Arknights story · Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow
WB-4 Let the Old Times Go
Lee finds Lin Yühsia and tells her the story of Yumen's changes over the years. Zuo Le and Du Yaoye run into each other at the Sword Forge and find themselves attacked by the Shanhaizhong. The leader of the Shanhaizhong shows her face again.
2 scenes, 401 lines
1. Before Operation
209 linesUncle Meng? Uncle Meng! Are you in there? I need to talk to you!
It's Du Yaoye!
Stop knocking, Miss. Don't you see the sign on the door?
They closed at dinnertime. Come back tomorrow.
Hey, are you listening?
Uncle Meng! Are you hiding something from me?
I'm coming in, if you don't answer me!
......
Another one...
What is it with young people these days and going to the blacksmith's in the middle of the night?
Oh? You're Xingyu Inn innkeeper Zheng's...
Are you the mandarin who came looking for Dad?
When did you get to Yumen? And why?
I'm looking for someone.
What about you?
I'm investigating a case.
The government is investigating the Sword Forge? Did Uncle Meng really do something?
Sounds like there is something suspicious about this place...
I'm the one asking the questions.
Who's obstructing who here?
The flash of a sword interrupts Du Yaoye.
The lock and the 'Closed' sign fall to the ground, cut in half. Zuo Le charges into the Sword Forge.
(Meng told me to keep an eye out. Didn't think there would really be someone here looking for trouble...)
(I have to get help.)
What are you doing?!
......
I'm talking to you!
You—
Is this how you people 'investigate?!'
Show yourself!
......
Come in.
Mr. Lee.
I saw Waai Fu run off just now. Didn't even respond when I called out to her.
......
She just graduated from university. Kids her age tend to act before thinking. I hope you can give her some pointers.
I'm in no position to act high and mighty in front of your employees. I was the one who made trouble for her.
Was my father asking for your help last night?
I wouldn't quite call it help... just happened to overhear something when looking for someone. We detectives always hear more than other people.
Hopefully, it will be of help to your case.
I would love to hear it. Please, take a seat.
Let me decide where to start...
Just hypothetically, what would happen to Lungmen if Wei Yenwu and your father didn't get along?
......
'We're facing a Catastrophe on the outside and Shanhaizhong insurgents on the inside. The General has no time to see a commoner.'
'I hear he knows the General.'
'We should still pass the word, just in case it's really something important.'
......
'Go up. The general will see you.'
'He's on the tower.'
The night is deep.
The stairs, however, remain as bright as day, illuminated by Originium spotlights in the walls.
Meng Tieyi walks slowly. The soldier behind does not rush him.
It has been more than a decade since he last climbed the towers of Yumen.
......
......
Lord Exorcist, sir.
Cut the formalities. What is it?
I would like to ask permission to leave the city.
I heard about what happened to the Messenger's party. There wasn't much left of it.
There were a few boys from the Sword Forge in that party. Someone should pour out spirits and bring back a few grains of sand where they died.
Come.
Sir?
Has the lockdown been communicated to the entire city?
Yes, sir.
......
You heard him.
That's why i came to ask you.
No.
Sir, Yumen is currently moving at a high speed over the barren desert. There's no point in leaving the city right now.
Enough.
Yes, Yumen has gone too far. How will we find our brothers in this sand and wind?
The dead are already gone. The forward progress of Yumen permits no delay.
The criminals who killed the Messenger have infiltrated the city. The entire city is on high alert. Catching the criminals is the most important thing we can do for the dead.
If that's the case, please allow us to join in the hunt for the killer.
We have many connections in the city. I'm sure we can be of help, especially with so many jianghu wanderers in town lately.
Catching criminals and protecting Yumen is the duty of the soldiers of Yumen.
I am not so incompetent as to need to ask for civilian help.
......
Is that all?
You struck out in midair with such force, yet somehow managed to stop the momentum.
The fowlbeast dives into the river and flies away with the fin, leaving behind only ripples on the water. Your mastery of your kung fu has reached new heights.
May I ask you to demonstrate one more time?
That's beyond my ability.
A move is simply the abstract compilation of human reaction, something that is not and cannot be fixed. People don't react in fixed ways. Kung fu is all about improvisation.
Do not let yourself be bound by form and moves when you record the martial arts under Heaven.
The form is the shell, while the concept is the spirit. The Grandmaster taught me that long ago.
The Millenion is assembling the troops.
A full hundred-man regiment. That's big...
The men are assembled, sir.
Gear check, then we go to the South Side Sword Forge.
Yes, sir.
Miss Qiu, Record Keeper.
Have you picked up the Shanhaizhong's trail?
Monitor Censor Taihe was injured near the Sword Forge. Lord Zuo Le has ordered a search of the place.
Has the Lord Exorcist been informed?
The General is stationed at the outer tower. He authorized Zuo Le to command his personal troops for three days.
Is there direct evidence that the Sword Forge was involved?
The details are unclear.
Where is Zuo Le?
He went over first.
He is very anxious about Monitor Censor Taihe's injury.
......
He's not here.
So Meng had dealings with the Candleholder. I knew he couldn't be trusted.
He still has the Catastrophe data. Find him.
After dispatching these two kids.
Who are you? Where's Uncle Meng? Did you kill him, or are you working with him?
......
Where are the Qis?
......
Not in a talking mood?
Then we can do this the hard way...
A sword flashes past Du Yaoye as Zuo Le steps forward.
He swings his sword without a word, his brow furrowed.
This is the second time that Du Yaoye has been interrupted today.
Son of a—
The old smith told me to stay in the house while I recover from my injuries.
Someone has intruded into the yard. Things are chaotic. Have the mandarins found me?
Jieyun holds the sword tighter in her arms.
Shifu said the Sword Forge would be easy to find.
There are as many sword forges as there are inns in the nomadic city, but you are always pointed towards the same place if you ask for the Sword Forge without specifying which one.
Shifu was right.
She said the Sword Forge was not big or impressive, just a few furnaces and an old tree.
But there are always friends coming in and out, drinking, singing, sparring with each other. They come from all walks of life, but they have fought together and went to many places together.
They take turns fueling the fire, sometimes even grabbing the blacksmith's hammer to bang on the metal for a while. The bright fires keep the night away.
Shifu says there is a place like this in every city.
Inconspicuous, but indispensable.
All Shifu talked about in her last days were these things, these people, and this place.
Who's there?!
This place cannot be allowed to come to harm.
......
So they had help hiding here.
(Tsk—)
Why does she have the sword?
Boss, the girl's injured!
Kill her first.
A gust of wind sends sand flying everywhere, obscuring the figures darting across the yard.
The injured girl steps back, pressing on her wound, and leans against the old tree, panting. She does not notice Du Yaoye's approach.
The masked attacker once again disappears into the shadows.
The young Candleholder steps into the middle of the yard, shielding the two girls behind him. A sword has appeared on his belt, tightly attached to a hidden fastener.
My sword!
When did it...? The impact just now...
A broken leather strap falls to the ground, made by hunters out of the hide of their prey. The tough, durable leather was perfect for holding a sword.
The sword that has never left her side.
This is the Grandmaster's sword.
Now that I have the sword, I won't pursue this particular matter any further, if you're not working with the Shanhaizhong. The matter of your trespassing into the barracks can wait.
You're hurt. Stay put.
I don't care about the sword, but you being here at the Sword Forge means you must know Meng Tieyi.
Tell me, where is he? Did you see two young people from Shangshu in the Sword Forge?
I'll rip your wound open if you don't talk.
......
Looks like they're not together.
Those outside block the exit. Don't let them get away.
......
Did you hear me?
Hmph.
The sound is very close. He turns around, startled.
The pain increases as he moves, becoming as clear as the communicator that has been cut in half.
He does not have time to regret.
Qiubai.
I took care of the ones outside.
!!!
The same group that attacked you at the market. Shanhaizhong?
Yes.
I can listen to your reproaches later, after we've taken care of these!
...Wait.
Her palms have begun to sweat, after just a few movements.
It's getting hotter.
It's only March, and it's night. How could the temperature be rising?
Could it be the Sword Forge's Originium furnace...
The fire is out.
Boss, we lost a few guys to her.
Stop wasting time.
So you know you're wasting time.
Do the cicadas sing in March?
The air is so oppressively humid, it almost feels like water. This is no morning dew.
Everyone realizes that something is out of the ordinary.
A drop of water falls on Qiubai's face.
Spring comes late in the north. New leaves have yet to appear on the old pagoda tree.
The water droplets formed on a sword blade!
––
Master.
Where is Meng Tieyi?
Not here.
......
We ran into them as we were preparing to leave.
2. After Operation
192 linesWho was that man? He just came in, looked around, and left.
Could be a plainclothes from the Patrol Battalion, coming to see if there are smugglers here?
Plainclothes won't bumble like that or draw so much attention.
Then he came to cause trouble. I'll go and catch him.
How? He was gone in the blink of an eye. He clearly knows qinggong.
That was the last inn. Nothing.
The girl said she wanted to leave the city, but she's not at the gates.
The doc had to use the best meds to treat her. What if she doesn't come back, and he puts the bill on my tab?
I have to catch her.
I'm not sure I understand your analogy.
Ah, it wasn't the most apt.
I opened my little agency in Lungmen to make a living, but business ended up better than I expected.
Wei Yenwu and the L.G.D. can't deal with every little trouble out there.
We need good citizens like Mr. Lin to pitch in.
It can't be helped.
Can't be helped... that's true for Lungmen, and it's true for Yumen as well.
Yumen patrols the northern borders to repel potential threats to Yan.
Back when Originium technology was not so advanced, it took several times the manpower to run a mobile fortress like Yumen, compared to today.
A group of patriotic martial artists went to Yumen at the time. They never officially joined the army, but they helped out with all sorts of things.
Escorting Messengers, scouting the path ahead, even going into battle with the army... they played a key role in Yumen's peace and prosperity, and earned the respect of the city.
The court and jianghu were of one mind.
This was how Yumen used to be... until twenty years ago.
The Shanhaizhong?
Yes. Once again, the Shanhaizhong were the reason.
There's nothing else.
I hope I didn't bother you in your duties. It would be on my head.
......
You knew I wouldn't agree.
A short whistle, then the tower's Originium lighting shuts off without warning, surrounding the pair in darkness.
A flickering flame lights up in the distance a second later.
The soldiers run back and forth, passing the torch between the beacons.
Seventeen roars of the drum, dragged through the night sky by the rapidly moving Yumen.
Today is the second day of the Wangfeng Festival.
It was created to remind the people of Yumen to remember the past.
This meeting may have taken place earlier, or later.
By then, you may have recalled a few things.
I've never forgotten.
Do you remember how many of the heroes who died for Yumen were not soldiers?
They owe Yumen nothing.
Nor does Yumen owe anyone anything.
Zuo!
......
Stand down.
It was my negligence that allowed those criminals into the city twenty years ago, disguised as Yumen martial artists. You can blame me, punish me, execute me!
But the blame should fall only on me—or on you!
All the responsibility falls upon me.
And how have you taken responsibility? Alienating the brothers who gave blood and sweat for Yumen, driving them away—is that your idea of taking responsibility?
......
Yumen owes them an answer!
Yumen belongs to Yan. All it does is in the service of the Yanese people. That's my answer.
This meeting is over.
The name 'Shanhaizhong' is not widely known.
It wasn't that anyone was negligent. Everyone was so focused on guarding against external threats, they didn't realize there were enemies hiding in the shadows.
Bodyguards, bouncers, blacksmiths... these civilians often fought alongside the soldiers, and enjoyed a great deal of freedom in Yumen. The Shanhaizhong took advantage of this fact.
The city was caught off-guard and responded slowly. The Shanhaizhong's plot to destroy the city's power core was foiled, but only after heavy casualties had been taken.
After that...
Taking measures after the fact is still better than not at all.
But the measures might have gone too far.
After that, the Lord Exorcist began to reform the city's administration, removing jianghu involvement, and setting increased restrictions on the movement of people.
Some of those who stayed joined the army. Others put their swords down and took up another living. An ordinary cook at an inn may have been a famous swordsman, back in the day.
Twenty years is plenty of time for a city to look very different.
Dad always says that there will come a day when Lungmen won't need downtown or the Rat King anymore.
If there comes a day when this city no longer needs to patrol the barrenlands, then the people in the city won't need to carry swords anymore.
Times change. Some want to give it a push, others a pull. In the end, they're all left behind.
That's the story that I heard. Does it help?
A lot, actually.
Thank you, Mr. Lee.
What did you learn?
Ten-man, two-hour shifts. No extra guards at the sand sluice.
Just as I saw.
One more thing to ask you to do.
At the Hour of Yu, I want you to cause a little commotion around the sand sluice.
Nothing too big, just draw away the patrols.
What do you...?
Ask no questions, if you still trust me.
...Alright.
Did you see Zuo Xuanliao on the tower?
Yes, I did.
It's getting hotter...
Someone attacked Wei Yenwu last night and threw the Yumen barracks into chaos. You were the assassin.
You cause abnormal weather wherever you go. Is this Arts? Or some other trick?
......
Murder of a Messenger, attempted theft of Catastrophe data, attempted assassination of a court official.
What do you think Yumen is, Shanhaizhong?!
A city headed the wrong way.
This way is wrong. Go no further.
You know why Yumen is returning...
It's not hard to guess.
Father tasked me to complete three tasks in three days: recover the Grandmaster's sword, catch the assassin, and track down the Shanhaizhong who have infiltrated the city.
It turns out all the answers were right here in the Sword Forge.
You won't complete any of them.
Stand back. This one's kung fu is unfathomable. We're no match for him.
You're not as strong as the Forte man, but you seem a little quicker on the uptake.
So it was you who attacked Lord Taihe.
You dodged the last strike. Will you dodge or block the next one?
......
Neither.
He often told her that kung fu is like climbing a mountain, whether as a tool of revenge, or a way of life. The more treacherous the path, the steadier one's heart must be.
She saw her enemy, and she saw the mountain. That is why she spent five years with him.
If the battle cannot be won, she would seek to not lose.
Offense is the best defense?
You have guts, I'll give you that...
But things are not as simple as you think.
––
They cross swords, and she realizes her decision was imprudent.
She is facing another mountain.
Cold steel flashes before her face, the droplets on the blade touching her nose. She can hear her own heartbeat.
If the Record Keeper was here, he would have exclaimed that Qiubai recreated the move on the training ground.
Dive, stop, and turn around before hitting the arc of death, like the fowlbeast that narrowly avoids the waves on the river.
(Groans)
You dodged again.
How dare you!
You?
Get out of the way, Zuo Le!
Qiubai grabs Zuo Le by the collar and pulls him back.
He sees the foe's third swing, which lights up the yard.
It is March, but the Sword Forge feels like it is mid-summer. Even the night sky looks a little whiter in the heat wave.
There is only a pagoda tree behind them. There is nowhere to run.
Don't move!
You're still trying to take the sword? Do you want to get yourself killed?
You're not dying until you tell me where Meng Tieyi is, guawazi!
A burly man suddenly appears in the yard.
He grabs the girl and knocks away the sword in one fluid motion.
Like a bucket of cold water poured down on the ground, he forces everyone to scatter.
The heat disappears.
I've been looking for you.
Let me go!
You almost got yourself killed.
I told you to stay put in the clinic. Now you've made your injuries worse.
......
You're still in Yumen, Huai?
Oh, it's you.
Your shifu won't fight me until he's left his post. I have to wait for him.
You haven't budged for three years?
Nope.
What's more important than this? Where can I find an opponent like him after he leaves Yumen?
There's a kung fu master right here in front of you. Why don't you have a go at her if it's a fight you're looking for?
This woman?
You're in my way.
Something didn't feel right when I blocked that attack.
It was heavy, but had neither form nor design. I don't know what that strange power is, but you're no master.
I have no time for you.
You hear that commotion inside, Jing?
That young man just broke in before I could stop him.
Damn.
This is Tieyi's last workshop. He's been good to us. We need to protect it.
Master, Boss, there are more jianghu adventurers coming.
And Yumen soldiers behind them, coming from three directions, around a hundred in total.
......
No point wasting time here if the one we're looking for isn't here.
Sudden silence. It is as though the cicadas were never there.
It is still March. The chill of early spring makes everyone shiver.
Let's go!
That's the one, Jing!
Where are you going, sir?
Out of my way!
Look at the mess here. Hardly anything left standing except the walls. You owe us an explanation.
This is a Yumen military case. Anyone who interferes will be arrested.
Wait... you're Zuo Xuanliao's kid.
So Zuo Xuanliao wants to take down the last Sword Forge now?
Impudence!
Lord Zuo.
Did you see the Shanhaizhong on your way here?
We've sent men after them.
Good. Round them up and take them into custody.
Lord Zuo, there are dozens of them... all local residents...
They appeared right as the criminals retreated and obstructed our pursuit. They must be investigated thoroughly.
All the rest have something to do with the case.
The girl in the exotic outfit was hiding in the Sword Forge. She must know where Meng Tieyi is. I'm going with you, if you take her away.
The Sword Forge is linked to the Shanhaizhong. Given your ties to Meng Tieyi, I would have asked you to come with us regardless.
......
As for you...
......
She's coming with me to get her wounds treated, and pay her bill.
This is no time for jokes.
I-I can't go with you...
Hmph, all you care about is the sword.
Why you—!
—!
Take these people back to the barracks for questioning. I'll go after the Grandmaster's sword.
Are you alright, Miss Qiu?
Just a scratch. Do as Zuo Le says for now.
Please treat these jianghu people with proper respect, Millenion.
That man...
Noises continue to emanate from the direction of the Sword Forge, but Waai Fu stops in her tracks.
The figure on the roof vanished in the blink of an eye, as though it was just a gust of wind.
Waai Fu tightens her fist.
She has never been more certain.