice at the memory. "He summoned Deng, and gave to him a letter and a parcel to bring to Li Jing Quan. I would be very much interested to know the content of that letter." He looked in the last saddlebag, and lifted out a parcel. "And here it is." The parcel was only a little bigger than Mu Bai's fist, and consisted of a rolled up parchment and a small object wrapped in silk. The two were tied together with a blue ribbon. Carefully, Mu Bai pulled the ribbon, delicately freeing the knot. He handed the parcel to Shu Lien, and unrolled the scroll. She moved closer to him, the better to see it. She could tell that the calligraphy was of high quality, each character elegantly formed with graceful strokes of the brush, but that was all, and she regretted that her family had not been of sufficiently high enough rank or wealth for her to have been taught to read. "What does it say?" Mu Bai frowned as he read the letter. "Hu Jin Ming sends greetings to Li Jing Quan and expresses his joy at the match between his daughter and Li Jing Quan's son. He regrets that his daughter's wilfulness compelled him to take certain measures. Her spirit was as a horse which, even once broken may rise up against its rider, and so he took her spirit and locked it away. Now she is biddable, and will make a far more suitable wife. However, to demonstrate his good faith in this matter, he is sending with this letter --" Mu Bai stopped, as if unsure the characters he was reading actually said what they appeared to. "He writes that he is sending with this letter his daughter's spirit. Locked up in a box." He lifted his eyes from the letter, and for a moment, they stared at each other. Then Shu Lien shifted her gaze down, to the small silk-wrapped package he had given to her to hold. Her hands shaking, she pulled the silk away to reveal a small wooden box with a hinged lid. The box was carved from willow, and decorated with a sequence of engraved images. There was a picture on each of its four sides, and one on its lid, making five in all. A small catch fashioned from bamboo held the box shut, and when she shook it she fancied she could feel something small and heavy moving about within. She looked to where Xin Jing sat in the carriage, silent and blank-faced, and started to undo the box's catch. Mu Bai said, "Do not open it." Shu Lien stared at him. "Surely you do not advocate allowing this situation to continue." "No," he said, "but I have heard stories -- old tales of this kind of magic. It took a spell to separate Xin Jing's spirit from her body, and it will surely take a spell to restore it. If we open the box, the spirit within might fly away and be lost forever." "Then what can we do?" Shu Lien asked, frustration and anger growing within her. "I know of men who are as skilled in the use of good magic as Yao Wenyuan is in the practice of evil charms. Perhaps one of them could help Xin Ying." Slowly, Shu Lien nodded. "She is shortly expected in Tianjin, to be married. But if we do not take her there..." "Shu Lien," Mu Bai said seriously, "consider what you are suggesting. You wished to revive your father's business, and the commission you accepted from Hu Jin Ming was your first. You promised to take his daughter to her wedding. If instead we kidnap her..." He left the sentence unfinished; there was no need to say more. "Now I understand why Hu Jin Ming wished to hire strangers to take Xin Jing to be married," Shu Lien said. "Never having met her, he believed we would not question her behaviour, nor note it as different from her usual character." "But in your wisdom you did," Mu Bai said, and there was an unmistakeable note of pride in his voice. Sudden guilt pierced Shu Lien's heart. "I was wise in one way, yes -- but foolish in a thousand others. Mu Bai, forgive my anger of recent days. You have sought to counsel me wisely, while I have acted rashly and brought dishonour on myself. I agreed to offer our services to Hu Jin Ming without first inquiring what kind of man he was -- I was naïve, and thought the fact he knew my father's name was enough. It was I who led us into this intolerable situation." She lowered her gaze, and found herself looking at the lid of the little willow box. The picture engraved on it was of a bird in a cage. "When I should have been angry with myself, I was angry at you, and spoke words I knew would wound you." Mu Bai reached out to her with the hand he was not holding the letter in, and touched her chin with his fingers. Gently, he raised her head, so that they were looking at each other again. In the soft firelight, his face was gentle and sad and infinitely beautiful. "Had Meng Si Zhou been my brother, I could not have loved him more. If I could have given my life for his, I would have done so." "I have never doubted it," Shu Lien said quietly. Mu Bai lowered his hand; for an instant, Shu Lien was seized with the desire to grab his wrist and prolong the contact. "Tomorrow," Mu Bai said, "we will reach the bridge across the river at Qingxian. Tomorrow night, after we have made the crossing, you and I will wait until Deng sleeps, and then we will take Xin Jing and her spirit away." "Why not tonight?" "There is a crossroads some ten miles beyond the bridge. Roads lead from it to every part of the province and beyond. If we can reach the crossroads before Deng wakes and realises we are gone, there will be no way for him to know which route we have taken, and he will not be able to report that information back to Hu Jin Ming. Meanwhile, you and I will go to Yangliuqing, where we may be able to find help for Hu Xin Jing. "It is a good plan," Shu Lien said. On impulse, she reached out and touched his hand. "Thank you, Mu Bai." Suddenly, they heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, accompanied by muffled grunting and the sloshing of water from a bucket: Deng was returning. Mu Bai quickly returned the letter and the box to the bag where he had found them. Shu Lien found herself reluctant to replace the willow box -- now that she knew what it contained, to let it out of her care for a moment felt like an act of gross negligence. But she consoled herself with the knowledge that it would not be long before Xin Jing would be whole again. Shu Lien heard the river before she saw it; the distant roar of the water was like the deep, slow breathing of a sleeping dragon. The horses, which had been labouring in the heat for many hours, suddenly became as frisky as young colts -- evidently, they sensed the nearing presence of cool waters. Deng had to work harder to control the animals pulling the carriage, and while he was distracted, Shu Lien took the opportunity to exchange a glance with Mu Bai. He gave her a tiny nod: Soon. The road began to slope upwards, and their progress slowed as the horses had to work harder to pull Xin Jing's carriage. Shu Lien was surprised: she had expected the path to lead downwards, towards the river's banks. And yet the noise of water continued to grow louder, undeniable proof that they neared the river. It was only when they reached the crest of the hill and Mu Bai signalled to her to stop that she understood. They had come to a halt at the lip of a deep ravine, a gorge cut from the earth by the river's eternal passage. Far below them, the waters gushed and bellowed, the noise they made in no way diminished by their distance. Haze rose off the white-topped rapids, creating a mist wherein a myriad of tiny rainbows danced. The bridge before them was poised high above the treacherous waters below, its beams green with moss but apparently still solid. Wooden planks strapped together by thick cords continued the road across the gap, woven ropes on either side of the platform provided means for travellers to anchor themselves against the winds which whipped through the gorge. The bridge was wide enough for the carriage to pass over, but only just. The horses, growing restless, pawed at the soft earth and snorted. Mu Bai climbed down from the saddle and led his mount to the threshold of the bridge. Shu Lien did the same. "It will be safer to walk across," he said. "We will bring the carriage and the cart only when everyone is on the far side." Shu Lien went to the carriage and motioned to Deng to get down from the driver's seat. He did so, although reluctantly, and she went next to the carriage window. Xin Jing was sitting passively inside, staring straight ahead. "Hu Xin Jing," Shu Lien said, "get out and follow me." Silently, the girl did as Shu Lien had instructed her. They began to cross the bridge. Mu Bai went first; Shu Lien followed him, all the time keeping a close watch over Xin Jing. Deng stepped on to the bridge last, and with most trepidation. They were half way across the bridge when Mu Bai suddenly stopped. "Stop walking," Shu Lien said to Xin Jing. Then she went to stand next to Mu Bai. "What is it?" Quietly, he said, "We are observed." Shu Lien looked around. In front of them, on the far side of the gorge, were deep woods which might, she supposed, conceal an ambush. As she watched, she saw a branch move, swaying against the prevailing wind. "The road to Tianjin has been free from bandits for many years," she said. "And yet these bandits appear to lie in wait for us," Mu Bai said, "as if they anticipated our coming. Surely this is not chance." Mu Bai had barely spoken when a figure appeared from the trees on the far side of the gorge. He moved so quickly that it was impossible to gain a clear impression of him, but Shu Lien judged that he was young, and wore the loose, roughly dyed clothes of a farmer or peasant. As he ran, he let out a cry and unsheathed the sword he carried. Then he leapt high into the air, tumbling with rare agility before coming to land on his feet, cat-like, at the end of the bridge. Shu Lien, who had taught tens if not hundreds of swordfighters, realised at once that she he had a rare, if untutored, talent. He was no boy swinging a weapon wildly, but a warrior. Behind them, Deng gave a cry of surprise and terror. Shu Lien half expected him to flee, but he appeared rooted to the spot in fear. For many minutes, the young man stared at them, his gaze hostile. Shu Lien and Mu Bai stood shoulder to shoulder, and stared back. "I am Li Mu Bai," Mu Bai said. "This is Yu Shu Lien. We desire only to pass by in peace." His voice was quiet, but his hand was on the hilt of the Green Destiny. But the young man, Shu Lien saw, was not looking at either Mu Bai or herself. His gaze was fixed behind them, at the spot where Xin Jing stood like a painted statue. "Xin Jing!" the young man called. "Xin Jing, I have come, as I promised you I would." Xin Jing continued to gaze straight ahead, her eyelids half-closed, her expression one of complete indifference. "Xin Jing, it is I, Tsao Tso Lin. Why will you not speak to me?" He glared at Mu Bai and Shu Lien. "Do your guards forbid it?" The words Xin Jing had spoken in the garden echoed in Shu Lien's mind: I love and am loved by another. Suddenly, she understood why Hu Jin Ming had wanted his daughter accompanied by trained fighters on her journey to Tianjin. He had not feared attack by bandits, but by the only man who truly posed a threat to him in the war for possession of his daughter's spirit. "We are not her guards," Shu Lien called back to the young man. "Tsao Tso Lin, your beloved does not respond because she is under an enchantment." Tsao Tso Lin looked at Shu Lien, his expression half disbelieving and half afraid. "What do you mean?" In a voice so low only she could hear it, Mu Bai said warningly, "Shu Lien, be careful what you say. He is in no state of mind to listen calmly." "What do you mean?" Tsao Tso Lin demanded again. "Tell me!" "Her father had a spell put upon her to bind her spirit," Shu Lien said. Mu Bai looked concerned; Deng looked as if he would like to crawl away and hide underneath a rock. "We seek a way to restore her." "You seek a way --?" Tsao Tso Lin took a step towards them. Sunlight flickered off the blade in his hand. "You, her gaolers, seek a way to help her?" He laughed, a short, sharp bark of noise. Then a sudden rage appeared to possess him. "Liars, all!" He ran forward, the sword's blade a blur of blinding light and motion. Shu Lien reached for her own weapon; at the same moment, she heard Mu Bai's shout and saw the blade of the Green Destiny flash. As Tsao Tso Lin bore down upon them she raised her sword; there was a mighty clang, as of a great bell ringing, as the three weapons met in midair. Deng gave a yelp of terror and, his paralysis at last broken, turned and ran back along the bridge the way they had come. But Xin Jing only stood where she was, unheeding of the battle being fought around her. She was a statue around which they circled and feinted, each of them leaping and tumbling in order to fight without so much as scratching her skin. Tsao Tso Lin jumped up and landed squarely on top of Xin Jing's shoulders, like a circus acrobat. From this position he had less manoeuvrability but an advantage in height, and he was skilled enough to take on both Mu Bai and Shu Lien at once. "We are not your enemies," Mu Bai said, ducking to avoid a swipe from Tsao Tso Lin's blade. "We, too, desire to help Hu Xin Jing." "Such help as yours she is better without." Tsao Tso Lin leaped down from Xin Jing's shoulders, moving with such control and grace it was as if he possessed wings. "Tell me how to break this enchantment. Tell me, or I will use my sword to extract it from you, as the bird picks the snail from its shell." "It is the box! The box!" It was Deng who had cried out. Shu Lien glanced around, and saw the servant cowering on the ground, his face so low that his nose was almost in the mud. He was shaking with fear, which only grew when Tsao Tso Lin somersaulted through the air and landed in front of him. A second later, the young man's sword was at his throat. "Speak," he commanded. "My -- my master locked his daughter's spirit up in a, in a willow box," Deng's voice was trembling so much that his words stumbled over each other. "I was to bring it her husband to be, and present it to him. My master is an evil man! Please, take the box, take her, only let me live!" Tsao Tso Lin tilted his sword a fraction, forcing Deng to lift his head or have his throat slit. "Where is this box?" Wordlessly, Deng pointed to the saddle bag which hung next to the driver's seat of the carriage. Tsao Tso Lin started to walk away from him towards the carriage, and Deng visibly relaxed. Then Tsao, with one fluid movement, seized Deng and pulled him along, too, the sword against his chest. Shu Lien glanced at Mu Bai, and saw again the caged tiger of the long days of his winter convalescence. Once more, he wished to act and could not. Tsao Tso Lin opened the saddle bag and Deng, with shaking hands, reached into it. Shu Lien saw him take out the small, silk-wrapped parcel she had held only the previous evening, and hand it to Tsao. Tsao gazed at the box, then shook his head. "Such a tiny prison," he said. "Can a thing so small hold a soul so rich in spirit as my love? Oh, come to me, Xin Jing!" At his unintended command, Xin Jing stirred into life and walked slowly, like one in a trance or a waking fugue, to where Tsao Tso Lin stood. He watched her approach in surprise, and then triumph. "See?" he called out to Shu Lien and Mu Bai. "My love knows me yet." "That is not your love," Mu Bai said. "That is a hollow shell, a fruit from which the seeds have been scooped out. Her body can do nothing but obey any command it receives." "Then may the name of Hu Jin Ming be cursed for the evil he has done," Tsao Tso Lin cried, "and yours also, for aiding him." A stab of guilt pierced Shu Lien's heart at his words. Was he not right? She remembered the terror she had seen in Xin Jing when they had spoken in the garden; she had had some inkling of her father's intentions, and had asked Shu Lien for help. And Shu Lien had refused her. To Deng, Tsao Tso Lin said, "You have told the truth, and so you may live." He raised his foot, placed it in the centre of the servant's chest, and pushed him roughly away. Deng shuffled across the ground for some distance then, as soon as he was outside of the reach of Tsao's sword, he picked himself up and ran. Tsao Tso Lin turned to Xin Jing and lifted up the willow box so that it was between them. When he spoke, his voice was soft, lacking the anger of a moment earlier. "I will bear you away, Xin Jing, as I promised I would. I will restore you." He touched the box's catch, and a single thought burned like a sudden fire in Shu Lien's mind -- -- He must not open it!-- He must not open the box, or Xin Jing's spirit would be lost forever. Shu Lien opened her mouth to shout a warning, and realised at once that Tsao Tso Lin would not believe her. To him, she was only a servant of his enemy, Hu Jin Ming. So she took the only action she could. Dropping her sword, she ran forward, her feet flying over the bridge's wooden slats, barely touching them. She raced, and leaped, and for an instant she believed herself to be hanging suspended in space, a figure captured in a painted tableau. Behind her, Mu Bai shouted a warning; in front of her, Tsao's sword was drawn, its point directed at her chest, his other hand still resting on the bamboo catch of the little willow box. Then time started to flow again, and Shu Lien was falling toward Tsao Tso Lin's sword. She twisted her whole body, as hard as she could, wrenching herself away from her course. The point of the sword missed her chest, but she could not evade the blade completely, and she felt the ghastly severance of flesh as the serrated edge sliced through her arm. Shock would dull the pain for the space of a heartbeat, she knew, and so she used the tiny sliver of time still left to her before agony set in to grab the willow box out of Tsao's hand. He tried to take it back, and she rolled -- more by accident than intention -- to the edge of the bridge -- -- and over the side. Far beneath her feet the river roared, and she dangled helplessly in the void. With one arm -- her uninjured arm -- she held on to the lip of the bridge, while in her other hand she held the willow box. But her on the bridge was slipping, and as her sleeve grew sodden with blood, the hand that held the box was becoming cold and numb. Desperately, she tried to keep hold of both. A face appeared at the edge of the bridge. It was Tsao Tso Lin. "Help me," she gasped. "Help me up. Tsao -- the box -- I cannot --" Tsao Tso Lin's eyes went wide, and his mouth opened in a scream of anguish. For a moment, Shu Lien did not understand why, but then she realised she had lost the last vestiges of feeling in her wounded arm. She looked down, and saw, too late, the willow box falling from her senseless fingers, down to the gushing waters below. Tsao Tso Lin screamed, a cry of anguish such as Shu Lien had never heard before. I have failed you, she thought. Xin Jing, Mu Bai, Tsao Tso Lin -- I have failed you all. Acceptance made her heart suddenly as light as her head. Wait for me, Xin Jing. I will follow you down. Shu Lien let go of the bridge. She did not fall. She blinked stupidly, unable to comprehend what miracle kept her from plummeting. Then she looked up, and saw Mu Bai where a moment before Tsao Tso Lin had been. He was holding her arm, and in his eyes she saw his soul, like a tree's white heart where the bark has been stripped back. She saw great fear, and greater love, and knew that both were for her. Wordlessly, he pulled her up, and all the time Shu Lien could look at nothing except his eyes on her. The spell was not broken until he heaved her over the side of the bridge and she collapsed, gasping like a caught fish, on the welcome solidity of its planks. "Your arm," Mu Bai said. "Show me your arm." She was too weary to think or to argue, so she simply obeyed him, turning her shoulder and allowing him to cut away her sleeve with his sword and tie strips of cloth tightly around her elbow. "This will hurt, but it will stop the bleeding," Mu Bai said. He added, "It is not as deep as I first feared," and Shu Lien wondered if he knew how palpable was his relief. With a huge effort, Shu Lien raised her head, searching for Tsao Tso Lin. He was sitting on the ground at the far side of the bridge, cradling the husk of Xin Jing in his arms. He was weeping. Forgive me, she thought, and then thought nothing more. Shu Lien sat by the fire Mu Bai had lit on the river's gravely shore, attempting to use her one good arm to hold a blanket around herself. Although her wound no longer bled, her whole arm ached dully, and she knew it would be many months before she had full use of it again. She shivered, and tried to move closer to the fire, although she was already so close that her toes were almost in the outer embers. She was cold, chilled to her core; the river's chill haze seemed to penetrate her, as if some water spirit had half-claimed her when she hung from the bridge. Some distance away, Mu Bai was still speaking with Tsao Tso Lin, while the shell of Xin Jing stood mutely at the side of the young man. Their voices were drowned out by the water's roar, but Shu Lien could read their motions, like a play presented in mime. She saw Mu Bai take a step back and bow low to Tsao. Tsao bowed in return, and got up on to the horse. Leaning down, he held out his hand to Xin Jing. The girl did not respond, and Shu Lien saw Tsao's face cloud with pain. His lips moved as he gave her the command she required, and the body of Xin Jing obeyed. They rode off, along the river's dusky shore, and Shu Lien watched until they had melted completely into the gathering shadows. Even then, she kept watching. She could not look away. "He will follow the path of the river, and search for the willow box," Mu Bai's voice said. Shu Lien gave a small start; she had not noticed that he had sat down with her at the fire. "It may have washed up on the shore." Shu Lien considered the wide, fast flowing river, and remembered how small the little willow box had been when she had cradled it in her hands. "And if it has not?" "Then he will keep looking until he finds it." Quietly, Shu Lien said, "He held the spirit of his beloved in his hands, and I took it from him and lost it. I have robbed him of hope, Mu Bai." "No," Mu Bai said, "you have preserved it. If he had opened the box, she would be truly lost. This way, he may yet find and restore her." Shu Lien did not reply. Instead, she drew the blanket more tightly around her, and stared into the depth of the fire. "I told him of Yao Wenyuan's magic, and how it was you alone who sought to save Hu Xin Jing," Mu Bai said. "He understands why you did what you did." The memory of her own recent words returned to taunt her. "He may understand; I wonder if he will forgive." "Shu Lien..." Shu Lien felt warmth against her cold skin, and when she looked down she saw that Mu Bai had taken her hand in his. His hands were rough, calloused from countless hours spent handling a sword, yet his touch was gentle. "Shu Lien," he said again, "Never doubt that you alone behaved with honour in this matter, while I failed you -- not once but twice. I did not succeed in avenging the death of Meng Si Zhou, and yet you welcomed me into your home and cared for me while I healed. When I recovered, I made a vow that I would serve and protect you, as penance for my failure to protect Meng Si Zhou. But there was another reason for my vow, one I did not confess to you." He hesitated. "Meng Si Zhou once spoke of you to me as the sun of his world. I saw your light, and I swore I would never allow the night to fall on you." It was dark now. The light of the fire played across Li Mu Bai's features, and the cool air hummed with the cries of small insects and the rush of the river. Shu Lien felt as if the sum of all the world had been compressed into the small circle of firelight, and that she and Mu Bai were the only people in existence. "But my desire to protect you became so strong that I forgot my vows to protect others. I knew the power of Yao Wenyuan, and his capacity for evil. I hesitated to interrupt his spell because I was afraid he would do harm to you. But I did more harm through my inaction." Shu Lien recalled the look in Mu Bai's eyes as he had pulled her up on to the bridge. At that moment he had cared for her safety, and nothing else -- not his vows, nor his honour, nor even his faith. She had seen such devotion only once before, in the gaze of Meng Si Zhou. Si Zhou had not been a Wudan warrior, but he and Mu Bai had been brothers in spirit if not blood. If she were to cause Mu Bai to break his vows, Shu Lien knew she would dishonour both Si Zhou and Mu Bai. She would dishonour both the men she loved. "It is unjust," she said softly, "when those whose love is deep and enduring cannot be together." "We are like pebbles at the water's edge," Mu Bai said. "We are carried by the current until it sets us down in the shallows, where we rest side by side for too short a time, before the water picks us up and bears us away again. All we can do is savour the brief moments when we lie side by side in the still, calm waters." Shu Lien grasped Mu Bai's hand tightly in her own, and drew it up, close to her breast. The blanket slipped from her shoulders and fell away. "Mu Bai," she said, "let us make a vow. Let us swear an oath to bind us both." He looked at her. "What manner of oath?" "You will vow never again to place anything above the oaths you have made as a Wudan fighter. And I -- I will vow to be to you as Meng Si Zhou was, your ally and your brother-in-arms." Mu Bai was silent for a moment. "I vow it," he said at last. Shu Lien smiled. "I vow it, too," she said. She held on to his hand for a moment longer, trying to fix in her mind the sensation of his skin against hers. She would not know it again. "Tomorrow, we will start the journey home," she said. "I will be glad to see the school again." "As will I," Mu Bai agreed. He got up, fetched their sleeping mats, and unrolled them on opposite sides of the glowing fire. "Rest well, Shu Lien," he said as he lay down. He closed his eyes; a moment
later his chest was rising and falling in sleep's gentle rhythm. Shu Lien
watched him for a long time before she at last settled back on to her
own sleeping mat, the dying embers of the fire separating them. As she
closed her eyes, the last sounds she heard were the rushing of the river
as it surged past them, and the low click of small pebbles bumping against
each other all too briefly in the shallow waters at its edge. |