Once medicine had been applied to his wounds and bandaged up, a c.o.c.k"s crow could be heard in the distance. The first light or morning rose in the east.
The two of them looked different all bandaged up. A cold gust of wind blew by and Wenchang suddenly regained consciousness and sat up sharply. "Big bro, Big bro!"
"Dear brother, is that you?" Black Iron PaG.o.da said, laying on the ground.
Wenchang took a deep breath and picked up Black Iron PaG.o.da and headed off down the trail.
"Wenchang, where are you going?" Outcast Androgyne said, blocking his path.
"Eh? Elder Young Master Mei Lin?"
"It"s me. Put him down, I have something to say to you."
Wenchang set Black Iron PaG.o.da down and watched Fang Song and his daughter in shock. Fang Song smiled faintly. "Little brother, we don"t know each other, so don"t ask about us for now. I have some news to tell you that you will want to know."
"Elder…"
"First, your little buddy, Xiaoshan, is already safely back at his home."
"You…" Wenchang said, terrified.
"I am Fang Song, heh! This is my daughter, Xiaojuan. Xiaoshan is my child."
Wenchang clasped his hands together and bowed deeply. "Uncle Fang, I am relieved."
"Second, Black Iron PaG.o.da is out of danger now. But he won"t be able to travel around for the next six months. He must find a place to recuperate. Third, Young Master Mei Lin can tell you."
Outcast Androgyne smiled wryly. "You"ve been poisoned by Black Zombie"s Cadaverine Palm. Normally if one can live for thirty-six double hours, I can use medicine to dispel the poison. But you used a rare medicine and your qi circulation skills to drive the poison to your tailbone, where you then sustained an injury. Some of the poison-infused blood was discharged, but there is a problem. The residual poison has entered the ends of your Conception Vessel and Governing Vessel meridians. In other words, in a couple of years the residual poison in its concealed place will form countless little malignant tumors and will gradually eat away at your meridians. Even if you don"t die you will be crippled. It"s too late now for medicine."
"So you"re saying I don"t have long to live?" Wenchang said calmly.
"You can say that. If you can find some thousand-year knotweed and find someone who has cultivated an indestructible diamond Buddha body, a master immune to all poisons to drive out the poison, and use them together, it might be curable."
"Might? That is to say, it"s still not reliable."
Outcast Androgyne was silent for a long time. "Even if you can find these two things, at the moment you still couldn"t eliminate the poison. You must finish training your wound healing qi circulation skill to help out and wait until the malignant tumors form a cl.u.s.ter, then you can get to work. You can stay with me in seclusion and wait for the right time. I can travel all over for you over barren mountains and across dangerous rivers to look for the thousand-year knotweed."
Wenchang"s stomach fell. After a while he said, "I can"t do that."
"What? Are you worried my reputation weill besmirch yours?"
"No! Even if someone put a knife to my throat I would not hesitate to acknowledge you as my good friend. It"s just, I don"t want to waste two or three years of the time available to me on something that still might not even work. There"s a lot of things I still haven"t accomplished yet. I will use this remaining time to finish my business while I"m still alive."
Holy Four Heavens Nun interjected, "Benefactor Cai, Benefactor Mei Lin is a world renowned virtuoso of poisons. You ought to have faith in his plan. As for Benefactor Fan, this humble nun is good friends with Abbess Clearcause. I can take Benefactor Fan to Abbess Clearcause"s cultivation spot and let him recuperate there."
Wenchang suddenly bowed low and kowtowed. "This junior thanks Elder for your virtuous offer. I will remember this for the rest of my life."
Black Iron PaG.o.da hollered, "No! I don"t…"
Wenchang covered his mouth and said sadly, "Big bro, listen to me. Don"t worry about me. Life and death are up to fate, wealth and rank are matters of destiny. I will cherish the remaining years I have left, and fulfill my cherished desires. You rest well. We might well see each other again one day. I wish you well and I want you to wish me well. Ah! Big bro, who ambushed you here last night?"
Black Iron PaG.o.da clenched his teeth. "Don"t ask, I will never tell you. I will go get them myself."
Wenchang gave him two nine-cycle elixir pills and smiled and stood. "Alright, I won"t ask then. They will tell me themselves. Take these nine-cycle elixir pills. I"m leaving."
"I don"t want them, keep them to save yourself, otherwise I will throw them away."
"Okay! There"s two, we"ll share."
"Dear brother, are you still going…"
"Don"t say it, I have my own plans," Wenchang cut him off. He didn"t want him to mention his plan to go to Sichuan.
Black Iron PaG.o.da was choked with emotion. "Dear brother, take care. Don"t take any unnecessary risks."
"Goodbye, Big bro."
Wenchang thanked the four gathered there again and turned and left. He felt his heart drop when he touched the girl"s tear-stained face. He didn"t know Fang Song and his daughter were from Misery Valley, he only knew that his life was already over. Fang Xiaojuan was Xiaoshan"s big sister, and he was a man at the end of his life"s journey. The love that had sprouted within him not long ago had suddenly vanished. He could only bury that love within his heart forever.
He made it a dozen or so steps before he felt a small hand on his shoulder, along with a clear, quavering, forlorn voice from behind say, "Second Brother, what do you plan to do?"
It was Xiaojuan. She called him second brother but he didn"t have the nerve to turn around. "Here and there, Miss Juan. Please give this message to Little Brother, tell him Second Brother is thinking of him and wishes him well."
"Second Brother, is what you said to Big Brother earlier really true?"
"What did I say?"
"About that day at King Yu Gully."
"I don"t remember."
"Second Brother, you can go to Yunyang any time and notify them at Three Gorges Apothecary and I and Little Brother will come meet you. Please remember, don"t forget us. I"m waiting for you, don"t disappoint us."
Wenchang suddenly covered his face with his hand and sprinted off.
It was a foggy morning so Wenchang gradually disappeared in the distance. Xiaojuan fell into Fang Song"s arms and wept silently. "Don"t cry, child. Keep a close watch on him, we might be able to do something for him. Send Xiaolan back to Misery Valley at once to deliver the news. We won"t make him suffer through the last years of his life. He has his own plans, we must look after him from the side."
"Dad, I"m so confused and upset."
"Even though you"re upset you have to cheer up. For now let"s find a place to change our clothes and disguise and then get out on the road."
Five days later, Wenchang changed into an old robe and rode a donkey, his expression gloomy, as if her were a different person as he took the public road toward Tong Pa.s.s. Who could tell that he was the same man that just a few days ago was the notorious bandit, Cai Wenchang, riding a fine steed and decked in fine clothes?
The name on his travel permit was Fang Chang, his trade was listed as itinerant singer. He bought a pipa in Luoyang and took a bedroll with him and started off at dawn, not stopping until night, riding his donkey west, distraught and forlorn.
A white-haired old man and a little traveling Daoist priest followed him on horseback a few miles behind him. They were Fang Song and his daughter. The white-haired old man"s face was sallow, as was the little priest"s face, but the priest had delicate features.
♦♦♦
Ten days later, Wenchang appeared at the entrance to the hideout of the Three Heroes of Chang"an in Changle Ward. He was wearing black nightwalker clothes, his face covered with a black cloth mask.
The drumbeats signaling the third watch were sounding, the night markets had closed down already, and it was pitch-black and still as death outside the city.
He used the secret pa.s.sword knock on the door.
Soon after, the side door slowly opened and a hand reached out and flicked a finger out three times.
He answered the signal with three light taps and darted inside. The room was dimly lit. Winged Tiger had just thrown on clothes and entered the room. He flinched in shock when the servant introduced the masked man. "Eh? Sir…"
"Brother s.h.i.+ming, don"t tell me you forgot my voice?" Wenchang took a seat.
"You should show your face when you meet someone," Winged Tiger said, his expression dark.
"Tell your servants to retire." Wenchang laughed.
Winged Tiger gestured and had the two servants leave the room. "You don"t have to show your face. What brings you here in the middle of the night?"
"I"ve reached a dead end and am out of resources, so I came to you, elder brother, to help me think of a way to raise some funds."
Winged Tiger hmphed and sneered, "Buddy, we"ve never met before."
Wenchang pulled down his mask and snarled, "That"s right, Cai Wenchang is a man of the jianghu, with friends all over, though few really know him."
"Cai Wenchang died in Luoyang, I no longer have a friend named Cai."
Wenchang"s expression didn"t change. Winged Tiger had turned a cold shoulder and pretending not to recognize him. He c.o.c.ked an eyebrow and stood up and took two steps forward. "Rong, you really are shameless."
Winged Tiger inched toward the rear doors and said sternly, "Don"t do anything rash, it would not be good to start trouble here, whatever you need just tell me."
"I need a hundred taels of gold. Will you give it or not?"
"I"m not the G.o.d of Wealth. It"s common practice to lend ten or twenty taels of silver to help out a friend of the jianghu. I"m sorry, but a hundred taels of gold is not something I can do."
Wenchang tied his mask back on and turned to leave, saying, "Big Brother Fan was right, the Three Heroes of Chang"an really are f.u.c.kin" worthless… Where are you going?"
He went to the entrance then suddenly spun around and shot back. Winged Tiger had just turned to go through the rear doors and didn"t expect Wenchang to fein leaving and then come back. Wenchang was behind him before he realized.
"Alright then!" he roared, and spun around and attack top and bottom with "Ferocious Tiger Turns Around", grabbing at Wenchang"s head and chest.
Wenchang"s hard fists shot out and knocked away his clawing hands and slammed into him with "Black Tiger s.n.a.t.c.hes the Heart. Fast! So fast there was no leeway for Winged Tiger and Wenchang"s fist pounded into him. "Argh…" Winged Tiger groaned and fell back sharply.
Wenchang stayed on him, hitting him four more times, each punch landing solid. Winged Tiger saw stars and a bitter, salty taste in his mouth as he crashed to the floor on his back.
Wenchang put a foot on his belly and said icily, "Son of a b.i.t.c.h! I used to call you brother, and you used to f.u.c.kin" call me brother too, very warmly. I was besieged by light and dark pathers alike in Luoyang, attacked from all sides, and you show your despicable face here, you piece of s.h.i.+t. Remember, if you divulge my whereabouts then watch out for your worthless life and your foundation here in Chang"an. Don"t blame me for also turning a cold shoulder and not recognizing you. Killing a dirty piece of s.h.i.+t like you would just soil my hands. I"ll let you live for now." Winged Tiger hurried after him outside in a daze, but Cai Wenchang was already gone.
♦♦♦
Wenchang had still not recovered from his injuries and he didn"t rob anyone on the way, so he was already out of money. He had no choice but to go to the Three Heroes of Chang"an for help, but had been rebuffed. The way people changed their att.i.tudes toward you made him suddenly sigh with sorrow.
He asked around and learned that s.h.i.+ Ruokui and his daughter had set out on their journey five days ago, heading west. A family traveling by carriage would not make it more than eighty miles a day, and there would be many delays along the way. At most they were near Dasan Pa.s.s. He planned to go through Yegu Pa.s.s and the ancient path through the Taibai Mountains to Hanzhong prefecture and catch up to them there.
Mei County was the only county seat on the southern bank of the Wei River in Fengxiang prefecture, but don"t look down on this county town; this was where Dong Zhuo built his Long Life Fortress, also called Meiwu, it was an ancient junction south to Sichuan. Since ancient times, military forces attacking Sichuan had set out five times from here. Deng Ai"s conquest of Shu was one of those five times. There was an ancient road that went south to Yegu Pa.s.s and traversed the pa.s.s, the mountainous Taibai region and its famous saying, "Taibai in Wugong, Three Hundred Miles from Heaven". It went straight through the mountains to Hanzhong prefecture. The road was not easy going. There were tigers and other wild animals in large numbers there so that one had to travel in a group for safety. It was not unusual to go a hundred miles without seeing a single person, but this route was two hundred miles shorter than going through the north gallery roads through Dasan Pa.s.s.
He was out of money so he would have to get some. Gold and silver were owned by people, you couldn"t just pick up on the side of the road. The only way to get it was by stealing and robbing. He didn"t want to do either, so his only choice was to get from his fellows of the jianghu.
He stayed in Mei County for a day, taking his pipa to each tavern and singing for his fare, singing songs he made up himself. He made contact with the local underground bosses there, and that night he spurred his donkey and headed south out of Yegu and into the Taibai Mountains. Soon after midnight, he took a small path along a soaring peak among the mountains. This was where the Taibai Wolf Xu Zhonghua"s stronghold was, as well as Black Flag Sovereign"s northwest base where they specialized in banditry. He audaciously charged into the tiger"s den.