BANDITS: LEGEND OF FEI (Book 2, Chapter 2)

Book 2: Tower of Regrets / Chapter 2 – Prince Duan

“During the mutiny in the old capital, the East Palace was surrounded, and set ablaze. They’d thought that no one survived. Only much later did they find out that an old eunuch had risked his life to smuggle the little prince out of the palace. So the Jian Yuan Emperor of the new Southern Dynasty welcomed the young prince in his palace, and gave him the title of ‘Prince Duan’. And as for what happened to the prince after that…well..”

Zhou Fei was certain now that every single time she was with Xie Yun, she would run into some kind of trouble or other. She prodded him hard with the hilt of her sabre, saying: “Are you jinxed?”

Xie Yun quickly leapt away: “I can see why you might think that – but you can’t blame me for all of it!”

An anxious buzz began to spread amongst the people in the inn, who had narrowly escaped death just moments ago and were loathe to repeat the experience. Having heard the pale-faced young man’s threats about the Azure Dragon, some of them even cried out in fear: “Could that really be the Azure Dragon Lord himself?”

The precise patter of footsteps outside started growing louder and louder. Zhou Fei hooked the handle of her sabre on the back of Xie Yun’s collar, pulling him away as she said: “Move aside.”

Ji Yunchen was a defenceless chef, while Hua Zhenglong was seriously injured. Looking around the inn, she saw that everyone else had expressions of despair on their face, and seemed to be resigned to their fates. None of them looked fit to fight. Sighing to herself, Zhou Fei picked up her sabre and stepped forward. 

In their hurry to leave just now, the Azure Dragon’s disciples had hastily shut the inn’s wooden doors. Zhou Fei kicked them open. Intending to at least look good while going down, she strode out with false bravado…but promptly stopped in her tracks.  

Xie Yun had been hot on her heels, but just one glance outside was enough for the Young Master Xie, who had remained defiantly mouthy even before someone as formidable as the Nine-Dragon Elder, to be struck dumb. The uniformed men and horses outside were lined up in orderly rows, and maintained a disciplined silence. They were certainly not from an unorthodox sect like the Mountain of the Living Dead. The middle-aged man leading the pack was sitting ramrod straight atop his horse. Zhou Fei did a double-take – she actually recognised him.

This man and his troops had escorted Zhou Yitang from the 48 Zhai all those years ago. He was the ‘Fei Qing General’ Wen Yu!

A man wearing a conical bamboo hat was standing just behind Wen Yu. He stepped forward now and lifted his hat slightly, shooting Zhou Fei and Xie Yun a smile. It was Mr Bai.

Zhou Fei felt a little bothered by this imposing parade of people, and turned to Xie Yun: “Didn’t you say that Mr Bai would send us a letter via the Wayfarers’ Union? Has everyone in the Union enlisted in the army now?”

Xie Yun lowered his voice as much as possible, speaking to Zhou Fei in a hurried whisper: “My dear, let’s stay in touch, we’ll meet again someday.”

Then he abruptly turned, and made as if to run away. But before he could do so, General Wen had already appeared before him. Wen Yu dismounted swiftly, he and his sturdy horse now blocking Xie Yun’s way. Then he used his next words to practically cast a spell on Xie Yun, rooting the young man to the spot.

Wen Yu said: “Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Highness, Prince Duan.”

Zhou Fei: “…”

Duan…Duan…what the hell was that?

She felt like the wool had been pulled over her eyes for the longest time, and now that it was suddenly ripped from her face, she was utterly blinded by the bright daylight. She jerked her head around to face Xie Yun, glaring at that Young Master Xie, who was looking at her innocently.

Wen Yu then turned towards Zhou Fei and smiled: “This must be Miss Zhou. You’ve grown up so much in just a few years. When I last saw you, you were still a little kid.”

Indeed, and he had sent this little kid’s scabbard flying from metres away.

Zhou Fei had yet to wipe that put-on look of arrogance off her face, and remained glued to the spot, which made her seem aloof and even enigmatic. She nodded stiffly at Wen Yu.

Xie Yun glanced over at Mr Bai.

Mr Bai was grinning from ear to ear, as he said: “At your command, I left with Miss Wu first to escort her to safety. But I was in great distress, knowing that Third Master’s safety hung in the balance. How could I possibly abandon you? And given my limited abilities, I could only bring Miss Wu to the nearest military outpost, where General Wen was, and ask for his help. When we neared this place, we heard that those troublemakers from the Mountain of the Living Dead had just passed through, which nearly scared me to death. We got here as fast as we could. It’s the greatest relief to see that you’re safe and sound.”

Pausing here, Mr Bai stole a glance at the murderous expression on Xie Yun’s face, and bowed gingerly, saying: “Third Master, it is said that ‘people of means should take extra care of themselves. The martial arts world is extremely dangerous. With you out here on your own, you’ll have us all fearing for your safety. Why don’t you come home?”

Xie Yun smiled ruefully: “I knew that Ming Chen had an ulterior motive for leaving Mr Bai with me.”

Mr Bai was as thick-skinned as an elephant, and simply nodded cheerfully at Xie Yun’s words. Then surveying the tightly shut doors of the surrounding shops and houses, he bowed deeply and said: “My deepest apologies to you, my good folks, for any inconvenience caused.”

All the people in the inn, who had been steeling themselves for a fight to the death, were stunned by this new development. Wen Yu proceeded to arrange for he and his closest lieutenants to stay at the inn itself, while ordering the rest of his men to camp out there for the night, with specific instructions not to disturb any of the local residents. After helping Wu Chuchu down from a sedan behind him, he stretched out a hand towards the inn and bowed deeply to Xie Yun, saying: “This way, Your Highness.”

The words ‘Your Highness’ seemed to have sealed Xie Yun’s mouth shut. While he had been yammering on just moments ago, he had suddenly transformed into a mute, and trudged up the stairs of the inn without a word.

Wen Yu turned to Zhou Fei and said: “Your mother sent a letter to Gentleman Zhou. When he heard that you were here, he asked me to bring it to you.”

He drew out a letter from within his robes and handed it to Zhou Fei, smiling: “Your father misses you dearly, and speaks of you often. A few years ago, I dislodged your scabbard at his orders – my deepest apologies. I hope you don’t hold it against me anymore?”

Zhou Fei had in fact held it against him for many years. But it wasn’t too polite to say that out loud, and so she merely nodded her head with a forced smile. Wen Yu beamed at her kindly. Then after going around the inn to courteously greet all the guests, he went up the stairs after Xie Yun. He probably had some business to discuss with him.

At the sight of Zhou Fei, Wu Chuchu looked like she had finally seen her nearest and dearest kin again. She stuck close to the girl’s side, refusing to go upstairs despite the crowd of uncouth men milling about the inn, and sighed happily: “I’m so glad that you’re alright.”

Zhou Fei looked down at the letter that Wen Yu had placed in her hands. It had already been opened. The letter was addressed to her father, and the handwriting on it was indeed Li Jinrong’s. She still hadn’t quite recovered from all that had just happened, and replied distractedly to Wu Chuchu: “What could’ve happened to me?”

She’d intended to follow that with ‘It was just a few Big Dipper dogs anyway’. But she felt that she shouldn’t appear so arrogant in front of all these people, and swallowed those words.

Zhou Fei stole a furtive glance upstairs, whispering to Wu Chuchu: “Who the hell is Prince Duan?”

Wu Chuchu began to explain: “I would never have guessed…when Mr Bai brought me to General Wen’s camp, I was frightened out of my wits at first. But then I realised that they were actually from the imperial court of the Southern Dynasty, and Xie…ahem, His Highness Prince Duan…is in fact the son of the late Crown Prince Yide, from the former Shao Dynasty. During the mutiny in the old capital, the East Palace was surrounded, and set ablaze. They’d thought that no one survived. Only much later did they find out that an old eunuch had risked his life to smuggle the little prince out of the palace. So the Jian Yuan Emperor of the new Southern Dynasty welcomed the young prince in his palace, and gave him the title of ‘Prince Duan’. And as for what happened to the prince after that…well..”

As for how he had become a trickster roaming the martial arts world, well, no one knew the details.

Wu Chuchu’s words tapered off. Seeing the dour look on Zhou Fei’s face, she added: “Prince Duan must have set aside a comfortable life of luxury in Jinling for a hard life out here because of some personal difficulties. It’s only natural that he would conceal his identity from us…Fei, are you angry?”

Zhou Fei was feeling a mix of emotions that were impossible to express in just a few words. She wasn’t angry exactly, but shocked beyond belief. Moments ago, she’d been anxiously plotting out how to protect everyone in the inn if the Azure Dragon Lord of the Mountain of the Living Dead really was here to seek revenge. And then the very next minute, she’d had a whole load of history concerning the former Shao dynasty thrust upon her all of a sudden. She looked blankly down at the sabre in her hands, which she had procured on the journey here: “Well, not exactly…”

It was just that she had nearly stabbed the only surviving orphan of the late Crown Prince. Several times.

Even after contemplating all this information for a while, she still found it extremely hard to digest. So she cast those thoughts aside, and focused on reading Li Jinrong’s letter to Zhou Yitang instead. There were painfully few trivialities in her mother’s letter, with barely a few words of greeting. Zhou Fei suspected that her parents must have been corresponding frequently, since their letters were so brief and to the point.

When she had penned this letter, Mistress Li hadn’t known that Wu Chuchu was the lone surviving member of the Wu family. She told Zhou Yitang that as the 48 Zhai was an unrefined and uncultured martial arts sect located in the middle of nowhere, she’d realised that staying there might not be ideal for Madam Wu and her gently-bred children. So she had written to Old Madam Wang to tell her that if she did indeed manage to find the Wu family, she should escort them southwards to General Wen Yu’s camp. She requested that Zhou Yitang help look after them instead.

Li Jinrong went on to say that some of the things which Zhou Yitang had used on a daily basis were still in the 48 Zhai. As she thought that he might need these even though they weren’t worth much, she’d asked Old Madam Wang to send these over to him as well. Then she added that Zhou Fei and Li Sheng were also with Old Madam Wang, and this trip from home had probably made the two children even more wild and reckless than they already were. She urged Zhou Yitang to be strict with them, and not indulge them like he used to.

Zhou Fei finished reading the sparse sentences at a glance. Her brow slowly furrowed.

Wu Chuchu asked: “What is it?”

“It’s nothing.” Zhou Fei said. “My mother’s asked me to send you south instead.”

“Ah!” Wu Chuchu said, her eyes wide, and sounding somewhat confused.

Looking at her, Zhou Fei conceded that Li Jinrong’s instructions did kind of make sense – a noble young lady should indeed stay in a mansion, ride in horse-drawn carriages, and be waited on hand and foot by a retinue of servants. The 48 Zhai was full of guys who passed their time sparring and brawling. They certainly wouldn’t be able to take proper care of such a delicate and noble flower.

But what puzzled her was why Mistress Li was only conveying all this now. Why hadn’t she told them to go south before they set off from the 48 Zhai? And as for sending Zhou Yitang’s things to him…how long had it been since he’d left home? Why was she only sending him his personal effects now? While Li Jinrong certainly wasn’t the model of wifely devotion, she wouldn’t be so careless as to overlook this, right?

She swung her sabre in the air several times, deep in thought. Then she decided: No, I’ve got to go back home. I need to see for myself what’s going on.

Having made up her mind, Zhou Fei continued listening to Wu Chuchu’s tales of all that had transpired on her journey here.

Wen Yu’s soldiers had put the inn back in order in record time. The inn appeared to have completely regained its erstwhile tranquility – albeit without its original guests, who had all departed.

Xie Yun hadn’t made an appearance again since going upstairs. Wen Yu’s soldiers, who were swarming the entire second floor, said that they didn’t need anyone to serve them. The inn had also been emptied of its other guests, so everyone that was left retired to the inner hall. Hua Zhenglong was looking a little better. Performing his chefly duties, Ji Yunchen had cooked some food for the rest of them, who were all preoccupied with their own troubled thoughts. Setting the food on the table, he proceeded to brew a pot of tea, and wiped his hands on his apron before sitting at the table. Turning to the pale-faced young man, he said: “Pei, why don’t you have something to eat. I’ll get Brother Hua to unseal the pressure points in your hands.” 

Hua Zhenglong used his single remaining thumb to press down on the young man’s pressure points, unsealing them.

The pale-faced young man sneered: “I suppose you’ve already prepared the rat poison in my bowl?”

Without a word, Ji Yunchen picked up the young man’s bowl, took a bite of the food inside, then silently placed it back in front of him.

The pale-faced young man sniffed at him, but proceeded to stuff his face.

Zhou Fei took another look at him, thinking to herself: This morning, this fellow would rather risk having his tongue cut off than do as I say. Why is he being so obedient now, just because he’s been offered food? Was he going mad with hunger, or does he have something sinister up his sleeve?

But then she gave a weary sigh, as she realised that since leaving the 48 Zhai she had become increasingly cautious and calculative. She’d started second-guessing everything, brooding over even the smallest of details. She didn’t know if this was because she had become particularly sharp, or just particularly anxious.

The sun still rose in the east and set in the west, whether the day was filled with fighting and bloodshed, or passed by peacefully. By the time dusk descended, Zhou Fei had already sent Wu Chuchu off to bed, and returned to her own room. Pacing back and forth, she took out Li Jinrong’s letter to read it again. She thought to herself: My mother asked Old Madam Wang to place the Wu family in General Wen’s care – since General Wen is here, I can consider this mission accomplished.
Having reached this conclusion, she felt much more at ease about leaving now. She quickly scribbled a letter and tucked it under a teacup, so that it wouldn’t seem like she was leaving without a word. Then she packed her things, picked up her sabre, and slipped out soundlessly.

But she’d barely taken a peek outside before skulking back to her room – Wen Yu was wide awake in the middle of the night, sitting by the window that she herself used to sit at, and watching the street before him like a hawk as he drank from the flask of alcohol in front of him. The inn was brightly lit up, with a good number of soldiers patrolling both floors. She pushed open her window to look outside. The usually quiet main street was unusually lively tonight, with many soldiers patrolling the street, lamps in hand. The small inn was closely guarded on all sides, making it nearly impossible to escape.

Propping her chin on her hands, Zhou Fei stared out into the night. She figured that there was no need for her to be too concerned about the tight security – General Wen’s target was surely that ill-behaved Prince up there who had been so hard to get a hold of. If she wished to leave, he might not prevent her from doing so. There was really no need for her to sneak around like this. All she had to do was walk out the door.

“And if he pokes his nose where it doesn’t belong, and prevents even me from leaving…” Recollecting how Wen Yu had dislodged her scabbard with just one blow, Zhou Fei conceded that he had indeed been more powerful than her back then, but now…

Zhou Fei swung her sabre round in a circle, thinking to herself: I could give it a shot.

Just when she had decided to rest for the night and publicly bid everyone farewell the next day, someone pushed open a crack in the window next door.

The inn’s wooden windows were old and rickety. This movement produced a soft but audible creak. Zhou Fei looked over at the sound, but after waiting for a good long while, there was still no further movement. Deciding that it must have been the wind, she was just about to move away from her window when a small object came hurtling towards her through that small crack.

Zhou Fei’s first instinct was to duck. But when she looked closely at the object, she realised that it wasn’t a weapon, but a piece of paper folded in the shape of a water caltrop.[1] She knew that Xie Yun was staying next door, and unsure of what mischief he was up to now, unfolded the paper with suspicion. The words ‘Save Me’ had been written again and again in the various styles of Chinese calligraphy – regular, cursive and clerical.[2] She could almost hear his cries for help radiating from the paper.

Zhou Fei had been a little stunned by Xie Yun’s true identity in the day. But at night, when all was quiet, she finally had a chance to think it over.

The title of ‘Prince Duan’ sounded prestigious enough, alright. Yet this fellow had changed his name to ‘Xie Yun’, roamed around engaging in all kinds of trickery, and even refused to return home. What’s more, his family seemed to want him home only for his own good. Xie Yun’s meagre martial arts skills were self-professed to be merely ‘good enough’. Allowing someone of his pedigree to recklessly wander this dangerous world alone for so long was enough to make his revered ancestors turn in their graves. Zhou Fei immediately grouped Xie Yun and Li Sheng together in the same category of fools.

Zhou Fei scoffed, whispering: “I wish I could help, but I can’t. Get lost.”

She lifted a hand to shut the window, but before she could close it fully, her neighbour made a last-ditch attempt to move her. The mewling of a cat drifted over through that crack in his window, tremulous and pitiful, and sounding close enough to the real thing.

Zhou Fei: “…”

This man was shameless!

Zhou Fei looked about her, and seeing that the numbers of soldiers patrolling at this hour had thinned considerably, whispered to the person next door: “What are you…Your Highness Prince Duan, what on earth are you up to?”

Xie Yun meowed again, then pushed open his window a crack further. Stretching out both of his hands, he shook them at Zhou Fei in a begging gesture.

Zhou Fei rolled her eyes, and decisively slammed her window shut.

But just then, she heard the sound of a gong coming from the other end of the main street. That sonorous clang resounded down the street and far into the distance, echoing around the mountains, and was loud enough to make one’s heart skip a beat. Zhou Fei quickly pushed open her window again, and looked out. Besides Wen Yu’s soldiers, eight more people had now appeared on the fog-shrouded street. They were just a few shadows in the distance at first, but in the blink of an eye, they had already moved halfway up the street. And when she blinked again, they had reached the door of the inn, phantomlike. These men were completely covered up from head to toe. From above, they were a sea of white, with everything from their hats to their robes in that colour.

The person in front held a large copper gong in his hand. Without a single glance at the soldiers surrounding him, he struck the gong hard. Then he struck it two more times.

Zhou Fei felt like her ears were about to explode, and even a little dizzy.

The fellow next door whispered: “Could that be the Gong of Three Shifts?”

Zhou Fei looked over at him. Xie Yun was leaning against the window next door, fully dressed.

Xie Yun stretched out his hand towards her and shook it: “I suppose we’re properly acquainted now.”

Zhou Fei hesitated, unsure of what she should call him, but then decided to just do away with the troublesome honorifics. She asked bluntly: “What’s the Gong of Three Shifts?”

“It’s…” Xie Yun paused. He glanced at Zhou Fei and drawled: “…something I’m not gonna tell you.”

Zhou Fei took several deep breaths. Her blade was itching to jab someone again.

Just then, two of Wen Yu’s lieutenants ran out of the inn. They bowed courteously to the group of white-clad men, and said: “My General asks after the Azure Dragon Lord. What esteemed business is he here for, in the middle of the night?”

In response, these ghoulish phantoms of the night parted into two rows along the street, revealing the person at the rear. That man was tall and broad-shouldered, and towered almost a full head above everyone else. He stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the Three Springs Inn. Then he leaned his head forward slightly, prompting one of his men to approach him, knees slightly bent in deference. 

The Azure Dragon Lord lifted the man’s chin, and whispered something into his ear.

Zhou Fei thought to herself: Why doesn’t he just say what he wants to out loud?
But then realisation swiftly dawned on her – Wen Yu had sent one of his lowly lieutenants to speak to the Azure Dragon Lord, but the latter could not appear to be of the same level as them. He had therefore delegated one of his men to reply as well.

The white-clad man took two steps forward, then said: “My lord says that this region belongs to neither North nor South. Which General is staying here for the night?”

The lieutenants brandished the identification badges in their hands.

The white-clad man continued: “So it’s the Fei Qing General. Apologies for disturbing the General’s rest at this late hour. But my lord has lost a small dog of his. It’s a very intelligent dog, and in fact one of his most favoured pets. This dog ran away in mischief, and we’ve heard that it has since been held hostage in this inn. So we’ve no choice but to come here and take a look. We hope the General understands.”

The white-clad man paused here with his ear cocked, and looked like he was listening intently to something. The Azure Dragon Lord was probably able to transmit his speech to this man somehow. After a while, the man spoke again: “Also, some of my lord’s men who managed to escape told him that murderous ruffians reside in this inn. Without reason, they seized my lord’s dog, killed a loyal servant of the Azure Dragon, and trampled on the Azure Dragon’s flag. We simply want an explanation for all of this. The Fei Qing General is a reasonable man. We’re sure he wouldn’t mind.”

Two of the ‘murderous ruffians’ in question, Zhou Fei and Xie Yun, exchanged a look.

Wen Yu now appeared, walking slowly down the wooden stairs. He smiled at the Azure Dragon Lord: “I’d agree that I’m a reasonable person. But as an esteemed guest currently resides in the Three Springs Inn, it truly isn’t convenient for you to be here right now. As we’ll be gone tomorrow morning, why doesn’t the Azure Dragon Lord wait just one night more. You can take all the revenge you want tomorrow, and we will not intervene at all.”

The Azure Dragon Lord finally deigned to speak himself. He chuckled lowly, but then shook his head.

At this, the white-clad man holding the copper gong flung it heavily on the ground. The white-clad men immediately spread out, and lunged forward. A few tortured cries immediately rang out around them.

These people were really too much – they had done a complete about face without a single word of warning!

The expression on Zhou Fei’s face grew grim – these men were all equally or more skilled than the Nine-Dragon Elder.

Just then, the Azure Dragon Lord lifted his head, his eyes rising abruptly to meet Zhou Fei’s. Her pupils constricted instantly as she got a clear view of his face – the Azure Dragon Lord was fair and clean-shaven, but his mouth was grotesquely huge, so massive that it seemed like the lower half of his face had been ripped open at the mouth. He grinned sinisterly at the two youths. Then he practically shot up off the ground, and lunged at them, his hand outstretched.

Even the wooden window before Zhou Fei started shaking, as if it was about to be sucked off its hinges simply from the force emanating from his palm.

This fellow was altogether too terrifying, from the way he looked to the way he moved. Yet instead of retreating in fear, Zhou Fei leaned forward and thrust the empty scabbard of her sabre through the window, right at his outstretched palm. The Azure Dragon Lord caught it easily, and the iron scabbard instantly started to collapse from the tip onwards, inch by inch, till it was reduced to a crumpled ball of metal in his hand. He had already ascended to her window, and slammed his hand towards the exterior wall of the inn, leaving a palm print that was half an inch deep. Xie Yun knew that this was no time for jokes anymore, yelling: “Fei, get away from there!”

Zhou Fei ignored him. Seeing that the Azure Dragon Lord was still hovering outside her window with no place to land, she unleashed the Snow-Breaking Sabre’s ‘Piercing’ move, which swept towards him through the window like a dazzling flurry of shooting stars.

Her blade had been successively honed on Dubhe, the Nine-Dragon Elder and the Azure Dragon Lord’s formation of ‘Collapsing Mountains and Emptying Seas’ – it was becoming increasingly fast, and was almost a blur of gleaming metal in her hand now. The Azure Dragon Lord seemed intrigued by this, and emitting a sound of curiosity, he spun around in midair, brushing past Zhou Fei’s blade, then raised a hand in an attempt to grab it by the blunt side.

Zhou Fei leapt through the window and onto the outer ledge, swiftly changing the movement of her blade. It seemed to split into three fronts, trapping the Azure Dragon Lord within.

The Azure Dragon Lord dodged her blade thrice in quick succession, then firmly grasped the blunt side of it, which met his hand with a soft thud. Zhou Fei immediately felt an overpowering force surge along the blade towards her.

She leapt forward, while extending one leg to step on Xie Yun’s window pane, which was still ajar. Lightly pushing her leg off it, she swung it shut, knocking the fellow behind it right back into his room as well. With the force of this movement, she propelled herself further forward. Then exerting the Withered-Glory chi within her to its extremes, she tightened her grip round the hilt of her sabre and pushed down hard, actually managing to force the Azure Dragon Lord slightly downwards in midair.

At the same time, Wen Yu brandished his sword, thrusting it at the Azure Dragon Lord’s back.

The Azure Dragon Lord, who was still holding Zhou Fei’s blade in his hand, swung the blade and the girl holding it towards his back in a semi-circle, and let go. The blade collided with General Wen’s oncoming sword. Wen Yu stepped lightly to the side and stretched out his other hand to catch Zhou Fei, who was still clutching the hilt of her sabre tightly. Wen Yu smiled: “You have a bright future ahead of you, young lady. If Gentleman Zhou saw you now, he’d be very glad indeed.”

Zhou Fei used her elbow to prod his hand away. She remained standing there, weapon in hand, as she lightly massaged her throbbing wrists.

But Wen Yu didn’t allow her to lunge at the Azure Dragon Lord again. At a long whistle from him, several of his lieutenants rushed forward, tightly surrounding the Azure Dragon Lord.

Zhou Fei furrowed her brow, and was just about to step forward to join them, when she suddenly felt a whoosh of air behind her. She instinctively reached a hand around to grab whoever it was, and twisted hard. A loud ‘Ow!’ could be heard. Zhou Fei turned around in surprise. That fellow Xie Yun had crept up behind her at some point. She quickly released his arm.

Grimacing, Xie Yun rubbed his aching arm: “Stop trying to play the hero here. You’d better seize this chance to sneak away with me now!”

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[1] Looks like this.

[2] Xie Yun was basically using different kinds of Chinese calligraphy to write the same words – the different styles can be seen here.