Sichuan, Chengdu. After coming down from Mount Tianshan, the group rode their horses south instead of heading straight for the border, entering the land of Shu along the way.
They wanted to find Grace Kwok, so heading first to Xiangyang City was the obvious move. Although there’s no war between Mongolia and Song at the moment, the tension between the two countries hasn’t eased up—everyone’s still on edge. Xiangyang City, a major obstacle to the Mongol advance south, draws attention from all sides. If it’s just one or two martial artists passing through, it’s easy enough. But if you’re paving the way for a whole group, things get complicated.
The land of abundance—rich in minerals, grains, culture, and always a hotspot for military action. It’s also prime real estate for founding martial sects. Situated in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, while the Southern Song mostly controls the middle and lower plains. So, cruising downstream is the fastest way to cross borders. Plus, thanks to Little Round Face and Little Geng, Jill Young has always had a soft spot for Sichuan, so after crossing snowy mountains and grassy fields, the group’s first stop was Chengdu, Sichuan.
The three of them strolled casually through the ancient city streets.
"This place is nothing like I remember," Jill Young said, glancing around. "So few people, so quiet—it doesn’t feel like Chengdu at all."
The Chengdu that Jill Young knew was laid-back and trendy, full of cute Sichuan girls who could dazzle you with a glance. Thanks to the perpetually cloudy skies, everyone’s got porcelain skin. Mahjong parlors and hotpot joints line the streets, and folks here walk at least fifty percent slower than those in coastal cities.
But the city in front of them was nothing like that. It was prime time for daytime activity, yet the streets were nearly empty, and the few people around hurried by, faces grim. The shops lining the street were either old and run-down or closed for good. In short, the place felt downright dilapidated.
"After the Three Kingdoms split at the end of the Han dynasty, this was Uncle Liu’s capital. I always thought it’d be a bustling metropolis, but look at it now." Jill Young looked around and couldn’t help shaking her head. "It’s like someone drained all the blood out of a big, burly guy—still got the big bones, but now he’s just scrawny. The city’s got the framework, but it feels hollow."
Wu Zhengfeng kept sneaking glances at Jill Young, shaking her head with a sigh. "I thought you’d be able to blend in better dressed as a guy, but it’s totally backfired."
Jill Young’s male disguise was so convincing, it was almost blinding—literally jaw-dropping.
Honestly, when it comes to looks, Jill Young’s got that “solid and reliable” vibe, but your average person wouldn’t exactly get blown away the way they do when they see the Head of Flower Shifting Palace. Those folks—Flower Shifting, Fiona Fang, even Lady Simone—make everyone go, “Wow, what a knockout!” But Jill? Not so much. Maybe it’s the way she carries herself, maybe something else, but when people meet her, it’s never really about her face—it’s always something else that grabs their attention.
But once she started cross-dressing as a guy, everything changed—like, completely flipped upside down.
You think Queen Jill in drag is just Teacher Yang? Nope, not even close. If you think that, you’re way too naive. She tweaks her bones with the Bone Shrinking Technique, shifts her muscles and skin with Micro-Perception Skill, coughs a couple times to adjust her voice, and even stretches a ligament in her throat to fake an Adam’s apple. Her facial features change just a bit—no makeup, nothing fancy—but suddenly, she’s a whole new person.
Her looks? Absolutely off the charts.
Add in those wild, untamed eyes, that naturally cocky smirk, and the kind of raw energy and love for adventure that just oozes off her—anyone who sees Jill Young like this is left thinking, “Holy crap, how does a guy like this even exist?!”
When she first finished her disguise, Jill Young did a classic wall slam, pinning Wu Jiaoniang in the corner. With her back against the cold wall, eyes wide, Wu watched Jill grab her chin, lean in with that cocky grin, and whisper, “Hey pretty lady, why not come with me?” In that moment, Wu Zhengfeng’s heart skipped two beats, then thudded wildly for ages.
Legendary hottie Martin Moore’s looks are top-tier too, but he’s more the type that turns straight guys into fanboys and regular girls into BL shippers. But Jill Young’s male persona? She’s got the kind of vibe that turns tough tops into soft bottoms, even makes the most aggressive dudes want to play the damsel.
Wu Zhengfeng’s been watching, and after days of traveling from northwest to southwest, even the girls in No One Under Heaven are giving Jill Young these weird looks. Lady Simone, who’s usually got a rock-solid mind thanks to her cultivation, is immune to most things—but lately, she’s been eyeing Jill up and down with some seriously spicy glances.
A guy like this—even if no one suspects he’s actually a woman in disguise, there’s no way he’s not going to stand out!
“I figured I’d run into some exotic beauties in Chengdu, but now…” Jill glances around, then suddenly cracks up. “Turns out Chengdu’s packed with Lady’s Specialists!”
“Lady’s Specialists?” That twist totally caught Wu Zhengfeng off guard.
“Yeah! I’ve walked all over and seen at least a dozen Lady’s Specialists. They’re all traveling docs without even a clinic, but somehow they’ve all got ‘Lady’s Specialist’ banners. I mean, come on—doesn’t that just scream ‘sketchy’ to you?” Jill thought about it for a second, finally landing on her real opinion: “Yeah, sketchy as hell.”
Wu Zhengfeng and Lady Simone, prompted by Jill’s comment, start looking around and immediately spot something off. No joke—just like Jill said, there are fake doctors all over the place. Sure, with all the war and disaster lately, more medics makes sense. But the weird part? They’re all Lady’s Specialists!
Gynecology is super rare in this era—most doctors just dabble and handle it on the side. Real Lady’s Specialists? That’s like finding a unicorn.
With years of experience in the martial world, Lady Simone quickly figures it out: “Boss, these so-called doctors all have cultivation—they’re not real medics. Must be a cover for something shady. Looks like they’re not here for us, so let’s not poke the hornet’s nest. Best to wait and see.”
Hearing Lady Simone’s advice, Wu Zhengfeng can’t help but pull a face. Girl, you’re still too young, too innocent. Sure, what you said makes sense, but that’s not how this one rolls at all.
Sure enough, Jill Young points ahead like she’s spotted a whole new continent: “Look, finally found one with actual property!”
Up ahead, there’s a medical clinic just opening for business. Huge sign out front, gold letters shining: ‘Lady’s Specialist,’ brand new and flashy. Not many women inside, but plenty of men—place is buzzing. All those wandering docs from the street? They’re streaming in like homing pigeons.
After some chit-chat up front, they’re all led into the backyard.
This secretive vibe instantly gets someone’s curiosity going: “Let’s go check it out! We need info on gynecology anyway, no time like the present!”
Jill leads the two ladies into the clinic. Right at the entrance, an old guy who’s got that classic Chinese medicine look is chilling behind the counter. As soon as he sees them, he perks up with a welcoming smile—then freezes, totally baffled.
“Uh…” The old doctor has no idea what he’s supposed to do.
The instructions were: if it’s a man, ask for the code phrase. If it’s a woman, just give her some random meds and send her packing—unless she’s a beauty, of course.
But now here come three people: two women and one man. Never had this combo before—so what’s the play?
Just as he’s puzzling it out, Jill Young walks up to the counter, taps her finger, snapping the old doc out of it: “So, this is the Lady’s Specialist place?”
The old doctor snaps back to reality, glances around nervously, and asks, “Are you here for treatment?”
“Nope.” Even if she’s just here for the drama, Jill Young doesn’t like to lie: “None of us have any lady problems—and even if we did, you couldn’t fix them.” She’s really talking about Lady Simone, whose weird symptoms are way beyond what any doctor here could handle.
But the old doctor hears this and nods knowingly: “Oh, I get it.” Not totally right, but it’s close enough to the code phrase he was told to expect. He figures they’re here for “that thing.”
If that’s the case, time for the code phrase!
The old doctor fires off, “What took you so long?”
What took me so long? It’s a weird question, but after being around Jill for so long, you just roll with the nonsense. So she just shrugs and says, “It was a long trip, took a few extra days.” Which, to be fair, coming from Tianshan to Sichuan really is a trek.
“A long trip?” The old doctor is totally thrown—like, dude, you’re not playing by the rules at all!
In the martial world, there are usually two types of code phrases: the password kind, like “The king covers the tiger,” and the poetic kind, like “The gate faces the sea, a landscape of eternal beauty.” But neither fits this crowd.
Password-type codes only work in tight circles, but this event’s got people from all over—dialects are all over the place, so no way to agree on a password.
As for the poetic kind… let’s be real, most of these folks aren’t exactly cultured, so it had to be something simple. They came up with a code that’s easy for the right crowd to remember, but totally baffling for outsiders. Theoretically, it’s pretty secure.
First question: “What took you so long?” The correct answer should be, “Mountains are high, rivers deep, the road is tough—it takes time to go up and down alone.”
Given the crowd’s general level, the higher-ups said it doesn’t have to be word-for-word—just close enough in meaning.
But—“It was a long trip, took a few extra days”? What kind of answer is that?!
You could say it’s sort of right—but also way off!
So is that a pass or a fail? What’s he supposed to do now?!
Ah, whatever—better ask the second question and see what happens.
“So why’d you come anyway?”
The right answer here is, “Acting on a whim, following my thoughts, coming and going as I please, aiming for immortality.”
If the first question was still sort of related to medicine, and a patient might accidentally stumble onto the right answer, there’s no way a normal person would ever get this second one! Hmph, let’s see who’s for real and who’s just faking it!
“Why’d I come? Well…” Jill Young scratches her head and just says it straight: “I thought, ‘The door’s open, so I walked in.’”
The old doctor is just… stunned.