Riven Twinblades

When the Khitan cavalry swept into Qinghe, Qiu Yuehai answered Lie Yan's call, joining blades to hold back the foreign tide. That night, deep in the Verdant Wilds, Lie Yan built a campfire. With the earth as their seat and the vast night sky as their canopy, the two men sat across from one another and drank. Both were once vagabonds, adrift in the jianghu. Yet, drawn together by a single cause, they found an instant kinship, like old friends reunited. Flushed with wine, Qiu Yuehai leapt to his feet. With a sweeping flourish of his spear, he challenged Lie Yan to a test of skill. Heavy with drink, Lie Yan swayed, his drunken steps faltering. Yet in a flash, he drew his saber. The momentum of his blade was a ceaseless, unbroken dance, so fluid it seemed it could sever a flowing stream. He swept horizontally to parry the incoming thrusts, and slashed diagonally to break his opponent's charge. As their clashing silhouettes blurred together, even the cold moonlight seemed to flicker in their wake. They traded blows to their hearts' content, perfectly matched and locked in a glorious stalemate. Even the taciturn Gu Le was spellbound. Only when the men finally lowered their weapons did he exhale in awe, asking, "Brother Lie Yan, from what master did you learn such a blade technique?" "No master, no sect," Lie Yan said. "It is merely something I stumbled upon in my lonely cups. Though, crossing blades with Brother Qiu tonight has certainly sharpened its edge." With a carefree smile, he tipped his jar and drained the last of the wine. A sudden gale swept across the plains, scattering the scent of wine as the wild grass bowed and rose again. Like the wind, the deeds of that night passed without a trace, leaving nothing behind save for the bright moon that once shone down upon them.