AN: It took a few years, but here is the next chapter.

October 16, 1967

Xuan looked most beautiful in the light of sunset, Iwao decided.

For two days on the train, and two more on the ferry, he had seen her in many different lights. There was the first light of dawn, when her face was outlined in soft yellow. There was the light of the moonrise, when her face served as canvas to a mystery of shadows. There was the breaking light after a rainstorm, when her cheeks glistened with water drops and her raven hair was plastered in scallops across her forehead. It was during the sunset though, when her skin was alight under the wildfire sky, that he was most entranced. That is how she looked now, her crimson lips begging to be kissed, her russet eyes carrying a special spell.

As he watched her there on the deck of the ferry, arms resting on the railing as she watched the emerald hills of Guilin pass by, Iwao knew that he must have her for his wife. As if sensing his thoughts, she looked up at him and smiled.

"How does it feel to be coming to your journey's end, Iwao?" she asked.

Iwao sighed, leaning his back against the railing beside her. "I am conflicted. I know my Grandfather wanted me to find Huangdi, but I don't know why. The only thing I am sure of is that it is extremely important. I only wish I had more answers. Was he a friend of my Grandfather's? Am I simply meant to bring news to him of my Grandfather's death?"

Xuan looked down into the brown current of the river. "Well, let's examine what we know. The fact that both your Grandfather and my brother's Master knew of Huangdi would seem to indicate that he has some connection with the martial arts."

Iwao thought about it a moment. "That would seem likely. Masters of the Chinese martial arts are usually aware of one another, especially the ones that have had a history of rivalry."

"Did your Grandfather ever spend any time in China?" Xuan asked.

"I don't think so, at least he never told me as much. He felt too close to the spirits that inhabit the islands of Japan, I can't imagine that he would have ever left."

"Hmm, definitely a mystery," Xuan said. "A pity that Zhu is not with us, he knows just about everything about the history of Kung Fu. He has read thousands of books and scrolls on the subject."

"A pity," Iwao confirmed, swallowing his jealousy. Every time that Xuan mentioned the spectacled swordsman Iwao could not help but feel envious of how much longer Xuan and Zhu had known one another. He tried to forget about it, and instead examined the landscape around him.

This land was filled with a multitude of energies, Iwao knew. The mountains were tall and imposing, tangled with greenery. The river coursed with a mighty power that Iwao could feel surging beneath his feet. He imagined the river as having a dangerous duality; he knew that as the seasons turned it could either serve as a Creator or a Destroyer. It was filled with silver darting fish, and many varieties of birds circled it overhead. The lifeblood of the land, Iwao thought.

He awakened from his reverie to the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned to see Sunming and his son. "I have talked to the captain of the boat and he has given me a little bit of information about this 'Huangdi' fellow," Sunming said. Iwao could not put his finger on it, but Sunming's cheerful countenance had changed a great deal ever since his injury at the brutal hands of his Master. He seemed less trusting than he had been, and was clearly not fond of the closeness that had grown up between Iwao and Xuan. Maybe he was simply being protective of his younger sister, or perhaps the way in which his trust in his Master had been betrayed had made him more suspicious. Whatever the case, Iwao hoped that he could show Sunming that he deserved to court Xuan.

"What did you find out?" Iwao queried.

"Apparently Huangdi is in charge of some community deep in the mountains, near a stone quarry. They like their privacy, but do conduct trade with the village of Langhuishan, where we will be landing. We will have to go on foot from there."

"Did the captain mention how much longer it will be?" Xuan asked.

"We should be there by moonrise," Sunming turned to leave but Longsun stayed behind. "Come, Longsun!"

"But I wanted to talk to Iwao some more about Japan!" Longsun protested.

Iwao smiled. Whereas Sunming had cooled somewhat toward Iwao, Longsun had become Iwao's fast friend. The boy had been tailing him ever since they left Hong Kong, always wanting to know more about his homeland or asking about the bushido code. Iwao had been more than happy to indulge the boy's curiosity.

"There's no time for that. Come on."

"Alright…" Longsun mourned, downtrodden. He followed his father and once again Iwao was alone with Xuan.

"I think you have an admirer," Xuan proclaimed, grinning.

"He is a very special boy," Iwao said. "I have never meant such an inquisitive child."

"He gets that from his mother," Xuan said, her smile vanishing. "I have tried to be as good a mother as she would have been had she not died in childbirth."

"You would have been a child yourself, at the time his mother died. You should not have put so much pressure on yourself."

"Perhaps not. I just wish that Longsun had been able to meet her. She was so graceful and proper. I always felt like a backwards bumpkin around her, but she was always very kind to me."

"I think she must have rubbed off on you, Xuan. You have enough grace to make me seem a bumpkin," Iwao said.

Xuan blushed a little. "Nonsense. No bumpkin could ever be so honorable as you, Iwao." She touched his hand. "Had you not been so honorable who knows what would have become of my little family? Without you, we would still be wilting under the shadow of that horrible city. You helped us get out, and now our dream of one day returning home to Meng Cun may become a reality."

"I hope so, Xuan," Iwao proclaimed. He kissed her hand, and together they watched the sky for the light of the first stars.

October 17, 1967

After a night spent sleeping on the boat of a fisherman they had paid, the four companions prepared for their trek into the wilderness. The market at Languishan was alive and pulsing with activity. They purchased foodstuffs, canteens, and old Red Army rucksacks to hold their supplies. By midmorning they were on their way.

In years to come, Iwao would look back upon that hike with fondness. Although the autumn was in full swing and the flowers out of bloom the landscape was still breathtaking. The air was cool but the sun was warm and shining, liberally stuffed with white fluffy clouds. Longsun was more childlike than Iwao had ever seen him. He darted to and fro, enjoying all of the new sights and smells and imagining himself on a great adventure.

Xuan seemed to become more beautiful and alive with each step she took. It was clear to Iwao that the city of Kowloon was too dark and cramped to hold such a precious flower. She could only truly shine under a vast, open sky. Sunming, on the other hand, seemed impervious to the beauty around him. He was determined to reach their destination as quickly as possible.

They saw the first people about a mile out from the village. There were farmers harvesting rice on a terraced hillside, and one man fishing out of a stream. Their clothing seemed old fashioned, though Iwao did not know much about Chinese fashion. Some of them stopped and appraised the traveling party with curious expressions.

As they passed by another group of farmers Iwao thought he heard one of them say, "They've come!" Realizing that this could not be, Iwao assumed that he had simply misheard. Soon, the gates into the village appeared. There was a group of people waiting for them. In their midst was a figure of great authority, dressed in elaborate yellow robes. Iwao gripped the hilt of his sword, though he felt no real malice. He sensed that something of great significance was about to take place.

Sunming held out his arm to halt them. "We seek Huangdi!" Sunming shouted, tactlessly. It would have been polite to introduce themselves first.

Iwao stepped in front of Sunming. "I am Iwao Hazuki of Japan. My grandfather was a friend of a man named Huangdi, who we have learned lives in this village. My grandfather's dying wish was that I find this Huangdi, and so I have come. Can you help us?"

The man in yellow robes stepped forward. "You are known to me, Iwao Hazuki," the man said. His voice was held an undeniable gravity and power. This was a kingly man. "The stars have told me of your coming, and that you have come this day has confirmed to me a sorrowful fact. My brother, Aisin-Gioro Puyi, has died."

All at once everyone in the group knelt with their foreheads pressed to the soil. The man in yellow robes stood above them, glowing under the sunlight. Tears were in his eyes.

"What is going on?" Xuan whispered in Iwao's ear. He had no answer for her.

The group rose to their feet again, brushing dirt from their clothing. "Are you Huangdi?" Iwao asked.

"I am now, Iwao Hazuki. Today, the old dynasty has died. Today, the new dynasty has been born. I am the Yellow Emperor, you are my Protector, and you have brought my Grandchildren back to me. The battle for the soul of China has begun."