Wu Rong learned of the intruders' presence and rushed to the throne room to ponder her next move. She wore a simple green dress; it was not attire suited to the formal court sessions ordinarily held in these halls.

Because of the formation in place, she assumed that they would have plenty of time. She didn't expect that they would be making their way inside less than an hour later.

Wu Rong stood beside her throne, one hand resting upon its back as though she was of half a mind to hide behind it.

But nevertheless her eyes did not show any fear.

Standing between her and the golden-eyed intruder was Cao Lai, his hefty halberd in his hands. Wu Rong's bodyguard was tall, though still not quite as tall as the woman before them. The young man behind her was none other than Bai Guo.

What set of circumstances could have brought about this scenario, of the master brought back to life and reunited with the disciple, Wu Rong couldn't even begin to imagine. Naturally, her mind first leaped to treachery on the part of the disciple. But intuition did not allow her thoughts to simply settle there.

The golden-haired woman made a few steps towards them and stopped.

"I give you my word - for as long as I remain here, I will set the enmity between us aside. I won't harm you or anyone else."

Her proclamation echoed throughout the hall.

"Why did you come here?" Wu Rong asked.

"I'd like to answer every single one of your questions at length. And I'd like you to hear me out, too. I would like to make you a proposition."

A tense silence descended.

"...Very well." Wu Rong decided. She waved her hand, calling a servant. "Bring two tables over. Cao Lai, stand down."

It had taken the warrior a long time to heed the order. But just when Wu Rong was about to call out to him again, the man relented in his stance, taking a reluctant step aside.

The two women sat down face to face, or at least as much as their different statures would allow. Even seated, the woman in white towered over Wu Rong's diminutive figure. Though they remained far apart, she couldn't feel safe. Wu Rong felt that, at any moment, she would reach out and seize her with those endlessly long arms of hers.

Cao Lai sat down behind her, his halberd ever in his hands. The young disciple knelt at the end of the hall, far behind his master.

They were served tea.

Neither woman touched her cup.

Wu Rong stared unflinchingly into her golden eyes.

"What happened to Mao Zixin?"

The Golden Witch smiled slightly.

"Regrettably, he had to die."

Though Wu Rong expected as much, the words still unsettled her. She briefly withdrew into her own thoughts.

The Golden Witch broke the lull in their conversation.

"My disciple is unwilling, so I offer you the role of an advisor in the new dynasty that I shall bring about."

Her declaration deepened the silence ravaging the hall.

The Golden Witch chuckled. "Sorry, perhaps that wasn't appropriate? I'm not versed in courtly etiquette. It's just that you knew what I was after all along, so I skipped the preamble."

"Indeed..." Wu Rong forced herself to speak. Her tone was steady, measured, betrayed little emotion. "I've been well aware of your intentions. It's just that after what had transpired between us, I imagined you would be after my head in a completely different sense of the word."

She chuckled again. "Oh, don't misunderstand me. After what you put me through, my hatred for you runs deep. For pitting my own disciple against me."

Cold sweat beaded on the back of Wu Rong's neck. Her expression remained firm.

The Golden Witch sighed. "...But I must do what must be done. You're not the only one who's made attempts on my life. I can't get hung up on petty grievances. You see, I've learned much on this journey. And one of the things I've learned is that I can't do it alone. There are certain aspects in which I am lacking. There was one man in particular who went out of his way to instruct me on the merits of virtue, which I've been repeatedly told that I am lacking. Though he died, I eventually came to see the sense in his words. Perhaps I should have prevented his death... But then again, our differences would probably remain irreconcilable. He did not seem like the type to compromise."

"...You're talking about elder Ma, aren't you? Indeed, there was nothing you could have offered him."

"He refused to share his name. But as I recall, your name did come up at that time. How many others have you sent after me?"

"I did not send elder Ma after you. He was not my subordinate. All I did was make him aware of you. He took action on his own. I would not have done that if I knew what it would have led to."

The Golden Witch snickered. "You don't need to make excuses. I already said there's no grudge."

"That's not why I said that." There was a glint of sternness in Wu Rong's eye. "In our times, righteous men are in short supply. The whole world reels from his loss, even if most people do not realize. If it were up to me, I would have never let him risk his life that way."

"Actually, perhaps you should be grateful to him. I'm here, aren't I? And yet, somehow, you remain here, too. Still." There was a note of displeasure in her tone. "I'd say he played no small role in that."

Wu Rong gave her no reply.

"Tell me about him."

"He was the last member of the Beggar's Sect." Wu Rong said. "Or so he claimed."

"Which part of that do you find doubtful?" The Golden Witch asked.

"I'm willing to believe that the Beggar's Sect does exist, in some shape or form. What I doubt is the idea that he was its sole member. Elder Ma possessed an uncanny ability to help himself to some incredibly niche information. He must have had his own network. Though at the same time, despite his many friends, from what I know, he has no successor to his martial arts. And with his demise, his style of martial arts may have been lost for good."

"I'm surprised. When I first asked about the Beggar's Sect, people believed it to be a fairy tale. They found it exceedingly unlikely that anyone skilled in martial arts would willingly resort to begging on the streets. How come you don't think the same way?"

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"Is it really so peculiar?" Wu Rong asked. "I have always rationalized elder Ma's lifestyle as a way for him to rid himself of material attachments. It's not that different from being a monk, is it? I suppose he just failed to find any solace in religion and sought to purify himself on his own terms. Maybe because even monastic orders cannot claim to be detached from worldly affairs anymore. Violence has well and truly seized every facet of our lives." Wu Rong then shook her head. "...But why am I telling you? You're well aware. You must be loving it."

The Witch's smile widened, as if indeed she saw the humor in it.

"On the contrary, it's very promising, seeing you so outraged about it." She said. "I've heard you take good care of your people. You are virtuous. You are wise. Even my disciple sings your praises. Which takes us back to my proposal. What do you say?"

Wu Rong drew a deep breath, steeling herself. "Since it's come down to this, I won't beat around the bush either. What exactly is your goal here?"

"I am merely fulfilling my father's will."

"Your father?"

"Huang Chao."

"...The rebel? That Huang Chao? He's your father? By blood?" Wu Rong found herself stunned yet again. Because the Golden Witch did not refute her, she assumed that her guess was correct. "But that would make you close to two hundred years old, wouldn't it...? Well, I suppose nothing is impossible in this era. Maybe the truly stupendous thing here would be that you've managed to conceal yourself for so long. I did not expect you to possess such temperance."

"That isn't so." The golden haired woman replied. "Actually, my father made quite a point of tracking time ever since I had been born. You see, we were not living in a place where keeping track of time was a trivial affair. I often wondered why he even bothered. Well, regardless, the time he had counted added up to a little over ten years. We spent every moment of that time together. The two of us, and no one else. He taught me the ways of the world without ever letting me see it. And then he died."

She continued to reminisce. "When I finally got to leave the place of my birth, I was completely overwhelmed. Nothing could have prepared me for the outside world. I spent months wandering without aim, just taking it all in. I saw people, of course. I was terrified of them. I could tell that they were all weaklings, but still, I was so scared! I wouldn't even let anyone see me." Her vibrant laugh resonated across the room.

"I don't know how long I had spent like that. I trode through the snows until they melted, watched as the dead trees came to life. But even I began to grow bored of the sights, tired of my isolation. And then... I witnessed an incident involving the Wuyi Sect. I found my courage then. I revealed myself. And from then on, my journey began in earnest. For about a year since then, I traveled together with Bai Guo. My disciple."

Wu Rong was incredulous. "So you're trying to say that you're, what, twelve years old? What a unique attempt at humor. Huang Chao died two centuries ago. If what you say is true, then your father deceived you. He was not who he claimed to be."

"If only you had seen him back then, you'd understand." Huang Chao's daughter sighed. "His cultivation was impressive for the times, but even that could barely preserve his body. Perhaps you've heard that something strange happens when a martial artist reaches the age of a hundred. Old age begins to set in rapidly no matter how powerful your internal forces. Perhaps it's heaven, meting out punishment for going against the natural order. Who knows?"

The Witch pondered for a few moments. "Well, in any case, as it turns out, the tribulation can be overcome with willpower alone. But while the mind might endure for a time, the body cannot. As a child, I thought little of my father's condition. I had no one else to compare him to. I thought it was normal. Now I know, though... Even as he lived, he was rotting from the inside. It must have been hell, living the way my father did. But his hatred for your dynasty drove him to keep going."

"...Still you insist on this? Then let me be blunt. You look nothing like a twelve year old child."

"I look nothing like any of you!"

She suddenly raised her voice. The abruptness with which she vented her frustrations, the harshness in her tone, had them all briefly shaken.

Though her heart was pounding like a drum, Wu Rong continued.

"...And nothing like Huang Chao."

"And yet still I am his daughter."

Wu Rong peeked at the young disciple past the corner of her eye. The young man was pale. This all appeared to be a revelation to him, too. But unlike her, he was not struggling with disbelief. Rather, he seemed to be believing in earnest, and what washed over him was sheer shock.

To think that at her age, she already looked the way she did. That she could already achieve all those things.

If it was true, could the person before them even truly be considered a human being?

It all seemed so ludicrous, but what part of any of this was normal?

Wu Rong hid her shaking hands in her sleeves. "...If it's vengeance you're after, then I'm afraid you won't find much satisfaction. The Tang dynasty is a shadow of its former self. I'm just a consort. There was no one else left to take charge."

"I can see that." With the silence broken, the Golden Witch was once again all smiles. "But it is my belief that father yearned for his place in history even more than he yearned for your demise. Really, I think you can consider yourself quite lucky. Since the Tang has been reduced to such a state, the return of the Qi dynasty does not require your deaths. But nevertheless, I applaud you. Just look at what you've built out here despite all your misfortune! It was not for nothing, I assure you. I shall be making this city the seat of my power. Just like it was back in the days of our fathers! ...Well, perhaps it would be a more distant ancestor for you."

"What is your name?"

Wu Rong's voice snapped her out of her eccentric reverie.

Those golden eyes locked with hers.

Huang Chao's daughter reminisced of days long gone.

...

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