Floorboards creaked in the hallway. Wei Zhen opened his eyes and shook his body awake. Years of sleeping on the street had turned him into a light sleeper. The smallest of sounds were enough to shake him out of a peaceful dream. He could hear the soldiers mumbling and groaning outside the door, having forced themselves out of bed with a hangover. He hastily wrote a letter to Lakhuto while waiting for the men to leave the inn, letting him know not to worry if he didn't return before he woke up.

The air outside was enough to shock the senses. It was bitterly cold. Grey clouds filled the sky, and three feet of snow blanketed the city. The soldiers trudged slowly through the street, cursing the terrible weather for dooming them to certain punishment. Wei Zhen crept along the rooftop some distance behind them, unbothered by the snow. His footsteps made no sound and left only the slightest of footprints on the rooftops. He had borrowed Lakhuto’s white robes for the task and appeared as a ghostly apparition among the white landscape.

The soldiers approached the magistrate’s office and filtered through the doorways with several other government officials who lifted their decorated outfits above the snow to keep themselves from tracking puddles of water throughout the buildings. Wei Zhen circled around to the back of the complex and hopped over the wall with the grace of an eagle. He crept below a window where he heard the two soldiers speaking to the magistrate.

“We’re sorry for being late, sir. We’re here under the authority of General Zhong Li to deliver a message.”

“I’d have you whipped for the delay, but my office is already thrown into chaos because of the worst blizzard we’ve seen in over two decades. Well, out with it. What does the General require of me?”

“We have a letter, sir.” The soldier approached the magistrate and handed over the scroll. While reading it, his eyes lit up and he laughed.

“Does the General take me for a fool? If Purple Cloud Yijun is hiding out in my city, I would know it. Someone with that level of notoriety would attract the attention of everyone for a thousand miles.”

Wei Zhen was rattled to the core at hearing the name Purple Cloud. He had heard numerous stories of the legendary martial artist over the years and was unsure of the man even being a real person. Using unorthodox martial arts to rise to the top of the martial arts world, the man was chased out of Jiangnan by every Orthodox sect in the region. He was branded a heretic and has not been seen for nearly two decades.

If the General is out here looking for him, he must be real, he thought. More importantly, the man who destroyed Lakhuto’s sect is nearby. They were in trouble and needed to get out of the city as soon as possible to avoid being recognized.

“Regardless of what you think about it, the General asks for permission to search the city while everyone is stuck indoors due to the snow. He’s encamped on a hill a few miles outside of the city awaiting your answer.”

“He has my permission, of course. But I implore the General to wait a few days while we get the city in order. Soldiers searching the city will only throw us into further chaos.”

Another man could be heard entering the room. He spoke in a manner distinctly different from the rough soldiers. His voice carried with it the refinement of a scholar.

“Magnanimous Magistrate Yao, I was sent over this morning to relay a further message from the General. Anticipating your concerns over soldiers combing through the city, he has sent me to handle the task alone for the next few days, if you find this method acceptable.”

“Master Fei of the Cloudy Mountain Sect, your reputation precedes you. If that is what the General wishes, I find it acceptable. I certainly find you capable of the task. I believe you will find nothing of interest in my city, but you are welcome to search to your heart’s content.”

Master Fei walked around the room, pausing every few seconds to listen to what the others perceived as silence. They stood puzzled at his mannerisms but dared not question the man.

“Purple Cloud is a crafty fox. We believe he fled here to the outskirts of the Empire after being chased away by my shifu, among others. We have evidence that he was involved in a recent crime and will go to every length to capture him.”

“If you require any assistance, my office will devote every resource we have to help you.” Magistrate Wan bowed, eager to remain on the man’s good side.

“That will not be necessary. I will get to work, then; but first I must take care of something.”

He walked over to the window where Wei Zhen had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Stifled breaths that would be inaudible to a normal person could be heard across the room by the skilled martial artist. He shot his hand through the wall, in a move he had invented in his youth known as Tiger Breaks the Pot, and grabbed Wei Zhen’s shoulder. He gripped Wei Zhen with an unnatural amount of force and slammed him into the wall, expelling every ounce of air from his body and breaking multiple ribs. Everyone in the room jumped back, startled at the sudden action.

“We’ve had a little rat listening in on our conversation! Perhaps Purple Cloud is here after all!” Master Fei laughed and held his tight grip, preparing to leap out of the window and arrest the spy.

“Let me go, you brute!”

“You’re under arrest, under the authority of both the Magistrate here and general Zhong Li!”

Terrified and reeling with pain, Wei Zhen struggled to break free of the man’s grip. He knew that there was no way he could beat the man in a fight and cursed his lack of martial skill. His only option was to run. He had never met his peer when it came to running away, and felt no shame in that being his mastered skill.

Using all of his internal skill, Wei Zhen jumped into the air with as much force as he could muster and kicked against the wall, freeing himself from the powerful hands of Master Fei and propelling his body several feet away into a large mound of snow. Deep cuts were left in his shoulder as a price of freedom, with rivers of blood flowing down his arm.

“This rat has some talent!” Excited at the prospect of a fight with another martial artist of some skill, Master Fei leaped through the window and sprinted toward his prey who was struggling to get on his feet.

Wei Zhen cursed his wobbling and pained body as Master Fei bounded toward him as a ravenous tiger. He gathered his strength and shot over the wall as Fei’s claws reached for his back. I can outrun this man, he thought. He is powerful, but his movement seems clumsy and slow. I have to hope that all of his training has been focused on external kung fu.

Master Fei jumped over the wall after him, then leaped onto the rooftops and sprinted with unnatural speed, focusing all his qi into his feet. As Wei Zhen hopped between a rooftop, Fei propelled his body forward in a move known as Raging Tiger Pounces and grabbed hold of his prey’s shoulders, then flung him into the ground.

Wei Zhen landed on his left hand with enough force to dislocate his arm and force out a pained gasp as he threw himself back onto his feet and continued sprinting down the empty, snow packed streets. He seemed to glide atop the snow as his heightened state enhanced his already masterful lightness kung fu.

Master Fei found himself unable to keep up with the young man and commended such a masterful display far beyond his own skill. He noticed drops of blood painting the empty white canvas along the street and knew that he would be able to find the man later. The city is surrounded by an entire army, he thought. Nobody can escape. For now, there is a much more important task to take care of.