Chapter Sixty-Six: The Secret of Li Shishi’s Origins

The elderly man slowly opened his eyes and said, "Well done, you may leave now." However, the disciple seemed eager to curry favor and took the initiative to loosen the sack, reaching out to grasp Li Shishi's wrist.

But at that moment, the old man raised his hand and struck with his blade. The disciple let out a miserable cry and collapsed to the ground.

"Fool! Take your filthy hands off her! Who told you to touch her?" the old man cursed. "Get out of here, quickly!"

The disciple's severed hand fell to the ground, his fingers still twitching. Though he didn't know how he had offended his master, he dared not ask. He hastily picked up his hand and retreated, groaning in pain.

The old man took out a handkerchief and wiped his sword, then rose and walked slowly to Li Shishi. He untied the sack and released her, then reached to her waist and retrieved a familiar jade pendant. Tears streamed down his face. "My daughter, my daughter... She truly is the daughter of Tie Mu Sanqing, hah!"

In truth, even Li Shishi herself was unaware of this fact: she was the biological daughter of Tie Mu Sanqing. And she knew not another secret—that her master, Li Su'e, was not her teacher, but her real mother.

Twenty-seven years before, Li Su'e had been a disciple of a cultivation sect on Kunlun Mountain. One day, she descended the mountain to slay demons and protect the people. That day, she met the nemesis of her life, Tie Mu Sanqing.

Tie Mu Sanqing had just arrived in the Qing Empire, posing as a wealthy merchant and claiming to be a Chinese expatriate living in Japan. His graceful manners and refined speech instantly captivated Li Su'e's young heart. Though Tie Mu Sanqing was already in his forties, his mature composure only heightened his masculine allure.

Tie Mu Sanqing, too, was deeply drawn to Li Su'e. Though in his forties, he had always been devoted to the martial arts of both China and Japan, never married, and unlike other Japanese warriors, had no interest in frivolous affairs. Upon meeting Li Su'e, his heart—never before stirred—beat wildly for her.

After completing her mission, Li Su'e planned to return, but was caught in a torrential storm and stranded in the mountains, where Tie Mu Sanqing rescued her.

The rain lasted half a month. Over fifteen days, the two spent every moment together, reciting poetry and painting, growing ever closer until they fell in love. On the night before Li Su'e left, she succumbed to Tie Mu Sanqing's temptation, and they became lovers.

A seed of sin inevitably bears bitter fruit. Less than a month after returning to her sect, Li Su'e showed signs of pregnancy. At two months, her master discovered her condition. The sect had strict rules forbidding marriage, let alone bearing a child out of wedlock.

Yet practitioners of the Dao are merciful at heart. Li Su'e’s master allowed her to give birth but forbade the child from living within the sect.

To repay her master's kindness, Li Su'e, pregnant, repeatedly volunteered to investigate the foreign spy organization responsible for assassinating imperial officials. In the course of her investigation, she discovered that all the conspiracies were orchestrated by a so-called Chinese expatriate in Japan—none other than the father of her unborn child.

As the truth came to light, Li Su'e realized Tie Mu Sanqing had deceived her all along. He was a martial artist sent by the Japanese government to the Qing Empire, preparing for the eventual invasion of China.

Japan, as an island nation, lives with perpetual anxiety—fearful that the sea might rise or the land might sink, and that resources would one day be exhausted. Thus, its people are driven to invade other nations and seize their possessions, fueling their militaristic ideology.

As a martial artist of Japan, Tie Mu Sanqing could not escape such thinking and, for the survival of his country, was exploited by politics and the military, leading him to secretly infiltrate the Qing Empire.

After the First Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese tasted the fruits of conquest. Upon coming to the Qing Empire, they saw the grandeur and vastness of a great nation. The rich land of the Qing had long been coveted by Japan.

Tie Mu Sanqing was sent to China on orders. If there was one truth in his life, it was his genuine affection for Li Su'e. He truly loved her, but for the sake of his nation, he had to set aside personal feelings.

Upon discovering the truth, Li Su'e was plunged into despair, wishing to kill Tie Mu Sanqing and then herself. Yet her child was already five months along, growing daily. As a cultivator, she believed in the virtue of cherishing life, and could not bear to deprive the unborn child of the right to enter the world.

After much deliberation, Li Su'e decided to keep the child, but Tie Mu Sanqing could not be allowed to remain—a menace to both country and people.

Thus, she resolved to assassinate him, feigning ignorance to lure him out and bind him.

But as she pressed the dagger to his throat, memories of their love flooded her mind. The thought of her child being born without a father made her hand tremble.

Tie Mu Sanqing seized the opportunity to break free and beguiled Li Su'e with sweet words, promising to abandon his organization and never again harm the Qing Empire.

Li Su'e believed him, deceived once more. Not only that, but Tie Mu Sanqing coaxed her into visiting a mansion in the Forbidden City that he had long prepared—a secret base for his invasion plans.

In reality, Tie Mu Sanqing not only broke his promise, but escalated his actions: he secretly murdered the descendants of Lin Zexu, the hero of the Opium War, and of Deng Shichang, the hero of the Sino-Japanese naval battle, as well as loyal ministers who advocated war against Japan. He poisoned innocent citizens in the Forbidden City, all while showering Li Su'e with affection and keeping her under house arrest.

It was not until March of 1888, the fourteenth year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign, when her beloved daughter Li Shishi was born, that Li Su'e, now able to move freely, secretly watched Tie Mu Sanqing’s activities and realized she had been deceived again.

For her daughter and for the people, Li Su'e endured humiliation to survive. When Li Shishi was three months old, she escaped Tie Mu Sanqing’s control, resolved to sever all ties and swore to kill him if they ever met again.

To conceal her daughter’s Japanese heritage, Li Su'e hid the truth, naming her Li Shishi and claiming she had adopted her as an orphan. She treated her as a disciple, teaching her many skills, instilling in her a love for peace and the determination to rid the world of all invaders.

When Li Shishi turned eighteen, Li Su'e learned that Tie Mu Sanqing had established a martial arts academy in the Forbidden City, ostensibly to promote Sino-Japanese martial arts, but in reality continuing his schemes against China. Furious, Li Su'e infiltrated the academy alone, but was no match for Tie Mu Sanqing and was fatally wounded.

Tie Mu Sanqing was full of regret and missed his daughter terribly. He questioned Li Su'e dozens of times, but she refused to reveal her daughter’s whereabouts. It was only when a young woman named Li Shishi, claiming to be Li Su'e’s disciple, appeared in the capital and repeatedly organized men to avenge her master, that Tie Mu Sanqing, upon seeing her, immediately recognized her as his own child.

Yet Li Shishi, skilled in martial arts, always managed to escape.

To preserve her strength, Li Shishi fled from place to place, finally arriving in the famous southern city of Jiangning, where she disguised herself as a courtesan and engaged in anti-Japanese activities.

Tie Mu Sanqing had sent several teams to investigate her background, but all were eliminated by Li Shishi. Pressed by political duties, he had no time to pursue her himself, until now, when the Japanese army suffered heavy losses in the Yellow Sea and the nation was enraged. He was ordered to personally go to Jiangning to uncover the truth and find out who was secretly aiding the inept Commander Hu Baiwan, thus giving him the opportunity to see his daughter Li Shishi.

Looking at his daughter, memories of the past flooded his mind and he could not help but sob again.

Just then, a subordinate arrived to report that they had identified suspicious individuals who recently had contact with Hu Baiwan, and recited their names: General Cai E, Governor Jin Shaohua, Young Master Kim Jong-il, Li Tiande, the leader of the Deadly Pursuit gang Yang Fourth, and Li Shishi. Among them, an inconspicuous youth named Xiao Fei caught Tie Mu Sanqing’s attention.

"Wait, you said that this youth, Xiao Fei, also had contact with Li Shishi?" Tie Mu Sanqing asked, his brows furrowed.

"Yes, according to our investigation, not only did they have contact, their relationship is quite close. That wretched woman Li Shishi used to serve Colonel Noda Yoshihiko, and now she’s involved with a Chinese youth in an inn. This is... ah... ugh..."

The subordinate could say no more, for Tie Mu Sanqing had cut out his tongue.

Tie Mu Sanqing said coldly, "Go, immediately assign someone to monitor Xiao Fei’s every move. If necessary, act preemptively—even burn down the entire inn if needed. Do not let anyone who knows of this survive. And remember, do not show any disrespect to Miss Li Shishi!"

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