Wenchang raised his wine bowl and turned to Chai Feng, smiling. "Lately I"ve been working on a little ditty of my own during my travels. These past few days I"ve been indebted to your advice, Brother Chai. Thank you. Allow me to offer you a drink."
"Ah it"s nothing, you"re very gifted. It had nothing to do with my instructions. Brother, if you"ve written a new song, I"d like to hear it right away. Maybe it will be a new tune to add some freshness to my repertoire. Cheers!"
Completely ignored, the man had lost face. He rolled his savage eyes and suddenly kicked the wooden bench next to Wenchang and reached out and grabbed the Wenchang"s wrist that was holding his wine bowl before it could reach his lips.
Wenchang stopped his hand and turned his eyes slowly to the man. "Is there something I can do for you, buddy holding my bowl?"
The man wasn"t about to mess with Black Iron PaG.o.da, who was quite intimidating, so he set his sights on the genteel Wenchang. But he picked the wrong guy. The man chuckled. "So you"re a singer?"
"What"s it to you?" Wenchang said icily.
"It"s best not to be so fiery if you"re going to make a living among the jianghu. Your companion is intense and aggressive; that"s no way to make a living. Heheh, I"d like to ask you to sing a couple tunes to pa.s.s the time. You"re singing"s not bad."
"You mean you feel wronged?"
"You could say that."
"What"s your name, friend?"
"We"re the Four Yings of the Kang family of Tang River Martial Arts Centre. I"m the second, Kang Yingjie."
"Oh! Sir, then you must know Refined Guest of Tang River…"
"Hmph! That oaf disappeared. His kids pester us every day for news of him…"
"Sir Kang, you"ve come to the right person. Move your d.a.m.n leg and get your d.a.m.n paws off me…" He flicked his wrist and the wine in the bowl splashed Second Kang in the face. Then Wenchang was on his feet, his hard fists bolting out like lightning.
Four punches in a row, each hitting solid, forcing Second Kang back twenty feet or so before he slipped and ended up by his own table. He grunted as he struggled to get up, blood pouring from his nose as he blacked out.
Wenchang"s attack was quick and then he was back to his seat, pouring wine. "Those great masters seem to be made of tofu, just dreadful, leading their students astray. Atrocious!"
Black Iron PaG.o.da laughed boisterously and cut in, "What can they do besides turn out some useless three-legged cats to bully and intimidate the local b.u.mpkins? Hahahaha! Those were some fast punches, clear-cut and clean. That fool will be laid up for two weeks."
The other three men were shocked. That was probably the first time they"d ever seen someone fight so fast one didn"t even have time to strike back. They howled and one of them went to help Second Kang up while the other two charged wildly.
The one coming at Wenchang was the oldest Kang, his left palm and right fist attacking violently, whipping through the air vigorously, his palm cutting in at an angle while his right fist went for the flank.
Wenchang struck with "Parting Flowers, Supporting Willows", easily blocking the fist and palm, then he stole inside and suddenly hit the man with "Battering Elbow" right in the left side of his chest. Then he backhanded him in the face, then grabbed onto the man"s left shoulder and pulled back, his left hand clutching the man"s throat. He sneered, "You got a death wish? That"s foolhardy of you, you must be mad."
The man"s face turned ashen. He tried his darnedest to cry out.
"Let go… Let go! I… apologize."
Wenchang pushed him away with a shove and the man fell flat on his back. Wenchang sneered. "It was you all who started it, don"t blame me. Get up."
Third Kang, coming for Black Iron PaG.o.da, was still eight feet away when Black Iron PaG.o.da suddenly stood up, arms akimbo, and stepped forward. "What? You f.u.c.kin" want to be a fool and have a go? Chump, since you don"t want to eat I"ll wring your neck for you, bah!"
Third Kang was a head shorter than Black Iron PaG.o.da, and he became weak in the knees when he saw the latter coming hard for him. He didn"t advance or retreat but reached for the sabre at his waist.
"You piece of s.h.i.+t gonna pull a weapon on me, Papa Blackie will break your paws off and feed them to the dogs." Black Iron PaG.o.da"s voice boomed like a clap of thunder, scaring Third Kang"s thought of fighting him with his sabre shooting off into the highest heavens. Could he dare draw his sabre now? he stepped backward in terror.
The elder brother struggled to his feet awkwardly and looked at Wenchang, whose face was somber. "I"m not skilled enough yet. We"ll settle this another day. Tell me your ill.u.s.trious name, the Kang family of Tang River will have our vengeance for what happened here today."
Wenchang snorted. "Then I will wait for that day. I am The Fugitive Cai Wenchang, the notorious bandit. I make my living robbing. Master Kang, you all hand over your moneybags. You can only keep enough to pay your bill. Hurry up!"
"You… You…" The oldest brother backed away as if he"d seen a ghost.
"I"m The Fugitive Cai Wenchang. Hurry it up! I don"t have the patience to listen to you blather."
Chai Feng laughed and declared, "That guy was born rotten through and through. You"ll have to beat him half to death before he"ll hand anything over to you. No point in talking. Waste them and then pick them clean."
The eldest Kang brother"s injuries were already kinda serious. That elbow he had taken to the chest was unbearably painful. He knew it was useless to bl.u.s.ter. He wiped the blood off his nose and mouth and untied his moneybag and pitched it over. "I admit defeat. I swear I"ll get you for this."
Black Iron PaG.o.da took the four mens" moneybags. Wenchang pointed at the eldest Kang"s nose. "Buddy, if you got a death wish feel free to come find me. You listen good, Refined Guest of Tang River died in the southern outskirts of Chang"an. You can tell his family."
"You killed him?"
"Pah! I don"t kill n.o.bodies. A month ago, I…" He explained what happened that day, then said, "I"ve already buried them. Whether or not it was Gold s.n.a.t.c.hing Silver Sabre, who knows. I told you all this for the sake of the jianghu code, you can take it or leave it. You all can go. You all will remember this day for the rest of your lives because of your wild arrogance. A bit of restraint is in order; maybe one day it will pay off. I"m letting you off lightly with a reprimand. I"m not one to be hard on people. Until we meet again."
The four Kang brothers helped each other up and staggered out. Soon after, word spread throughout the jianghu that Gold s.n.a.t.c.hing Silver Sabre had killed Refined Guest of Tang River, and it was The Fugitive Cai Wenchang himself who witnessed it.
The news enraged Master Qiu of Endless Valley, as well as his right-hand man, Gold s.n.a.t.c.hing Silver Sabre, who dispatched a Chivalry Appeal all over, calling for the capture of Cai Wenchang so that Endless Valley could verify the rumor. Fellows of the light and dark paths both urgently conducted searches for Wenchang, making it difficult for him to anything within the jianghu.
Now though, Wenchang watched the four men mount up and head out east, then he strode back to his table, pa.s.sing the man and two girls along the way. He heard the girl with the tricoiled hair with her clear bell-like voice said, "Dad, that"s the actions of an evil bandit, brazenly robbing people in broad daylight in the middle of a rest stop along the main road, it"s really outrageous. No eye for the law of the land at all, just committing all sorts of crimes as he pleases, is the world really ruled by the law of the jungle, the weak prey to the strong?"
Wenchang stopped. The middle-aged man smiled and shook his head. "Child, no need to worry about others. If you make trouble, out moneybags will pay for it."
Wenchang"s temper had not completely subsided. He was ready to flare up again when the girl turned to look at him. First, he saw a pretty, innocent face. Second, he saw within those bright starry eyes, like limpid pools of autumn water, a mysterious gleam, like a deep pond, suddenly turn into a contemptuous look.
Of all the girls he"d come in contact with, he"d never seen one with such a scornful look in her eyes. It produced an odd feeling within him, like someone was striking him repeatedly on the top of the head, startling and shaking him to his very core.
He didn"t size her up closely, not did he admire her beauty in that way men look at women. But he knew that she was not as beautiful as Miss s.h.i.+, not as soft and gentle as her. Compared to White Dragongirl, she was not as clever and lacked Dragongirl"s wild cunning. And yet, there was something about her that made him giddy, some quality he was taken in by, that imperceptibly penetrated to the deep pit of his heart.
Just that ordinary glance and he said to himself, Heavens! I"ve found her, a girl that"s most suitable for me, a girl who really has me shook.
What he didn"t know was this girl"s world-weary appearance, and her haughty demeanor same as his, was the figure he had been seeking even in his dreams. Miss s.h.i.+ was like an otherworldly G.o.ddess sent down to the land of mortals. He didn"t dare pollute her. His sense of inferiority prevented the seed of love from sprouting within him. White Dragongirl was a spoiled child from an affluent family, just an overbearing, headstrong young lady. He was not qualified to be with her.
But this girl was different. She was no immortal maiden, nor the willful doted on daughter of a powerful family, but her appearance as a girl of the jianghu and her haughty fearlessness really resonated with him, and admiration and real sentiment from deep within his heart made him fall in love at first sight. Her figure, her voice, her face, were imprinted deep in the bottom of his heart, a strong impression that would be difficult to ever erase.
He looked at her and nodded. "Girl, have you heard of The Fugitive Cai Wenchang before?"
She curled her lips, and not cowering in the slightest, said, "I heard about him in Luoyang, but I don"t fully believe it."
"What happened here today is clearer than day. You still don"t believe?"
She nodded. "Seems I"m forced to believe it. So do you mean to rob me as well? My father has over thirty taels of silver on him, only enough for board and lodging out on the road. You will be disappointed."
Wenchang bowed slightly and stepped back, smiling. "There is honor among thieves. I never rob those who don"t have extra cash."
He turned and left, but for some reason he could not rouse the courage to ask the girl her name. He just went back to his table without asking her anything.
At some point during all this three figures in black-robes appeared under the sophora trees on either side of the tavern, hiding in the shade and watching the canopy outside the tavern, a breeze kicking up the corners of their robes briefly here and there.
From the direction of Luoyang came the urgent pounding of horse hooves as three riders galloped in and dismounted before the hitching post. They deftly lashed the reins and turned toward the tall canopy.
At the same time, a big monk came dragging his staff and entered as well. The monk had also come from the east and he entered together with the three riders.
The three riders were neat, blue robes with lambskin cloaks draped over their shoulders, and all had sword bags fastened to them. They were in their forties, each more imposing than the last. The leader had a red mole between his eyes, and the the man on his left had an aquiline nose like an eagle, while the man on the right had a large fleshy tumor at the top of his right ear. Their appearance and demeanor all seemed pretty good.
The big monk was around seventy, the roots of his hair silvery white, though he had a ruddy round face like Maitreya Buddha. He was all smiles, tall and fat, in good spirits. He wore common layman"s robe in teal with a pink kasaya wrapped over it. He held his monk"s staff upside down as he fondled the rosary hanging down to his chest. The only conspicuous thing about him was the purplish-black birthmark behind his left ear, about three inches across and extending down the nape of his neck. Golden yellow hair sprouted out all over the mark.
Friends of the martial grove would be scared at the sight of this birthmark. Just one look and they would know that this monk was the bane of pretty girls, a degenerate Buddhist, Master Magnanimous Blissful Monk, none other than Jade-faced Tiger Yan Ruyu"s master.
"Eh!" the three middle-aged men exclaimed happily as they entered.
"Hey!" Blissful Monk exclaimed at the same time, squinting, joy wrought on his face.
Wenchang didn"t recognize Blissful Monk, but Black Iron PaG.o.da"s face sank.
Chai Feng"s face underwent a change of its own and he quickly withdrew his brocade pipa bag.
"Brother Chai, what"s the matter?" Wenchang whispered. He could tell something was wrong.
"My adversary has arrived," Chai Feng said quietly, some fear present in his voice.
At the other table, the young girl said in her voice that one she and her father could hear, "Dad, in a minute, are we going to take out the helpers first?"
"No! We have to find out from that bald donkey where that d.a.m.n lama is hiding out. Even though he disappeared in Hanzhong, that d.a.m.n lama certainly must have received word to come out and a.s.semble." The man said this as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
"I"m afraid it might be troublesome."
"No worries, we"re already in disguise. As long as we don"t show our real faces. Heheh! We might be better off just being patient, show our weakness and slink off. It"s not a great time to be alerting the enemy. Last time you revealed your sword and your name and your uncles Pang and Fu feared you might come to grief and had to reveal themselves, spoiling our opportunity so that we came away with nothing. That"s why I had to come with you personally this time. Besides, I still need to test your little brother"s friend"s character."
"Dad, won"t Grandpa be furious if he learns you showed weakness here?"
"Haha! Who knows what your dad really looks like? How will Grandpa find out about this? Relax! Come on, that bald donkey is vile!"
This whole time the big monk"s eyes had not left the two girls. When he had said "Hey" earlier it had been at the sight of the girls. He shuffled slowly over, leering, and chanting to himself, "My Buddha is powerful, My Buddha is powerful."
He went up to the table next to the girls" where four guests sat. By their dress they looked to be porters, all with their heads down eating bowls of paomo stew.
Blissful Monk declared, "Amitabha! Benefactors, allow this old monk to rest his feet."
The porters slid over and offered him a wooden bench. "Elder Master, please have a seat."
Blissful Monk didn"t smile, but rolled his queer eyes which gleamed like cold lightning, and he roared, "Clear off! The Buddha requires this table, move to another table." He dropped his monk"s staff on the wooden table and it shook like it was about to collapse. Heavens! It was a burnished steel alloy and incredibly heavy. It looked to be no less than a hundred catties, but he had wielded it with one hand like it was no more than a lampwick.
Luckily, the porters" huge bowls were mostly empty of soup so only a little splashed out onto the table. The porters were stunned and were about to get mad when they saw that steel alloy staff, then looked into the monk"s cutting eyes and they were all scared stiff. Their faces sank and they hurriedly packed up their utensils and scurried out from under the canopy and squatted down under a big tree outside and finished eating.