The Golden Witch leaned down so that she could peer into the room. Chun De unconsciously stepped back.


    "You''re tall." The nun dimly pointed out as the woman towered over her miniscule self.


    The tall woman''s golden eyes acknowledged the short girl for the first time.


    "You''re a girl." She replied, surprised, inadvertently mimicking the girl''s dumbfounded intonation. But her gaze didn''t linger on Chun De for long, turning towards the young man further down the room. "Bai Guo, come with me."


    Bai Guo sprang to his feet, paling. "Right..."


    Chun De was speechless as she watched them leave.


    Bai Guo sweated profusely when they stepped out onto the streets, walking together for all to see. He tried to lag behind her just a little bit to make their proximity seem incidental, but he knew that it would fool absolutely nobody.


    They eventually entered the inn where his master was known as miss Timely Rain and sat at a table.


    "Master," Bai Guo whispered, "What are we doing?"


    "We''re celebrating." She responded casually.


    "What happened with keeping our distance?" Bai Guo hissed.


    "Well, I thought about it," she said, "and I realized that they won''t kick you out even if they do find out about us. Just think about it. It''s their vetting that failed, so they''ll look really stupid if they disqualify you, especially now that you''ve made it this far."


    Bai Guo clutched his head in frustration. But as he thought about her words, her twisted logic began to make some semblance of sense.


    "Maybe so... But it''s still not a good idea to risk it..." He told her in conclusion.


    "Lighten up." She told him, calling over a server. "Give us the best you have, and lots of it."


    The man grinned and left to set her order into motion.


    "Master, I get that you''re friends with the owner here, but there''s a limit to that kind of hospitality..." Bai Guo muttered. "We can''t afford a feast."


    Her golden features radiated smugness. "I have means."


    "What does that mean...?"


    "I''ve come across a benefactor who generously provided me with some gold." She said, promptly adding, "You won''t like this story, so I won''t tell it to you."


    "...I''m just going to take your words at face value, master." Bai Guo decided, and shut off his brain for the evening.


    Unbeknownst to the two of them, a girl clad in black lurked on the edges of the establishment, a tiny pouch hidden in her sleeve. Shao Luli''s cunning eyes quickly scanned the interior of the inn and spotted the young man she was looking for. But then she caught a glimpse of the white robed nightmare sitting beside him at the same table, and all the blood drained from her face. She shook unsteadily as if she was about to outright feint on the spot, but she steadied herself against the wall.


    Shao Luli slinked back, cautiously observing the pair from afar.


    The two had various meats and delicacies brought to their table, and they discussed Bai Guo''s battle as they feasted.


    "The crowd didn''t seem to like my match..." Bai Guo said. "What did you think, master?"


    "They don''t get martial arts. Don''t worry about them. Fight however you please." She replied, sipping on some wine.


    "I thought you didn''t like wine, master." He pointed out.


    "I only like this kind." She said.


    Bai Guo tried some. "Oh, reminds me of what they had back at brother Shen''s old home..."


    "I could tell you needed some time to adjust to the stress of a real fight." The Golden Witch continued the main topic. "And after that, you just didn''t want to harm your opponent. It was inevitable that it would take a while."


    "Honestly, master, Zhu Da''s well-being was the last thing on my mind... If you thought it was my plan to tire him out, you''re giving me too much credit. I won''t lie; I really went at him like I was trying to kill him. And I really underestimated him. I took him to be a bit dumb at first, but he turned out to be a very crafty fighter..."


    The Golden Witch chuckled. "You''re not even aware of how one sided that fight was, are you?"


    "It certainly didn''t feel that way to me!"


    "Perhaps you''ll understand once you have a bit more experience." The Golden Witch tried an unfamiliar piece of meat and grimaced. She covered her mouth and strained to gulp it down. The woman slid the plate with the rest of it closer to Bai Guo. "More importantly... Did you like it?"


    Bai Guo was caught off-guard by her strange question and the hopeful eyes that awaited his answer. And while he already knew what his answer was well in advance, he still felt compelled to ponder it for a time.


    "Well, I guess it felt nice to win..." He hesitantly said. Bai Guo found his master staring at him with an inscrutable expression. Their conversation awkwardly petered out. They dined in silence for a time.


    "I think she saw right through me..." Bai Guo thought.


    As he mulled it over, a certain person sprung to mind, and with her, a new subject with which to break up their uncomfortable lull.


    "What do you think about my next opponent, master?"


    "Is he really a girl?" She asked.


    "Well, yes, but that''s not what I meant... What did you think of her skills? Do you think I stand a chance?"


    The Golden Witch once again began to stare at him strangely. "You''re really asking?"


    Bai Guo didn''t even know what to say.


    She suddenly stifled a laugh. "You''ll just have to see for yourself tomorrow."


    "But I could really use your advice, master." Bai Guo pleaded. "Isn''t her swordsmanship quite fierce? And she''s so fast. I truly don''t know if I can handle that."


    "What is all this? Perhaps you just want me to praise your friend a little...?" She asked with a smirk. Bai Guo averted his eyes. "Well, I suppose she''s not half bad compared to the other contestants. Just don''t let your friendship hinder your sword and you''ll be alright."


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    "Well, ideally, I''d rather not hurt her either..." Bai Guo muttered.


    "That''s up to you."


    Bai Guo sighed. She assigned no weight to the matter whatsoever. And this time, Bai Guo found it difficult to draw confidence from her attitude.


    They ate until they both had their fill.


    Bai Guo stood up. "Thank you, master, but I think it''s about time for me to go."


    "You should just stay here." She suggested. "Didn''t I tell you that it doesn''t matter if they find out about us?"


    "If I up and disappear, they''re definitely going to take notice. I''d really prefer we don''t take any chances on this, master."


    The Golden Witch frowned, but offered no rebuttal. She bid her disciple a bitter farewell, and the two separated for the night.


    Chun De dashed out of her room when she heard Bai Guo returning. She followed him into his quarters and locked the door.


    "Who was that? Who was that? Who was that?" The nun chanted.


    Bai Guo sheepishly scratched his head as he wondered what to say. "Well, since I learned your secret, I guess it''s only fair that you learn mine. That woman is my master."


    Chun De gawked at him, her mouth agape. "Who is she?"


    "She goes by many titles, but even I don''t know her true name. I call her the Golden Witch."


    "Where is she from? Is she strong? Has she killed anyone famous? How come I''ve never heard of her?" Chun De frantically peppered him with questions.


    "She really doesn''t like it when people pry into her affairs..." Bai Guo tried to calm her down. "But yes, she is very strong. Maybe even..."


    Bai Guo caught himself as he was about to utter something childish and stopped. But Chun De pestered him until he sighed and relented. "Maybe even the strongest."


    Chun De laughed with joy. "Do you think I could convince her to exchange a few stances with me? What do you think?"


    "You''ve really got a one track mind..." Bai Guo smiled. "How about you get through the student before you aim at the teacher?"


    The gleeful Chun De stiffed him in the shoulder. "I really won''t be able to sleep today! I''m so glad I joined this contest!"


    Bai Guo sat on his bed, nursing his new bruise. "Me, on the other hand, I think I''ll sleep just fine. I haven''t had this much of a workout since my training."


    Chun De took a seat right beside him. She leaned over and whispered in his ear. "She has really long arms, doesn''t she? I could tell through her robe."


    Bai Guo suddenly felt self-conscious beyond measure. He tried to scoot away, but she crawled after him, asking, "What techniques is she known for?"


    The young man''s patience evaporated.


    "Get off my bed, you stupid monk!" He tried to push her off.


    "I''m sleeping here tonight!" She declared, fighting to retain her place.


    "What the hell are you saying?!" He began to shove even more fiercely, but she wouldn''t budge. "Is it not just blood you thirst for, you evil monk?!"


    Chun De pried her mouth out of his pressing palm and yelled, "I want to know everything about your master!"


    "I''m not saying another word until you start showing respect for at least one of the five precepts!"


    After struggling for a little more, Chun De finally relented, rolling out onto the floor.


    "So I can''t stay over because you''ve got your mind in the gutter?" She pouted.


    "If the Kunlun disciples find out what we''re up to in here, we''ll definitely get eliminated! From life!"


    "What''s wrong with two boys having a sleepover, idiot?" She asked.


    "How did you get fooled by your own disguise?!"


    "Well, they don''t know about that! So don''t act like public perception is the problem here! It''s all you! You''re a moron!"


    "Just get out of here!" Bai Guo had had enough.


    "Or what?" Chun De challenged. She adjusted her seating posture to make herself harder to move. "Since you''re such a pure hearted Buddhist yourself, you wouldn''t dare to touch a woman, would you?"


    They fiercely glared at each other for a while. With a sigh, Bai Guo admitted his defeat, leaning back in his bed. Chun De remained where she was.


    They both cooled off in the resulting silence. Chun De sat up on the corner of his bed, this time keeping her distance.


    "Since you shared your secret with me, I can tell you why I''m pretending to be a monk, if you want..." Chun De tried to act nonchalant.


    Bai Guo''s curiosity was very visibly piqued. "I do wish to know how such a rotten monk came to be."


    "Well, you can''t tell anyone else, okay? I''ll kill you if you do." She warned.


    Bai Guo didn''t say anything, merely waited for her to begin.


    Chun De swallowed heavily.


    "I''m from the monastery just below this mountain." She began. "The Mountain Purification Temple. It''s the only Buddhist temple anywhere around these parts, so maybe you''ve been there."


    Bai Guo recalled previously meeting his master by a temple. He didn''t remember its name, but if it was the only one around, like she said, then that must have been the place.


    "But originally, I''m from a different temple, very far away from here." Chun De buried her face in her knees. "The abbess didn''t like me and sent me here."


    "To a monastery?" Bai Guo couldn''t help but ask. "Wouldn''t it make more sense to just send you to a different nunnery?"


    "You''ve probably heard of the abbot. They call him the Exorcist."


    Chun De glanced at him, studying his reaction. When his face revealed nothing, she looked surprised.


    "You''ve really never heard of him...?" She asked.


    "What, did they send you here so he could expel your inner demons?" Bai Guo tried to joke. But as he watched Chun De''s blank expression, he realized that his joke might have been a little too close to the truth to be funny.