EXT. DESERT - DAY
Lo and Jen ride， if not side-by-side， then parallel， about 20 feet apart. Their pace has slowed considerably. In fact， they're dead tired.
LO
Let's stop a moment.
JEN
Give it back！
LO
（shouting a bit）
You're tired. You need rest. Your
horse needs water. There's a creek up
here.
He dismounts， looks down at the dry creek bed.
LO
Well， there used to be！ What's your
name？ I'm Lo. The Hans call me Dark
Cloud. I'm not that tall or big， but
I'm quick as lightning.
JEN
My comb！
She kicks him. They fight ferociously until Lo， exhausted， collapses. She kicks him a few times， then collapses too.
INT. CAVE - DAY
Jen comes to and finds herself wrapped in a blanket of animal fur. She sits up with a start and checks her clothes. Looking around， she realizes she's in a cave. Next to her are a lamp， some hunting equipment， and a neat row of sharp arrows. She quickly grabs one of the arrows.
LO
If you like that arrow， I can make
you a bow. Great for hunting wild
chicken. They're delicious.
Jen raises one of the arrows， going on the attack again， but her legs betray her and she falls.
LO
You need to eat， understand？ Then
you'll have the strength to fight.
Understand？
He helps her up， then pours her some horse milk from a sac. He hands her a small chunk of food， which she first accepts grudgingly， then， her hunger getting the better of her， she starts to wolf it down.
LO
You're eating too fast. Slowly.
EXT. CAVE - DAY
Lo walks out into a barren mountain landscape. A chicken roasts over a fire. Lo whistles.
Jen appears suddenly with a rock and knocks it over his head. Lo passes out as Jen scurries away.
EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE AND DESERT - DAY
Jen tries to find her way among the treacherous stony terrain， her lips chapped and fingers bloody and blistered. But soon she passes out.
INT. CAVE - NIGHT
Jen again awakes inside the cave. Lo tries to feed her some water， but she chokes and tries to push him away， only to find that her legs and hands are tied up.
LO
You've got quite a temper. It's
better this way.
JEN
You coward！
LO
Still in a bad mood？ At least you're
speaking. What's your name？
Jen spits at Lo.
LO
I didn't think the Hans had names
like that.
LATER： She weaves in and out of consciousness. In the flickering lights， she sees Lo sharpening his arrows.
LATER： Lo pulls back an opaque curtain to reveal a makeshift bathroom- a water-filled cavity serves as a tub.
He rises as Jen sobs at the sight of her imprisoned and dishevelled body. He comes over and unties her.
LO
Relax. If I had wanted to， I would
have already done it. You must be
dying for a bath. Fresh water's hard
to get here. But I managed to bring
some up. You can wear my clothes when
you're done. They're clean. Don't
worry. I'll sing so you'll know where
I am. After the bath， you'll be calmer.
Jen nods and the bandit releases her. He starts to sing as he walks out. Jen waits until the sound recedes before closing the curtain behind her and dipping into the pit. While she bathes， she listens to his singing， a loud rendition of a tribal song. Lo apparently doesn't remember all the lyrics， and la-las his way through more than a few passages. Jen smiles.
INT. CAVE - NIGHT
Jen grimaces as Lo pulls the last of some cactus needles from the soles of her feet.
LO
No more hitting on the head！ All this
trouble for a comb？
JEN
It's mine. It means a lot to me. A
barbarian like you wouldn't understand.
LO
Not true. I can use it to pick fleas
from my horse.
JEN
By the way， I'm a real Manchurian.
LO
I'm sorry…… I guessed wrong. I thought
you were a Han.
JEN
Give me back my comb.
LO
I don't take orders from anyone.
JEN
Give it back.
Jen impulsively grabs an arrow and stabs Lo， drawing a little blood from his chest. Furious， Lo lunges at her and they tussle briefly. Fianlly， Lo gets on top of Jen， and the scuffling becomes more like foreplay. Violence turns into unleashed passion.
EXT. DESERT OASIS - DAY
Lo and Jen ride across the desert. Jen holds tightly to him.
EXT. CAVE - NIGHT
Lo and Jen lie in the bath together.
LO
When I was a boy， one night， I saw
a thousand shooting stars. I thought，
where did they all go？ I'm an orphan.
I used to look for stars alone. I
thought if I rode to the other end of
the desert， I'd find them. I've been
riding in the desert ever since.
JEN
And so， the little boy became a
fearsome bandit. He couldn't find the
stars， so he stole my comb.
Lo pauses.
LO
Out here， you always fight for survival.
You have to be part of a gang to stand a
chance. Slowly， your gang becomes your
family. All that Dark Cloud stuff is just
to scare people and make my life easier.
JEN
So you're still that little boy looking
for shooting stars.
LO
I am a man. And now I've found the
brightest star of all.
EXT. DESERT - DAY
Lo sees uniformed men through his binoculars.
LO
Your father's men are looking for you.
Jen doesn't respond.
EXT. DESERT - DAY
Lo and Jen ride through a mountain pass.
EXT. CLIFF - DAY
Lo and Jen stand at the crest of a cliff. Lo looks over， viewing the desert valley below as Jen joins him. They see a troop of uniformed men riding by in the distance.
LO
Your father's men are still looking
for you. They're still out there，
circling closer.
JEN
Let them look.
LO
It is trouble for me.
Jen bites her lip.
JEN
Don't send me back！
LO
You must decide. You might get tired of
this life. You might begin to miss your
family. If it were our daughter， we'd
look for her too. She would miss us.
Jen…… I want you to be mine forever. I
will make my mark on the world. I will
earn your parents' respect. We have a
legend. Anyone who dares to jump from
the mountain， God will grant his wish.
Long ago， a young man's parents were ill，
so he jumped. He didn't die. He wasn't
even hurt. He floated away， far away，
never to return. He knew his wish had
come true. If you believe， it will
happen. The elders say， "A faithful heart
makes wishes come true."
INT. TENT - DAY
Jen and Lo kiss. Jen takes the jade comb out of her hair and presses it into his palm. Jen starts to cry. They embrace.
JEN
Keep it safe. Return it to me when we are
together again.
LO
I will.
JEN
（smiling painfully）
If you don't， I'll come after you. And
I won't let you off so easy.
EXT. TENT - DAY
Jen quietly walks out and stands sadly in the early morning light.
END OF FLASHBACK.
INT. JEN'S ROOM - NIGHT
LO
Wherever I went， someone always
recognized me. I really tried. Later，
I heard you came to Peking. I was
afraid I'd never see you again. So I
came. I can't let you marry.
Jen is about to respond when a servant's voice is heard from outside the door.
JEN
（whispering）
Go.
LO
Jen……
JEN
（through her tears）
Don't ever come back.
Lo hovers at the window frame.
LO
So it's over？
Jen pauses.
JEN
Yes.
Lo thrusts a small object in her hand.
He lifts his legs through the window and drops out of sight， just as Jen's door is opened from the hall.
MAID
We heard noises.
JEN
It was just a cat.
The Maid pauses， then dutifully exits， closing the door.
Jen opens up her palm； gasping， she sees the comb that Lo has given her.
EXT. WEDDING PROCESSION - DAY
The noise and color of a wedding procession. A marching band heralds the occasion， as throngs of onlookers fight to get a glimpse of the groom， GOU JUN PEI， who trots by on a handsome white horse.
INT. WEDDING CARRIAGE - DAY
Jen's head is completely covered in red cloth as she rides silently in the bride's carriage.
EXT. BALCONY OVERLOOKING WEDDING PROCESSION - DAY
Li and Yu watch the festivities from a balcony of the city gate.
YU
You think Jade Fox will show up？
LI
She's out there， but I doubt she'll
show herself. We'll keep our eyes
open. Sooner or later， she'll come
for the girl.
