When they finally began to make good pace, Tao Geming returned as a constant presence in their group. They soon left the leisures of civilization behind them, Liao Lan dragging them through wild roads and along hair-thin paths. Tigers and leopards steered clear of their procession, not daring to so much as utter a sound in their presence. Liao Lan found their plight rather relatable. She desired nothing more than to join their ranks and scuttle away into the shrubbery beyond the notice of the monsters flanking her on each side.


    Their route had turned out such that they needed to brave the outdoors for a single night. As Liao Lan and her disciple began to set camp, a matter which they turned out to be proficient with, the Golden Witch observed their efforts beside Tao Geming, who was leaning against a tree, scowling in perpetuity as he was wont to do.


    The man snorted, his arms crossed. "Took you long enough to come to your senses and finally get a move on."


    The Golden Witch spoke past his remark. "That master and disciple seem awfully close. Especially in private."


    "What, were you peeping on them?" He laughed.


    "Fool." She said. "Did you forget who you''re speaking to? We spend our nights in adjacent rooms. I don''t have to see anything to know."


    "As if I could forget. It''s why I don''t spend my nights anywhere near you."


    "I''ve seen people say that I''m too close with my disciple, but we''re nothing like those two."


    "I''d hope not." Tao Geming recoiled. "They act that way because they''re both women. You''d be completely out of your mind to act the same way with that shrimp. Why does this even need to be explained to you?"


    "It just made me think, that''s all." She said. "I didn''t really have another master-disciple pair to compare us to until now."


    Tao Geming scoffed. "That Liao Lan is a terrible example for you to follow in this regard and many others."


    "What do you mean?"


    He chuckled strangely. "Spend enough time around her and you just might find out."


    His vague reply annoyed her. "Just tell me." She pressed.


    "I''m not about to regurgitate the rumors to you. Ask her yourself. Whichever way you word it, she''ll know what you''re talking about."


    The Golden Witch gave up on the subject. Instead, she asked, "Why did you react so strongly to the idea that I might be as close as that to my disciple?"


    "Are you stupid?" Tao Geming gawked at her, wide eyed. "You don''t even realize how many taboos you''re breaking with this kind of talk, do you? You need my help even more than I thought. No, forget my help; this is something you should have been able to understand without anyone having to spell it out for you."


    "Your aimless rhetoric is really making me angry." She frowned. "You bragged so much about how useful you''d be out on the field, yet you can''t answer a single one of my questions. What good even are you?"


    "Of course I''m no good to someone without a crumb of common sense. You should already know the answer to your stupid questions."


    "Well the fact of the matter is, I''m asking because I don''t know. How should a master and disciple act? I never really understood this. Lately, I feel like I''ve been losing him, and I just don''t know why. I''m wondering if I''m failing at my duties."


    Tao Geming gave her a long, suspicious look. After a lengthy moment, he turned his eyes back towards the camp setters. "I see. Then I misunderstood the issue. Now I know for sure that this is definitely beyond me. Even if I knew the two of you well enough to have an opinion on this, I still wouldn''t be able to tell you squat. But let me tell you one thing - if you start imitating Liao Lan, no matter how right it might feel in the moment, you''ll definitely lose that kid for good."


    The Golden Witch mulled over his words.


    "What was your relationship with your master like?" She asked. When her question was met with silence, she added, "I heard you killed him."


    There was not the slightest flicker in Tao Geming''s ever-present frown.


    The Golden Witch refused to let her question go unanswered. "You''ve been intruding on us for so long, it''s only fair that you tell me at least that much."


    Tao Geming glared at her. "I hated the old man. Our relationship was strictly transactional. I served him, and in turn, he taught me the arts. When I discovered that there was a better way to advance, I killed him to pursue my own path."


    "Betraying your master is also a great taboo, no?"


    Tao Geming looked at her with disdain, letting her leading question linger in the air. But then he flashed an evil grin. "The more the arts advance, the less respect we pay to those ancient rules of old. I''m under no delusions - even all the way back during my day, when push came to shove, you''d struggle to find a single soul willing to make a sacrifice in the name of what''s right. And when I look at you, I realize that the worst may be yet to come."


    A cold moment passed between them. Tao Geming stepped off.


    It was at that moment that Liao Lan had called her over to their freshly lit campfire. Later in the evening, when the Golden Witch pulled out a rope, the woman''s heart nearly gave out as she recalled what it had been used for last time. But to her relief, her new master tied it up around a pair of trees and lied down upon it for sleep.


    The next morning, their trek through the wilderness continued.


    Liao Lan approached Tao Geming. "As I''m sure your highness is aware, men are not allowed in the Fairy Spring Valley."


    "They''ll make an exception for me."


    "I really don''t see that they would..." Liao Lan narrowed her eyes. Tao Geming ignored her.


    "Why did you call him that? ''Your highness''?" The Golden Witch asked. "I don''t like it."


    "It''s how I wish to be called." Tao Geming barked. "None of your business, Fox."


    "Don''t call him that anymore." The Golden Witch instructed her disciple. Tao Geming fumed in silence as Liao Lan nodded. The woman apologetically shrugged at Tao Geming. She covered her mouth with her sleeve to obscure her obnoxious grin.


    Finally, they arrived at the Fairy Spring Valley. It was a beautiful plot of land hidden between the hills. The valley was bathed in lush greenery and the vibrant colors of blooming peach trees. Besides the many little houses that littered the area, circular doors extended into the bottom of the hills and rocky mountains. A river poured down from the heights of a waterfall and snaked around the village, setting the entire scene into perpetual motion.


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    Liao Lan''s eyes glistened with melancholic remembrance. Shao Luli took her hand, helping the woman steady her heart. Already they spotted people approaching them from below, only to turn and flee when they had gotten close enough to make out the intruders.


    "That''s unusual..." Liao Lan noted. "Have you two seniors been here before?"


    "No." The Golden Witch said. Tao Geming, meanwhile, remained silent, drawing their eyes.


    "There''s no place in the world I haven''t been to." He declared the fact without any pride or grandstanding, and approached the Valley with boredom, as if what was about to unfold was nothing more than a tedious chore. Liao Lan readied herself for her unpleasant task. As she led her master through the valley, its inhabitants watched over them from a distance, their swords drawn. Their group approached massive double doors at the foot of a mountain.


    Liao Lan approached and bowed, calling out, "Liao Lan is here to pay her respects to the mistress of the Fairy Spring Valley!"


    An oppressive silence descended upon the valley. But then the ground shook, and the heavy doors slowly parted. A pair of young beauties greeted them, their inexpressive faces looking them over with cold and suspicious eyes. They stepped into grand halls of smooth, chiseled stone, their walls adorned with gold and jade. Innumerable lanterns lit the dark depths as well as the sun lit the outdoors, and the air smelled faintly of perfume and incense.


    Their two guides brought them before the throne of an aloof woman, lightly dressed in jade-green. Her pointy chin rested on her dainty pale wrist, her other hand occupied by a smoking pipe. She was half-turned away from the visitors, stubbornly refusing to grace their presence with so much as a glance from her dark arrogant eyes.


    Liao Lan took a deep breath and bowed. "Liao Lan pays her respects to sect master Sun Jia!"


    But the woman refused to acknowledge her. Liao Lan endured the silence for as much as she could, and then continued. "My master wishes to have an audience with Lady Rose Vine!"


    Finally, her eyes flicked over. The golden haired woman stepped forward.


    "So you''re the one responsible for dredging up this garbage to my doorstep. I don''t know what''s worse, whether you brought a man in here or dragged back this degenerate. But then again, I suppose there''s not much difference between the two." Lady Rose Vine exhaled with disdain. She leaned in closer, examining the visitors. "To think that you''d take a new master in your twilight years. She must be quite powerful to reduce you to that. Or maybe not. Maybe this is just another one of those twisted games you like to play."


    Liao Lan gritted her teeth. Lady Rose Vine crossed her legs and leaned back in her seat. "The Invincible Blood Sea I unfortunately know, but who''s that girl behind you? And what of the jade statue you called your master?"


    "This is my master, the Golden Witch." Liao Lan introduced. "And this is Shao Luli, my disciple."


    Sun Jia''s face wrinkled with disgust. "I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised that you took on such a young girl for an apprentice, but it still makes me sick. Truly, I regret even asking. You poor child."


    Shao Luli''s temper flared. "And what is that supposed to mean?"


    Liao Lan stomped her foot and harshly rebuked her. "Shao Luli! How dare you speak out of order and so rudely!"


    The girl paled and lowered her head. But when her master turned away, she continued to fiercely glare at the woman sitting up above.


    "And you." Sun Jia''s attention turned to the Golden Witch. "It''s no wonder she''d be drawn to you, you know that? I hope ignorance is the only reason you still permit her in your company."


    Shao Luli snorted. "And now you dare to insult my grandmaster too with your vague insinuations!"


    Liao Lan stared daggers into the young woman. "You...!"


    "I''m sorry, master, but I just can''t hold my tongue here! I can''t stand here and listen to these insults to your character!" Shao Luli exclaimed. "And besides, it should be you speaking up for your master here, since she''s insulting her too!"


    Liao Lan was taken aback by her disciple''s fervor. She also found it difficult to argue against her words. "For your own sake, forget about me, and show this woman the respect she deserves! Apologize right now!"


    But much to the woman''s chagrin, Shao Luli stubbornly kept her mouth shut.


    "Are you enjoying yourself, Fox?" Tao Geming asked dryly. "I can''t bear to witness a moment more of this stupid catfight. Just do what you came here to do and let''s get out of here."


    "No one told you to follow us in." The Golden Witch said. "I''d like to find out just what it is that has my disciple so fiercely despised within these halls."


    Lady Rose Vine was quick to respond. "I''m not tainting my halls with the words it would take to describe her transgressions. But needless to say, none of my sisters will feel safe as long as she''s present."


    "...Actually, Tao Geming is right." The Golden Witch snorted. "I''m also getting sick of all this endless dancing around. If the transgression is indeed so unmentionable, then instead of prattling on and on about it with such glee, how about you shut your mouth?"


    Gasps erupted all around the room. Lady Rose Vine twirled her pipe between her fingers. She sharply blew out of her mouth. The great figure of the Golden Witch suddenly twitched, her hand plucking something out of the air. Her clenched fist shifted to reveal the needle she was gripping. The Golden Witch playfully spun it across her fingers and flicked it back towards the throne. The metal wedged itself into the tall back of the woman''s chair, missing her skin by just a hair. Sun Jia''s reaction was far too late; had the Witch willed to hit her with this attack, she would have been hit.


    "Have a match with me, Lady Rose Vine."