Read The Book and the Sword 書劍恩仇錄 PART THREE
Chen held the dagger in his hands and stood watching dumbly as Huo Qingtong caught up with the Muslim column and gradually faded towards the horizon.
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PART THREE
1
Chen held the dagger in his
hands and stood watching dumbly as Huo Qingtong caught up with the Muslim
column and gradually faded towards the horizon. He was about to go and ask Lu
Feiqing about his pupil when he noticed a horse galloping towards him fast. As
it came closer, he was disappointed to find it was only Xin Yan returning on
the white horse.
"Master!" he shouted
excitedly. "Master Zhang Jin has a prisoner."
"Who is it?" Chen
asked.
"I went to the old temple
and found Master Zhang Jin arguing with a man who wanted to pass. The man saw
the horse I was ridingand began cursing me as a horse thief and struck out at
me with his sword. Master Zhang Jin and I fought with him. His kung fu was
really good. He fought the two of us single-handed until finally I picked up
some stones and started throwing them at him, and Master Zhang Jin clubbed him
on the thigh. It was only then that we managed to capture him."
Chen smiled. "What is his
name? What was he doing?"
"We asked him but he
wouldn't say. But Master Zhang Jin says he must be a member of the Han School
of Luoyang because he was using Iron Pipa Hand Kung Fu."
Zhang Jin galloped up,
dismounted and bowed before Chen, then pulled a man off the horse's saddle. He
was tied hand and foot, but he stood haughtily, exuding an air of insolence.
"I understand you are a
member of the Han School of Luoyang," Chen said. "What is your
honourable name?"
The man said nothing.
"Xin Yan, undo this
gentleman's bonds," Chen said.
Xin Yan drew his knife and cut
the rope that bound the man's hands and legs then stood behind him, his knife
at the ready.
"My friends have wronged
you, but please do not be offended," Chen said. "Come into my tent
and take a seat."
Chen and the man sat on the
ground while the other heroes came in and stood behind Chen's back.
When he saw Luo Bing enter,
the man's anger flared and he jumped up. "You stole my horse," he
shouted, pointing at her.
"So it's Master
Han," Luo Bing replied with a smile. "We exchanged horses and I
compensated you with a gold ingot. You did very well out of the deal. What are
you angry about?"
Chen asked what had happened,
and Luo Bing recounted how she had taken the white horse. The others laughed as
they listened.
"In that case, we will
return the horse to you, Master Han," Chen said. "There is also no
need to return the gold ingot. Consider it a token of our respect and as
payment for the rental of your horse."
Han was about to reply when
Luo Bing said: "Great Helmsman, this won't do. Do you know who he is? He's
a Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency man." She pulled out Wang Weiyang's letter
and handed it to him.
Chen's eyes flashed down the
lines. "The great name of Wang Weiyang has been known to me for a long
time, but regrettably I ave never met him," he said. "You are a
member of the Han School of Luoyang. What relation are you to Fifth Madame
Han?"
"And what is your
honourable surname and esteemed name, sir?" Han replied.
Chen smiled. "My surname
is Chen, my given name, Jialuo."
Han stood up. "You…you
are the son of Chief Minister Chen?" he asked in a quavering voice.
"This is the Great
Helmsman of our Red Flower Society," one of the Twin Knights said.
Han slowly sat down again and
began weighing up this young Great Helmsman.
"Someone in the underworld
started the rumour that our society was connected with the death of one of your
school's members," Chen said. "In fact, we know nothing of it. I
dispatched one of our brothers to Luoyang to explain the matter, but something
came up and he was forced to postpone the trip. So your arrival could not have
been better timed, Master Han. I don't know how this rumour started. Can you
tell me?"
"You…you're really the
son of Chief Minister Chen of Haining?" Han asked.
"Since you know my
identity, there is no point in trying to deceive you," Chen replied.
"Your family announced a
large reward for finding you after you left home," Han said. "It was
said that you had joined the Red Flower Society and had gone to the Muslim
border regions. My late comrade Jiao Wenqi was engaged by your family to look
for you, but he mysteriously disappeared on the way. That was five years ago.
Recently, someone found the Iron Plate and Pipa darts that Brother Jiao used in
Shanxi province, and we now know for certain that he was murdered. No-one knows
the exact circumstances of his death, but consider, sir: if it wasn't the Red
Flower Society, then who did it?"
"I killed Jiao
Wenqi," Lu Feiqing interrupted. "I am not amember of the Red Flower
Society, so this matter has nothing to do with them."
The others were startled. Lu
stood up and told the story of how Jiao had found him one night, how he fought
one against three, and had been injured, but had still managed to kill them on
the deserted hillside. The heroes listened and then cursed Jiao, saying he was
shameless and deserved to die. Han's face darkened but he said nothing.
"If Master Han wishes to
avenge his martial brother's death, there is no reason why he should not do so
now," Lu said. Heturned to Luo Bing. "Mistress Wen, return Master
Han's weapon to him please."
Luo Bing pulled out the Iron
Pipa and handed it to Lu.
"Since Jiao was
commissioned by the Chen family to find their son, he should have stuck to his
mission," Lu said. As he spoke, he absent-mindedly excercised his Inner
Strength kung fu on the body of the hollow Iron Pipa, slowly flattening it.
"What was he doing using their money to come and give me trouble? Even if
we of the fighting community are not able to sacrifice ourselves to save our
country from the Manchu barbarians, we should still fight for justice and
against those who oppress the people."
His Inner Strength kung fu was
extraordinary. His hands rolled the flattened iron plate round so that it was
transformed into a tube, and then with a few sqeezes, into an iron club.
"What I detest most are
the Manchu court's Eagles' Claws and the bodyguard agency running dogs who use
a small knowledge of the martial arts to assist the wicked with their evil
deeds."
His voice suddenly hardened
and he twisted the iron club into an iron ring.
As Lu talked, Han watched him
twist and squeeze his school's famous weapon as if he were making noodles, and
was both startled and afraid. He knew that Jiao's kung fu had been about the
same standard as his own, and realised that fighting with this old manmeant
certain death.
Han's courage had already
evaporated and he did not dare to challenge Lu. But although shocked and
humbled, he did not wish to appear too cowardly.
"This affair of Jiao
Wenqi in fact arose because of me," Chen said. "I will write a letter
to my elder brother telling him that Master Jiao found me, but that I was not
willing to return home; also, that on his way back, Master Jiao met with an
accident and passed away. I will then ask my brother to pay the reward and
compensation money to Master Jiao's family."
Han continued to hesitate, and
Chen's eyebrows rose. "But if your heart is set upon revenge, then I will
fight you myself."
Han shuddered. "I will do
exactly as you say, sir," he replied.
"That's a good
fellow," Chen said. "One has to be flexible."
He told Xin Yan to hand him
his writing brush, instone, ink and writing paper, and using a vigorous
calligraphic style, wrote out a letter which Han accepted.
"Master Wang asked me to
help escort a cargo back to Beijing and then to escort some treasures the
Emperor has presented to your honourable family down to the south. But faced
with the extraordinary talents of you all, I would only make a fool of myself
if I made further use of my own minor abilities in the martial arts. I will
take my leave of you, sir."
"Did you say items
belonging to my family, Master Han?"
"The bodyguard agency
caller who brought me the letter said the Emperor is extremely generous towards
your family. Every few months, he bestows an amount of precious stones and
treasures, and there is now a large accumulation of these that must be sent
south to your home. Your family asked us to escort them, but I would not dare
to continue earning my daily rice in such a business. After I have made
suitable arrangements for Brother Jiao's dependants, I will return home."
"It is good that you are
willing to follow Master Lu's invaluable words of advice," Chen said.
"In that case, I might as well make friends with you. Xin Yan, please
bring in the other gentlemen from the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency."
Xin Yan went out and led in
Lead Escort Qian and the others. Han and the escorts stared dumbly at each
other.
"Master Han, please take
these friends with you," said Chen. "But if we ever catch them again
doing anything but good deeds, do not blame us if our hands are not stayed by
mercy."
Chen did not again mention the
return of the white horse, and Han did not dare to bring it up.
"We will leave
first," Chen said. "I will ask all of you to rest here for a day
before making a start."
The Red Flower Society heroes
mounted their horses an started off, leaving the Agency men and the Yamen
officers standing silently behind.
"Master Chen," Lu
Feiqing said after they had travelled for a while. "My pupil will meet up
with those bodyguard agency fellows before long. They have been humiliated and
have no way to get their revenge, so they may cause trouble. I would like to
stay behind and watch them for a while before following after you."
"Please do as you wish,
Master Lu," Chen replied.
Lu saluted, then galloped off
the way they had come. Chen realised as Lu disappeared that he had not asked
him about his pupil.
2
'Scholar' Yu, under orders to
investigate the whereabouts of Wen Tailai, made discreet enquiries along the
road as he went. But he discovered no clues, and in less than a day arrived at
Liangzhou, a prosperous busy city and one of the largest in Gansu province. He
found a room in an inn, then went to a tavern and drank alone, bemoaning his
fate. He thought of Luo Bing's voice and smile, and a tide of longing rose
within him. He knew it was hopeless, and the more he drank, the more melancholy
he became. He was just about to leave when two men came in. Yu knew he had seen
one of them before and quickly turned his head away. He thought frantically and
placed him as one of the Yamen officers he had fought at Iron Gall Manor.
Luckily, the man and his companion paid no attention to him.
They chose a table near the
window which happened to be just next to Yu's and sat down. Yu sat with his
head on the table, pretending to be drunk.
The two men chatted for a
while, then one said:
"Brother Rui, it's
remarkable How you captured that fellow. I wonder what sort of reward the
Emperor will give you?"
"I'm not concerned about
the reward," Rui replied. "If we can get him to Hangzhou nice and
safely, I'll be happy. When we left Beijing, there were eight of us bodyguards,
and now I'm the only one left. It was that fight in Suzhou. I'm not selling myself
short, but I still get the shivers just thinking about it."
"You're with Master Zhang
now," the other said. "I'm sure nothing more will be wrong."
"That's true," Rui
replied. "But it means that the Imperial Guardsmen get all the credit.
What do we Imperial Bodyguards get out of it? But tell me, old Zhu. What are
they doing sending him to Hangzhou instead of to Beijing?"
"My younger sister is
from the family of Great Scholar Shi, as you know," Zhu replied, lowering
his voice. "She told me quietly that the Emperor plans to go down south.
Perhaps he wants to question him himself."
Rui grunted and drank a
mouthful of wine. "So the six of you rushed out from Beijing to see that
the Imperial command was complied with?"
"And to give the rest of
you some help. The Red Flower Society is very powerful in the south. We have to
be especially careful."
As he listened, Yu groaned
inwardly at the sheer luck of it all. If he had not happened to be there and
hear them, the Red Flower Society heroes would have been racing to Beijing to
save Wen when he was really being taken to Hangzhou.
"Brother Rui," Zhu
said. "Exactly what crime has this fellow committed that the Emperor wants
to question him personally?"
"How would we know?"
Rui replied. "We were just told that if we didn't catch him, we would all
be removed from our posts. I just hope I can keep my head on my
shoulders."
The two laughed and drank, and
their conversation turned to the subject of women. Finally, they paid the bill
and stood up to leave. Rui looked over at Yu prostrate on the table.
"Scholars," he said
and laughed harshly. "Three cups of wine and they can't even walk."
Yu waited until they had gone,
then hastily threw five silver coins onto the table and dashed out of the
tavern. He spotted the men entering the city Yamen. He waited for a long time
but didn't see them re-appear, and decided they must be lodging there.
He returned to his room and as
soon as it was dark, he changed into a set of dark clothes, stuck his golden
flute into his belt then ran over to the Yamen. Making his way round to the
back, he clambered over the wall.
All was pitch black in the
courtyard except for a shaft of light coming from a window in the eastern hall,
and as he crept closer, he heard voices coming from inside. He wet the tip of
his finger with a drop of saliva, then lightly moistened the window paper and
made a small hole. Looking through, he started in fright.
The hall was full of people.
Zhang Zhaozhong was seated in the middle with the bodyguards and Yamen officers
on either side of him. A man standing with his back to Yu cursed angrily, and
he knew from his voice that it was Wen Tailai.
"You can curse to your
heart's content," a voice off to the side said darkly. "I may not be
as proficient in the martial arts as you, but you will still get a taste of my
hand."
Yu was distressed. "They
are going to humiliate Fourth Brother," he thought. "He is the person
Fourth Sister respects and loves most. How can I allow him to be insulted by
these villains?"
He saw a tall, thin middleaged
man wearing a blue gown advancing on Wen with his hand raised. Just as the man
was about to strike Wen, Yu inserted his flute through the hole in the window
paper, and with a puff, shot a small arrow into the man's left eye.
The man fell to the ground in
agony and there was a moment of confusion in the hall. Yu shot another arrow
into the right cheek of one of the bodyguards, then kicked open the main door
of the hall and ran straight in.
"Don't move!" he
shouted. "The Red Flower Society has come to the rescue!"
He raised his flute and struck
the Yamen officers beside Wen, then pulled a dagger from his legwrappings and
cut the ropes binding Wen's hands and feet.
Zhang Zhaozhong thought a
largescale attack was in progress and immediately drew his sword and went to
the hall door to prevent Wen and Yu from escaping and those outside from
getting in.
As soon as Wen's hands were
free of the bonds, his spirits surged. An Imperial Bodyguard lunged towards him
and Wen struck him hard with his fist, sending him reeling away. The others
were so afraid of Wen's power that for a while they did not dare to get too
close to him.
"Fourth Brother, let's
get out!" Yu said.
"Are the others
here?"
"No," Yu replied
quietly. "There's only me."
Wen nodded once. The wounds on
his right arm and thigh had not yet healed, but he ran for the door with his
right arm resting on Yu's shoulder.
Zhang strode foward a step.
"Stop!" he shouted, and jabbed at Wen's stomach with his long sword.
Wen was slow on his feet, so using attack as his defence, he struck out at his
opponent's eyes with the index and middle fingers of his left hand, and Zhang
was forced to retract his sword.
"Good!" he
exclaimed. The two men were incredibly fast, but Wen only had the use of his
left arm and after a few more moves, Zhang hit his right shoulder. Unable to
keep his balance, Wen sat down heavily on the floor.
"I shouldn't have done
this," Yu thought as he fought off the Imperial Bodyguards. "I will
save Fourth Brother and then let the Eagle's Claws kill me so that Fourth
Sister will know that I, Yu Yutong, am not an unchivalrous oaf."
He saw Wen fall to the ground
and flipped round to strike out desperately at Zhang.
"Fourth Brother, get out
quick!" Yu shouted. Wen rested a moment and then with difficulty clambered
to his feet. The golden flute flew and danced, completely neglecting to defend
or parry. Yu was completely unconcerned about his own safety. Even with his
superb swordsmanship, Zhang was forced to move back several paces in the face
of his suicidal attack. Wen saw an opening and shot out of the door, with the
mob of the bodyguards and officers howling after him.
Yu blocked them at the door,
ignoring his own safety.
"Don't you want to
live?" Zhang shouted. "Who taught you that kung fu style?" Yu
was using the traditional style of the Wudang School, the school to which Zhang
belonged, and Zhang had so far spared him because of it.
"It would be best if you
killed me," Yu said, smiling sadly. After a few more moves, Zhang's sword
struck him once more, this time on the right shoulder, so Yu shifted the golden
flute to his left hand and continued the fight without retreating a step.
The mass of the bodyguards
charged forward again and Yu's flute danced, hooting strangely as the wind
whipped through it. A bodyguard chopped at him with his sword, and gashed Yu's
shoulder. His body was now covered in blood, but he continued the fierce
battle, and there was a sudden crack as the jawbone of another bodyguard was
shattered. The bodyguards pressed forward, knives, swords, whips and clubs all
thrusting towards Yu simultaneously. Yu's thigh was hit by a club and he fell
to the ground. His golden flute kept up its dance for a few moments, then he
fainted away.
There was a sudden shout from
the door: "Stop!"
The bodyguards turned and saw
Wen walking slowly back into the hall. He ignored them and went straight over
to Yu. Seeing his bloodied body, he couldn't stop his tears. He bent down and
was relieved to find Yu was till breathing.
"Treat his wounds
quickly," he ordered.
The bodyguards were so fearful
of his power, that they did as he said. Wen watched them bind Yu's wounds and
carry him through to the inner hall, then placed both of his hands behind his
back.
"Tie me up," he said.
One of the bodyguards looked over at Zhang, then walked slowly over.
"What are you afraid
of?" Wen asked. "If I was going to hurt you, I would have done so
long ago."
The bodyguard bound his hands
and took him back to the dungeons. Two bodyguards were left to guard him.
Early the next morning, Zhang
went to see Yu and found him in a deep sleep. He was told by a guard that the
doctor had visited Yu and prescribed some medicine. Zhang visited him again in
the afternoon and Yu appeared to be more alert.
"Is your teacher surnamed
Lu or Ma?" Zhang asked him.
"My teacher is surnamed
Ma, his given name is Zhen."
"So that's it. I am your
martial uncle, Zhang Zhaozhong."
Yu nodded slightly.
"Are you a member of the
Red Flower Society?"
Yu nodded again.
"Such a nice young
man," Zhang sighed. "What a pity that you have fallen to such a
state. What relation is Wen Tailai to you? What were you doing risking your
life to save him?"
Yu closed his eyes and was
silent. A moment passed.
"In the end I did save
him, so I can die in peace," he finally said.
"Huh! Do you really think
you could snatch him away from me?"
Yu was startled. "Didn't
he escape?" he asked.
"How could he? Stop
day-dreaming!"
Zhang tried to interrogate
him, but Yu took no notice, and after a while he began to sneeze.
Zhang smiled slightly.
"You stubborn boy," he said, and left.
He ordered the Imperial
Bodyguards to organise an ambush with Wen as bait. After dinner, Wen was
brought out of the dungeon and interrogated once more, in the same manner as
the night before when Yu had unexpectedly burst in and disrupted the
proceedings. This time, however, heavily-armed troops were hidden all around
the Yamen, waiting to catch any Red Flower Society rescuers. But they waited in
vain.
The next morning, Zhang
received a report that the waters of the Yellow River were rising rapidly, and
that the current at the point where they intended to cross was very strong and
ordered an immediate departure. He had Wen and Yu placed in separate carriages
and was just about to start out when Officer Wu and the Zhen Yuan Agency Lead
Escorts raced into the Yamen. Zhang hastily questioned them, and Officer Wu
breathlessly told him how they had been attacked and captured by the Muslims
and the Red Flower Society, and how Lead Escort Yan had been killed by a young
Muslim girl.
"Brother Yan was a very
tough fighter," Zhang said. "Extraordinary." He raised his hand.
"We will meet again in Beijing."
Zhang immediately went and
told the Liangzhou Military commander that he wanted four hundred crack troops
transferred to his command to help escort criminals wanted by the Emperor. The
commander did not dare refuse and also dispatched Colonel Cao Neng and
Chief-of-Staff Ping Wangxian to lead the escorting soldiers until they reached
Lanzhou, the provincial capital, where provincial troops would take over.
Zhang's column surged out of
the town, stealing and pilfering from the common people in the usual way as
they went.
They travelled without
incident for two days. Then, about ten miles from a village named Twin Wells,
they came upon two bare-breasted men sitting beneath a tree by the side of the
road with a pair of fine horses standing nearby. Two of the soldiers went over.
"Hey!" one shouted.
"These two horses look like official horses. Where did you steal them
from?"
"We are peaceful
citizens," said one of the men. "We wouldn't dare to steal
horses."
"We are tired of walking.
Lend them to us," the second soldier replied.
The two men stood up, walked
over to their horses and untied the reins.
The soldiers walked haughtily
over and were just about to take hold of the reins when the two men kicked
their behinds, leapt onto the horses and galloped over to one of the carriages.
"Is Fourth Brother in
there?" one shouted.
"Ah, Twelfth
Brother!" Wen answered.
"Fourth Brother, we're
leaving," the man replied. "But don't worry, we'll be back to rescue
you soon."
The two men galloped away
before the carriage's guards could attack.
The column lodged that night
at a town called Clear Water Shop. Early the following morning, while most of
the soldiers were still asleep, a scream was heard, and there was a moment of
confusion. The two troop commanders, Cao and Ping went to investigate and found
the bodies of more than a dozen soldiers lying where they had slept, each with
a gaping gash in the chest. There was no indication of who had killed them.
The next evening, they rested
at Hengshi. This was a large town, and the column filled three inns and many
private houses besides. During the night, one of the inns caught fire. Zhang
ordered the bodyguards to guard Wen and to heed nothing else in order to avoid
being tricked. The flames rose higher and higher.
"Bandits!" Cao Neng
cried as he ran into Zhang's room. "They're attacking!"
"Please go and direct
operations yourself, General Cao," Zhang replied. "I am unable to
leave this place."
Cao nodded and left.
From outside the inn came the
sound of screams and shrieks, galloping horses, the crackle of the flames and
the smash of roof tiles as they hit the ground. Zhang ordered two bodyguards
onto the roof to keep watch, but told them not to get involved unless the enemy
attacked the inn. The fire did not get out of control, and before long it was
extinguished. The agitated clamour continued for a while, then gradually died
down to the point where the sound of hooves could be heard as horses galloped
off eastwards.
Cao, his face covered in soot,
grease and blood, ran in to see Zhang again.
"The bandits have
retreated," he reported.
"How many of our men have
been killed and wounded?" Zhang asked.
"I don't know yet.
Several…several dozen."
"How many bandits were
captured?"
Cao's mouth fell open. After a
moment, he said: "None."
Zhang grunted.
"Their faces were covered
with cloth, and their kung fu was horrendous," Cao added. "But it's
very strange, they didn't steal anything. All they did was kill our brothers.
Just before they left, they threw down two hundred taels of silver for the
innkeeper saying it was compensation for starting the fire."
"So you think they were
bandits, do you?" Zhang said. "Tell everyone to get some rest,
General Cao. We will start out early tomorrow."
Cao retired and went to see
the innkeeper, whom he accused of being in collusion with the bandits and responsible
for the murder of the soldiers. The innkeeper kowtowed and begged for mercy and
finally gave Cao the two hundred taels of silver.
The next day, the soldiers
were busy until noon before finally making a start. They passed through
beautiful country of blue hills and green water, surrounded by dense vegetation
on all sides. After travelling for about four hours, the road began to grow
gradually steeper and high peaks rose on either side.
A horse came galloping down
the road towards them and halted about ten paces in front of the column.
"Listen to me, all of
you," the rider called out. "You have offended the demons. Turn back
quickly and you will be spared. If you continue eastwards, each one of you
Turtles will surely die."
The soldiers shuddered as they
looked at the man. He was wearing clothes made of rough hemp bound at the waist
with grass rope. His face was pale yellow and his eyebrows slanted upwards,
just like the images of life-stealing spirits in the temples. The man spurred
his horse forward and galloped down the mountain, passing beside of the column,
and was gone. Suddenly, one of the soldiers in the rear-guard gave a cry, and
fell to the ground, dead. The rest started in fright and gathered round to
look, but there was no wound visible on his body. Terrified, they all began
talking at once.
Cao Neng assigned two soldiers
to stay behind and bury the dead man and the column continued up the mountain.
Before they had gone very far, another horse approached them from in front, its
rider the same man they had seen earlier.
"Listen to me, all of
you," he called out. "You have offended the demons. Turn back quickly
and you will be spared. If you continue eastwards, each one of you Turtles will
surely die."
The soldiers wondered
fearfully how the man could have made his way round in front of them again.
They had clearly seen him go down the mountain and one glance confirmed that
there were no short cuts back up the slope. The man spurred his horse forward
and the soldiers shrunk from him as if he was a real demon.
One of the Imperial
bodyguards, named Zhu, stuck out his sword to obstruct the man. "Slow
down, friend," he said.
The man struck Zhu's shoulder
with his right hand, and the sword clattered to the ground. Then he sped off
down the mountain. As he passed the end of the column, the last soldier gave a
shriek and fell to the ground, dead. The other soldiers stood staring
foolishly, scared out of their wits.
Zhang went down to the end of
the column to investigate.
"What is this fellow, a man
or a ghost?" Zhu said. He pressed his wounded right shoulder, his face
deathly pale. Zhang told him to undo his clothes and examined the large black
swelling on his right shoulder. He ordered the troops to strip the dead soldier
bare and examine him for wounds. When they turned him over, they found a
similar black swelling on his back from which the shape of a hand could be
vaguely discerned. The soldiers broke into an uproar as a shout of "The
Demon's Mark!" The Demon's Mark!" went up. Zhang ordered that two
soldiers be left behind to bury the dead man. Two were chosen from the ranks,
but even when threatened with death, they refused to carry out the order. Zhang
had no alternative but to order a halt and wait until the body was buried
before continuing.
"Master Zhang, this
fellow is very strange," said Bodyguard Rui. "How could he pass us by
and then make his way back in front of us again?"
Zhang stood deep in thought
for a while. "Brother Zhu and the two soldiers were obviously victims of
Black Sand Palm Kung Fu," he said. "There are very few masters of
Black Sand Palm kung fu in the underworld."
"If it's Black Palm kung
fu, then the best is naturally the Taoist Priest Hui Lu, but he's been dead for
many years," Rui said. "Could it be that his spirit has
re-appeared?"
Zhang slapped his thigh.
"That's it! That's it!" he cried. "They're Hui Lu's pupils. The
Twin Knights that people call Black Death and White Death. I was trying to
think of one person, so I couldn't work it out. All right, so we're up against
them as well."
He had no way of knowing that
the Chang brothers were also members of the Red Flower Society.
That night, the column stayed
at Black Pine Village. Cao posted guards all around the village to keep careful
watch, but next morning, not one of the soldiers on guard duty returned to
report, and a detail sent to investigate found them all dead with a string of
paper money tied round each of their necks. The rest of the soldiers were
terrified, and more than a dozen immediately deserted, slipping stealthily
away.
They had to cross Black
Scabbard Mountain, one of the most precipitous spots on the Liangzhou road. The
air became colder and colder as the road grew steeper, and despite the fact
that it was only September, snow flakes floated down around them. The road
deteriorated to the point where there was a steep mountain face on one side and
a sheer cliff on the other falling into a deep ravine. The soldiers moved
slowly hand-in-hand, terrified of slipping on the snow. Several of the bodyguards
dismounted and helped to support Wen's carriage.
Just as they were gingerly
making their way forward, they heard a chirping sound coming from in front. A
moment later, the sound turned into an unearthly howl, tragic and harsh, which
echoed through the ravine causing everyone's hair to stand on end. The soldiers
all stopped in their tracks.
Then came a shout: "Those
who continue will meet the King of Hell – Those who turn back will
survive."
How could the soldiers dare to
continue?
A man appeared around a curve
in the road ahead. "Those who continue will meet the King of Hell, those
who turn back will survive," he intoned in a deep voice.
The soldiers recognised him as
the demon that had appeared twice the day before and had killed with just a
wave of his hand, and they turned and fled with squeals of fear. Cao Neng
shouted to them to halt, but he had to raise his sword and slay one of the
soldiers before some of them steadied. But sixty or seventy had disappeared.
"Guard the
carriage," Zhang said to Rui. "I'll go and talk to these two."
He leapt passed the soldiers. "Could that be the Twin Knights up
ahead?" he asked in a loud, clear voice. "I, Zhang Zhaozhong, greet
you. There is no enmity between us. Why are you playing this game?"
The man in front laughed
coldly. "Ha! So, the Twin Demons meet the Fire Hand Judge," he said.
He strode over and struck out at Zhang with such power that his hand made a
whistling sound as it cut through the air.
The road at that point was
extremely narrow and Zhang was unable to dodge to either left or right, so he
countered the blow with his left hand, putting all of his Inner Strength behind
it, while also attacking with his right palm. His opponent parried with his
left hand. Their four hands met, and they stood almost motionless for a while
as they tested each other. Suddenly, Zhang swept his left leg cross-wise in the
'Level Clouds Slicing The Peak' style. With insufficient time to evade the
blow, the man brought his hands together and drove them viciously at Zhang's
temples. Zhang leant to one side and hastily withdrew his leg, then moved
forward, and with the precipice at their side, the two passed each other by.
They had exchanged positions.
Zhang suddenly became aware of
someone attacking him from behind. He dodged out of the way and saw his
assailant was another pale, skeleton-like figure, his face exactly the same as
the first.
Zhang had more than two
hundred soldiers and bodyguards with him, but they were powerless to assist
because of the narrowness of the mountain path beside the ravine.
The three fought more and more
fiercely. In the midst of the battle, one of the Twin Knights hit the rock-face
by mistake and a small avalanche of gravel rattled down off the precipice
followed by a slab of rock which plunged into the ravine. A long time passed
before they finally heard the distant crash as it hit the ground.
The battle continued for a
long time. Suddenly, one of the twins struck out with his fist, forcing Zhang
to move to one side to avoid it. The other twin then leapt over and occupied
Zhang's former position beside the stone-face and both attacked him at the same
moment, attempting to force him into the ravine.
Zhang saw one of his
attacker's legs sweeping forward and stepped back a pace, so that half of his
foot was over the edge of the precipice. A cry of fright went up from the
troops. Then, Zhang felt a gust of wind as the other twin's fist swung towards
his face. Zhang was unable to retreat, and knowing that there would be great
strength behind the blow, was also unable to counter it. If he did, his
opponent would simply be thrown back against the stone-face by the force of the
collision while he himself would certainly fall to his death. So, with wisdom
born of fear, he seized hold of his attacker's wrist, and with a great shout
threw him into the ravine.
His body in mid-air, 'Black
Death' stayed calm. He drew in his legs and performed a somersault in order to
slow down the force of his fall. Half way through the circle, he pulled a
Flying Claw grapple from his belt and threw it straight up. His brother 'White
Death' had also taken out his Flying Claw and the two grapples locked tightly,
almost as if they were shaking hands. 'White Death' jerked at the rope before
the full force of his brother's fall returned, and swung him up and over
bringing him back to earth more than a hundred feet along the mountain path.
'White Death' saluted Zhang
with his fists. "Your kung fu is very powerful. We are impressed," he
said. Then, without even bending down to concentrate his strength, he sprang
into the air, and landed several dozen feet further away. He grabbed hold of
his brother's hand and the two disappeared round the bend.
The soldiers clustered round,
some praising Zhang's kung fu, others lamenting that 'Black Death' had not
fallen to his death. Zhang said not a word, but leaned against the rock face
and slowly sat down. He looked at his wrist and saw the jet-black impression of
five fingers on his flesh as if he had been branded, and was struck by a wave
of terror.
3
The column crossed Black
Scabbard mountain, and that night another thirty or forty soldiers deserted.
Zhang discussed the situation with Rui and the other bodyguards.
"These fellows are not
going to give up even though this is the main road to Lanzhou, the provincial
capital," he said. "There's going to be a lot more trouble ahead, so
we had better make our way round by the backroads, and cross the river at
Crimson Bend."
Cao Neng had been looking
forward to getting to Lanzhou so that he could transfer his burden to other
shoulders, and was very unhappy with Zhang's plan. But he did not dare to
disagree.
"We have lost many
soldiers on the road," Zhang said. "When you get back, Master Cao,
you can report that they were killed during an attack on bandits, and died
courageously for their country. I will write out a note to that effect in a
moment."
Cao Neng's spirits rose again.
According to the military regulations, if a soldier was killed in action, it
was possible to obtain a pension, and the money naturally fell into the pocket
of the officer in command.
They heard the roar of the
Yellow River long before it came into view, and travelled more than half a day
further before arriving at the Crimson Bend crossing. At this bend on the Yellow
River, the rocks along the banks are blood-red, hence its name. Dusk was
already approaching, but through the evening mists, they could see the fury
with which the Yellow River surged eastwards, its muddy waters bubbling and
boiling against the banks.
"We will cross the river
tonight," Zhang said. "The water is dangerous but if we delay, there
may be trouble."
With the river running so
fast, the crossing could only be made by sheepskin rafts. Soldiers were sent
out to search for rafts, but they could not found any. Darkness fell. Zhang was
just becoming anxious when he spotted two sheepskin rafts shooting down the
river towards them. The soldiers shouted, and the two rafts edged towards the
bank.
"Hey, boatman!" Cao
shouted. "Ferry us across and we'll pay you well."
The big man on the raft stood
up and waved his hand.
"You're a mute,"
said Cao.
"Damn your
ancestors," replied the man in Cantonese. "If you're coming then
come, if you're not, then don't. You bunch of bastards. It's a waste of time dealing
with you." Cao and the others understood not a word of it. Cao ignored him
and invited Zhang and the bodyguards escorting Wen to get onto the rafts first.
Zhang weighed up the boatman.
His wide-brimmed hat hid half his face and it was impossible to distinguish his
features clearly. But the muscles on his arms were bunched and bulging,
revealing great strength, while the oar in his hands was of a very dark colour
and appeared to be made of something other than wood. He felt something was
wrong, and not being able to swim, he could not afford to fall victim to some
trick.
"Master Cao," he
said. "You go first with some of the soldiers."
Cao ordered some of the
soldiers onto the two rafts. The current was rapid, but the two boatmen were
highly skilled and safely delivered the government troops to the opposite bank,
and then returned to take on another batch.
Cao boarded a raft with
another group of soldiers, but just as they left the bank, a long whistle
sounded behind them which was answered by a host of other whistles.
Zhang hastily ordered the
troops to surround the carriage and guard it closely. A crescent moon hung low
in the sky. Under its light, he saw about a dozen horses coming towards them.
He galloped forward. "What's going on?" he shouted.
The riders formed a single
rank as they approached, then one in the middle spurred his horse on and rode
ahead of the others. In his hand he held a white folding fan with which he
fanned himself. "Is that the 'Fire Hand Judge' Zhang Zhaozhong?" he
asked.
"It is," Zhang
replied. "And who are you, sir?"
The other laughed. "We
thank you for escorting our Brother Wen this far, but we would not want to
trouble you further."
"Are you Red Flower
Society people?"
"Everyone praises the
'Fire Hand Judge' for his superlative mastery of the martial arts, but he
obviously has divine foresight as well," the man replied, smiling.
"You are correct. We are Red Flower Society people." He gave a long
whistle.
Zhang started slightly as he
heard the two boatmen on the rafts give answering whistles.
Cao, seated on one of the
rafts, saw the enemy approaching on the shore, and his face turned the colour
of mud. The boatman stopped the raft in midstream with a stroke of his oar.
"Thirteenth
Brother!" Cao heard a crisp voice call from the other raft. "Ready
when you are."
"Right!" the boatman
replied. Cao raised his spear and thrust it at him, but the boatman deflected
it deftly with his oar and then knocked Cao and all the other soldiers on board
into the river. Both boatmen then rowed back close to the shore.
Zhang was thankful for his
caution. "You have been killing government troops the whole way," he
shouted. "You have committed many unpardonable acts. What is your position
in the Red Flower Society, sir?"
"There is no need for you
to ask my name," Great Helmsman Chen said. "Xin Yan, give me my
weapons."
Xin Yan opened his bag and
placed two weapons in Chen's hands. Normally, the other heroes should have
fought first, but Chen was unable to resist the opportunity to demonstrate his
skills.
Zhang jumped off his horse and
strode forward. But just as he was preparing himself for the fight, Imperial
Bodyguard Zhu ran up behind him and said: "Master Zhang, let me deal with
him."
Zhang decided to let him test
out the enemy first. "Be careful, Brother Zhu," he said.
Zhu lunged forward, sword
raised. He chopped out at Chen's thigh. Chen jumped lightly off his horse and
lifted the shield in his left hand to parry the blow. In the moonlight, Zhu saw
that nine glistening, sharp hooks protruded from the face of the shield, and
knew that if his sword collided with them, it would be caught in their grasp.
He started in fright and hastily withdrew his sword. Chen then flourished the
weapon in his right hand: five cords, each one tipped with a steel ball
especially designed for hitting the Yuedao points on the human body. Terrified
by the ferocious nature of this weapon, Zhu leapt backwards, but the cords
circled round behind him, and he felt a sudden numbness on his back. Then the
cords entwined his legs and with a tug, Chen pulled Zhu off his feet, swung him
round and round, and sent him flying straight towards a rocky outcrop nearby.
If he had hit it, he would
have been smashed to pieces. But Zhang, seeing that Zhu was completely
out-classed, raced over, grabbed his queue and pulled him down just in front of
the rock face.
"Rest for a while,
Brother Zhu," he said. Frozen with fear, Zhu was unable to answer.
Zhang raised his precious
'Frozen Emerald' Sword and leapt in front of Chen.
Zhang thrust his sword at
Chen's right shoulder. Chen flipped the chords towards the blade, while the
shield in his left hand struck out at Zhang.
As they battled, the two
boatmen, 'Crocodile' Jiang and Luo Bing, jumped ashore and ran towards the
carriages, guarded by the soldiers. Jiang charged straight into the ranks,
immediately killing two of the closest soldiers. The others frantically gave
way. Luo Bing charged over to one of the carriages, and lifted up the carriage
curtain.
"Fourth Brother, are you
in there?" she called. But it was 'Scholar' Yu, still seriously wounded.
Suddenly hearing Luo Bing's voice through his stupor, he could only think that
it was a dream, or that he had died and was meeting her in the other world.
"You've come!" he
cried happily.
Luo Bing knew that the voice
was not her husband's and ran to the next carriage. But before she could pull
aside the curtain, a saw-toothed sword chopped at her from the right. She
parried with her sword, and looking up at her attacker in the watery moonlight,
recognised him as one of the eight bodyguards who had attacked Wen and herself
in Suzhou. With a surge of hatred, she redoubled her attack. Rui was aware of
her ability with throwing knives and speeded up his strokes to avoid giving her
an opportunity to use them. Then two other bodyguards joined the battle while
the soldiers closed in from all sides.
Four more of the heroes led by
'Leopard' Wei galloped towards her through a hail of arrows. One arrow planted
itself in the neck of Wei's horse, and the pain made it gallop even more
furiously. The animal's hooves hit the chest of one of the soldiers, Wei flew
off the horse with his hooks raised, and amid a chorus of screams, gouged them
into the breasts of two other soldiers. Wei then aimed the hooks at Bodyguard
Rui who was forced to abandon his attack on Luo Bing. 'Hunchback' Zhang Jin and
the others also raced up and the soldiers scattered.
Free once more, Luo Bing threw
herself into the carriage and hugged Wen's neck, then burst into tears.
After a while, Zhang Jin stuck
his head in through the carriage curtain. "Fourth Brother," he
grinned. "We've come to take you back."
He climbed onto the driver's
seat and the carriage moved off northwards away from the river, and stopped by
the side of a mound, from which they could get a good view of the battle.
Suddenly, Zhang broke away
from his duel with Chen and ran for Wen's carriage.
Luo Bing saw him coming and
brandished her sword at him. But Zhang's sword was extraordinarily tough, and
as they clashed with a 'clang', it snapped her blade in two. With the rest of
his strength, Zhang leapt up into the carriage and pulled Luo Bing in with him.
Greatly frightened, the other heroes raced up to save her, and Zhang lifted her
up and threw her at them. The Twin Knights raced over and caught her.
Meanwhile, Zhang turned and
grabbed Wen, and pulled him to the carriage door. "Wen Tailai is
here," he shouted. "If anyone dares to come any closer, I'll kill
him!"
The cold gleam of Zhang's
'Frozen Emerald' sword was poised at Wen's neck.
"Fourth Brother,"
Luo Bing wailed, and tried to throw herself at the carriage, but Lu Feiqing
held her back and took a step forward himself.
"Zhang!" he called
out. "Can you see who I am?" Zhang and he had not seen each other for
a long time and it was difficult to see clearly in the moonlight, so Lu drew
his White Dragon sword, took hold of the tip of the blade, and bent the handle
back so that it formed a circle. Then he let the tip go and the blade bounced
back upright and swayed slightly.
Zhang grunted. "Ah, so
it's Brother Lu," he said. "Why have you come looking for me?"
"You are wounded,"
Lu replied. "All the heroes of the Red Flower Society are here as well as
'Iron Gall' Zhou Zhongying. It is going to be hard for you to escape today with
your life. But in memory of our benevolent teacher, I will give you a way
out."
Zhang grunted again, but said
nothing.
Suddenly they heard shouts and
cries drifting over from the east, as if a thousand armies were racing towards
them. The heroes were filled with apprehension, but Zhang was even more
worried.
"This Red Flower Society
is truly resourceful," he thought. "Even here in the northwest, they
can still call up huge reinforcements."
"Release Master
Wen," Lu Feiqing continued, "and I will ask the heroes, out of
respect for me, to release you. But there is one thing you must swear to."
Zhang eyed the strong enemies
surrounding him. "What?" he said.
"You must swear that you
will immediately retire from public life and no longer be a running dog of the
Manchus."
Zhang had pursued glory and
wealth with fervour and he had risen in rank as fast as though swept upwards up
by a whirlwind. Wanting him to give up his position was just the same as
wanting his life. He released Wen from his grip, pulled at the mule's reins,
and the carriage charged forward.
The heroes held back afraid of
risking Wen's life, but Luo Bing could not stand it. "Release him and
we'll let you go without having to swear to anything," she called
desperately.
Zhang took no notice and drove
the carriage on towards the ranks of Manchu troops, who had by now regrouped.
Bodyguard Rui saw Zhang
approaching and ordered the soldiers to fix arrows in their bows in readiness.
The roar of the approaching column was getting louder and both Red Flower
Society and the soldiers were afraid that they were reinforcements for the
other side.
"Brother Wei, take three
others and scatter the Eagle's Claws," Chen shouted.
Wei and the others raised their
weapons and charged into the Manchu ranks, slaughtering as they went.
A youngster darted out from
behind Lu Feiqing saying: "I'm going too!" Chen frowned: it was Li
Yuanzhi, once more dressed in boy's clothes.
When Lu met up with her again
after the battle, Yuanzhi had insisted that he take her with him to help rescue
Wen. Lu finally agreed, but made her promise that she would do as she was told.
Yuanzhi then wrote a letter to her mother in which she said she had decided to
go on ahead alone to see her father in Hangzhou.
Chen quickly issued his
instructions, and 'Buddha' Zhao raced after the carriage and sent two sleeve
arrows flying into the eyes of the mule pulling it along. The mule gave a long
scream and reared up on its hind legs. The Twin Knights charged to either side
of the carriage and flung their Flying Claws at Zhang, who fended them off with
his sword. Simultaneously, Priest Wu Chen and Xu attacked Zhang's back.
"Now!" Chen shouted
to Xin Yan. The two soared through the air and landed on top of the carriage.
Zhang heard Chen and Xin Yan
land above and behind him and threw a handful of Golden Needles at them.
Chen saw the movement, and
pushed Xin Yan off the carriage and placed the shield in front of his own body.
There was a patter of metallic noises as the needles hit it, but despite the
extraordinary speed of his reflexes, he heard Xin Yan cry out. Knowing the boy
had been hit, Chen hastily leapt down to help him. Zhang threw another handful
of the needles at Priest Wu Chen and Xu. The Priest flew out of the back of the
carriage like an arrow, moving faster and further than the needles. Xu,
however, only had time to lift a cotton coverlet in the carriage to block the
needles. But his left shoulder was left exposed and with a sudden feeling of
numbness, he fell out of the carriage.
Zhang Jin raced over to help
him. "Brother Xu, are you all right?" he shouted, bending over.
Suddenly he felt a great pain in his back as he was hit by an arrow, and
stumbled.
"Brothers! Everyone
regroup!" Chen shouted. Arrows were flying towards them like thick clouds
of locusts. Zhang Jin put his left hand on Priest Wu Chen's shoulder and hit
out at the arrows with his wolf's tooth club.
"Tenth Brother, don't
move!" the Priest said. "Control yourself." He stopped the flow
of blood from Zhang Jin's wound with a touch to the artery and carefully pulled
the arrow out. Then he ripped a corner off his robes and bound up the wound.
Then they saw a pitch-black
mass of Manchu soldiers surging towards them from the east.
Zhang was ecstatic at the
sight of reinforcements arriving, but his breathing was becoming difficult and
he knew that his injuries were serious. Chen and the others attacked the
carriage once more, and he lifted up Wen's body, and swung it round and round
as a detachment of cavalry charged towards the Red Flower Society fighters with
sabres raised. Chen could see that Wen would certainly be killed if they
attempted to recapture him by force, so he gave a loud whistle and raced behind
a nearby mound with the others following.
Chen conducted a head-count,
and found that Xu, Zhou Qi, Yuanzhi, Lord Zhou and Meng were missing.
"Has anyone seen Brother
Xu and Lord Zhou?" Chen asked.
Zhang Jin, who was lying on
the ground, raised his head and said: "Seventh Brother was injured. Isn't
he here? I'll go and find him."
He stood up, but the arrow
wound on his back was too serious, and he swayed unsteadily.
"Don't you move, Tenth
Brother," said 'Melancholy Ghost' Shi. "I'll go."
"I'll go too," added
'Crocodile' Jiang, but Chen held him back. "You and Fourth Sister make
your way to the river bank and prepare the rafts," he said. Jiang and Luo
Bing, her hopes dashed again, left.
Shi leapt onto a horse and
galloped off around the mound with sword in hand. By this time, the Manchu
troops were everywhere. Shi rode up onto higher ground and looked around, but
could see no sign of Xu and the others, so he rode into the enemy's ranks to
search for them.
Not long after, Lord Zhou and
Meng appeared.
"Have you seen your
daughter?" Chen asked. Zhou shook his head, full of anxiety.
"My young pupil has
disappeared too," Lu Feiqing said. "I'll go and look for them."
As he rode out, the ranks of
the Manchu troops suddenly parted and several horses charged towards him. In
the lead was Priest Wu Chen dragging Wei along with his hand. Lu started in
surprise when he saw Wei, his whole body covered in blood and dirt, and
immediately moved forward to obstruct any pursuers. But the Manchu troops did
not dare to obsttruct these ferocious-looking men and let them retreat behind
the mound.
Chen quickly went to see Wei,
who was delirious, shouting: "Kill the bastards!"
"Ninth Brother has worn
himself out with all this killing," Priest Wu Chen said. "His mind is
a little confused. Nothing serious."
"Have you seen Brother Xu
and Brother Shi?" Chen asked.
"I'll go and look for
them" the Priest said.
"There's also Mistress
Zhou and the Master Lu's pupil," Chen said.
Priest Wu Chen mounted up,
sword at the ready, and charged back into the Manchu ranks. A Manchu officer
spurred his horse forward and charged at him with spear raised, but the priest
dodged the spear thrust and drove his sword into the officer's heart. The
officer slumped off his horse and the soldiers under his command howled and
scattered in all directions. Priest Wu Chen continued his onslaught and
soldiers fell wherever his sword went. As he galloped along a stretch of the
road, he saw a crowd of soldiers with 'Melancholy Ghost' Shi in the middle
fighting fiercely with three officers.
"Get away, I'll cover
you!" Priest Wu Chen shouted.
The two raced back to the
mound, but there was still no indication of what had happened to Xu and the
others. A Manchu company commander led his soldiers in an attack on the mound
occupied by the Red Flower Society, but the heroes immediately killed more than
a dozen of them, and the rest retreated.
Chen led his horse up onto the
mound. "Brother Meng," he said, handing him the reins. "Hold it
steady and made sure it doesn't get hit by a stray arrow." He leapt up
onto the horse's back and stood on the saddle. Looking around, he saw the huge
Manchu column surging towards them from the east. A bugle sounded and the
column turned into a fiery dragon as each soldier raised a torch. Amidst the
glow, he saw a large banner flowing in the wind on which he could just made out
the words "Border Pacification General Zhao" written in large
characters. Each soldier in the column was riding a tall, sturdy horse, and
there was a clanking noise as they marched, indicating they were probably
wearing armour.
Chen jumped down from the
horse. "Armoured troops on the way," he shouted. "Everyone head
for the river."
Lord Zhou was very worried
about his daughter, but finding her among such a huge body of troops was
impossible. The heroes helped up Wei, Zhang Jin and the other wounded, and
galloped towards the banks of the Yellow River with the Manchu cavalry in hot
pursuit. Luo Bing and Jiang punted the sheepskin rafts up to the shore and took
the wounded on board first.
"Everyone get on the
rafts quickly!" Chen yelled. "Priest Wu Chen, Third Brother, Lord
Zhou, we four will hold…"
Before he could finish, a wave
of crossbow arrows flew towards them.
"Charge!" roared
Priest Wu Chen, and the four threw themselves at the first ranks of cavalry.
Lord Zhou's huge sword rose and fell, cutting Manchu soldiers down from their
horses, while 'Buddha' Zhao slung copper coins at the eye-slits in their
armour. Although it was impossible to see clearly in the dark, he still managed
to blind five or six men. By this time, everyone except Chen and the other
three had boarded the rafts.
Chen spotted a mounted officer
directing the troops, and sprang over to him. He pulled the fficer from his
horse and ran for the river bank with him under his arm. The Manchu troops
rushed forward to try to save their commanding officer, but they didn't dare to
fire any arrows. Chen leapt onto one of the rafts and Jiang and Luo Bing began
to move them out towards the centre of the river.
The Yellow River was in full
flood and with the current powerful and turbulant, the two large sheepskin
rafts flew off downstream. The hubbub of the great armed column slowly faded as
the river roared around them.
The heroes set about tending
to the wounded. 'Leopard' Wei's mind gradually cleared and his body was found
to be free from wounds. 'Buddha' Zhao was an expert at medical treatment as
well as with darts and he bound up 'Iron Pagoda' Yang's and Zhang Jin's wounds.
Zhang Jin was more seriously injured, but was in no danger. Xin Yan had been
hit by several Golden Needles, and was in such pain that he cried out continually.
The needles had penetrated right through the flesh into the bones, and Zhao
took a magnet from his medicine bag and drew them out one by one. Luo Bing
rowed on silently. Not only had they failed to rescue Wen, but 'Mastermind' Xu,
Zhou Qi, Lu Feiqing and his pupil had been lost as well, and no-one knew where
'Scholar' Yu had got to.
Chen roused the captured
Manchu officer. "What the hell was your column doing travelling through
the night like that?" he asked.
The officer said nothing. Yang
slapped him on the face. "Are you going to talk?" he shouted.
"I'll talk…I'll
talk," the officer said quickly, holding his cheek. "What do you want
me to say?"
"What was your column
doing travelling at night?"
"General Zhao Wei
received an Imperial command ordering us to attack the Muslim areas and take
them over before a certain date. He was afraid we wouldn't make it in the time
limit, and also that the Muslims would hear of our approach and make
preparations. So we've been marching day and night."
"The Muslims are very
well-behaved," said Chen. "Why are you going to attack them?"
"That…that, I don't
know." the officer said.
"If you are heading for
the Muslim areas, why did you come to interfere in our business?"
"General Zhao heard of
some bandits making trouble in this area and ordered me to lead a detail to
deal with them, but the main army didn't stop…"
Before he could finish, Yang
gave him another slap. "Damn your mother!" he shouted. "It's you
who are the bandits!"
"Yes, yes! I made a
mistake!" the officer cried.
Chen was silent for a while,
then questioned the officer closely regarding the army's troop strength, route
and rations. Some of it the officer didn't know, but he did not dare to hide
what he did know.
"Head…For…The…Shore"
Chen shouted at the top of his voice. Luo Bing and Jiang steered the rafts
towards the bank and everyone stepped ashore.
Chen called the Twin Knights
over.
"Travel back as fast as
you can and find out what happened to the others," he said. "If they
have fallen into the hands of the Manchus, they will certainly be taken back to
Beijing along the Great Road. We can intercept them further east and work out
some way of rescuing them."
The Twin Knights nodded and
started out.
"Twelfth Brother,"
Chen continued, turning to 'Melancholy Ghost' Shi. "I want you to do
something for me."
"Whatever you say, Great
Helmsman."
Chen wrote out a letter under
the light of the moon.
"Please take this letter
to Master Muzhuolun in the Muslim regions," he said. "We have only
met him and his people once, but they showed the greatest friendship towards
us, so we cannot stand idly by. Fourth Sister, please lend your white horse to
Twelfth Brother for the trip." Luo Bing had kept the animal aboard the
raft throughout the battle.
Shi mounted up and disappeared
in a cloud of dust. With the horse's phenomenal speed, he estimated he could
overtake the army in a day and be in time to warn Muzhuolun.
Chen then directed Jiang to
tie the officer's hands behind his back. They placed him on one of the rafts
and pushed it out into the stream and left it for Fate to decide whether he
should live or die.
4
Zhou Qi was separated from the
others in the midst of the battle. The Manchu troops surged around her, and she
galloped blindly off trying to escape them. In the darkness, her horse suddenly
tripped, and she tumbled to the ground, her head crashing heavily against the
hard earth. She passed out, but luckily it was still dark, and the soldiers did
not find her.
She had been unconscious for
she did not know how long when there was a sudden bright flash before her eyes
and a great roar followed by a wave of coolness on her face. She opened her
eyes and saw the sky was full of black clouds and torrential rain sweeping
down.
She jumped up. Someone beside
her sat up as well, and she started in fright and frantically grabbed for her
sword. Then she gasped in surprise: it was 'Mastermind' Xu.
"Mistress Zhou, what are
you doing here?" he called out above the roar of the rain.
Zhou Qi had never liked Xu and
had gone out of her way to quarrel with him. But he was at least one of her own
people, and she burst into tears.
"What about my
father?" she asked, biting her lip.
Xu motioned her to lie down.
"Soldiers," he whispered.
Zhou Qi threw herself to the
ground, and they slowly crawled behind a small mound of earth.
The sky was already light, and
through the rain, they saw several dozen Manchu soldiers hastily burying
corpses, cursing as they worked. "You two, have a look round for any more
bodies," an officer shouted, and two soldiers went onto higher ground.
Looking around, they spotted Zhou Qi and Xu and called out: "There's two
more over there."
"Wait for them to come
over," Xu whispered.
The soldiers walked over
carrying shovels, and as they bent over them, Zhou Qi and Xu simultaneously
thrust their swords into the bellies of the two. They died without a sound.
The officer waited for a
while, but with no sign of the soldiers returning and the rain getting heavier,
he rode over to investigate.
"Don't make a sound. I'll
steal his horse," Xu whispered. As the officer rode closer, he saw the
bodies of the two soldiers, but before he could call out, Xu leapt up and
slashed at him with his sword. The officer raised his horse whip to stop the
blow, but both his whip and head were sliced off.
"Mount up quickly!"
Xu called, holding the horse's reins. Zhou Qi leapt onto the horse and galloped
off with Xu running along behind.
The Manchu troops began to
give chase. After only a few dozen paces, the pain in Xu's shoulder where he
had been hit by the Golden Needles became unbearable and he fell to the ground
with a cry. Zhou Qi reined the horse round and galloped back. Leaning over, she
pulled him across the saddle, then slapped the horse's haunches and raced off
again. The soldiers soon dropped far behind.
When they had gone some
distance, Zhou Qi stopped and had a look at Xu. His eyes were tightly closed,
his face white and his breathing shallow. Greatly frightened, she sat him
properly on the horse, then with her left arm around his waist to keep him from
falling, galloped on, keeping to lonely, deserted tracks. After a while, she
saw an inky-black section of forest ahead and rode in amongst the trees. The
rain had stopped, and she dismounted and continued on foot leading the horse
with Xu on it behind her until she came to a clearing in the forest. Xu was
still unconscious, and Zhou Qi lifted him off the horse and laid him on the
grass. Then she sat down, letting the horse wander off to graze. Here she was,
a young girl not yet twenty, alone in a strange forest. She began to sob, her
tears falling onto Xu's face.
Xu slowly recovered
consciousness and thought it was raining again. He opened his eye a little way
and saw a beautiful face before him with two big eyes red from crying. His left
shoulder began hurting again and he cried out in pain.
Zhou Qi was overjoyed to see
he was still alive. "How are you?" she asked.
"My shoulder is extremely
painful. Please look at it for me, Mistress Zhou," he replied. He forced
himself to sit up and used his right hand to cut a hole in the shoulder of his
jacket with his knife.
"I was hit by three
Golden Needles here," he said, examining the shoulder out of the corner of
his eye." The needles were small, but they had penetrated deep into the
flesh.
"What shall we do?"
Zhou Qi asked. "Shall we go to a town and find a doctor?"
"We can't do that,"
replied Xu. "After last night's battle, going to see a doctor would be
like walking straight into a trap. What we really need is a magnet to draw the
needles out, but we don't have one. I wonder if I could ask you to cut away the
flesh and pull them out?"
During the night battle, Zhou
Qi had killed quite a number of the Manchu troops without losing her composure
once. But now, faced with the prospect of cutting away the flesh on Xu's
shoulder, she hesitated.
"I can't stand the
pain," he pleaded. "Do it now…no, wait. Do you have a tinder box with
you?"
Zhou Qi felt around in her
bag. "Yes. What do you want it for?"
"Collect some dried grass
and leaves and burn up some ash. When you've pulled the needles out, you can
cover the wound with the ash and then bandage it."
She did as he said and burnt
up a large pile of ash.
"That's fine," said
Xu with a laugh. "There's enough there to stop a hundred wounds
bleeding."
"I'm just a stupid
girl," Zhou Qi replied crossly. "Come and do it yourself."
She pressed on his shoulder
beside the needle holes. As her fingers came into contact with male flesh, she
involuntarily pulled back and her whole face turned bright red down to the
roots of her hair.
Xu noticed her blush, but
misinterpreted her reaction in spite of his nickname.
"Are you afraid?" he
asked.
"What have I got to be
afraid of?" she replied, suddenly angry. "It's you that's afraid! Turn
your head away and don't look."
Xu did as he was told. Zhou Qi
pressed the skin around the needle holes tightly, then slipped the tip of the
knife into the flesh and slowly began to turn it. Blood flowed out of the
wound. Xu silently gritted his teeth, his whole face covered in beads of sweat
the size of soyabeans. She cut away the flesh until the end of a needle
appeared, then grasping it tightly between the thumb and forefinger, pulled it
out.
Xu forced himself to maintain
his jocular front.
"It's a pity that needle
doesn't have an eye to thread through, otherwise I'd give it to you to use in
embroidery," he said.
"I can't do
embroidery," Zhou Qi replied. "Last year, my mother told me to learn,
but I kept snapping the needle or breaking the thread. She scolded me, and I
said: "Mother, I can't do it, you teach me." But she said 'I've no
time.' Afterwards I discovered that she can't do embroidery either."
Xu laughed. As they had been
talking, another needle had been removed.
"I didn't really want to learn,"
Zhou Qi continued with a smile. "But when I found out that mother didn't
know how, I pushed her to teach me. But I couldn't catch her out. She said: 'If
you don't know how to sew, I don't know how you'll…'"
She stopped in mid-sentence.
Her mother had said: "I don't know you'll ever find a husband."
"Don't you know how
you'll what?" asked Xu.
"I don't feel like
telling you."
As they talked, her hands
never stopped, and the third needle was finally out as well. She covered the
wound with ash, then bandaged it with strips of cloth. She couldn't help but
admire him for the way he continued to smile and chat to her despite the pain.
"He may be short, but
he's a brave man," she thought. By this time, her hands were covered in
blood.
"You lie here and don't
move," she said. "I'll go and find some water to drink."
She looked at the lie of the
land, then ran out of the trees. Several hundred paces away, she found a small
stream which was flowing swiftly after the heavy rain. As she bent down to wash
her hands, she caught sight of her reflection in the water, the dishevelled
hair, her wet and crumpled clothes, and her face, covered in blood and dirt.
"Damn!" she thought.
"How could I let him see me looking so awful?"
She washed her face clean,
combed her hair with her fingers. Then, scooping water from the stream, she
drank deeply. She knew Xu would certainly be thirsty too, but had nothing in
which to carry water. After a moment's thought, she took a piece of clothing
from the knapsack on her back, dipped it in the stream so that it was soaking
wet than ran back.
Zhou Qi could see from his
face that he was in great pain, although he was trying to appear unconcerned,
and feelings of tenderness stirred within her. She told him to open his mouth
and squeezed water into it from the cloth.
"Is it very
painful?" she asked softly.
Xu's whole life has been spent
amidst mountains of knives and forests of spears, or else in the shady world of
plots and traps; no-one had ever spoken to him with the warmth and softness he
detected now in Zhou Qi's voice. Deeply moved, he steadied himself. "I am
a little better now. Thank you."
"We can't stay
here," Xu said after he had drunk some water. "Nor can we go to any
town. All we can do is to find a secluded farmhouse and say that we are brother
and sister…"
"You want me to call you
brother?" asked Zhou Qi, astounded.
"If you feel that I'm too
old, you could call me uncle," he suggested.
"Pah! Do you think you
look like my uncle? I'll call you my brother, but only when there are other
people around. When we're on our own, I won't."
"All right, you don't
have to," he replied with a smile. "We'll say that we met the army on
the road and were attacked by the soldiers who stole all our possessions."
Having agreed on their story,
Zhou Qi helped him to mount the horse. The two made their way out of the trees,
and chose a small track heading straight towards the sun.
The northwest is a desolate
place. Hungry and tired, they had to travel for more than two hours before
finally spotting a mud hut.
Xu dismounted and knocked at
the door. After a moment, an old woman came out. Seeing the strange clothes
they were wearing, she looked at them suspiciously. Xu gave her some of the
story they had concocted, and she sighed.
"These government troops,
always making trouble," she said. "What is your name sir?"
"My name is Zhou,"
said Xu.
Zhou Qi glanced at him but
said nothing. The old woman invited them inside and brought out some wheat
cakes. They were black and rough, but hungry as they were, tasted delicious.
"Old woman," said
Xu, "I am wounded and am not able to travel. We would like to spend the
night here."
"There's no problem about
your staying here, but poor people's homes have little to eat in them, so don't
blame me on that account, sir."
"We are eternally
thankful that you are willing to put us up," Xu replied. "My sister's
clothes are all wet. If you have any old clothes, I would appreciate it if you
would allow her to change into them."
"My daughter-in-law left
some clothes behind. If you don't mind, mistress, you could try them on.
They'll probably fit."
Zhou Qi went to change. When
she came out, she saw Xu was already asleep in the old woman's room.
Towards evening, Xu began
babbling incoherently, Zhou Qi felt his forehead and found it feverish. She
decided his wounds must be festering. She knew such a condition was extremely
dangerous, and turned to the old woman. "Is there a doctor near
here?" she asked.
"Yes, there is, in
Wenguang town about twenty li east of here," the old woman replied.
"The most capable one is Doctor Cao, but he never comes out to country
places like this to see patients."
"I'll go and fetch
him," Zhou Qi said. "I'll leave my…my brother here. Please keep an
eye on him."
"Don't you worry about
that, miss," the old woman replied. "But the doctor won't come."
Zhou Qi stowed her sword
beside the horse's saddle and galloped off. Night had already fallen when she
entered Wenguang town.
She asked a passer-by where
Doctor Cao lived, then galloped straight on to his residence. She knocked on
the door for a long time before a man finally opened it.
"It's already dark. What
are you banging on the door like that for?" the man demanded.
Zhou Qi was furious at his
manner, but remembered that she was appealing for help. "I've come to ask
Doctor Cao to visit a patient," she said, controlling herself.
"He's not in," said
the man. Without another word, he turned and began to close the door.
Panic-striken, Zhou Qi pulled
him out of the doorway and drew her sword. "Where's he gone to?
Quickly!"
"He's gone to Little
Rose's," the man replied in a quavering voice.
Zhou Qi brushed the blade over
his face. "What is Little Rose's?"
The man was frantic with
fright. "Your Excellency…Miss, Little Rose is a prostitute," he said.
"Prostitutes are bad
people. What's he gone to her place for?" Zhou Qi asked.
The man wanted to laugh at the
sight of this girl who was so ferocious and yet so ignorant of worldly matters,
but he did not dare. "She is a good friend of our master," he said.
"Lead me there
quickly."
With the sword resting on his
neck, he dared not disobey and led her off down the street.
"This is it," he
said, pointing to a small house.
"Knock on the door. Tell
the doctor to come out."
The man did as she said, and
the door was opened by the Madame of the house.
"This lady wants my
master to go to visit a patient," the man said. "I told her the
master was busy, but she wouldn't believe me and forced me to come here."
The Madame gave him a look of
contempt and slammed the door.
Zhou Qi rushed forward to stop
her, but was too late. She beat thunderously on the door for a while, but not a
sound came from inside. Absolutely furious, she kicked the man to the ground.
"Get lost!" she
shouted.
The man picked himself up and
ran off.
Zhou Qi waited until he had
disappeared then leapt over the wall into the courtyard of the house. She saw
light coming from a room nearby, and stealthily made her way over towards it.
Crouching down, she heard two men talking. She licked the tip of her finger,
then wet a small part of the window paper and made a hole in it. Putting her
eye to the hole, she saw two men lying on a couch, talking. One was stout, and
the other thin and tall. A tartishly seductive girl was pummelling the thin
man's thighs. The stout man give a wave of his hand and the girl stood up.
"I can see you two want
to discuss more ways of creating mischief," she said with a smile.
"You ought to accumulate some good deeds, otherwise you may give birth to
sons without arseholes."
"Damned nonsense,"
the stout man shouted back with a laugh. The girl smiled and walked out, locked
the door, then turned and went into an inner hall.
"That must be Little
Rose," Zhou Qi thought. "She's really shameless, but there's some truth
in what she said."
She watched as the stout man
pulled out four silver ingots and placed them on the table.
"Brother Cao," he
said. "There's two hundred taels of silver. We are old business partners,
and that's the old price."
"Master Tang," the thin
man replied: "Take these two packets of medicine, and have a good time.
The red packet you give to the girl, and in less time than it takes to eat a
meal, she will be unconscious to the world and you can do whatever you like
with her. You don't need me to teach you anything about that, do you?"
The two men laughed together.
"This black packet you
give to the man," Cao continued. "Tell him it will speed his
recovery. Soon after he takes it, his wounds will begin discharging blood and
he will die. It will appear that his wounds have simply re-opened and no-one
will suspect you. What do you think of such a ruse?"
"Excellent,
excellent," Tang replied.
"So, Master Tang, you
have gained both the girl and the money. Doesn't two hundred taels seem like
rather a small reward for such a service?"
"We are brothers, and I
wouldn't try to deceive you," the other said. "The girl certainly has
a pretty face. I could hardly restrain myself even when I thought she was a boy
because of the way she was dressed. But there is nothing much special about the
man, except that he's with the girl, so I cannot allow him to live."
"Didn't you say he had a
flute made out of gold?" Cao asked. "That flute must weigh several
catties alone."
"All right, all right,
I'll add another fifty taels," Tang said, and pulled out another ingot.
Zhou Qi became angrier and
angrier as she listened, and ran to the door, kicked it open and charged
straight inside. Tang gave a shout and aimed a flying kick at Zhou Qi's sword
wrist. Zhou Qi flipped the sword over and smoothly cut off his right foot then
thrust the blade into his heart.
The thin man stood to one
side, struck dumb with fright. His whole body shook and his teeth chattered.
Zhou Qi pulled her sword out of Tang's corpse and wiped the blood off the blade
onto his clothes, then grabbed the thin man.
"Are you Doctor
Cao?" she shouted. The man's legs folded and he fell to his knees.
"Please…miss…spare my
life…"
"Who wants your life? Get
up."
Cao shakily stood up, but his
knees were still rubbery, and he had to kneel down again. Zhou Qi put the five
silver ingots and two packets of medicine on the table into her pocket.
"Out," she ordered.
She told him to fetch his
horse, and the two mounted up and galloped out of the town. In less than two
hours, they arrived at the old woman's hut. Zhou Qi ran to Xu and found him
still unconscious. In the candlelight, she could see his whole face was bright
red and knew he had a terrible fever. She dragged Cao over.
"My, er, brother here has
been wounded. Cure him quickly," she ordered.
Hearing that he was expected
to give medical treatment, Cao's fears eased slightly. He looked at Xu's
complexion and took his pulse, then undid the bandage round his shoulder and
looked at the wound. He shook his head.
"The master is deficient
in both blood and breath," he said. "His body heat is rising…"
"Who wants to hear all
that?" Zhou Qi interrupted him. "You just cure him quickly. If you
don't, you can forget about ever leaving here."
"I'll go to the town to
get some medicine," Cao said. "Without medicine I cannot do
anything."
Xu awoke and he lay listening
to the two talking.
"Huh, do you think I'm a
three-year-old child?" Zhou Qi demanded. "You make out the
prescription and I'll go and buy the medicine."
Cao had no alternative.
"Well, please bring me a pen and paper, Miss," he said.
But where was pen and paper to
be found in such a poor hut in such a desolate place? Zhou Qi frowned, at a
loss for what to do.
"The master's condition
will not allow delay," said Cao with an air of complacency. "It would
be best if you let me return to the town to get the medicine."
"Sister," Xu said,
"Take a small piece of firewood and burn it to charcoal, then let him
write on a piece of rough paper. If that can't be done, you could write on a
piece of wood."
"What a good idea!"
Zhou Qi exclaimed happily, and burnt up a piece of firewood as he had said. The
old woman searched out a piece of yellow paper originally meant to be burnt in
worship of Buddha, and Cao made out the prescription. When he had finished,
Zhou Qi found a length of grass rope and tied his hands behind his back, bound
his legs together and put him on the floor next to Xu.
"I'm going to the town to
buy medicine," she told the old woman as she placed Xu's sword beside his
pillow. If this dog doctor tries to escape, wake up my brother and he can kill
him."
Zhou Qi rode back to the town
and found a medicine shop. She shouted for the shop-keeper to open up and got
him to fill the prescription, which was for more that ten different types of
medicine.
The sky was growing light. She
saw village militiamen patrolling the streets and guessed that the murder at
Little Rose's had been discovered. She shrank into a corner and waited until
they had passed before galloping off.
As soon as she had returned to
the old woman's hut, she hastily brewed up the medicine then poured it into a
rough bowl and took it over to Xu. She shook him awake and told him to drink
the medicine.
Xu was extremely moved at the
sight of her face covered with sweat and ash and her hair filled with twigs and
grass. He knew she was the daughter of a rich family and would never before
have had to do this sort of work. He sat up and took the bowl from her and
passed it over to Cao.
"You drink two mouthfuls,"
he said. Cao hesitated slightly and Zhou Qi realised Xu's meaning.
"Yes, yes," she
said. "He must drink some first. You don't know how evil this man
is," she added to Xu.
Cao opened his mouth and drank
two mouthfuls.
"Rest for a while, sister,"
said Xu. "I'll wait a while before drinking the medicine."
"Yes," said Zhou Qi.
"Let's see if he dies first. If he dies, you mustn't drink the
medicine."
She moved the oil lamp next to
Cao's face and watched him with her big, black, unblinking eyes to see whether
he would die or not.
"We doctors have the best
interest of our patients at heart. Why would I want to harm him?" Cao
said, smiling bitterly.
"That secret discussion
you had with that man Tang about harming some girl and getting hold of someone
else's golden flute, I heard it all," Zhou Qi said angrily. "Do you
deny it?"
Xu's ears pricked up at the
mention of a golden flute and he quickly asked her about it. Zhou Qi related
the conversation she had heard, and how she had killed a man at Little Rose's.
Xu asked Cao: "Who is the
person with the Golden flute? And who is the girl who was dressed as a
boy?"
Zhou Qi drew her sword and
stood by him threateningly. "If you don't tell us everything you know,
I'll run you through with my sword immediately," she told him.
"I…I'll tell you,"
said Cao, absolutely terrified. "Yesterday Master Tang came to see me and
said that two people had asked to take lodgings at his home. He said one was
very badly wounded and the other was a pretty youngster. At first he was
unwilling to take them in, but seeing how extraordinarily beautiful the
youngster was, he let them stay for one night. He noticed the youngster's voice
and manner were just like a girl's. Also, the youngster wasn't willing to share
a room with the other, so he concluded it must be a girl dressed in boy's
clothes."
"So you sold him some
poison," Zhou Qi said.
"I deserve to die,"
replied Cao.
"What was the man
like?" Xu asked.
"Master Tang asked me to
examine him. He was about twenty-three or four, dressed as a scholar, and had
sword and club wounds in seven or eight places."
"Were the wounds
serious?" asked Xu.
"Very serious. But they
were all external wounds. He wasn't wounded on any fatal points."
Xu saw he would not gain much
by continuing the questioning and gingerly raised the bowl of medicine. But his
hands shook and some of the medicine slopped out. Zhou Qi took the bowl from
him and raised it to his mouth. He drank the brew down as she held the bowl,
then thanked her.
"These two bandits are
not brother and sister," Cao thought as he watched. "Whoever heard of
a brother saying thank you to his sister?"
After drinking the medicine,
Xu slept for a while, his whole body sweating profusely, and towards evening,
the sickness began to recede. The next day, Xu was more than half recovered and
he was able to get up.
After another day, he decided
he could just about manage to ride a horse.
"That man with the golden
flute is Fourteenth Brother," he said to Zhou Qi. "I wonder why he
should seek lodgings with such a man? But seeing as you've already killed Tang,
they shouldn't have had too much trouble. But I'm still a little worried. Let's
go tonight and see what the situation is."
"Fourteenth
Brother?" Zhou Qi asked.
"'Scholar' Yu. He was
also at Iron Gall Manor. You've seen him before."
"Oh, if I had known it
was him I would have brought him along with me, then the two of you could have
convalesced together."
Xu smiled. "But who could
this girl dressed in boy's clothing be?" he wondered, mystified.
That evening, Zhou Qi gave the
old woman two of the silver ingots and she accepted them with effusive
blessings and thanks. Zhou Qi then pulled Cao up, and with a swish of her
blade, cut off his right ear.
"I'm only sparing your
worthless life because you cured my brother," she shouted. "If I ever
catch you doing evil again,I'll stick my sword straight into your heart."
"We'll visit you again in
three months time, to check up," Xu warned.
"You ride his horse and
we'll leave," Zhou Qi said to Xu. The two mounted up and galloped off
towards Wenguang town.
"Why did you say we would
be coming back in three months' time?" Zhou Qi asked.
"I was just deceiving the
doctor so that he wouldn't give the old woman any trouble," Xu replied.
Zhou Qi nodded and they
continued on for a while.
"Why are you always so
crafty with people?" she suddenly asked. "I don't like it."
"You don't realise how
many evil people there are in the world," he said after a long silence.
"When dealing with friends, love and justice should always come first, of
course. But when dealing with bad people, you must be very careful otherwise
you will be tricked and will suffer."
"My father say it's
better to suffer yourself than to cheat other people," Zhou Qi said.
"That is what makes your
father the great man that he is," replied Xu.
"Well, why don't you
imitate my father?"
"Lord Zhou is benevolent
and generous by nature. I am afraid that such a perverse person as myself would
never be able to emulate him."
"That's what I dislike
most about you: your perverse temper. My father says that if you treat others
well, they will also naturally treat you well in return."
Xu didn't reply.
The two waited until it was
dark before entering the town. They found Tang's residence and climbed over the
wall toinvestigate. Xu caught a watchman and, threatening him with a knife,
asked him about 'Scholar' Yu's whereabouts. The watchman said the two lodgers
had left during the confusion after Doctor Cao had killed Master Tang at Little
Rose's.
"We'll chase after
them," Zhou Qi said.
5
In less than a day, they had
passed Lanzhou. Two days further on, Xu discovered markings on the road left by
Chen saying that everyone should meet in Kaifeng. Zhou Qi was delighted to hear
that the main group was all right. She had been very worried about her father,
but she now relaxed and drank some wine to celebrate. The wound on Xu's
shoulder had by now closed and he was fully recovered. They chatted as they
travelled. Xu told her stories of the fighting community and explained all its
taboos and rules. She took it all in eagerly.
"Why didn't you talk
about these things before, instead of always quarrelling with me?" she
asked.
That day they arrived at
Tongguan, a gateway town between central China and the northwest, and searched
for lodgings. They heard that the old Yuelai Inn was the best, but when they
got there, they were told there was only one room left.
Zhou Qi was impressed with how
refined and polite Xu had been towards her, a real gentleman. But now, suddenly
faced with the prospect of having to share a room with him, she was both
embarrassed and suspicious.
As soon as they were in the
room, Xu barred the door. Zhou Qi's face went bright red and she was just about
to speak when Xu hurriedly silenced her with a wave of his hand.
"Did you see that Zhen
Yuan Bodyguard Agency scoundrel just now?" he whispered.
"What?" said Zhou
Qi, startled. "You mean the one who led the others round to capture Master
Wen and caused the death of my brother?"
"I only caught a glimpse
of him so I can't be absolutely sure. I was afraid he would see us, which is
why I rushed us into the room. We'll go and investigate in a while."
The servant came in with some
hot tea and asked if they wanted anything to eat. Xu ordered a few dishes, then
said:
"Several eminent
gentlemen from the Zhen Yuan Bodyguard Agency are also staying here, I
think?"
"Yes," replied the
servant. "Whenever they pass through Tongguan, they always give us their
custom."
Xu waited for the servant to
leave. "That Lead Escort Tong is the ringleader and chief
troublemaker," he said. "We'll finish him off tonight and properly
avenge your brother and Master Wen."
Zhou Qi thought once again of
her brother's tragic death and the burning of Iron Gall Manor, and her anger
surged.
"Lie down for a while and
rest," said Xu, seeing her impatience. "We can wait until nightfall
before making our move and still have plenty of time."
He sat down at the table and
settled himself for sleep without so much as glancing further in Zhou Qi's
direction. Zhou Qi had no option but to suppress her anger. She sat down on the
kang and tried to rest. The time dragged by until the second bell struck, one
hour to midnight, and she decided she could control herself no longer.
"Let's go," she
said, drawing her sword.
"There are many of them,
and some may be good fighters," Xu whispered. "Let us investigate
first. We'll think of some way to lure Tong out, then deal with him
alone."
Zhou Qi nodded.
They went into the courtyard
and saw a lamp shining in a room on the eastern side. They walked stealthily
over. Zhou Qi found a rip in the window paper and looked through while Xu stood
behind her keeping a look out. Suddenly, she stood up and kicked out at the
window. Xu started in fright, and shot in front of her, blocking her way. Zhou
Qi hurriedly retracted her leg as it was about to strike Xu's chest, and
overbalanced. He knelt down close to her.
"What is it?" he
whispered.
"Do something,
quick," she hissed. "My mother's in there. They've got her tied
up."
Xu was startled. "Back to
the room quickly and we'll discuss it there," he said.
They returned to the room.
"What is there to
discuss?" demanded Zhou Qi desperately. "They've captured my
mother."
"Control yourself. I will
rescue her for you," Xu replied. "How many people were there in the
room?"
"About six or
seven."
Xu hung his head, deep in
thought.
"What are you afraid
of?" Zhou Qi asked. "If you won't do it, I'll go by myself."
"I'm not afraid. I'm
thinking of a way to save your mother and kill that fellow at the same time. It
would be best if we did the two things together."
Just then, footsteps passed by
the door, and they heard a man muttering: "Midnight and these lead escorts
are still at it. What are they doing drinking at this time? Damn their mothers!
May the blessed Buddha make sure they meet up with robbers on the road."
Suddenly, Xu had an idea.
"That Doctor Cao gave you two packets of medicine, didn't he?" he
said to Zhou Qi. "Give me the one he said would make you unconscious,
quickly."
Zhou Qi gave him the packet.
"What are you going to do?" she asked. Xu didn't answer, but opened
the window and jumped out with Zhou Qi close behind.
They ran along the corridor.
Suddenly Xu whispered: "Get down, don't move."
Zhou Qi wondered what trick he
was up to. A moment passed, then suddenly they saw a flicker of light as the
servant came back towards them carrying a candlestick and a tray. Xu picked a pebble
off the ground and threw it, extinguishing the candle.
The servant started in
surprise. "This is damn ridiculous," he cursed. "There's no wind
at all, and yet the candle goes out."
He put down the tray and
turned to relight the candle. While his back was turned, Xu darted out, and in
a flash, he had tipped the medicine into the two pots of wine on the tray and
slipped away without the servant noticing.
"Let's go and wait
outside their room," he said to Zhou Qi.
They made their way round to
the exterior of the lead escort's room and settled down to wait. Xu looked in
through the hole in the window covering and saw a middle-aged woman seated on
the floor with her hands tied behind her back. There were several men sitting
around her, including Master Han, the white horse's former owner, and Lead
Escorts Qian and Tong. They were engaged in a lively discussion.
"When people talked of
Iron Gall Manor, they always said it was impregnable as if it had walls of
iron," Tong was saying. "But with just my one torch, it was razed to
the ground. Ha ha!"
Outside the window, Xu shook
his hand at Zhou Qi, afraid that she would have a fit of rage.
"Old Tong, stop
bragging," Han replied. "I've met Zhou and I doubt if all of us
together could beat him. If he ever comes looking for you, you'll be in a
pretty situation!"
"But look!" replied
Taong. "We must have a lucky star, otherwise how could Zhou's old woman
manage to find us? With her in our hands, how would he dare to do anything to
us?"
Just then, the servant entered
with the wine and food, and the bodyguards immediately began eating and
drinking heartily. Han was quiet and dispirited and Tong continually urged him
to drink the wine, saying "Brother Han, even heroes are helpless when
they're outnumbered. Next time, we'll take the Red Flower Society one to one
and see who's the better."
"And who are you going to
take on, old Tong?" asked another of the bodyguards.
"I'm going to find that
daughter of Zhou's…" Before he could finish, he slumped to the floor. The others
all started in fright, but as they jumped up to help him, and one by one, they
dropped to the ground unconscious.
Xu prised the window open with
sword, then leapt into the room. Zhou Qi hurriedly cut the ropes which bound
her mother's hands. Lady Zhou was speechless at the sight of her beloved
daughter: she felt as if she was in a dream.
Xu lifted Tong up.
"Mistress Zhou," he said, "Avenge your brother."
With a sweep of her sword,
Zhou Qi killed Tong instantly. She raised her sword again to kill the other
lead escorts, but Xu stopped her.
"The crimes of the others
do not deserve death. Spare them," he said.
She nodded and withdrew her
sword. Lady Zhou knew her daughter's temper, and was surprised at how she
obeyed Xu.
Xu searched the bodies of the
lead escorts and found several letters which he placed in his gown, planning to
examine them later.
The three returned to their
room. Xu picked up their knapsacks and left a small silver ingot on the table
in payment for the room and the food. Then they went to the stables, led out
three horses and galloped off eastwards.
When she realized her daughter
was not only travelling with a man but had shared a room with him, Lady Zhou's
suspicions rose even further. Her temper was as explosive as her daughter's.
"Who is this
gentleman?" she asked accusingly. "How come you are with him? You
lost your temper with you father and left, didn't you?"
"It was you that lost
your temper and left," Zhou Qi replied. "Mother, I'll talk to you
about this later."
It looked as if an argument
was about to start, and Xu quickly tried to mediate.
"It's all your
fault," Zhou Qi told him angrily. "Do you want to make it
worse?"
Xu smiled and walked away.
Mother and daughter pouted silently, each thinking her own thoughts.
That night, they took lodgings
in a farm house, and once they were in bed, mother and daughter together, Zhou
Qi finally told her everything that had happened. Lady Zhou kept up a constant
bombardment of questions and the two were crying one minute and laughing the
next. It was past midnight before they had each given a rough sketch of the
events since they parted.
Heartbroken and angry over the
death of her son, Lady Zhou had gone to Lanzhou to stay with relatives, but
after a few days, she began to feel restless, and left. On reaching Tongguan,
he saw the Zhen Yuan Agency's flag outside the Yuelai Inn. She remembered that
the man responsible for her son's death was a Lead Escort Tong and that evening
she had gone to the inn to investigate. She listened to the lead escorts
talking, and discovered Tong was among them. Unable to control her anger, she
attacked him, but the agency men had the superiority of numbers and she was
captured.
The next day on the road, Lady
Zhou asked Xu about hisfamily background.
"I am from Shaoxing in
Zhejiang province," Xu replied. "When I was twelve, all the members
of my family were killed by the authorities. I was the only one who managed to
escape."
"Why did they do
that?" asked Lady Zhou.
"The magistrate of
Shaoxing prefecture liked my sister and wanted her as his concubine. But she
had already been promised to someone else, so my father naturally refused to
agree. The magistrate then accused my father of being in collusion with bandits
and put him and my mother and brother in prison. He told my sister that all she
had to do was agree, and my father would be released. My sister's husband-to-be
went to assassinate the magistrate, but he was caught and beaten to death by
the guards. When my sister heard, she drowned herself in the river. After that,
what chance did the rest of the family have of being spared?"
"Did you get
revenge?" Zhou Qi asked.
"When I had grown up and
had learned the martial arts, I went back to look for the magistrate, but he
had been promoted and transferred somewhere else. In the last few years, I've
been everywhere looking for him, but I've never had any news."
Lady Zhou also asked him if he
was married, and said that having travelled about so much, he must surely have
seen some girl he liked?
"He's too cunning. No
girl would want him," Zhou Qi said with a laugh.
"Enough of your remarks,
young lady," Lady Zhou scolded her.
"You want to become his
match-maker, don't you?" Zhou Qi said with a smile. "Which girl are
you thinking of? One of your relatives in Lanzhou?"
When they lodged at an inn
that night, Lady Zhou spoke plainly to her daughter.
"A virgin like yourself,
travelling together with a young man and staying in the same room! How do you
expect to ever be able to marry anyone else?" she said.
"He was wounded,"
Zhou Qi replied angrily. "Did I do wrong to save him? He may be full of
cunning tricks but he has been very gentlemanly towards me all along."
"You know that, and so
does he. I believe you, and your father would believe you too. But how are
other people going to believe it? If your husband ever suspected, you would
never be able to face him again. That is the difficulty we women have."
"Well then, I shall never
marry," shouted Zhou Qi.
"Shh! Master Xu is just
in the next room." Lady Zhou said. "It would be very embarrassing if
he should hear."
"Why should I be afraid?
I haven't done anything wrong. Why do you want to deceive him?"
When they arose next morning,
a servant brought a letter to them.
"Master Xu next door told
me to give this to your Ladyships," he said. "The master said he had
some affairs to attend to and had to go on ahead. He rode out early this
morning."
Zhou Qi snatched the letter
from him.
"Dear Lady Zhou and
Mistress Zhou," it said. "Mistress Zhou Qi saved my life when I was
wounded and I am very grateful to her. You are now reunited and can make your
way from here to Kaifeng, which is not far. Please do not be offended that I
have gone on ahead. I will naturally never forget how Mistress Zhou saved me,
but please rest assured that I will never mention a word of it to anyone.
Yours, Xu."
Zhou Qi finished reading and
stood dumbfounded for a second. Then she threw the letter away and lay back
down on the kang. Lady Zhou told her to get up and eat, but she took no notice.
"My daughter, we are not
in Iron Gall Manor now," Lady Zhou said. "What are you losing your
temper for?" Zhou Qi still took no notice.
"You're angry at him for
leaving, aren't you?" Lady Zhou said.
"He did it for my sake.
Why should I blame him?" Zhou Qi replied angrily. She turned over and
covered her head with the coverlet.
"Then why do you blame
me?" asked Lady Zhou.
Zhou Qi suddenly sat up.
"He must have heard what
you said last night. He was afraid other people would gossip and make it impossible
for me to marry, so he left. But why worry about whether I'll marry or not? I
refuse to marry anyone. I refuse to marry anyone!"
Lady Zhou saw she was crying
as she spoke, and realized that she had fallen in love with Xu. She had
unwittingly revealed her feelings without fully understanding them herself.
"You are the only
daughter I have," Lady Zhou comforted her. "Do you think I don't love
you? When we get to Kaifeng I'll speak to your father and get him to take
charge of this matter so that you can be betrothed to Master Xu. Don't worry
yourself. Your mother will see to everything."
"Who said I wanted to
marry him?" Zhou Qi replied hurriedly. "The next time I see someone
dying in front of me, I won't do anything to save him, not the slightest
thing."
6
Xu followed Chen's secret
markings to Kaifeng and met the heroes at the home of the local society leader
there. The heroes were very happy to see that he was all right, and a banquet
was held to welcome him. By this time, Zhang Jin, 'Leopard' Wei and Xin Yan had
all recovered from their wounds. 'Melancholy Ghost' Shi had not yet returned
from the Muslim border regions and the Twin Knights were still trying to find
out what had happened to Wen.
Xu did not mention anything
about Lady Zhou or Zhou Qi to Lord Zhou. He was afraid that if questioned
closely, it would be difficult to word his answers. And anyway, he thought,
they will be here within a day. So he only told the heroes about what he had
heard of 'Scholar' Yu: that he was badly wounded and travelling with a girl
dressed as a boy. They discussed the matter for a while but could not think who
the girl could be. They were all worried about his safety, but Yu was
quick-witted and they were confident he would be all right.
Early next morning, Zhou Qi
arrived by herself and her father and the others were delighted to see her.
After greetings were over, she said quietly to Xu: "Come with me. I have
something to say to you."
He walked slowly after her. He
thought she wanted to berate him for leavng them behind, but he was wrong.
"My mother won't come to
see my father," Zhou Qi whispered. "Think of something."
"Well, ask your father to
go to see her," said Xu, surprised.
"She still wouldn't be
willing to see him. She goes on and on about the death of my brother, saying my
father has no conscience."
Xu thought for a moment.
"All right," he said finally. "I have an idea." He quietly
gave her instrucitons.
"Will it work?" she
asked.
"Definitely. You'd better
go immediately."
Xu waited until she had left,
then returned to sit with the other heroes. When the appointed hour arrived, he
quietly said to Lord Zhou: "I understand the Bamboo Garden restaurant next
to the Iron Pagoda Temple is famous for its excellent wine. Let us go and try
it."
"Good idea! I will be the
host," replied Zhou, who was always interested in wine. "We can all
go and drink our fill."
"The eyes and ears of
officials are numerous in this city. It would not be a good idea for all of us
to go," Xu replied. "Perhaps if just the Great Helmsman and I
accompanied you, what do you think?"
"All right," Zhou
replied. "Once again, it is you that thinks things out most
carefully."
After speaking to Chen, the
three went directly to the Iron Pagoda Temple. The Bamboo Garden was as good as
its reputation. The three men talked, ate Yellow River carp and drank wine
until they were drunk.
Xu raised his cup to Zhou.
"I drink to you, Lord Zhou, in honour of your being reunited today with
your daughter," he said.
Zhou drank a mouthful and sighed.
"You are not happy,"
Xu continued. "Is it because Iron Gall Manor was burned to the
ground?"
"Wealth is not a part of
the flesh. Such a thing as Iron Gall Manor is not worthy of regret," Zhou
replied.
"Well then, you must be
thinking of your deceased son?"
Zhou said nothing but sighed
once again.
"Seventh Brother, let us
go," said Chen. "I've had enough wine.
Xu ignored him. "Why did
Lady Zhou leave home?" he asked.
"She blamed me for
killing the child. Ah, where could she have run to, all alone? She loved him as
much as her own life. I have truly failed her. I had no intention of killing
him. It was just a slip of the hand in anger. Once we have rescued Master Wen,
I will search to the farthest ends of the earth to find her and bring her back."
As he spoke the door curtain
parted and Lady Zhou and Zhou Qi walked in.
"I heard what you
said," said Lady Zhou. "I'm glad to see you're willing to admit your
mistake. I'm here now, so there's no need to go looking for me."
Zhou was so startled and
delighted at the sudden appearance of his wife that he was momentarily
speechless.
"Brother Chen, this is my
mother," Zhou Qi said. "Mother, this is Great Helmsman Chen of the
Red Flower Society." The two greeted each other formally.
"Father, what a coincidence
this is," the girl added. "I had heard that the wine here was good
and decided to try it. Mother didn't want to come and I had to drag her along.
Who would have guessed that you would be here too?"
They all laughed and drank,
Zhou Qi was exuberantly happy, and without thinking, she began to talk elatedly
about how Lead Escort Tong had been killed and the death of her brother and the
burning of the manor avenged. Xu surruptitiously tried to stop her, but she
took no notice.
"Brother Xu was very clever
to think of a way to deal with them," she exclaimed. "After all the
Lead Ecorts had passed out, we jumped in through the window and saved mother.
Then he lifted Tong up and let me kill that villainous bandit myself."
Zhou and Chen toasted Xu.
"You have saved my wife
and taken revenge on my behalf," Zhou said to him. "I am eternally
gratefuly to you."
"How did you two meet up
on the way?" Chen asked, and Xu faltered along for a few sentences trying
to explain.
"Damn! Damn!" Zhou
Qi thought to herself in distress. Her face flushed and an unintentional
movement of her arm knocked her chopsticks and winecup to the ground. The
winecup smashed loudly, increasing her embarrassment.
Chen examined both their faces
carefully, and when they had returned to the residence, he called Xu over to
one side.
"Brother Xu, what is your
opinion of Mistress Zhou?" he asked.
"Great Helmsman," Xu
replied hurriedly. "Please don't mention what she said in the restaurant
to anyone. She is a good person and has a pure heart, but if other people knew
and added a touch of filth, we wouldn't ever be able to face Lord Zhou
again."
"I think Mistress Zhou is
an extremely nice person too," Chen said. "How would you like me to
be your match-maker?"
"That's impossible,"
said Xu, jumping up. "How could I be good enough for her?"
"You must not be so
modest. You are the 'Kungfu Mastermind', renowned throughout the fighting
community. Lord Zhou always speaks of you with the greatest respect."
Xu stood dumbfounded for a
second.
"What do you think?"
Chen repeated.
"Great Helmsman, you
don't know. She doesn't like me."
"How do you know?"
"She said so herself. She
said she hated my peculiar ways. We have been quarrelling and arguing ever
since we met."
Chen laughed. "So you're
certain?"
"Great Helmaman, there's
no point talking about it. We cannot risk being turned down."
Just then, a servant entered.
"Master Chen," he
said. "Lord Zhou is outside and wishes to speak to you."
Chen smiled at Xu and walked
out of the room. He saw Zhou pacing up and down the corridor with his hands
behind his back and quickly went up to him.
"Lord Zhou, you should
have called for me. Was it necessary to come personally?"
"It's not
important," Zhou replied, and with a tug on Chen's arm, led him into a
reception room and sat down.
"I have something on my
mind and want to ask your help," he said. "My daugher is nineteen
this year. She has been a good-for-nothing since she was born, but she is
basically a good and sincere person. Her faults are the result of my teaching
her something of the martial arts. She has wasted much time and still has no
husband." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "Everyone respects
your honourable Society's Master Xu. I would like to ask you to become a match-maker
and arrange for my daughter's betrothal to him. But I am afraid that with her
bad temper, she would not be good enough."
Chen was delighted.
"Leave this matter completely in my hands," he said. "You are
the Taishan Mountain and North Star of the fighting community, Lord Zhou. It is
a great honour for the Red Flower Society that you are willing to give up your
daughter to one of our brothers. I will go and see to it immediately."
He ran to Xu's room and told
him the news. Xu was so delighted, his heart beat wildly.
"Well," Chen said.
"Are you willing?"
"Why wouldn't I be
willing?"
"I didn't expect that
you'd be unwilling," Chen replied with a smile. "But there is
something else. All of Lord Zhou's three sons are dead, and the youngest died
because of the Red Flower Society. It looks like the Zhou family line is
finished. I wonder if you would be willing to make a concession and become not
only his son-in-law, but his son as well?"
"You want me to become a
member of the Zhou family?"
"Yes. The first of your
future sons would be surnamed Zhou, and the second Xu. It would be a small
repayment of our debt to Lord Zhou."
Xu agreed. The two went round
to Zhou's room and also asked Lady Zhou to come over. Unaware of what was
happening, Zhou Qi followed her in. As soon as Zhou saw the expression on the
faces of Chen and Xu, he knew the matter was decided.
"Daughter, go
outside," he said with a smile.
"You are trying to
deceive me about something," she replied accusingly. "I won't have
it!" But despite her words, she turned and left.
Chen brought up his idea of Xu
becoming a member of the Zhou clan, and Lady Zhou and her husband beamed with
delight.
"We are away from home
and I don't have anything worthy to present to you," Zhou said to Xu.
"But later I will teach you how to use the Iron Gallstones."
Xu was overwhelmed. He had
gained both a beautiful wife and a wise teacher, and he knelt down to kowtow in
thanks.
As soon as the news leaked
out, the other heroes came to offer their congratulations. That night, a great
banquet was held to celebrate, but Zhou Qi hid herself and refused to come out.
During the drinking,
'Melancholy Ghost' Shi returned from his journey to the Muslim regions with
Muzhuolun's answer to Chen's letter.
Chen took the letter. Just then,
'Crocodile' Jiang raced in shouting: "The Yellow River 's broken it's
banks!"
They clustered round and
questioned him on the extent of the disaster.
"The river's already
broken through at seven or eight points. In many places the roads are
completely impassable," he replied.
They were all concerned about
how the peasants were faring. Furthermore, the Twin Knights had still not
returned to report on Wen's situation.
"Brothers, we have
already waited here several days," said Chen. "Conditions on the road
ahead have probably changed, and I am afraid the floods will have ruined our
plans. What do you all think we should do?"
"We can't wait any
longer," Zhang Jin called out. "Let's get on to Beijing quickly. Even
if they are holding Fourth Brother in the Heavenly Prison, we'll still get him
out."
The others voiced their
agreement, and it was decided to start out immediately. They thanked the local
society chief and headed off eastwards.
While on the road, Chen opened
and read Muzhuolun's letter. In it, he thanked the Red Flower Society for its
warning and said he had called his tribe together and was preparing for war,
determined to fight the enemy to the end. The mood of the letter was tragically
heroic and Chen's anxiety showed on his face.
"Did Master Muzhuolun
have anything else to say?" he asked Shi.
"He asked after Fourth
Brother. When he heard we had not yet rescued him, he expressed great
concern."
"Did you meet Master
Muzhuolun's family?" Chen asked.
"I met his wife, son and
two daughters. You know the eldest daughter. She asked after your health."
Chen hesitated. "She
didn't say anything other than that?" he asked slowly.
Shi thought for a second.
"Just before I left, there appeared to be something else she wished to say
to me, but she asked only about the details of our attempt to rescue Fourth
Brother."
Chen was silent. He put his
hand into his gown and felt the dagger that Huo Qingtong had given him. The
blade was eight inches long, bright and dazzling, and the handle was entwined
with gold thread. Judging by the amount that had been worn away, it was of
great antiquity. Huo Qingtong had said that a great secret was supposed to be
hidden in the sword. He had examined it closely over the past few days, but had
been unable to find anything unusual about it. He turned and looked back
westwards. The host of stars were shining brightly, and he wondered whether on
the great flat desert, the same stars were now shining on Huo Qingtong.
They travelled all night, and
when morning broke, they were already close to the places where the Yellow
River had broken through. The great plain had turned into a vast lake. The
fields and homes of people in low-lying areas had long since been submerged.
Many people were camping out in the open on the hilltops.
The heroes made their way
round the flood, keeping to the high ground and heading eastwards.
Occasionally, they spotted a cluster of corpses bobbing along beside pieces of
driftwood. That night, they lodged out in the open, and the next day had to
make a long detour.
Zhou Qi had been riding with
Luo Bing the whole way, but suddenly she could restrain herself no longer. She
spurred her horse on and caught up with Xu.
"You're the one with all
the ideas," she said. "Think of a way to save these people."
During the two days since they
had become engaged, the two had been too embarrassed to speak to each other.
Now, the first thing Zhou Qi did when she opened her mouth was to present him
with a problem of mammoth proportions.
"It's all very well to
say that, but how can we possibly help so many refugees?" he replied.
"Why would I come and ask
you if I knew of a way?"
"First thing tomorrow I
will tell all the others that they are not to call me 'Kung Fu Mastermind'
anymore. Then you won't be able to put me on the spot like this."
"When did I ever put you
on the spot?" Zhou Qi asked quickly. "All right, I was wrong. I would
be better off if I didn't say anything." She pouted silently.
"Sister, we are all one
family now. We cannot continue to argue like this," Xu said. Zhou Qi
ignored him.
"It is I who is in the
wrong," he coaxed. "Forgive me this time and give me a smile."
Zhou Qi turned her head away.
"Ah, so you won't even
smile. You are so bashful in front of your new fiance."
She burst into laughter.
"You talk such nonsense," she said, raising her horse whip.
The road was filled with
refugees, dragging their sons and carrying their daughters, crying and wailing
as they went. Suddenly a horseman appeared, galloping towards them fast. The
road was very narrow and as the rider careered from side to side, he knocked a
woman carrying a child into the water. But he took no notice, and continued to
gallop on. The heroes was furious, and as the rider passed by, 'Leopard' Wei
pulled him off his horse and punched him solidly in the face. The man screamed
and spat out a mouthful of blood and three teeth.
He was a military official.
"You bunch of bandit
hooligans," he shouted as he scrambled to his feet. "I am on
important official business. I'll deal with you when I come back." He
mounted his horse but Zhang Jin pulled him off again.
"What important official
business?" he roared.
"Search him," Chen
ordered. Zhang Jin frisked him quickly and found an official document which he
handed over.
Chen saw the document had a
singed corner and a chicken's feather stuck to it indicating that it was an
urgent report which the courier would be required to travel day and night to
deliver. On it's wrapper was written the words: "Extra Urgent Dispatch for
Border Pacification General Zhao." He broke the seal and took out the
document.
The courier went white with
fear. "That's a secret military document," he shouted. "Aren't
you afraid of execution?"
"If anyone's going to be
executed, it's you," replied Xin Yan with a laugh.
Chen saw the letter was from a
certain commander in charge of provisions reporting to General Zhao that
rations for the Great Army had reached Lanfeng, but that because of the floods,
there might be a delay of several days before they could be delivered.
Chen handed the letter to Xu.
"It has nothing to do with us," he said.
But as Xu read the document an
expression of delight filled his face. "Great Helmsman," he cried.
"This is truly a great treasure delivered to us on a plate. With this, we
can both assist Master Muzhuolun and save the refugees."
He jumped off his horse and
walked over to the official and tore the document up in front of him.
"What are you going to do
now?" he asked. "Isn't losing a military document a capital offence?
If you want to live, it would be best to run."
The official was startled and
angry, but he saw the truth of Xu's words. He took off his military uniform,
threw it in the water, then ran off, melding into the mass of refugees.
"Steal the provisions and
hand them out as disaster relief, and we can kill two birds with one
stone," Chen said, nodding. "The only problem is that the provisions
for the Great Army are bound to be heavily guarded, and we are few in number.
What ideas do you have, Brother Xu?"
Xu whispered a few words in
his ear, and Chen nodded in agreement.
"Good, we'll do it that
way," he said, and ordered the heroes to disguise themselves and disperse.
Their instructions were to
spread rumours.
The next morning, tens of
thousands of refugees suddenly descended on Lanfeng. When the county
magistrate, Wang Dao, saw the extraordinary situation, he ordered his officers
to seize several refugees and question them. They all said they had heard there
would be a distribution of relief money and provisions in the city that day.
Wang immediately ordered the city gates to be barred, but by then, a huge crowd
of refugees had already gathered inside with many more outside. Wang sent
someone to announce to the crowd that there would be no distribution of relief,
but the crowds continued to grow. Beginning to feel nervous, he went personally
to see the Provisions Commander Sun, who was stationed in the Stone Buddha
Temple in the eastern part of the city. He asked if some of the commander's
troops could be assigned to help control the situation in the city.
"I have my orders from
General Zhao," Sun replied. "Any slip-up, no matter how small, before
these provisions reach the Great Army will be a capital offence. It is not that
I am unwilling to help, but my responsibilities are heavy. Please forgive me,
Master Wang."
Wang pleaded with him, but Sun
was adament. Back on the streets, he saw the refugees creating an uproar
everywhere.
Night fell, and fires started
simultaneously in several parts of the city. Magistrate Wang hurriedly
dispatched men to put them out, and in the confusion, an officer ran in to
report.
"Master! There's
trouble," he cried. "The west gate has been forced by the refugees
and thousands more are streaming into the city."
Wang could only rant in
despair, completely at a loss for what to do.
"Prepare a horse!"
he shouted frantically, and led his guards towards the western part of the
city. But before they had gone half a street, they found the way completely
blocked by refugees. He heard someone in the midst of the crowd shout:
"The food and money are to be distributed at the Stone Buddha Temple!
Everyone to the Stone Buddha Temple!" The refugees surged forward.
Wang could see the way was
impassible. He decided there was nothing for it but to go to the Stone Buddha
Temple and seek refuge there. When he arrived, the temple gate was already
tightly shut, but the guard recognized him and let him in. Outside, the
refugees had already surrounded the temple. Someone in the crowd shouted:
"All the relief cash and food issued by the court have been swallowed by
the dog officials. Hand out the cash and food! Hand out the cash and
food!"
The mass of the refugees took
up the chant and their roar rattled the roof tiles.
Wang shook uncontrollably.
"Rebels!" he bellowed. "Rebels!"
For a military official,
Commander Sun was quite brave. He ordered his soldiers to place a ladder next
to the wall and climbed up on top.
"Those of you who are
peaceful citizens, leave the city quickly and do not put faith in
rumours," he shouted. "If you do not leave, we will be forced to fire
on you with arrows."
The two officers led a group
of archers onto the top of the wall and a roar of defiance went up from the
crowd.
"Fire!" shouted Sun.
A wave of arrows shot out and a dozen or more refugees fell to the ground. The
crowd turned and fled in panic and the cries of women and children could be
heard as the refugees trampled each other.
Sun laughed out loud. But
before the laugh ended, someone in the crowd threw two stones at him, one of which
hit his cheek. He felt a sharp pain and rubbed the spot only to find his hand
covered in blood.
"Fire! Fire!" he
ordered in a great rage. The archers shot out another wave of arrows and
another dozen refugees were hit.
Suddenly, two tall, thin men leapt
up onto the wall, grabbed several of the archers and threw them to the ground.
Incensed by the way they had been fired on, the refugees surged back and began
beating the archers viciously.
The Red Flower Society heroes
in the crowd were greatly surprised by the sudden re-appearance of the Twin
Knights. More of them jumped up onto the wall and into the temple courtyard,
and a moment later, the temple gates opened and 'Crocodile' Jiang ran out.
"Everyone come and get
some food," he shouted, beckoning to the refugees. But the soldiers were
many and the refugees did not dare to press in too close. Commander Sun's great
sword danced as he fought desperately along the top of the wall, retreating
steadily. Suddenly, his arms went numb, and his sword clattered to the ground
at the foot of the wall. Someone forced his hands behind his back, and he felt
an icy coldness on his neck.
"You Turtle!" the
man behind him shouted. "Order the troops to throw down their weapons and
retreat inside the temple!"
Sun hesitated for a second and
he felt a sharp pain on his neck as the man lightly moved his sword, breaking
through a layer of skin. Not daring to disobey further, Sun shouted out the
order. Seeing their commanding officer had been captured, the soldiers did as
they were ordered and retired inside the temple as the refugees roared their
approval.
Great Helmsman Chen walked
into the main hall of the temple and saw the altar piled high with bags of food
and cash. 'Melancholy Ghost' Shi pulled County Magistrate Wang in for Chen to
dispose of.
"Are you in charge of
this county?" Chen asked.
"Y-yes…your
Majesty," Wang replied in a quavering voice.
Chen laughed. "Do I look
like a king?" he asked.
"I deserved to die. I
spoke incorrectly. What is your honourable name, sir?"
Chen smiled slightly and
ignored the question. "Since you are an official, you must have some
scholarship in you," he said. "I will give you the first line of a
couplet for you to match." He lightly waved his fan. "If you are able
to match it, your life will be spared. If you cannot, then I will not be so
polite."
The refugees gathered round,
forming a circle of thousands of eyes all focussed on Wang's face.
"Now listen," said
Chen. "The first line is: 'How long must we live for the Yellow River to
be clear of mud? Rather ask if officialdom can be cleared of corruption.'"
Wang's face was covered in
sweat. He was a competent scholar, but in the midst of his fear, he could think
of nothing.
"Sir," he finally
said. "Your first line is too difficult. I…I cannot match it."
"That's all right,"
Chen replied. "Let me ask you plainly. Which would be easier: to clear up
the Yellow River or officialdom?"
Wang suddenly had an idea.
"I consider that if all officialdom were clear, then the Yellow River would
be clear too," he said.
Chen laughed. "Well said.
I shall spare your life. Call together your guards and distribute the money and
food to the refugees. Oh, and Commander Sun, you can help too."
The refugees cheered
thunderously for the Red Flower Society heroes. As they filed past to collect
the food and money, they jeered and laughed at Sun and Wang, who pretended not
to notice.
"Brothers and sisters,
listen!" Chen called out. "If the authorities should send people to
investigate, you can say it was the Commander and County Magistrate who
personally made the distribution."
The refugees shouted their
approval.
The heroes supervised the
operation late into the night until all the food and cash had been distributed.
"Brothers!" Xu then
shouted to the refugees. "Take the soldiers' weapons and hide them in your
homes. If the dog officials know what's good for them, they'll leave you alone,
but if they should come after you, you can fight them."
Strong men came forward and
collected up the swords and spears that had been discarded by the soldiers.
Chen walked out of the temple
with Commander Sun and the other heroes as the refugees roared their thanks.
They mounted their horses and rode out of the city. After travelling a few
miles, Chen pushed Sun off his horse.
"Commander, thank you for
your help," he said. "The next time you escort provisions, be sure to
write to me." He laughed and saluted, then galloped off in a cloud of dust
with the other heroes.
"Do you have any news of
Fourth Brother?" Chen asked the Twin Knights after they had ridden on a
little way.
"We found a message left
by Brother Yu which said he was being taken to Hangzhou," one of them
replied.
Chen was greatly surprised.
"Why is he being sent to Hangzhou and not Beijing?" he asked. "I
thought the Emperor wanted to question him personally."
"We thought it strange
too. But Brother Yu always handles things very carefully. It's certain to be
reliable information."
Chen told the others to
dismount, and they sat round in a circle and discussed the situation.
"Since Brother Wen is
being sent to Hangzhou, we should head south and try to work out some way of
saving him," Xu said. " Hangzhou is our territory. The power of the
court is not as great there as in Beijing, so it should be easier to rescue
him. But we should still send someone to Beijing to see if there is any news,
just in case."
The others agreed. Chen looked
over at Shi. "I wonder if I can trouble you to go once more, Twelfth
Brother," he said.
"All right," Shi
replied. He headed off northwards alone towards Beijing while the other heroes
rode south.
Chen enquired further of the
Twin Knights about Yu's movements, but they said they had no further
information. They had returned to report as soon as they had seen the markings.
Passing through Lanfeng, they had come across the refugees and met up with the
other heroes.
"With the provisions
gone, Sister Huo Qingtong and her people should have no trouble beating the
Great Army," Zhou Qi said.
"That girl's sword style
wasn't bad, and she was a nice person too," added Priest Wu Chen.
"She deserves our help. I hope she does beat them. It would be something
everyone could rejoice at."