In the afternoon, just in time for lunch, the girls returned home. The heavy gates creaked as they yielded to the stubborn effort of four small hands, then slammed shut indignantly, as if offended that such tiny creatures had managed to open and close them. Standing on her toes, the elder sister fastened the latch.

  “We brought the purchases from Master Wang,” Xue announced in a ringing voice.

  “Take them to the room,” Hei Xun’s voice answered from deeper inside the house.

  Yun Hao was training in the courtyard, while the elderly master watched him, reading a worn book at the same time. Casting an involuntary glance at the two girls, he noticed the sadness in the eyes of the younger one, normally such a lively child.

  “Mingzhu, why are you so downcast?” the old man asked as she passed him with her head lowered. “What happened?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine,” she replied.

  “There are many vagrants and refugees outside the city gates,” Xue answered in her sister’s place. “They’re starving, so she feels sad.”

  “I see. Mingzhu is a kind child. She sympathizes with people. That’s a good thing,” the elderly master nodded in understanding.

  “I know,” the girl sighed, then lifted her head and looked at him with large, clear eyes. “If I want to help just one person, is that wrong?”

  “No, not at all. Doing what is within your power is right. Small or great, kindness is still kindness. You can’t embrace the whole world with such tiny hands.”

  “Then… do I need to become stronger?” Mingzhu looked at her palms, then raised her gaze to the old man’s scarred arm, which seemed enormous by comparison.

  “Much stronger,” the old man smiled. “Change your clothes and come to training.”

  “All right,” the girls agreed.

  From the very first day they appeared at the estate, Xue and Mingzhu had trained diligently using their own method, and only recently had Ji Shen begun offering them careful guidance. It had started quite ordinarily, on the day after that terrible downpour. As usual, he had stepped into the courtyard and seen his disciple standing there with his mouth hanging open. Following the boy’s gaze, he had discovered the two sisters, soaked to the skin and performing astonishing sequences of movements he had never seen before.

  What struck him was not only the beauty and agility of their motions, but above all the perseverance wholly uncharacteristic of children their age. No one forced them to train, yet they pushed themselves to exhaustion, as if driven by a clear goal.

  “Good. Very good!” he had managed to say at the time, as though once again glimpsing the gleam of precious gems amid a heap of filth.

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  From his observations, the girls were using an extremely rare, high-level technique and already possessed a solid foundation, at least for body training, but lacked combat skills. To the old man’s great delight, they accepted his offer and wished to learn something new. Apparently, they did not view training as part of any monetary or debt-bound arrangement.

  Only a few days had passed. Instruction was limited to very simple basics, yet Ji Shen watched their progress with eager anticipation. He did not rush the girls, nor impose his own daily routine, merely guided them. Like working on a blank sheet of paper, the old man wished to paint an ideal picture using all his experience. The previous evening, he had prepared a decoction from inexpensive medicinal herbs and served it to Xue and Mingzhu as tea.

  Filled with more enthusiasm than the girls themselves, the elderly master carved wooden replicas of daggers for them and added weapon practice to their daily training. The girls never parted with their father’s gift, and he decided to make use of that attachment. His disciple gladly helped, acting as a sparring partner. Thanks to his experience and higher level, Yun Hao easily adjusted to the sisters’ pace, careful not to make the practice too difficult.

  Training gradually turned into a game, and a smile often appeared on Yun Hao’s face. Influenced by Xue and Mingzhu, he trained even harder, as if something unknown were chasing him at his heels and he refused to be caught. It seemed he had found another goal, one he kept silent about. At times, with the master’s tacit approval, Yun Hao would follow the sisters like a shadow, guarding them without letting them notice.

  “Where are you two stuck?” the boy called impatiently.

  “We’re ready,” Mingzhu said as she stepped into the courtyard, already changed. She didn’t quite understand why it was necessary to change clothes when one set was enough, but the new ones felt softer and more comfortable.

  After warming up and stretching, the girls began weapon training. They discovered that daggers were not only for cutting and stabbing, but could also strike with the pommel. Accurate blows to bones or ribs were painful enough to disarm or disable an opponent without carving them up like a pig.

  “To win, you don’t always need to spill blood,” the elderly master explained.

  “All right,” the girls said, clearly liking his words.

  “Like this. Now strike,” Ji Shen demonstrated. “First, we’ll learn attacks from above, below, and the side. I’ve fixed three planks here. Strike them until they break.”

  “It’s a shame, such good planks,” Mingzhu said, looking up at him. “You worked hard carving them…”

  “It’s fine. I’ll carve more.”

  For an hour or more, the sisters practiced swift, precise backhand strikes, all the while remembering proper footwork and posture. They put their entire small weight into every attack, trying at least to damage the wood, but it proved surprisingly sturdy.

  “Always remember, it’s better for you to avoid fighting,” Ji Shen instructed, raising a finger. “You’re strong, of course, but still… um… light,” he gently tapped Mingzhu on the forehead, and she toppled backward onto the ground.

  “Heh-heh,” rubbing her forehead, the girl stood up. “How did you do that, Grandpa? Teach me!”

  “I will,” the old man smiled, holding back laughter. “That’s enough weapons for today. Let’s move on to footwork. Masters never stand still. Dodging, closing distance, or breaking it, it’s all very important. And running away,” he added.

  “Heh-heh,” Mingzhu laughed. “We’re good at running.”

  “Excellent.”

  Learning new techniques did not come easily, it required time. The sisters were used to the knowledge from the scroll, already embedded in their minds, complete with ready answers and even borrowed experience, as if it were their own. Here, everything had to be learned in practice, step by step. Xue and Mingzhu did not complain, and they worked hard.

  Even after finishing training with Ji Shen, they continued practicing using the method from the scroll, and then meditated. Only when evening came and the first stars appeared in the sky did the girls return to the house.

  “You looked for your father again today?” Yun Hao asked, sitting on the steps and pretending to admire the stars.

  “Yes,” Xue replied. “We’ll go again tomorrow.”