Pan Yi, the Guard Captain of the North Lou Gate in Jiugao City, had taken the dawn watch during the hour of the Tiger. At this moment, he was reclining in his sack-cloth hammock, eyes closed, swatting at mosquitoes.
Since securing this captaincy ten years ago, he had rarely been stuck with such a miserable shift. Had it not been for the newly arrived Overseer turning the city upside down under the banner of an investigation, he would currently be fast asleep on a bamboo mat.
"Sir, a boat is approaching."
the sentry’s voice whispered cautiously in his ear. Pan Yi didn’t even bother to open his eyes; his lips merely twitched.
"Tell them it’s still a while before the gates open. Make them wait."
Through the removed shutters of the guardhouse, the sentry looked toward the waterway with some hesitation.
"But they say the boat came from Green Sparrow Wharf..."
Pan Yi’s crusty eyes finally cracked open a sliver.
Green Sparrow Wharf was the oldest wharf in Jiugao and the only one reserved exclusively for official vessels. Ordinary merchant ships gave it a wide berth to avoid colliding with some dignitary and inviting unnecessary trouble.
While the sentry showed signs of trepidation, Pan Yi remained composed. He gave a cold snort and stood up from his hammock.
Xiangliang had no shortage of officials. Moreover, in a place like Jiugao, few high-ranking ministers bothered to visit throughout the year. If he had to scurry out to greet every petty official, wouldn't his hard-won position as gatekeeper be a self-inflicted sentence of misery?
With this thought, his steps became even more sluggish. He tightened his loosened belt as he walked, using his peripheral vision to steal a glance at the vessel waiting for passage before the water gate.
It was a covered *manpengshao* boat, common in the Longshu region, devoid of any decoration. A large water buffalo lay at the stern, while a blunt-nosed, round-faced servant boy stood at the bow, looking every bit the rustic country bumpkin.
Pan Yi withdrew his gaze, let out a yawn, and tucked his hands behind his back, though his voice remained polite.
"We are acting on the orders of Lord Fan of the Commandery Governor’s Estate. All vessels leaving the city must be strictly inspected. Please line up to the side and wait."
As soon as he spoke, the servant boy said anxiously, "No—no, that won't do. My master said we must leave the city immediately."
Pan Yi scratched the stubble on his lip and surreptitiously eyed the tightly closed cabin door.
"Then we shall inspect your master first."
Without waiting for a response, he deftly signaled his subordinates. The guards received the instruction and prepared to board.
The servant at the bow lowered his head, but his hand, hidden beneath his straw raincoat, began to rise slowly.
The water rippled; a cool breeze seemed to whistle through the culvert.
In the next instant, the cabin door was pushed open. A man with rumpled clothes and reeking of wine stumbled out. After a quick look around, his gaze landed on Pan Yi. He cupped his hands and spoke with a swaying gait.
"I am Liang Shi’an of the Directorate of Agriculture. By imperial decree, I have come to Longshu to investigate grain conditions and prepare strategies for the state's purchase and sale of grain. I ask this officer to grant us passage."
Pan Yi sniffed the air and gave a perfunctory bow.
So, he was just a "grain clerk." No wonder the boat looked so shabby. Judging by his drunken state, the man likely lacked worldly experience; after a night of debauchery, he had finally remembered his duty to report back to the capital. He had probably switched to this dilapidated boat and hired this stuttering servant from who-knows-where to put on a show of integrity and frugality for others to see.
"So it is Lord Liang." Pan Yi lowered his eyelids, his voice tinged with feigned difficulty. "If Lord Liang did not just arrive in Jiugao today, you should have heard that things have been unsettled both inside and outside the city lately. Inspections for entry and exit must be rigorous. We are all just following orders; I ask for your lordship's forbearance. Perhaps you could avoid the trouble and wait in the city for a few days before departing..."
Before he could finish, Liang Shi’an let out a loud, wine-soaked belch. He glanced left and right before beckoning Pan Yi closer.
Pan Yi’s heart stirred. He thought this grain official was quite sensible; being from the capital, he ought to be generous. He leaned in inconspicuously, only to see that what the man pulled out was not a coin purse, but a cold jade pendant.
Liang Shi’an’s voice sounded in his ear, chillingly clear, without a trace of drunkenness.
"Do you see it clearly?"
Pan Yi’s gaze swept over the heart-shaped jade pendant carved with a *chi* dragon. He didn't dare stare. After a long moment, he whispered, "I... I see it clearly."
He had never met the princes far away in the capital, but he would not mistake the dark mountain jade pendant reserved for royalty. He never imagined he would one day see such a thing on a grain official riding a rickety boat.
"Since you see it clearly, please grant us passage quickly, officer."
Liang Shi’an retreated back into the cabin, returning to his persona as a drunkard, leaving Pan Yi standing frozen on the spot.
Chaos had erupted in the city last night, but Pan Yi didn't care about the trouble itself; he only cared about how much profit he could squeeze from it. He had worked hard to curry favor with Lord Fan, promising to maintain a tight watch and catch the culprits before the Qiu family could. Only a few days had passed, and he didn't want to offend the local power right under his nose for the sake of a prince far away in the capital.
When two giants clash, who cares for the lives of the ants beneath their feet? He couldn't afford to be foolish.
Thinking of this, Pan Yi lifted his eyelids. His triangular eyes swept over the guard beside him, who immediately stiffened and tactfully retreated.
Once he confirmed that only he and Liang Shi’an’s boat remained at the water gate, Pan Yi spoke again.
"A distinguished guest from the capital must, of course, be allowed through." He paused, then asked cautiously, "However, might I ask Lord Liang what exactly is loaded on this boat? Inspections have been strict lately, and I worry that criminals might hide themselves to slip out of the city. If they were to harbor ill intent toward Lord Liang, it would be..."
"The grain in the Longshu granaries has molded and rotted, leaking into the markets. I was ordered to investigate, and this boat carries grain collected from various locations. As for the criminals you mentioned..." Liang Shi’an paused, then continued with a swaying head, "I wonder if a lecher counts as a criminal? I spent the entire night enjoying myself on Bamboo Shoot Street. Does the officer intend to take me to the yamen for questioning?"
Liang Shi’an opened his arms, his drunken eyes looking at Pan Yi with a half-smile, while the latter stared back intently.
They locked eyes in a silent stalemate.
After a moment, it was Pan Yi who backed down.
"Lord Liang must be joking."
With a forced smile, he turned and shouted for his men to raise the iron gate. As he watched the *manpengshao* sway and disappear into the dawn, Pan Yi’s face instantly darkened.
*Pah.* A mere grain official—if not for the backer behind him, Pan Yi would have stripped him of a layer of skin today.
He had been knocking around this North Gate area for over a decade. He might have no other skills, but his ability to inspect cargo and ships was peerless. With a single glance at how deep a ship sat in the water, he could roughly tell what it was carrying.
That boat didn't look large, but it sat very deep. One look told him it wasn't carrying grain at all.
Or rather, not *just* grain.
Jiugao was humid and hot in the summer. Grain transport ships would use multiple layers of waterproof oilcloth, and they would wait for a good day to dry the grain before loading it to be safe. Otherwise, by the time it reached the capital, it would have soured from the damp heat. This man named Liang didn't leave during the clear weather of the past few days but chose to transport "grain" right after last night's storm. Unless he was truly brainless, his intentions lay elsewhere.
He had heard that a certain Prince Xiaoning in the capital was quite absurd. In his early years, he clamored to join a Buddhist monastery, and lately, he had become obsessed with the arts of immortality and alchemy, turning his estate into a smoky mess. Such arts required the collection of spices and minerals from all over. It just so happened that the current Emperor of Xiangliang was famously irreverent toward gods and ghosts; the Taoist altars outside the capital had been closed for years. The court’s control over the transport of such goods was extremely strict, managed specifically by the Bureau of Minerals, and they were absolutely forbidden from circulating openly between provinces. But in the shadows... as long as one had money and power, let alone spices and minerals, even forbidden drugs were not impossible.
Wasn't the Su family the best example? Unfortunately, they didn't have the luck to keep their wealth and were wiped out by the new Overseer. He didn't know if they could ever recover. He had even sent a gift for Old Madam Su’s birthday feast last month; thinking about it now, it felt like a bit of a loss.
A tall tree attracts the wind; a small insect like him, cooling itself in the shade, would live longer. Today’s matter would be treated as if he had dozed off and seen nothing. Even if someone investigated later, as long as he handled Lord Fan, everything would be fine.
After all, he only operated in Jiugao, and everyone knew that currently, Lord Fan called the shots in this city.
Having made up his mind, Pan Yi’s face returned to its lazy expression. With his hands behind his back, he prepared to return to his hammock, but he suddenly stopped.
He wasn't sure if it was because he had woken too early and his eyes were playing tricks, but in the shadows of the willow embankment along the waterway, a figure seemed to be standing. The moment he looked over, the figure turned the corner and vanished.
This area was near the water gate guards; ordinary civilians would never approach. Unless...
Pan Yi’s mind raced, and he quickly formed a guess.
Of those who didn't sleep at night and rose earlier than a rooster, the only one in the entire Office of Waterways was that Lord Lin Fang.
But even if he could sit in the position of Minister of Waterways, his political mind was not very clear. Of all people to cling to, why choose the useless second son of the Qiu family?
"Sir, someone from the east just reported that a boat is blocked in the river channel outside the city..."
A guard from the other side of the water gate came to report. Pan Yi waved his hand, suddenly becoming "easy-going."
"Lord Fan only said to strictly inspect those leaving the city. You earn only a few taels a month, yet you want to take on extra chores? With this level of awareness, when will you ever earn enough for half a room in this city?"
*But we didn't strictly inspect the one leaving, either.*
The guard grumbled inwardly but didn't dare to contradict him openly. He withdrew with a stiff expression, following the humming Pan Yi back into the guardhouse.
Outside the North Lou Water Gate, the heavily laden boat sailed into the morning river, like a fish entering the vast world.
The river surface gradually widened. The large water buffalo at the stern lazily flicked its tail, enjoying the breeze.
The servant boy steering the boat looked at the receding city gate, seemingly unable to believe he had actually left that city.
Liang Shi’an stepped forward and yanked the straw raincoat off the boy, tossing it into the rushing river without a second look.
Without the cover of the raincoat, the black ash remaining from the fire he had navigated through drifted up. The boy smelled of charred burning.
Liang Shi’an couldn't help but cover his nose and take three steps back, his disgust no longer hidden. But then he remembered something and whispered.
"My people were tied up by the men around Qiu the Second; they likely won't make it back. Until we leave the Jiugao region, you must stay by my side. If anything goes wrong with the cargo on this boat, your master will not forgive you."
Ren Xiaohan finally looked up. His unblinking eyes were strangely unsettling.
"I only listen to Master. Even if Xiaohan does something wrong, Master rarely punishes me."
Liang Shi’an looked away, instinctively stepping back half a pace.
Though he didn't understand the affairs of the martial world, he had vaguely heard that Mr. Ding was accompanied by a formidable character. He considered himself slick and cunning, able to play the old foxes in the capital like fiddles—how could he take such a simple-minded brute seriously?
Thinking of this, he softened his voice and asked, "Your master should have instructed you to assist me, right?"
Ren Xiaohan fell silent, appearing to think carefully. After a long moment, he corrected him. "Master only said to escort the things on the boat."
Liang Shi’an nodded and continued persuasively, "That’s it, then. I work for the Prince Xiaoning Estate, and you work for your master. We shall mind our own business and fulfill our respective duties. Everyone will be happy."
Ren Xiaohan said nothing.
He didn't like the expression on this man's face when he spoke. Before meeting his Master, he had often seen this look on the faces of those around him. They feared him and loathed him, thinking that speaking softly could deceive him.
Ren Xiaohan withdrew his gaze and untied a cloth bag from his waist. He peered inside to count what was left, then carefully pinched out a small piece of rice crust and put it in his mouth. As he crunched and chewed, he silently continued to steer the boat.
Liang Shi’an glanced at the strange swordsman, decided not to waste any more breath, and turned back into the cabin.
The small boat sailed against the current, heading away from Jiugao City.
****** ****** ******
The boat lurched in the wind and waves, causing Xu Qiuchi to stumble. The teacup in his hand tilted, spilling half of the hot tea before he could take a sip.
He stared blankly at the remaining half-cup of tea until the woman in green handed him a fresh one.
"Second Young Master is so distracted. Are you still worrying about that Teng Hu?"
Charcoal burned in the brazier, slowly drying their damp clothes.
Liu Caiwu sat quietly before the brazier, preparing tea with her usual composure. Xu Qiuchi drained the tea, his gaze sweeping over her dress as the water stains faded, and suddenly asked instead of answering, "Where did you go just now?"
Her hands paused. Liu Caiwu replied, "I grew impatient waiting in the cave, so I went for a stroll by the lake. I lost track of time. If the Second Young Master is dissatisfied, you may punish me."
Xu Qiuchi curled his lip and shook his head with exaggerated drama.
"Manager Liu, why have you picked up the same habit as Xin’er? Always asking for punishment. Am I such an unreasonable person? If you have a grievance..."
"I don't."
She cut him off before he could finish. But he wasn't angry; instead, he became more certain of his thoughts.
"Did you go to find Zhu Fuxue?"
This time, the last trace of softness vanished from the beauty’s face.
Her hands could no longer continue the tea preparation. Liu Caiwu set the teacup down on the table with a sharp *clack*.
"Since the Second Young Master knows, why ask?"
"Since you had the intent, why didn't you keep searching for her? Why did you turn back to find me?"
"Perhaps because I didn't manage to escape in time." Liu Caiwu spoke coldly, then countered with her own question, "When the Second Young Master encountered that disciple from the World's Greatest Villa, why didn't you reveal my identity?"
Silence spread through the damp air.
They knew each other too well. With his schemes and her martial arts, whether they wanted to escape or track someone, it was never truly difficult.
After a long while, Xu Qiuchi sighed. He leaned forward to brew a cup of hot tea himself.
"Perhaps because I know that Manager Liu does not like that identity."
Liu Caiwu stared fixedly at Xu Qiuchi. This man, raised by the waters and soil of Jiugao, had a gentle voice and eyes full of feigned affection. She didn't believe a single word that came out of his mouth.
When had the person before her ever cared about her feelings?
If he cared, he wouldn't spend all day waving that waist fan in front of her.
"I do all this for the Madam. it has nothing to do with the Second Young Master. You need not feel you owe me, and I will not be grateful to you. We owe each other nothing."
"A fine 'owe each other nothing.' Is what Manager Liu is doing now to honor an agreement with my mother, or for the sake of your own worthless conscience?"
Liu Caiwu let out a cold laugh.
"Second Young Master brought me to Qionghu Island and let Miss Jiang follow Liang Shi’an. On the surface, it was a favor to me, but in reality, you just didn't want Miss Jiang to set foot on the World's Greatest Villa's territory again. You wanted to extract her from this entire affair, did you not?"
Xu Qiuchi looked surprised, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"Why would Manager Liu say such a thing? Didn't you complain before that Liang Shi’an was too difficult to handle? That's why I sent Xin’er to replace you."
"When has the Second Young Master ever taken my complaints to heart?" Liu Caiwu lowered her gaze, not wanting to look at his hypocritical face for another second. "We have been master and servant for a long time; I will give the Second Young Master a kind warning: Liang Shi’an is from the capital, after all. He may not be as useless as he seems. Even if Miss Jiang has great skill, she may not be a match for a wolf's heart."
Xu Qiuchi also looked away, his hand fiddling with the teacup coming to a halt.
"Liang Shi’an and I are mere acquaintances. Even if he is truly involved in this matter, he won't hand the evidence to me. Xin’er only went to play a part with him; she won't touch the core of the matter. Liang Shi’an will only continue to paint a picture of peace."
"You only consider that Liang Shi’an won't drop his mask unless he's driven to a dead end, but you haven't considered that Miss Jiang has a stubborn nature. She has always treated your words as imperial decrees. If she truly discovers something, I fear she will follow the path to the very end."
The smile finally faded from Xu Qiuchi’s face.
This summer morning was infinitely cold. The empty cabin could not hold a shred of human warmth. The atmosphere was as oppressive as the moment before last night's storm, making one want to flee.
In the next moment, the bow of the boat emerged from the final stone gate flanked by cliffs. The vast, boundless Lixin Lake unfolded before them in the morning light.
The ships of various sects had arrived at the island at different times, but they were leaving together. Over a hundred vessels of all sizes swarmed into the center of the lake like fish escaping a net. Once out of the fjord, they accelerated one by one, sailing with full canvas, each leaving more hurriedly than the last.
Waves rose on the lake, and the boat swayed. Xu Qiuchi pressed down on the teacup on the table and spoke slowly.
"Don't wait for Teng Hu’s boat. Go to Yellow Mud Bay Wharf first."
Liu Caiwu’s palms tightened. The tung-oiled wood creaked under her grip.
This was the closest she had been to Zhu Fuxue in twenty years.
If she wanted a resolution, now was the best opportunity, yet he chose this moment to change his mind. Yellow Mud Bay Wharf was in the direction of Jiugao City. By the time she escorted this man to the wharf and returned to the lake, Zhu Fuxue would be like a fish in the sea, impossible to find. And if she missed today, she would be trapped in Jiugao with her vow, never to find her again.
The resentment following her suppression surged in her eyes. Xu Qiuchi glanced at her expression and spoke unhurriedly.
"I thought this trip to the island would involve much trekking, so after much consideration, I gave my waist fan to Xin’er for safekeeping. If something happens to her, that fan will surely be stained with blood. It would be a pity for such a fine fan."
Liu Caiwu’s face changed. Her eyes, usually soft in shape, grew rigid with effort. Her pupils, once like autumn waters, became two dried-up wells. Looking down into those black depths, old images flickered like non-existent well water.
In a trance, she saw her Madam again, walking with difficulty while carrying a medical chest.
The Madam’s figure was far away, but she could smell that familiar, pleasant scent on her.
But soon, a wind blew toward her. The wind carried the stench of rot and burning. The fragrance of orchids was swallowed in an instant.
Then she saw her Madam stop. She stood before that lifeless black water outside the city. Mud began to stain her hem from her feet up. Dying fish struggled in the mire by her feet. From a distance, it looked like boiling mud in hell.
The woman slowly turned her head and looked at her one last time. There was a touch of sorrow deep in those eyes, like frost on withered leaves in late autumn, clearly reflecting the hellish battlefield around them.
Xu Qiuchi’s voice drifted over, like a death-dealing incantation.
"If my poor mother hadn't died of illness, that fan wouldn't have fallen into my hands. As a physician, she helped so many and saved so many lives, yet in the end, she couldn't heal herself. She stayed until the last moment to save the thousands of poor souls trapped in the city. She survived by luck, only to contract the plague and be tortured to death by pain." He paused here, making no effort to hide the sigh in his words. "Even so, Mother never resented anyone. She was always understanding of others' difficulties. Her death is no one's fault; perhaps it was just her fate."
The Second Young Master of the Qiu Estate, who frequented the flower streets in fragrant carriages, never carried a blade. He only held a waist fan typically used by women. But who had seen that beneath those smiling eyes lived a mouth filled with razor blades, waiting for the chance to strike the heart? If he wished, he could make a person's heart bleed in an instant.
Liu Caiwu’s usually steady hands began to tremble.
She didn't dare look up at the young man, fearing she would see a glimpse of her old friend in a face that so closely resembled his mother's.
Of the two Qiu masters, the eldest resembled the father, and the second resembled the mother. Xu Qiuchi had been raised by his mother since childhood; he even took her family name. His features held seventy or eighty percent of the Madam’s charm, and he had inherited much of her sensitivity to the human heart. But that small percentage of despicableness came from nowhere, utterly destroying the shadow of the Madam. Every time he showed his true colors, it made her teeth itch with hatred.
Her Madam would never return. There was no one else like her in this world.
Now, she had nothing left.
A waist fan. It was just a waist fan. But it was the fan the Madam had left behind.
Thin, delicate ribs; a silk face mottled with age. It was fragile, yet it maintained an invisible connection with extraordinary strength.
The eastern sky grew brighter, outlining the two people who loathed each other yet were forced to share a boat, giving them an air of desolation.
After a long time, Liu Caiwu finally lowered her head.
Her shoulders slumped. Her iron palms were humbly withdrawn into her sleeves. Her voice held a numbness that followed a heart-wrenching pain.
"If you hate me, just kill me. I won't resist, nor will I resent you. Just... do not mention the Madam again. She always loved peace; do not disturb her ears."
He *had* hated her.
In the past, he often thought that if his mother hadn't saved her, the ambitious Zhu Fuxue wouldn't have chased them to Juchao. The distress signal to Black Moon wouldn't have been mysteriously intercepted. That battle might not have been so tragic, and his mother might not have died of illness.
But during these years trapped in the Qiu Estate, starting from a certain day, he suddenly realized he didn't resent the woman before him quite so much anymore.
"Swimming fish are trapped in ponds and lakes; all things are trapped between heaven and earth. If my mother had lived only to remain trapped in such a life, perhaps Heaven taking her life was an act of mercy, unable to bear seeing her return to that cage. It was because I understood this that I have been able to get along with you until today."
The depths of Liu Caiwu’s long-dried eyes grew moist, like a pond filling with water.
A red fish tail brushed the surface and vanished into the depths in an instant, leaving only a few bubbles, relying on its own skill to swim the four seas, free and easy.
However, red-tailed carp can be steeped and killed in a pickling jar.
Destroying a person rarely required much plotting. Fate only needed to lightly crook a finger, and the fish yearning for freedom would unknowingly swim into a trap, struggling in the mud until death.
Whether it was the Madam who favored red-tailed carp, or the blade-wielding woman who loved wearing red.
After a while, Xu Qiuchi spoke again, his voice returning to its usual lazy languor.
"How about we both take a step back and let each other go?" He closed his eyes as he spoke, no longer looking at the expression on Liu Caiwu’s face. "I will go find my Xin’er, and you go find your Xue’er. Repay kindness with kindness, and grievances with grievances. If Heaven favors us, perhaps we can both get what we want?"
Liu Caiwu snapped her head up, her eyes full of disbelief. "But..."
"It's just steering a boat. I learned how when I used to play with my mother. Besides, there's a southeast wind blowing now. Sailing with the wind, it won't take much effort to reach the wharf."
A moment later, the woman stood up from behind the narrow tea table with her head bowed. She walked step by step to the man, folded her palms over her forehead, and slowly knelt in a deep kowtow.
"Liu Caiwu thanks the Second Young Master for his grace. I shall repay this with my life in the future."
This was the first time since the Madam’s passing that she had performed such a grand rite to anyone in that estate.
But the man before her clearly didn't want to accept the sentiment. He stood up and walked to the side, looking at the ships of all sizes racing past. He said softly, "The Luosha Sect's boat should have left already. You can only borrow this eastern wind. Whether you catch them depends on your luck."
Before his words even landed, the green figure was no longer on the boat.
The lake surface after the storm was a pale grey-blue. Large ships headed in all directions, carving intersecting wakes into the water. The lake would not settle for a long time.
Xu Qiuchi slowly sat back in his familiar spot behind the tea table, but he no longer had the heart for tea.
The sky was about to grow fully bright. The last star in the southeast faded into the coming day, its trace impossible to find.
The rivers had hidden undercurrents, and all were exhausted by the struggle. The galaxy was vast and distant, trapped at the edge of the sky.
This was the current state of the martial world.
And it was his state as well.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 潘弋 | Pan Yi | Guard Captain at the North Lou Gate of Jiugao. |
| 北娄门 | North Lou Gate | A water gate in Jiugao City. |
| 卫正 | Guard Captain | A military/security rank for a gate official. |
| 督护 | Overseer / Protector-General | A high-ranking official title. |
| 青雀码头 | Green Sparrow Wharf | An official-only wharf in Jiugao. |
| 满篷梢 | Manpengshao | A type of covered boat common in the Longshu region. |
| 司农监 | Directorate of Agriculture | A government office managing grain and farming. |
| 梁世安 | Liang Shi'an | An official from the Directorate of Agriculture. |
| 粜籴 | Tiao Di | The state system of buying and selling grain to stabilize prices. |
| 米丁 | Grain Clerk | A derogatory term for low-level grain officials. |
| 螭纹鸡心佩 | Chi-patterned heart-shaped pendant | A specific type of royal jade ornament. |
| 山玄玉 | Dark Mountain Jade | A high-grade, dark-colored jade reserved for royalty. |
| 孝宁王 | Prince Xiaoning | A prince in the capital known for alchemy and eccentricities. |
| 金石司 | Bureau of Minerals | A government office controlling spices and minerals. |
| 都水台 | Office of Waterways | The government department managing rivers and canals. |
| 太舟卿 | Minister of Waterways | A high-ranking official in the Office of Waterways. |
| 林放 | Lin Fang | The Minister of Waterways. |
| 壬小寒 | Ren Xiaohan | A powerful swordsman serving Mr. Ding, disguised as a servant. |
| 丁先生 | Mr. Ding | A mysterious figure mentioned as Ren Xiaohan's master. |
| 柳裁梧 | Liu Caiwu | Xu Qiuchi's manager/servant, a skilled martial artist. |
| 琼壶岛 | Qionghu Island | The island where the previous events took place. |
| 居巢 | Juchao | A location mentioned in the backstory of Xu's mother. |
| 齑瓮 | Jiong / Pickling Jar | A jar used for marinating or pickling food. |
| 浸杀 | Jin Sha / Steep-kill | A culinary term used metaphorically for drowning or trapping someone. |
| 黄泥湾 | Yellow Mud Bay | A wharf near Jiugao City. |
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