Chapter 12 – Falling From the Sky
‘Zip!’
The ‘Passionate Prince’ Hou Xibai’s Fan of Beauty drew a semicircle in front of Ba Fenghan with a gesture that warmed the heart and delighted the eye, before it was closed and held horizontally across his chest.
Staring at Ba Fenghan, he asked, “Is that true?”
Ba Fenghan coldly replied, “Jade Annulus of He Clan is not in our hands.”
Frowning, Hou Xibai asked, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
With pained expression on his face, Ba Fenghan replied, “Did you ask me?”
The two stared at each other for a moment, and then they suddenly burst out laughing together.
Kou Zhong was about to go back to sleep, Hou Xibai held his Fan of Beauty high and opened it, showing the side that only had Wanwan’s portrait on it to Kou Zhong and asked, “May I ask Kou Xiong, who is this beauty?”
Squinting his sleepy eyes, Kou Zhong’s voice was emotional as he replied, “It is indeed life-like and vivid, preserving the resemblance and maintaining the wonder, as if it came alive on the surface of the fan.”
Ba Fenghan leaned sideways to take a look; with heartfelt praise he said, “Hou Xiong’s most admirable skill is your ability to grasp her hard-to-explain, mysterious and hazy characteristics. If your martial art skill is as good as your painting brush, I am afraid everybody would have to step down gracefully.”
Kou Zhong was still staring blankly at the picture of Wanwan on the fan; greatly puzzled, he asked, “Your painting of female demon Wan is only in black and white, two colors, but how come I feel like it is in full color? Really weird.”
Hou Xibai shook the Fan of Beauty closed; stunned, he asked, “Female demon Wan?”
Kou Zhong lay back on the table; he moaned, “That was the number one formidable opponent of your dream lover Shi Feixuan, the female demon Wan; the best and the brightest martial art expert of the Demon Cult after Zhu Yuyan. Fortunately she does not like to gather essence for her cultivation, or else she would suck your passionate seed until not a drop of juice remains.”
A wistful and faraway look appeared on Hou Xibai’s face; shaking his head, he sighed in admiration and said, “Turns out it is her. No wonder there is this unique and unmatched personality trait on her; charming scents seem to keep erupting from her tender body.”
And then he added in astonishment, “Kou Xiong does not seem to be too polite to me!”
Kou Zhong sighed, “Because I am jealous!” he replied.
Hearing that, Ba Fenghan and Hou Xibai looked at each other in confusion.
With his eyes closed, Kou Zhong mumbled as if he was in a dream, “Shi Feixuan is willing to take you as her confidante, but she is instigating people to persecute me. Two kinds of treatment differ like heaven and earth, cloud and mud; how can I not be jealous?”
Hou Xibai burst out laughing, “It’s just a misunderstanding,” he said, “I’ll stay with you until the zi hour in here. Anyway, I have not seen her immortal countenance for more than three months.”
Shaking his head, Ba Fenghan said, “It is not that simple. Hou Xiong, it would be best if you do not get involved in this, otherwise in the future you won’t have good days either.”
Kou Zhong also asked, “Do you believe us simply based on what we said?”
Sneering, Hou Xibai said, “What rule says we cannot believe somebody based on what he said? Don’t think that it is easy to lie to me, rather, from the nature of Ba Xiong’s sword, I knew that he is someone who will stop at nothing; he will never care what other people think of him. This kind of people, they will never be afraid to admit what they did. Kou Zhong, do you understand?”
Astounded, Ba Fenghan said, “Based on this skill alone, Hou Xiong could be considered top expert in the art of war."
Noticing that Kou Zhong acted as if he was going back to sleep, Hou Xibai turned toward Ba Fenghan and asked with a smile, “In Ba Xiong’s heart, who is the most beautiful woman?”
He picked up the wine pot to pour a cup for Ba Fenghan.
Ba Fenghan replied in displeasure, “Hou Xiong did not seem to hear what I say; I just wanted to sit quietly, waiting for the zi hour.”
Hou Xibai laughed aloud and said, “Zaixia appreciates Ba Xiong’s good intention. However, I am the kind of man who’d do what he thinks, willful and never had any regard of the consequences. Unless Ba Xiong asks me to leave, I really want to enjoy this excitement. In any case, in Luoyang right now, there is no place more interesting than here.”
Ba Fenghan coldly stared at Hou Xibai’s fine, slender and white hand that was pouring the wine, a hand that looked like it belonged to a woman; he spoke heavily, “The three of us are of one heart; we can work together without any gap. But if an unknown variable like Hou Xiong joined in, it might disrupt our formation instead. Let’s just consider this one cup a send-off wine.”
Hou Xibai raised his cup and made a toast, “Ba Xiong is definitely my friend. Cheers!”
The two roared in laughter and drained their cups in one gulp.
Hou Xibai rose up to his full height; after casting a deep glance toward the unmoving, sleeping-like-a-Dali-stone-statue Xu Ziling, he leisurely walked away.
Kou Zhong sat up and said, “Quarrelling with that kid, my sleep is driven away. I really wish I could beat him up to vent my anger.”
Ba Fenghan waited until Kou Zhong sat himself next to him before speaking with a hint of smile, “He is definitely an outstanding character that will make people admire him wholeheartedly; his skill is even more shocking. But why you don’t like him?”
“I don’t understand it either,” Kou Zhong muttered, “But his paintings are undeniably unparalleled in the world. Hey! Basically I am not qualified to say that, unless I have seen all famous, ancient masterpieces of the world. But it’s hard to imagine someone will be able to paint more vivid than he does. Ha! If this kid is to paint ‘pillow-side paintings’, I guarantee he will attract perverts from all over the world.”
Smiling ruefully, Ba Fenghan said, “You’d better not say those words in front of his face; otherwise, it would be strange indeed if he didn’t want to stake everything against you.”
Kou Zhong suddenly turned serious; he said, “In Ba Xiong’s opinion, who is the most beautiful woman in the world? If it is female demon Wan, you’d better not say it.”
Realizing Kou Zhong was imitating Hou Xibai, Ba Fenghan wanted to laugh, but his countenance abruptly turned dark as he slowly shook his head and turned his gaze toward the wine shop door, which had become a gaping hole. Sighing gloomily, he said, “Perhaps it is Shi Qingxuan! Just by listening to her flute and her sweet voice, it is enough to make me wanted to see her face. But seeing her is just as good as not seeing her. Seeing her only by imagination might be the best.”
Kou Zhong leaned over to scrutinize Ba Fenghan’s facial expression. Noticing that he was looking through the doorway at the dark and deserted street outside, Kou Zhong spoke in low voice, “Your mouth says Shi Qingxuan, but your expression looks like you are thinking of another woman. Too bad I do not have Hou Xibai’s painting brush, otherwise I would have captured this rare expression of yours, like that time when Shen Luoyan let Hou Xibai stuck a flower on her hair, but in her heart she was thinking of Xiao Ling.”
“Kou Zhong, shut your dog mouth!”
Xu Ziling’s angry voice rang out.
Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan were stunned, and then both howled in laughter until a few drops of tears escaped from their eyes.
Kou Zhong sprang up from his chair, and then in three and two steps he bounced toward Xu Ziling’s makeshift ‘bed’ and got down on one knee and said, “Ling Shao, please calm down. I thought you were sleeping like a dead pig as usual; who would have thought that you heard everything? Sin, sin!”
Xu Ziling suddenly opened his tiger-eyes wide. They were gleaming with unusual light that even Kou Zhong, who was very familiar with him, was terrified. He spoke heavily, “Which martial art master is coming? There is an open front door you did not take, but you linger on the roof instead?”
Ba Fenghan and Kou Zhong jumped in fright.
Although their minds were someplace else just now, but this person was able to hide from their eyes and ears; merely from this skill, they knew the incoming person was no small matter.
An ear-splitting long laughter rang out from the roof.
‘Boom!’
The roof shattered.
Following the dust, crumbs and wood fragments, a magnificent shadow fell from the sky, and landed on a table in the middle of the wine shop.
Drawing the Moon in the Well, Kou Zhong shouted angrily and went all-out without showing any leniency.
It was still one sichen before the zi hour.
