“Pockets lined with gold, I return home; I walk the night clad in brocade silk....”4

Xu Qing had just arrived back at the Swordsage Palace, and was immersed in Ling’er’s singing. Eventually, he noticed his jade slip vibrating, and he listened to his Master’s message.2

Looking at the little white snake, he asked, “Ling’er, do you want to go back to Seven Blood Eyes?”1

“Sure!” she replied happily. “I’m still part of the Seven Blood Eyes Intelligence Division, after all!”9

After seeing how happy that made Ling’er, Xu Qing thought back to all the people he knew in Seven Blood Eyes and realized he really did want to take a trip back. He needed to tend to Master Sixth’s gravestone. It had also been a long time since he paid a visit to Sergeant Thunder’s grave, or Grandmaster Bai’s. Beyond that, there was another thing Xu Qing needed to do.10

Taking out his jade slip, he replied to his Master. “Master, do you think we could swing by the Smokewights on the way back? I have a little debt to settle with them.”28

From the time he was young, Xu Qing had always been the type of person to hold a grudge.26

***2

Three days later, a Seven Blood Eyes dreadnaught rose into the sky over the county capital. It was pitch black, had ornamental rocks and buildings on its back, and could carry a hundred thousand cultivators.4

Master Seventh...14