"The Sword Sage."

The Golden Witch finally grew conscious of her lingering gaze and forced herself to speak.

Bai Guo began to explain, "They say this man's skill with the sword is unrivaled. He lives on Mount Hua."

"Take me there." His master said. She required no convincing, asked nothing in the way of questions. Her mind had already been made up.

Bai Guo bowed in affirmation, slowed by the aching wound in his shoulder.

In that moment, a harsh wind picked up. Suddenly, the golden eyes clouded over with stark displeasure. Her glance flickered upwards. When Bai Guo followed the direction of her glare, he found Tao Geming standing on the branch of a tree, his arms crossed. The young disciple welcomed him with unconcealed hostility.

"Why is he here, master?" Bai Guo asked.

"Hounding me is his favorite pastime." She bitterly explained. "He knows he's not welcome, so he sneaks around just beyond my senses like a little rat. But his hearing stretches beyond my perception of qi - as does mine - so of course he's been eavesdropping on us."

"Now isn't this something." Tao Geming spoke past their cold reception. "Mount Hua, you said? I know all that goes on in the jianghu, yet I've never heard of this so-called Sword Sage."

"Then maybe you don't know as much as you like to think." Bai Guo remarked.

"If there was someone who dared to call my mountain his home, I'd know." Tao Geming said. "Just where did you hear this rumor, kid?"

"Some people in Chang'an spoke of him."

"What people? Be specific." Tao Geming demanded. "Where and when did you find out about this? From whom?"

Bai Guo suddenly hesitated. Instead he asked, "Why does any of that matter to you? This doesn't concern you!"

"You don't have to answer." The Golden Witch suddenly intervened, stepping forward to shield her disciple with her long sleeve. "Like a flower without water, this guy wilts without my constant attention. He doesn't really care; he's just stalling. He takes every excuse to remain in my presence. For every question you answer, he'll just come up with three more."

Tao Geming's eyebrow twitched. He paused for a lengthy moment to muster up his composure, and replied, "With all the time we had spent together, if this man was anyone, I would have taken you to him already. This kid is wasting your time on a worthless rumor."

"How I choose to spend my time is none of your business." She made a dismissive wave. "Go back to scurrying out of my sight, like you always do. Do not disturb us again."

Tao Geming's scowl deepened. "How you choose to waste your time is indeed not my problem; however, since this so-called Sword Sage dares to nest atop my mountain, this affair does in fact concern me, and I have no choice but to intervene."

Bai Guo asked, "You keep calling it your mountain, but in what way is it yours?"

"It was once the home of my sect." Tao Geming curtly explained.

"Was? But not anymore?"

"Of course not." Tao Geming remarked. "The sect dissolved long ago."

"So the sect doesn't even exist anymore!" Bai Guo exclaimed, exasperated. "This really is just a pretense for you to keep harassing my master!"

"Stupid kid." Tao Geming spat. "You're mistaking my kindness for enmity. I am graciously offering to personally lead your master to the prestigious site of this king's old sect."

"You're still here? Go away." The Golden Witch glared at him.

Tao Geming scoffed. "Then let me rephrase my offer in a way you two knuckleheads might understand. Here are your options: either you let me take you to Mount Hua, or I'll be headed there alone. And in that case, I'll be sampling this Sword Sage myself. But by the time you get there, there might not be anything left for you."

"Or perhaps I could simply leave you in no state to take anyone anywhere." The Golden Witch suggested. "Nor to sample food that hasn't been chewed for you in advance."

"Then I shall turn our journey into a contest of speed." Tao Geming declared. "Well? Think you can beat me in a race to my old home? You two idiots could barely find your way to Song Quan! And you think you'd fare better with half the brainpower? Keep dreaming, Fox!"

The Golden Witch gritted her teeth.

Bai Guo called out, "Contest of speed? What a fancy turn of phrase. But really you mean you'll just run away from my master! What would the people say if they heard that the infamous Tao Geming was just a common craven?"

Tao Geming snorted. "This king's reputation is ironclad! Nobody would believe the word of some inept brat."

"I am a nobody in the jianghu, so maybe you're right. But what if the word came from my master?" Bai Guo asked. "I heard she's earned herself quite the reputation recently. In no small part thanks to you. If your own associate says those words, would they be more believable? What do you think?"

His words gave Tao Geming pause. The Witch's frustration waned. It was the man above them who was now clenching his jaws in rage.

"What in the world do you think you're doing, kid?" Tao Geming hissed. "You're young and stupid, so maybe you don't realize just how much face I've been giving your master here. And you, Fox, stop looking so damn pleased. Don't you realize that he's turned the situation unfavorable for us both? I made it so damn easy for you to accept my help, but now you and I will both look stupid if we do anything but plunge into a fight to the death. Are you happy now?"

Tao Geming dropped from the branch, his posture tensing. It appeared that he really was preparing for a battle. But his eyes suddenly widened with realization. "Or maybe you do understand the situation here. Maybe you are happy with how this turned out!"

Bai Guo shook his head, his tone desperately oblivious. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

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"Getting me away from your master has always been at the forefront of your mind, everyone knows that. But I didn't imagine that you'd even risk her own life just to get your way!"

As Tao Geming stepped forward, Bai Guo balked, subconsciously stepping back. Even standing right beside his golden haired master, he still couldn't feel safe.

"You think I'm stupid?" Tao Geming bellowed. "Just where do you find the gall to act like this, you ungrateful brat? Have you forgotten your debts to me?! It's only thanks to my charity that you get to walk around to this day, wagging your tongue like always! Had it not been for me, you would have not only died like a dog, but took your master with you too! And you know that she owes me too! And now, this is how you repay the two of us?!"

"I don't..." Bai Guo mumbled, sweat running down his brow. He then mustered up the rest of his voice. "Master, don't listen to him! That was not my intention at all, I have no idea what he's talking about! Tao Geming, you're the one pushing for a fight here!"

"Enough of this." The Golden Witch once again intervened, rolling her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Geming. You're just picking faults. I may hate your guts, but I wouldn't reduce myself to gossiping about you with strangers."

Her voice seemed to briefly cool the men's tempers.

"The way you keep forcing your services on me, Geming," she said, "In this conceited yet bashful manner, why, it's almost charming. But it is not welcome." Her golden eyes grew cold. "I owe you one, and that's the only reason I continue to tolerate your antics. Perhaps you think you're clever for pulling these tricks, but really, you should be praying you never find yourself in a situation where my debts to you have been cleared. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Tao Geming crossed his arms and glanced away, answering her question with stern silence.

"You can have it your way. But I shall be making one thing clear well in advance," she continued, "Whatever grudges you may discover you hold against this Sword Sage, or whatever word he deigns to levy against you in provocation - he's mine. I don't care for any history you two may share. Don't bring it up to me. If you try again to steal my prey from me, there will be no reconciliation between us, then or in the future."

"Fine." Tao Geming dismissively replied.

"Swear it." The Golden Witch insisted. "Give me your word that you will not interfere."

After hesitating for just a moment, Tao Geming acquiesced. "You have my word."

Tension slowly drained from the scene.

Tao Geming soon spoke up again, "Do you really intend to drag this kid along with us? We'd be to the mountain and back in a flash if we didn't need to drag him around."

"I won't even entertain the question." The Golden Witch scoffed. "And I'm quite pleased to have someone who dislikes you at least as much as I do."

"As if those other two harpies ever had any love for me." Tao Geming snorted.

"But they weren't outspoken about it quite like my first disciple."

"He's only so brave because you're beside him. Look at him now, shaking in his boots."

"Oh well that's not quite how I'd heard it." The Golden Witch chuckled. "I was nowhere to be seen when he had his sternest words with you. Isn't that right?"

Her words seemed to knock the young disciple out of his brief stupor. Though to the two martial arts masters, the tensions between them seemed to like a spark, on Bai Guo the exchange took a much heavier toll. The pale youngster stared, wide-eyed, at the Golden Witch, and shook his head.

"Master, I already said..." He stammered, "I won't travel with him."

"Since when do you get a say, pipsqueak?" Tao Geming instantly barked out.

"He doesn't need to travel with us." The Golden Witch spoke gently, as though trying to soothe her disciple. Then she glared at the other one. "With the same skills he had used to sneak up on us, he can guide us towards our destination while being neither seen nor heard. Since Tao Geming is so eager to please, that's a concession he should be willing to make, isn't that right?"

Tao Geming's eyes bore into the young disciple. His hateful glare persisted upon him for a long time; he appeared to be in deep thought. But then he finally spat, "Have it your way."

And the next moment he was gone.

The Golden Witch and Bai Guo stared at each other, eager to speak, yet held their tongues. They had no desire to be eavesdropped upon again.

"Let's go." The Golden Witch finally said.

Tao Geming's presence lingering at the edges of her supernatural sense, she followed along, and Bai Guo followed her lead.

The Golden Witch chuckled. "Every now and then, he perches upon a tree to check if we're still following."

Bai Guo hadn't shared in her amusement. He remained tense and sullen.

She got close and continued in a whisper, "Even he won't hear us if you keep your voice down."

Bai Guo kept his silence for a time. "Why do you let him treat you like this, master?"

His hushed, bitter tone caught her aback.

"He's annoying, but he is helpful." She replied. "It's not that much of an inconvenience for me to endure his posturing."

"But he's not just posturing." Bai Guo clenched his fists. "This is who he really is. He's a world-renowned villain, a remorseless, cruel killer. He has no ties to anyone; he just kills and he kills. You must realize that his reasons for helping you can't be anything good. Master, could it be that... even you can't..."

Of what he was about to say but suddenly couldn't, the Golden Witch had had an inkling, and her voice spiked with annoyance as she spurred him to go on. "I can't what?"

"...If the two of you fought, who would win?"

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