t
The three galloped away from the green area. They set foot on the yellow sand again, but compared to before, their mood was as far as the heaven from the earth.
First of all, the falcon, which made them unable to rest or eat in peace, had been hit by the arrow on its left wing; it let out a sad cry and left, so that they were back to their free and easy way again.
Secondly, the horses, after they had eaten till full and had enough rest, coupled with the true qi that they injected, were becoming like lively dragon and animated tiger, which gave them tremendous advantage in throwing off the enemy far behind. In this kind of you-pursue-me-I-chase-you battle of wits, clearly they had occupied the extreme upper hand.
This moment it was still half a sichen to daybreak. Kou Zhong suddenly laughed aloud and said, “It looks like our destiny is to be chased and fiercely attacked by the enemy. It was like that inside the Pass, and now that we came beyond the Great Wall, the same thing happened again.”
Reducing the speed of his horse, Ba Fenghan smiled and said, “Shaoshuai did not know how lucky you are. Xieli has always prepared exhaustive scheme, he rarely failed. This time he toiled the army and moved the crowd; furthermore, he took the risk of being attacked by Tuli, yet he still wasted time and energy, and made an exhibition of himself. Just this fact will be enough to make Shaoshuai’s name famous beyond the Great Wall, no one will dare to take Shaoshuai lightly.”
Smiling wryly, Xu Ziling said, “But our pursuit of the sheepskin has come to nothing. The worst thing is that clearly Du Xing and Xu Kaishan betrayed us, yet they can still escape responsibility dry and clean, we are still unable to look for them to settle the account.”
Kou Zhong was so aggravated that his teeth itched, “Those two are too despicable!” he said.
Ba Fenghan took the two boys to the top of a small hill and reined the horse to stop. Sweeping his gaze around, he said cheerfully, “Two Dage, please rest assured that this moment Xiaodi has more confidence than before that we will be able to recover Da Xiaojie’s eighty-thousand sheets of sheepskin, although it may not be the original sheepskin. In short, there will be somebody who will bear the full responsibility to compensate us, unless he does not wish to live.”
Staring blankly, Kou Zhong said, “Are you saying that we are going to look for Ma Ji to settle the account?”
The murderous aura in Ba Fenghan’s pair of eyes flaring greatly, he spoke coldly, “Ma Ji is willing to be Xieli’s hunting dog and accomplice, naturally he has to bear full responsibility for the eighty-thousand sheets of sheepskin.”
Astounded, Xu Ziling said, “Didn’t you say that Ma Ji’s whereabouts is fleeting, he is without any fixed residence? Where are you going to look for him?”
A smile escaped from the corner of Ba Fenghan’s mouth, he said, “This is called wandering monk will not wander far from the temple. Xiaodi happen to know the secret workshop where Ma Ji launders the stolen goods. After each business deals at Yan Yuan Ji, he will personally supervise the shipment of the stolen goods back to the workshop for his craftsman to adjust its head and turn its face [idiom: cosmetic changes], before unloading it off for sale. Come! We will go to that place one step ahead, to wait respectfully for Ma Ji’s honorable self. This time, even if there is Tianwang Laozi [lit. old man king of heaven] present, no one will dare to speak up for him.
※ ※ ※
Xu Ziling pulled the reins and called for a halt.
Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan let their horses run for more than ten zhang ahead before they pulled the reins and came back.
After three days of traveling at double speed, not only they already threw Xieli far behind, they have also left the Little Gobi Desert and reached the prairie on the bank of Wu Jiang Xi. Over the vast plateau, the shiny silvery-white clouds floated leisurely and freely, like an umbrella sheltering them from the spring afternoon sun, creating an impressive sight of the shade moving across the grassland.
Reflecting the sun, the water of the lake sparkled brightly like precious stones. A straight breeze was blowing gently, brushing their clothes.
Coming back to Xu Ziling’s side, Kou Zhong asked, “What’s the matter?”
His eyes closed, Xu Ziling pointed to the distance and said, “The Relics is over there!”
His spirit greatly shaken, Ba Fenghan said, “Shi Zhixuan?”
Opening up his tiger-eyes, Xu Ziling nodded and said, “The feeling is slightly fuzzy. Clearly Shi Zhixuan has been passing here many days ago.”
“What is that place?” Kou Zhong asked.
Shaking his head, Ba Fenghan replied, “I have never been to that area. But now we have to make a choice, Shi Zhixuan or Ma Ji?”
His head ached, Kou Zhong asked, “If we miss this opportunity, will we still be able to find Ma Ji?”
Ba Fenghan said, “Definitely will be very difficult, but not impossible. No matter what, he will have a trace to find.”
Making up his mind, Kou Zhong spoke resolutely, “Then for the time being we’ll let Ma Ji off. We’ll get rid of Shi Zhixuan first before doing other things.”
Thinking deeply, Ba Fenghan said, “Really strange! What in the world is Shi Zhixuan hiding from? Unexpectedly he went to this remote and faraway land?”
“Could it be Yin Gui Pai people?” Kou Zhong said.
Exhaling a mouthful of air, Xu Ziling said, “The feeling disappeared again! I hope we can catch up with him before dusk. Let’s go!”
※ ※ ※
Dust was rising in the distance, a team of more than a dozen loaded camels and more than a hundred riders were coming across the prairie.
Ba Fenghan fixed his gaze to observe for half a day. He said, “They are merchants from Da Si Guo [don’t know if it’s a typo, but it literally means ‘big/great feed country’]. Wait here for a moment, Xiaodi will go over to ask for directions.”
Finished speaking, he urged his mount to gallop over.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling took this opportunity to dismount and let the horses rest. After following Shi Zhixuan’s trail for nearly ten days, even Ba Fenghan, the old horse who knows the way home, did not know where he was anymore.
Xu Ziling’s sense of the Relics was intermittent. This moment he could no longer sense Shi Zhixuan’s whereabouts.
Smiling wryly, Kou Zhong said, “This old fox Shi Zhixuan is really not simple. Coming beyond the Great Wall, he is still this formidable so that we can’t even touch his butts.”
Xu Ziling said, “He is taking a meandering and circuitous route, as if he wholeheartedly wants to throw off some big enemies pursuing closely behind him. Who could make him so afraid? Losing Jin Huanzhen, husband and wife’s assistance, Shi Feixuan ought to be at a loss on how to follow him, plus Shi Feixuan does not have enough resources to make Shi Zhixuan to be this fearful.”
Knitting his brows, Kou Zhong said, “That is precisely what puzzles Xiaodi the most. Jin Huanzhen, husband and wife could only detect the Relics’ presence within a hundred li range. On this flat plain stretches out as far as the eye can see, if he run a bit quicker, very soon he will be able to escape this hundred-li range. Even with Jin Huanzhen, husband and wife’s help, Yin Gui Pai still could not pursue for several thousand li straight to this place.”
This moment Ba Fenghan returned from asking for directions. He rushed back and said with a laugh, “Do you know what lies ahead?”
Kou Zhong calmly replied, “If you don’t tell us, how could we, a couple of kids who arrived at your honorable territory for the first time – know?”
Ba Fenghan cheerfully said, “I asked this one additional question. From here traveling to the west for two days, we will reach the outstandingly famous Tong Wan City [lit. city of ten-thousand unity] at the south bank of Heishui, which came from the saying, ‘Uniting the world, the ruler overlooking ten thousand nations’, which cannot be compared to the migrating tribe following water and grass at all.”
Astonished, Kou Zhong asked, “Unexpectedly there is such a place?”
Ba Fenghan said, “You, Han people ought to be familiar [orig. what’s frequently heard can be repeated in detail] with Helianbobo who built this city, because during the Jin Dynasty [265-420 AD] he established the Xia Kingdom, one of the sixteen kingdoms of the Northern Dynasties. Furthermore, he took advantage of when the House of Jin was internally in chaos to lead his troops to go down south and conquer Chang’an, where he proclaimed independence and became the emperor. Helianbobo was a famous tyrant in history; one time he piled up human heads and called it Skull Platform. Toward his subordinates he was also extremely cruel; he would gouge out their eyes, cut their lips, hook their tongue, or chop their heads at the slightest pretext. As a result, only after one generation he was destroyed by the Wei of the Northern Dynasties.”
“Do you think Shi Zhixuan is going to Tong Wan City?” Kou Zhong asked.
“It depends on our luck,” Ba Fenghan replied, “Currently the one in charge is Tiefuyou of Mohe [tribe], Heshui division. There is no longer any grand occasion of when the city was built.”
“Very well!” Xu Ziling said, “We’ll go to Tong Wan City to try our luck.”
Chatting and laughing, the three continued their endless journey toward the boundless open country.
The sickle-shaped waning moon was hanging low on the western sky.
Urging their horses to trot slowly, after traveling day and night nonstop for three hundred li, they felt a little lost, because Xu Ziling could not sense the Demonic Emperor Relics.
Looking up to the sky, Ba Fenghan said, “If I am guessing correctly, we will have rain before sunrise.”
Astonished, Xu Ziling said, “Isn’t it a very fine weather? What makes Fenghan Xiong think that there will be rain?”
Ba Fenghan replied, “People who live in the prairie have a way to predict the weather; those who don’t know how to do it will suffer extreme losses. Ziling, look at the sky, don’t you think the clouds look like cotton wadding, and they are very high in the sky, plus the air is full of moisture? This is called cotton clouds; the rain is coming. This forecast ought to be 80% accurate.”
Greatly delighted, Kou Zhong said, “This method to predict the weather is very useful in troop deployment. Quickly tell me.”
Ba Fenghan proudly said, “In the prairie, if my weather forecast technique cannot be considered number one, then it is at least number two. This technique can be divided into three parts, which are observing the clouds, examining the wind, and watching for stuffs. If I could put all three together to make speculation, I could reach the point where I am nine-out-of-ten certain of the outcome.”
Xu Ziling was greatly interested as well; he said, “When I was little, I often heard older people said that red clouds in the morning, don’t go out; red clouds in the evening, travel a thousand li. It’s probably this kind of accumulated experiences to develop the technique of observing the heavens.”
Ba Fenghan said, “Let us begin by watching the clouds, from its shape, trace its movement and changes to distinguish what is called the fish scales sky, carp spots, or perhaps turret clouds, muscle-cloth clouds. If you have an understanding of these, I guarantee that when Shaoshuai returns to the Central Earth and contend for hegemony against others, not only you will be the commander-in-chief who can read the enemies like a deity, you will also be an expert in reading the sky.”
Letting out a long laughter, Kou Zhong said, “Merely this secret technique, Xiaodi already feel that this trip has not been made in vain.”
Pointing ahead, Xu Ziling asked, “What is that?”
Following his finger, the two looked up; far away in the middle of the luxuriant grassland, on top of a small hill, stood a building that looked like a fortress [or castle]. It had three floors, with the highest level was the high platform of the towering fort.
Ba Fenghan’s spirit greatly aroused, he said, “That must be the Helian Fort, located south of the Tong Wan City. We have a place to shelter from the rain!”
Hesitating, Kou Zhong said, “What time is it now? Will the people in the fort welcome us, three uninvited guests?”
Ba Fenghan laughed and said, “It’s just a broken-down fort that has been abandoned for more than ten years! We’ll take this opportunity to rest well, tomorrow we will enter Tong Wan City.”
He had not finished speaking, the wind and the clouds in the sky already changed, heavy rain was about to come.
Urging his horse to speed forward, Ba Fenghan laughed heartily and said, “Shaoshuai ought to have full confidence in my weather-forecast technique by now!”
The two boys admired him wholeheartedly; urging their horses, they ran after him.
The white castle magnificently occupying the top of the hill was like an apparition overlooking the earth, as if it was completely indifferent toward the heavy rain that was about to pour down on its head, totally without any concern over its dilapidated and lacking body due to prolonged disrepair.
Braving the rain, the three came to the main gate, which could not be called gate anymore, and were greatly delighted.
Ba Fenghan looked up to the sky to let the rain wash his face, he smiled and said, “I wonder if two gentlemen know under what circumstances this small fort was built?”
Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “I was about to ask for guidance.”
Ba Fenghan sighed and said, “Helian Fort’s ruggedness is very famous on the prairie. It was built using a special kind of clay, mixed with cattle and sheep’s blood, built layer by layer, and then they piled firewood on it to bake it. As each layer was completed, Helianbobo ordered the soldiers to bore it using an awl on iron chain. If the awl went a cun into the wall, he would have the builder of the wall killed; if the awl did not go in, he would have the soldier killed. Two gentlemen can imagine, would a fort that was built like that be strong enough to withstand sabers and axes?”
Kou Zhong felt a chill run down his spine; he said, “My Niang! Was the entire Tong Wan City built like that?”
“Shaoshuai’s guess is right-on.”
The three were severely shaken at the same time. In disbelief, they looked through the broken-down gate into the dark cavity inside the ancient castle that was big enough to accommodate several dozens of people.
The rain was pouring down heavier and heavier, pattering against the fort wall, creating a loud noise.
The murderous aura in Kou Zhong’s pair of eyes flared out greatly, but he spoke calmly, “Turns out it’s Zhu Zongzhu honoring us with your presence. This is called being brought together over a thousand li by fate. It could also be called enemies on a narrow road, or meeting face to face on a narrow path [all these are four-character idioms]. Don’t blame us for not willing to let this good opportunity slip by.”
Zhu Yuyan stepped out of the darkness, but stopped just one step away before she renounced the dark and seek the light [another idiom] at the edge of the darkness inside the door. Laughing coldly, she said, “Ignorant kids; do you think you have the qualifications to retain me here?”
Blurted out laughing, Ba Fenghan said, “Qualifications? That year in Luoyang, you, the Senior, naturally had the qualifications to speak those words. But now, you must ask my sword first!”
Zhu Yuyan let out a peal of tender laughter; gasping tenderly, she said, “No need to mess with you guys; getting back to the main point, are you interested in working with me to kill Shi Zhixuan?”
Her voice had some kind making people feel it was worth hearing a hundred times, their heart trembled, their spirit moved – powerful appeal. The three immediately felt that the hostility in their heart was somewhat decreasing, their fighting spirit greatly reduced.
Kou Zhong was well aware that they have been subjected to her demonic power; frowning, he said, “Let’s talk less nonsense; there is no possibility of working together between us.”
Zhu Yuyan calmly said, “In order to show my sincerity in working together, I will make an exception by explaining something clearly to Shaoshuai, which is: Shangguan Long does not belong to my Yin Gui Pai at all.”
Ba Fenghan spoke heavily, “Who is he then?”
Zhu Yuyan responded indifferently, “He belongs to a mysterious sect of Hui people beyond the Great Wall. Although he has some relationship with us, it was only a relationship based on mutual benefit; I bear no responsibility on whatever he is doing.”
“Did Jin Huanzhen, husband and wife, fall into your hands?” Xu Ziling asked.
Stunned, Zhu Yuyan said, “Why did Ziling ask me that question?”
The three were certain that she was not lying.
Because in her capacity and her status, there was no need for her to lie about such matter. But if it was not Yin Gui Pai, who on earth would have captured Jin Huanzhen, husband and wife?
Besides, other than Yin Gui Pai, which family or sect would have such strength? Jin Huanzhen, two people were certainly not a lantern which oil had dried up.
Kou Zhong spoke in displeasure, “Frankly, now that we know that Zhu Yu Zongzhu wants to look for Shi Zhixuan to give him bad luck, we can temporarily cease hostility. But the matter of working together will not be mentioned again.”
Zhu Yuyan sighed faintly and lightly; there was some kind of evoking-pity feeling around her, but the strange thing was that she was still hiding in the dark behind the door, that she seemed to fuse together with the darkness, but merely her voice was enough to stir up people’s wild and fanciful thoughts, endless imagination.
They heard her youthful, abundance with seductive power voice spoke, “You guys may not believe it, the only person Shi Zhixuan is afraid of right now is me. Do you want to hear the reason?”
Smiling wryly, Ba Fenghan said, “Zhu Zongzhu, please bestow your instruction.”
Zhu Yuyan was silent for half a day. She spoke softly, “Because he knows that only I can kill him, because I have established impassable aspiration that I will never let him exploit the dead qi within the Relics to mend his fatal flaw.”
Listening to her, all three men’s heart was trembling, their spirit swayed. The tone of her voice carried tenderness as deep as the water of the vast ocean, yet she was speaking about eliminating Shi Zhixuan and establishing life or death oath.
Zhu Yuyan continued, “Only by taking mutual destruction move against Shi Zhixuan will it be possible to break his Immortal Image Method; apart from this, there is no other way. Do you believe it?”
The entire earth was covered in boundless wind and rain, becoming a water world. But the three acted as if they completely forgot the violent rain drenching their body, the only thing ringing on their eardrums was what Zhu Yuyan had just said.
If Shi Zhixuan and Zhu Yuyan, the two very top figures of the demonic school fought until they both perished, what could be a more ideal ending?
“What can we do to help you?” Kou Zhong asked.
“Dead little demon!” Zhu Yuyan cursed angrily, “Hearing that nujia is going to burn both jade and common stone against Shi Zhixuan, immediately you change into flippant and insincere words; aren’t you afraid you are going to reveal too much trace?”
The rain was getting heavier, bursts of chilling-to-the-bone rainwater blown by the wind were coming from four sides eight directions. Countless waterfalls washed down from the countless holes on the Helian Fort’s broken-down roof. Heaven and earth were separated again.
Xu Ziling spoke indifferently, “Does Zhu Zongzhu know where Shi Zhixuan is?”
Instead of replying, Zhu Yuyan asked, “Why do you want to go to Tong Wan City?”
Ba Fenghan replied, “We are looking for a man called Ma Ji, and then from him, we want to track down the wolf-bandits that have been wreaking havoc in the northeast.”
Zhu Yuyan said, “If you have the sincerity to work together, you will stay in Tong Wan City to wait for the news from me.”
Finished speaking, she disappeared into the darkness inside the fort.
The three you look at me I look at you, they all felt that what had just happened was totally unimaginable. Zhu Yuyan unexpectedly pleaded for their cooperation to deal with Shi Zhixuan. It is thus clear that Zhu Yuyan wanted to destroy Shi Zhixuan’s determination.
Ba Fenghan flew off the horse and said, “Let’s go! Let’s get in!”
Altogether the Helian Fort had three levels, the fort width was approximately twenty paces across, with stone steps inside the building connecting the floors. At the very top was a watchtower, extending the height of the fort to ten zhang, like a stone pagoda. Although dilapidated, the main structure was largely intact. The solid city gate was about two chi thick, enough to withstand the violent impact from beating stones.
All around were flat field, but because it was built on a high elevation of the top of a hill, it had the intimidating momentum of a solid defense.
It was raining heavily outside, but it was also drizzling inside. The rainwater flowed down from the cracks on the upper level in a no-hole-left-not-penetrated momentum. The water cascaded down the stone steps from the upper to the lower levels.
The ground floor was covered in firewood, branches, wood charcoal, coal, rocks, and litters left by travelers. Fortunately, the wall was open with small window holes for shooting arrows, so that fresh air was flowing, hence there was no smell of anything rotten.
Xu Ziling suddenly stood still. Lowering his voice, he said, “Shi Zhixuan was here, and he stayed here for quite a long time.”
Hearing that, the other two’s spirit was greatly aroused.
Ba Fenghan, dripping wet, came over to one of the windows of the small room; looking out at the heaven and earth blanketed in the surging wind and rain, he spoke heavily, “What exactly is the problem with Shi Zhixuan’s Immortal Image Method? Listening to the tone of Zhu Yaofu’s voice, it seems like if his Immortal Image Method did not have any flaw, no one can do anything to him.”
Relieving his horse from the saddle, Kou Zhong said, “Ling Shao has fought hand to hand with him many times, he ought to know a bit more clearly.”
Xu Ziling said, “About forty years ago, Shi Zhixuan sneaked into a Buddhist school and stealthily learned orthodox school’s mysterious skill. Combining it with demonic school’s Hua Jian and Bu Tian, two sects’ secret art, he created the shocking-both-the-orthodox-and-heretic-ways Immortal Image Method, aspiring to be a super outstanding figure to unite the demonic way. Around this time, he encountered Bi Xiuxin, who was sent out by Ci Hang Jing Zhai specifically to deal with him. And thus an unprecedented-in-history, with extremely-weird, strange-to-the-greatest-extend particular abilities, outsiders-are-incapable-to-imagine struggle was unfolding.”
‘Boom!’
A sudden clap of thunder exploded outside very close to the fort, shaking everybody that their ears were buzzing. The lightning streaked across the darkness, illuminating the plains and hillsides near and far as bright as daytime. The ink-black trees and grass shook violently and swayed wildly, creating a terrifying scene.
Ba Fenghan sighed and said, “My skills [acquired through religious practice] are not yet refined; just now that cotton-wadding-shaped clouds looked like a castle, it ought to be a sign of thunderstorm. Please continue!”
Xu Ziling came over to Ba Fenghan’s side, next to the window hole on the wall. Looking outside, he said, “This struggle was supposedly due to Bi Xiuxin reading the ‘Immortal Image Scroll’, to such an extent that she ended up her fragrance disappeared, her jade perished, but the fact is not so. Because Shi Zhixuan’s feeling was too deep, plus he could not accept the cruel fact that his beloved woman died in his own hand, his personality appeared to be split. On one side, he is still the cold-hearted heretical sect’s top martial art master. On the other side, he is a miserable, blaming-himself, deep-feeling-like-the-ocean, frustrated man. Furthermore, Shi Qingxuan has become a burden that is difficult for him to cut. The Immortal Image Method is no longer without any gap that can be found.”
Ba Fenghan drew a mouthful of cold air; he said, “Unexpectedly there is such a strange thing in the world. If I did not hear it from Ziling’s own mouth, I might not dare to believe.”
Kou Zhong came over. Patted the two men’s shoulders, he said, “If with the addition of Zhu Yuyan we still fail to kill Shi Zhixuan, I’m afraid it will be difficult for us to sleep well in the future.”
‘Boom!’
Another clap of thunder and a streak of lightning, which could not be distinguished which came first and which came later, exploded and flashed above the Helian Fort, shaking the entire solid rock castle, giving birth to the feeling that they were in danger.
