〈Chivalrous Swordsmen〉
Pain
The unbearable pain made her want to bury herself in the darkness and never wake up from it. However, a string of light was trying hard to pull her out of it, refusing to leave her there.

Li Gong-zuo was walking along the riverbank in the middle of the night. Aimlessly, he was wandering as it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. While enjoying the serenity with his eyes closed, fire and ear-piercing noises coming from afar forced him to open his eyes impatiently. He didn’t find the source of the noises of the fire even with his widely open pupils. Yet, the body drifting to his feet cheered him up. Fortunately, it was still breathing. But, why was a girl dressing as a man? What was it that she was holding in her hand?

A dagger!

〈Justice〉
When Xiao-e came to, she thought Li Gong-zuo was her everything. But after taking a close look at him, she couldn’t help but feel depressed. Losing her father and husband drained all her energy, and she has a will to live anymore. Li Gong-zuo had no choice but to stimulate her will to survive with hatred.
But when he saw the raging fire in her eyes, he couldn’t help but worry…

In the daytime, she still dressed as a young man. She was not trained to use a dagger as she didn’t even know how to wield it correctly, but you could sense so much hatred when she wielded it. Li Gong-zuo, thus, became her master to teach her how to use a dagger and hide well. The longer he was with her, the harder it was for his heart to skip a beat. At night, Xiao-e was always woken up by nightmares. The sight of her father and husband covered in blood made her sleepless, and her life savior always taught her to calm herself by using the sound of a vertical bamboo flute. Deep down, she knew that it only calmed the persons in heaven. The only way for her to find peace again was to slay the murderer of her father and husband.

〈Gentleness〉
Xiao-e finally bid her life savior farewell and successfully sneaked into the Shen Residence. The young and beautiful Shen Lan fell for Xiao-e dressed as a young man the moment she saw her. The old butler, Uncle De, also sang the praises for the newly-recruited long-term hired hand. To get her revenge, Xiao-e decided to use Shen Lan’s affection towards her. Yet, it was also Lan’s affection that put her in danger. In the nick of time, the person that saved her is that familiar face that kept telling her to get her revenge was never easy to achieve. Li Gong-zuo couldn’t hide his caring for Xiao-e anymore. But for Xiao-e, she had no choice but to back down. That cold dagger she held in her hand reminded her again of t her deceased husband, her only love.

〈Love〉
Shen Chun was so wasted when he came home. An opportunity like this didn’t come by every day. This was the moment Xiao-e had been waiting for, wasn’t it? She held the dagger tightly. All she had to do was stab the dagger in him and her father and husband would be revenged. In loud cries, Shen Lan held the dagger that was only a few inches from Shen Chun in. The old butler Uncle De revealed the long-buried truth because it was the only way for everyone to know who should be responsible for it. An eye for an eye, Shen Chun was delivered to the law enforcement for his crime. As for Xiao-e, what could keep her alive now? With the blood feud she carried, did she deserve happiness? The sound of chime stones were blaring and traveling far, the sound of a vertical bamboo flute was as low as whispering; their eyes met and all was left unspoken