Finally, Yelü Xie is back! I can't believe I pumped out another lengthy chapter so quickly. I know dozens of you are reading this story, but none of you are reviewing! How hard could it be? ;)

Chapter 7: Training

The sky was as black as ink but the streets of debauchery and indulgence were overflowing with lights, laughter, and brawls. Xia Rou felt severely out of place in the crooked streets where corruption, infidelity, and intoxication reigned supreme. She drew in a deep breath and walked briskly along the roughly paved road closest to the river.

Several dozen people were scattered ahead of her: flimsily dressed women in brightly colored grab, tipsily walking men tightly clutching wine jugs, and the occasional suspicious loner rooted to the spot but swiveling eyes in all directions.

From her left peripheral vision Xia Rou saw a man lazily slinking out of the shadows. She smelled him before she saw him. She threw any semblance of propriety to the winds and brazenly covered her nose with her sleeve. The man reeked of sweat, meat, and cheap wine.

He was about thirty and cursed with the worst mouthful of rotten yellow teeth she had ever seen. Clearly he either didn't notice or didn't care that she was visibly disgusted. "Little girl, are you lost?" he coaxed in a sickeningly sweet voice, greedily eyeing the heavy deerskin sack in her hand. "Come with me, and I'll treat you to a meal."

"Come with you? Pei!" she spat. "I'd sooner eat mud!" She felt harassed, but deigned him unworthy of receiving any confrontation from her and quickly took her leave.

A forceful tug on her left ankle caused her to not only fly backwards but also land on her stomach. Her grip on the sack loosened as she tried to avoid scraping her face on the gray cobblestones. She immediately pounced on her loot, covering it with her body while searching in the folds of her robes for the flint stone she had picked up earlier in the blacksmith's shed. She had known all along it was good for something - that something being her soon-to-be-dead assaulter.

Filthy hands had just descended upon her rear when she sprang up like lightning, her eyes on fire. No human trash ever messed with her and got away with it. "Since you seem to crave death so much, I'll take you to yan wang directly," she said. Without prelude Xia Rou stood up on tiptoe, grabbed the man's jaw, and dug savagely into his neck with the sharp flint. Blood shot forth in thick rivulets down his neck and soaked the black stone and her hand. Frothy spittle laced with blood bubbled from his open mouth. His eyes became lucid, went slack, and finally closed.

Xia Rou dropped the body in disgust and wiped her hand on her greasy black cloak. After a moment's hesitation she untied the cloak from her throat and threw it along with the flint over the fallen body. None of the loiterers in the street were within sight of the quick and silent kill, and even if they had witnessed it, they gave no indication.

She would have liked to think that it was the first time she had taken a human life. But no, she had been unfortunate enough to cross paths with a loathsome commander who was after her head when she was just ten years old. More than seven years later, she committed the same sin to defend herself.

Although Xia Rou did not enjoy robbing a life, she couldn't help but feel a little triumphant over ridding the world of a waste of space. The loot tucked safely under her arm again, she set off to find the tavern where the scarred man was awaiting her.

She passed a teahouse decorated at the doorway with signature red lanterns fringed with golden plaited tassels. While it was acceptable for guests to enter the establishment only to enjoy song, dance, and drink, the cardinal rule that no female guests were allowed inside was more than enough of a hint that the graciously named "teahouses" operated mainly as brothels.

Sniffing in disdain, she quickly darted in and out of the eager crowd of incoming men. A lame drunk in front of her was limping over to the next establishment. The characters lang jiu guan were carved into the horizontal slab of wood nailed above the doorway. She had arrived at the Wolf's Tavern.

The pungent smell of wine hit her nostrils almost before she even walked in. The tavern was dingy and dimly lit, so she squinted to see into the hazy semi-darkness. Less than ten tables were occupied, and most consisted of rowdy men gambling while slopping wine all over each other. The only table occupied by a lone customer was situated in the far back corner, and the man's back was turned. Nevertheless Xia Rou instantly recognized the spotted leopard robe he had worn just that afternoon.

There was no need to approach stealthily. She knew he was already aware of her entrance, judging by the sudden tensing of his shoulders. Her arrival became even more painfully apparent when a waiter yelled from another table, "Ah, gu niang, what are you doing here? This is not a place suitable for someone like you! It's best that you leave."

A low chuckle from the corner table startled both Xia Rou and the waiter. "Let her stay. She's with me." He turned his face slightly to face them so that half of it was still hidden in shadow. To Xia Rou's surprise, he grinned, and his entire face seemed to glow when he smiled. But his grin faded as quickly as it had appeared. "Xiao'er," he called, beckoning impatiently to the waiter. "Refill the wine. And get another vessel."

"Yes, just a moment!" the waiter scurried forward with a polished wooden wine jug and a bronze vessel with two sharp angles in the neck. After setting down the vessel and pouring the wine, he pulled out a chair for Xia Rou, staring at her disheveled appearance curiously. "Gu niang, qing," he said politely.

Xia Rou crossed the remaining distance and sat down. The feeling was glorious. Ah! She hadn't been able to rest, much less sit, since eating that bowl of porridge and chicken leg so many hours ago. Speaking of eating...her stomach grumbled loudly and she patted it absentmindedly.

She closed her eyes for a moment, building up courage. When she opened them, she found herself staring into the depthless black eyes of the man who had assaulted and blackmailed her only that afternoon. She tore her eyes away before she got lost in them. "I've done what you've asked," she said tonelessly. She shoved the deerskin sack across the table towards him.

He pulled the strings loose and inspected the contents carefully. "You've exceeded my expectations," he remarked satisfactorily, fingering the gold-turquoise pendant and butterfly brooch. "But it seems you've sustained some injuries. Help yourself to the wine."

Xia Rou didn't need any further prodding as she soaked her aching, bloody hands and forearms in the small vessel. She winced as the alcohol stung her skin, but she needed to disinfect the wounds immediately, especially the rashes irritated by poisonous sap.

The scarred man silently observed her pained expression and called for the waiter who was two tables away. "Get the girl more wine in a new vessel and hong shao rou with rice," he ordered.

"Thank you," she said gratefully while wringing her hands dry in the air. They were so red that they looked raw, so she bashfully folded her hands in her lap, under the table and out of sight.

"Don't you have a handkerchief to wipe off the blood on your face?" he inquired, staring intently at the caked blood surrounding her left eye.

She shook her head. I must look hideous, she thought glumly.

"Xiao'er, bring a spare rag as well!" he yelled at the waiter's retreating back.

Now that the valuables were in his possession and the food had yet to arrive, an awkward silence ensued. Suddenly Xia Rou recalled something rather dubious. "How do you have the money to make those orders and pay for all this?" she asked, gesturing to the half-empty wine jug and vessels already set on the table.

He fumbled in the pouch of his embroidered leopard robe and held up a string of copper coins. "Does this answer your question?" he asked, evidently amused.

Her eyes flashed angrily. "If you're such an excellent thief, why didn't you have the guts to go and risk your own neck in the palace?"

"I am merely following the principle of shi ban gong bei," he answered smartly. "Why bother risking my life and reputation when I can get a servant to accomplish the same mission for me at no expense? My dear, you underestimate the power of a threat."

"Your thoughts are so black and twisted," she said venomously. "I have nothing more to do with you." She stood and backed up slowly, only to bump into the waiter who had just returned with the order. The wooden tray dug into her back and its contents wobbled precariously. "Excuse me," he muttered while setting down a rag, another vessel, and a bowl of fried rice and pork.

As the waiter hurried away, Xia Rou froze momentarily, gazing longingly at the delicious food but still eager to leave the tavern and return home. The scarred man smiled at her dilemma and raised a wine vessel to his lips. The sweetly intoxicating taste loosened his tongue a bit.

"Eat and enjoy," he said, spreading his arms generously over the table as if he were offering a feast fit for the king.

Xia Rou didn't particular relish the thought of returning to imprisoned servitude so soon with wounds still unwashed, so she resumed her seat. She rolled up her sleeves and dabbed the rag into the vessel of wine she had previously used. The alcohol that came in contact with her injured right temple seeped through the dried scabs, disinfecting the impact wound that had not yet fully closed. Through the cloth she felt a small bump protruding from her temple, and groaned at the unappealing discovery of another imperfection in her already plain visage.

She moved on to her new wound, unexpectedly bestowed upon her by the princess. Above her left eyebrow was a deep scratch in the shape of a half moon, much like the curves of fingernails when imprinted upon skin. She traced over the graze lightly with her fingers, slightly appeased by the aesthetic quality of a wound that would remain with her to the grave.

The last few minutes had passed without a single word uttered; finding it strange that the man had ceased his self-satisfied talk, Xia Rou looked up curiously. Across from her the scarred man was consuming his wine in monstrous gulps directly from the jug, carelessly slopping liquid on the fur trimming of his robe. The jewels lay scattered and forgotten beside him. His entire demeanor had transformed; the playful spark in his eyes was replaced with a melancholy sheen.

"Excuse me," she quietly called out, slightly nervous about his impending drunkenness. He ignored her completely, his Adam's apple bobbing to the rhythm of his rapid consumption of wine. "Wei!" she shouted. Still no response. Impulsively she jumped up from her seat and wrestled the jug from his fingers. He resisted fiercely, but she finally knocked the jar from his iron grip with her elbow. It crashed to the ground with a resounding clatter that sent dozens of hostile looks their way.

Irritated, he pushed her away, but Xia Rou stood her ground. When he began to swat at her with languid ferocity, she finally lost her temper. "You!" she yelled, shoving him on the chest with both hands so hard that he toppled back. "You...demon! You've caused me more trouble in a day than I've experienced in my entire life. All the injuries I've incurred, all the people I've offended deeply, all the life-threatening risks I undertook, all of these are your fault, your responsibility! Don't you dare tell me you won't compensate me unless you don't want to keep your life!"

Her outburst seemed to restore a higher sense of consciousness to him. He fixed those glittering black eyes on her own, which were now wide with fright after the last brazen word left her lips. His eyes searched hers with a fervor that one could even describe as desperate. "Do you consider me a bad person?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Xia Rou looked into those black drowning pools and couldn't muster a reply to a question posed so incongruously following her recent burst of temper.

"Answer me!" he demanded. In his drunken haze, he saw her as a puzzle of contradictions. She was pretty yet incredibly plain, intelligent yet foolish, compassionate yet fierce.

"I do not know you well enough to make any judgments about your character," she finally responded. "I cannot answer your question until I can see through your very soul in the same way that beams of sunlight can penetrate the ocean's bottomless depths."

He visibly relaxed, the tight muscles of his jaw slowly unclenching. "I admire your artful approach. Sit, and eat your meal before it cools. In the meantime I will make you a proposition."

Xia Rou stiffly sat down again and helped herself to the delicious steaming bowl, listening intently.

"I have no doubt that these jewels are worth a fortune," he mused. "They will provide me more than enough to launch my own business in Dongjing. When profits start flowing in, I will buy your freedom from your employer. How does that sound?"

She shook her head and set down her chopsticks. "I care nothing for wishful plans in the distant future. I want a concrete promise, one that can be fulfilled presently," she demanded.

"Oh? I admit I am rather lacking in subtlety," the man conceded. "If you have something already in mind, do tell."

"You cost me my discipleship with my master of seven years," she accused without preamble. "The very first words you spoke to me were, 'You can fight, but you have no style.' Are you willing to remedy this?"

Her bold inquiry was met with silence. Finally, he spoke. "Perhaps it is better that I first identify myself before you regret your request."

"In that case, I would appreciate a truthful introduction," she urged.

He nodded. "Very well. My clan name is Yelü, given name Xie. I was formerly a general of Great Liao, under the command of Empress Dowager Xiao. I abdicated my position just over a month ago after retreating Liao troops from the Song empire."

It was now Xia Rou's turn to be stunned into silence. "Truly?" she asked at last. "Why, then, are you in Eastern Liao, and penniless no less? I didn't think the Empress Dowager was ungenerous enough to refuse rewarding you for years of loyal service."

He smiled wryly. "It is already a great blessing that tai hou has allowed me to live to this day. You wouldn't understand, as someone who never had anything to begin with. But as a man who has lost everything, naturally I see starting my life afresh as nothing to lament over."

Xia Rou didn't pursue her inquiry further. Now was not the time to feed her gnawing curiosity. "My request still stands, regardless of your identity. You must compensate me in some way, though of course not financially. I want you to teach me all the martial arts you know."

"Before I make a decision," he stalled, "tell me, what does the loss of your discipleship have to do with me?"

"My master-" she cut off short, nearly choking on her words. "My former master occupies a position no lower than what you once held. He resides in Dongjing palace, of course. I assume you can piece the rest together yourself. It's a miracle that he let me leave with my skin intact."

Yelü Xie nodded. "Now I realize that I played an indirect role in this mess. All right, I am willing to extend your legacy of being taught by gao shou."

A smile dawned upon her face, instantly transforming her complexion from plain to dazzling. "If you are willing to teach me, then you had better not retract your words," she warned lightly. "I am not disillusioned about bitter training. I've been roughened by hardships upon hardships my entire life."

Yelü Xie grinned. "Then we're off to a promising start. But haven't you forgotten something? Aren't you going to kowtow to me?"

"Wha-what?" she asked, astonished. "Kowtow? But my former master never required me to kowtow to him! I only paid my respects to my four ancestor teachers during my bai shi ceremony."

He arched his eyebrows disbelievingly. "What? You never kowtowed to him? What kind of bai shi ceremony is that?"

She had no words with which to respond and promptly lapsed into silence.

A wolfish grin materialized on his face. "Clearly he did not want to solidify a father-student relationship with you, which is the only appropriate relationship suitable for a disciple as young as yourself at initiation. In that case..." he trailed off, leaving the rest of his thoughts unsaid.

"In that case what?" she asked expectantly.

He smirked. "He meant to leave his options open," he answered ambiguously.

Xia Rou remained dumbfounded. "What options? Please elaborate."

Even his eyes were dancing merrily now. "It is this kind of stupid charm that catches us war-hardened commanders off-guard," Yelü Xie laughed at his own joke.

She brushed off the subtleties that she couldn't comprehend. "Never mind, I won't pry further. It's already extremely late."

As her mind wandered to thoughts of returning home, a terrible thought suddenly struck her. Tian ya! She couldn't possibly return to the wine cellar smelling so strongly of wine! Lu Mao would have her head for sure.

Yelü Xie noticed her panicked expression. "What's troubling you all of a sudden?"

"I cannot return to the manor," she explained. "I was locked in the wine cellar by my overseer as punishment for going to the marketplace and evading my chores this afternoon. She expressly forbade me to open any of the wine barrels. But now I smell of nothing but wine!"

"It will rain before dawn," he forecasted surely. "Since you want to begin training as early as possible, what can be better than tonight, with a full moon overhead? You will be drenched to the bone and smell of nothing but earth by the time you return home."

She pondered over this while finishing her simmer fried pork and rice. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed. She stood up and he followed suit, setting down about half a string's worth of copper coins on the table. The jewels, carefully secured in the deerskin sack, somehow managed to fit inside his robes. To Xia Rou, it was astounding that his sword, jeweled knife, and valuables all stayed on him yet did not hinder his lithe movements in the least.

"Honored guests, come again!" the waiter called after them as they exited the tavern.

Outside, the cool summer breeze and lack of heavy burdens made Xia Rou feel weightless. A content smile played upon her lips and she momentarily forgot her surroundings until she nearly crashed headfirst into a drunkard being pursued by two laughing women wearing excessive makeup.

Yelü Xie quickly pushed her out of harm's way. "Watch where you're going," he snarled. "Carelessness will cost you your head."

Xia Rou composed herself immediately. How was it that she, completely sober, was not as perceptive as an intoxicated man? It did seem like the effects of the wine on him had faded entirely, though. She wasn't sure whether he was more fearsome when sober or drunk.

"Where are we heading to?" she inquired. She already knew the answer, but wanted to break the tension by asking anyway.

"The military camp, of course," he answered, casually unhooking one of the many lanterns hanging in front of a restaurant. He threw a few coins at the protesting usher. "Haven't you been there countless times?"

She nodded. "I know it like the back of my hand." Xia Rou was also immensely relieved that they were heading in the direction opposite the way she had come, so she would not have to set eyes on the hideous corpse again.

"Good. Then I can ascertain your skill level without any delay. It would be possible for me teach you everything I know in just two hours, but you will never be able to master all the moves without consistent practice and occasional guidance. So if you truly want instruction from me, you will have to prove yourself capable first."

"That's fair," she assented. "You are certainly artful, keeping your promise but attaching strings to it. I will take care not to suffer defeat."

They continued in silence until they reached the desolate camp. Tiny pinpricks of light further south belonged to sentries on duty at the front gates, but those on watch were much too far away to see or care about two loners in the camp. Besides, the two were on higher ground and could see the sentries from their vantage point, but the same did not necessarily hold true vice versa.

Yelü Xie headed for the sparring grounds directly, and Xia Rou found herself jogging to keep up with his swift strides. The sparring grounds were locked in the center of the camp and surrounded by archery and riding grounds. Dozens of military tents dotted the perimeter of the spacious rectangular block, which was fit for training ten thousand soldiers at any one time.

The felt-covered, wood lattice-framed tents were square pyramidal, with spacious bases and gently upward sloping sides. Approaching the closest, Yelü Xie lifted the flap, bent his tall frame a little, and stepped into the giant tent. A minute later he returned, spinning a bamboo rod in each hand in flawless revolutions. "Catch!" he ordered and threw one at her in a direct line rather than a swooping arc.

Gifted with fast reflexes from years of evading blows and beatings, Xia Rou caught the rod without much difficulty. It was light and hollow, but she would have to use it effectively in sparring, and pretend it was as sturdy as cast metal.

"You've played with these before, haven't you?" he asked, glancing sideways at her as he fingered the length of the rod.

"I have. If this is a test of reflexes, I will demonstrate my all," she smiled.

Without replying he closed the distance between them and struck a simple combination: two high, one middle. Almost simultaneously she matched his movements, blocking his hits with her rod. He picked up the speed and complexity of his combinations. Middle, low, low, high. Xia Rou heaved for breath as she quickly deflected a hit to her waist, braced herself for two consecutive low hits on her knees, and then immediately reached up to block another hit over her head. He continued to deal her a flurry of strikes.

He was just as unyielding and systematic as her former master. She knew it, and Yelü Xie knew she knew it. His brain was on overdrive and devising ways to make her fumble. It was true that she lacked the natural grace he was gifted with, which he had earlier dismissed as a lack of style. However, there was a practiced precision in her movements that belied years of effort exerted to master such unfailing consistency.

Nevertheless, she wasn't a match for him. Xia Rou was clearly overwhelmed with fatigue, but Yelü Xie persisted in order to test her limits. She never erred, but matched his strikes slower and slower each time, until he finally seized advantage of the gap between their movements to thrust the tip of his weapon at the base of her neck. Her bamboo rod had just barely left its last position and was nowhere close enough to defend herself in time.

The wolfish grin she found so irritating emerged on his face again. "Game over. You held your own impressively, but I am the victor. Shall we evaluate your perception next?"

Without giving her time to formulate a reply, he discarded his rod on the ground by the lantern and was already strolling over to inspect the fifty by fifty block formation of practice dummies some distance away. Constructed from bundles of straw and bound to wooden crosses, the dummies represented human enemies for soldiers to practice simple stances on.

However, Xia Rou was fairly certain that Yelü Xie had entirely something else in mind for her. They ventured deeper and deeper into the formation until they were surrounded on all sides by dummies, all of which were far taller than her and even slightly taller than him.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" he asked her suddenly, surveying the vast army of dummies.

"No," she shot back, not looking at him. "How old do you think I am?"

She was answered by a chuckle. She turned to glare at him, but he had already disappeared from her sight. Suddenly the dummies that had once seemed like toys from a distance were now formidable, immovable soldiers to a lone girl in the pitch darkness.

Oh crap, she thought, looking helplessly at the full moon. That tiny ball of weak, pale light is only the size of my thumbnail from here. I can't see a thing.

Xia Rou waved her hand in front of her face several times. Her eyes might as well have been completely shut, for she could not detect any difference in her vision.

"Your goal is to find and subdue me," Yelü Xie instructed in a muffled voice that reached her as barely a whisper. A strong wind swept over the camp and obscured the direction his voice had come from.

Sighing, she set out to find him, a task that would be difficult enough if he was rooted to one spot, but practically impossible if he was likewise on the move. Subduing him unarmed seemed an even more improbable task to be successfully accomplished.

He was as quiet as death, while she was as slow as a snail in search for him. Deep down she knew there was nothing at all to fear, but even the gusts of wind that ruffled her hair unsettled her. She swallowed her apprehension and waded through the army of fake soldiers. Her night vision had never been particularly keen, but as she squinted and her pupils dilated to their limits, she was able to discern the outlines of the dummies and eventually their entire silhouettes.

After a few minutes of fruitless wandering Xia Rou fancied she heard a faint rustle. Gingerly she approached the source of the noise, uncertain of her footing but still moving as fast as she could. Briefly she caught sight of his shadowed backside before he vanished behind a dummy.

Xia Rou was close enough to hear the soft pitter-patter of his rapid footsteps and followed in heated pursuit. But he moved erratically and deliberately under cover, causing her to stop and guess his whereabouts multiple times. At long last she saw his backside merely two strides from her, and she dove forward...only to crash into a stiff body that pricked her skin.

She heard a laugh and a fist came out of nowhere. She was no coward, but she had no time to react and her first instinct was to duck behind the dummy. But she should have known better, because half a second later, a high kick connected painfully with her elbow. Xia Rou refused to give him the satisfaction of showing her pain, however, and quickly assumed the offensive with her own open-handed attacks.

He continued to block and retaliate from the other side of the dummy. They exchanged about a dozen moves without a clear victor until Xia Rou's knife-hand aimed at his collar bone missed egregiously and instead landed on his chin. Taking advantage of her error, she quickly grabbed his nascent beard and pulled hard. He growled from the pain, but she wasn't about to let her only chance slip away. Using her grip on his beard as leverage, she pulled herself up and dealt him a solid kick square in the chest. Yelü Xie staggered but before he could regain his footing, she pounced and sent them both flying to the ground. Out of respect she rolled off his body immediately and sprawled out on her back in the hard soil beside him.

"Was my execution of finding and subduing you up to par, do you think?" she asked breathily, hardly able to contain a laugh.

Yelü Xie cleared his throat angrily. "Tugging at my beard was underhanded and unnecessarily painful," he complained. "What if I had pulled on your hair to gain an advantage?"

"Nothing is underhanded in one-on-one unarmed combat," she retorted. "Everything is fair game and in plain sight, so there are no tricks."

"Do you believe harassment is fair game, then?"

"Of course not!" Xia Rou protested.

"But pulling at my facial hair is harassment," he pointed out. He had easily backed her into a corner using his devious logic.

But Xia Rou had yet to concede defeat. "You should have shaved then, o great general," she argued. "Besides, you were the one who attacked me. I was merely using my wits to defend myself."

He fumed a little inside that she had gotten the last word. As if to torment him further, the heavens chose exactly that moment to cleave open and shed its torrential tears. What began as a light drizzle soon cascaded into a steady downpour.

Xia Rou sprung up as soon as the first raindrop hit her forehead. The dampened soil would soon turn into mud, and she couldn't afford to spoil her only set of work clothes even though she was sure to get soaked. "I need to head back," she told Yelü Xie over the incessant pounding of the rain.

They set out on the long trek to the tents which marked the perimeter of the camp. As they waded out of the army of straw-and-wood dummies, curiosity got ahold of Yelü Xie. "You never told me your name," he remarked.

"My name is Xia Rou. It's nothing special," she added.

"Rou'er." The name sounded delightful on his tongue. "But 'gentleness' is the last word to describe you. It doesn't fit your personality at all," he mocked.

"Then blame my parents for naming me poorly," she snapped, her temper further worsened by her soaked state. "It isn't as if they knew anything about what I was like after infancy."

An uneasy silence engulfed them but was shrouded by the rhythm of the rain. Yelü Xie was even more curious now, but he thought better of prying an explanation from someone so irritated and exhausted. When they had reached the outskirts of the camp, Xia Rou sent him an inquiring look that burned for a proper answer.

"I find merit in your fighting skills but ample room for improvement. I am willing to become your long-term master," he proclaimed, not as reluctantly as he had originally anticipated. "In return, you must lend me your eyes and ears when the occasion arises. I am still fiercely loyal to Great Liao and do not want your bastard king to damage the ambitions of Her Majesty."

Xia Rou nodded. She supposed it was the sting of military failure that prompted him to rekindle stronger than ever his unswerving loyalty to his motherland. If only she was in a position to harbor that same sort of spirit...

Her thoughts were interrupted as he continued. "In the next few months I will be too busy establishing my business to meet with you. However, I will dispatch a messenger to you if necessary. You need not worry about me keeping my word," he assured her as an afterthought. "I will not go back on it." Even as he finished speaking, his drenched figure was already receding in the hazy darkness.

"Wait!" she shouted after him. "If you've agreed to be my master, don't you need me to kowtow to you?"

"Perhaps I am every bit as calculating as your former teacher," Yelü Xie teased without glancing back. His laughter rippled into the night.

Notes:

呸 pēi - "pah!"; to spit in contempt

阎王 yán wáng - king of hell

狼酒馆 láng jiǔ guǎn - Wolf's Tavern

小二 xiǎo'èr - waiter

请 qǐng - to ask, invite; to treat (to a meal, etc.)

红烧肉 hóng shāo ròu - "red cooked meat"; simmer fried pork

事半功倍 shì bàn gōng bèi - half the work, twice the effect (idiom); the right approach saves effort and leads to better results

喂 wèi - hello, hey

太后 tài hòu - Empress Dowager

高手 gāo shǒu - "high hand"; an expert

天呀 tiān ya - "heavens!"; "my goodness!"