INT. TE'S STUDY - DAY
Yu and De Lu approach the study.
DE LU
Sir Te said to leave the sword in here.
De Lu opens the door and is startled to find a young woman inside. The woman is studying the sheets of calligraphy hanging on the walls.
DE LU
Who are you？
JEN
I'm your guest today. I am Governor
Yu's daughter.
DE LU
This is Sir Te's study. You are here
to……
JEN
I was looking for a quiet corner.
DE LU
I am Sir Te's head servant. And this is
another of our guests.
INT. TE'S STUDY - DAY
Yu gently lays the sword， still in its sheath， in Jen's hands.
JEN
It's heavy for such a thin piece of
metal！
YU
The handle is heavy. And the blade is no
ordinary metal. Still， the sword is the
lightest of weapons. You're just not used
to handling it.
JEN
But I have had much practice. As a child
in the West， a platoon lived with us.
They'd let me play with their weapons. The
scabbard is so beautiful.
YU
Beautiful but dangerous. Once you see it
tainted with blood， its beauty is hard to
admire. It's 400 years old.
JEN
Exquisite！ You said it belongs to……
YU
My friend Li Mu Bai. He's given it to Sir
Te as a gift.
JEN
Li Mu Bai！ The famous warrior？ Why would
he give his sword to Sir Te？
YU
You're too young to understand.
JEN
You're a sword fighter too？
Yu yanks the sword out of the sheath. An eerie sound resonates within the study. Jen is even more impressed.
YU
Yes， I am. But I prefer the machete.
Certain moves， however， call for a sword.
JEN
Really？
Yu puts the sword back in the case.
JEN
（longingly）
It must be exciting to be a fighter， to
be totally free！
YU
Fighters have rules too： friendship，
trust， integrity…… Without rules， we
wouldn't survive for long.
JEN
I've read all about people like you.
Roaming wild， beating up anyone who gets
in your way！
YU
Writers wouldn't sell many books if they
told how it really is.
JEN
But you're just like the characters in
the stories.
YU
Sure. No place to bathe for days， sleeping
in flea-infested beds…… They tell you all
about that in those books？
JEN
You know what I mean. I'm getting married
soon， but I haven't lived the life I want.
YU
So I heard. Congratulations. It's the most
important step in a woman's life， isn't it？
JEN
You're not married， are you？
YU
What do you think？
JEN
No！ You couldn't roam around freely if
you were.
YU
You're probably right.
Yu studies Jen. The room falls silent for a moment.
EXT. SIDE COURT YARD - DAY
It's dusk and the sky is a beautiful orange and purple. Jen is leaving the study escorted by her maid. She turns to Yu for a final good-bye. Yu seems intrigued by the encounter.
EXT. SIR TE'S COMPOUND - NIGHT
Two lighted lanterns are raised up.
INT. TE'S STUDY - NIGHT
Sir Te hands the sword to Governor Yu.
SIR TE
Go ahead， Governor Yu.
Governor Yu is impressed by the opulance and elegance of the sword. He closes his eyes to guess the weight of the sword. Te snubs out the flame from a candle， then slides the sword out from its sheath. The sword gives off a luminous blue glow in the dark.
SIR TE
Two feet 9 inches long. 1 inch wide. The
handle is 1 inch deep， 2.6 inches wide.
Seven-tenths of an inch thick. With seven
rubies missing from the hilt. You can tell
the design dates back to before the Chin
era. Engraved with a technique lost by the
time of the Han Dynasty.
GOVERNOR YU
Your knowledge is remarkable， Sir Te.
SIR TE
A sword by itself rules nothing. It comes
alive only through skillful manipulation.
GOVERNOR YU
I see your point. Please continue.
SIR TE
The Imperial Court isn't the problem. With
royalty and officials everywhere， the Royal
Guard keeps security tight. But Peking is
not like the West. Here， you'll find all
sorts of characters. Proceed with caution in
your quest for law and order. Don't depend
only on the court. Contacts in the Giang Hu
underworld can ensure your position. Be
strong， yet supple. This is the way to rule.
INT. JEN'S ROOM - NIGHT
A maid warms her hands in a basin of hot water for Jen， then walks over to Jen and helps remove her earrings. Someone knocks and the maid goes to answer the door.
MAID
Governess……
GOVERNESS
Let me do it.
The maid leaves as the governess enters the room.
JEN
Please sit.
GOVERNESS
I've made you silk pajamas. Do you want
to change into them？
JEN
Put them down.
GOVERNESS
I heard you met Shu Lien today.
JEN
Do you know her？
GOVERNESS
She's one of those. Your mother would not
want you consorting with her kind.
Jen shoots her an angry look.
JEN
I'll socialize with whomever I please.
GOVERNESS
Don't invite danger into your father's
house.
She's about to say something， then thinks better of it.
JEN
I'm tired now.
GOVERNESS
Go to bed then. Miss has grown up， and is
getting married soon. God knows what the
future will bring.
JEN
It will be just the same. Enough！ I'm
tired.
GOVERNESS
Autumn is coming. I'll shut the windows
for you.
The governess leaves. Jen sits on the side of her bed， thinking.
EXT. TE'S COMPOUND - NIGHT
A wide shot of the compound. A patrol man greets MASTER BO， Sir Te's head of security. The place is serene.
MASTER BO
Chilly， eh？
NIGHTMAN
Yes， Master Bo.
As Bo walks on， shadows rustle in a treetop in the background.
EXT./INT. INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF TE'S STUDY - NIGHT
A masked FIGURE silently opens the window and enters the room. It moves swiftly to the sword case， opens it， and wraps the sword.
Bo enters， sees the thief， who leaps up to the ceiling. The thief steps over Bo and out into the courtyard. Bo tries to stop the thief， who easily outwits him， jumping onto the roof as Bo yells out：
BO
Someone help！ Stop him！ He's on the roof！
The sword's been stolen！ Stop thief！ Stop
him！
The thief skips a few times and jumps off to a side street.
Bo grabs a pole and runs as GONGS begin to SOUND， alerting people to the theft. People rush outside， Yu Shu Lien among them.
EXT. PEKING STREET - NIGHT
Bo runs through the streets. The thief is nowhere in sight. Suddenly， there are SOUNDS of WEAPONS CLASHING. Bo hurries towards the source.
EXT. AN ALLEY OUTSIDE GOVERNOR YU'S COMPOUND - NIGHT
Bo is surprised to see the hooded Figure battling with two other fighters - TSAI （male， 40s） and MAY， his daughter.
TSAI
It's Jade Fox！
