Madame Dong Ming continued, "I am so glad that in claiming the credit for yourselves you are not arrogant and are very forthcoming. When you were being chased by the mob at the pier by the city of Yuhang that day, I have already seen that your foundation is exceptional, indeed it is rarely seen in this age. Other than one person from the Li Clan, nobody else of your generation can compare to you. As a result I was moved by the love of talent and let you came aboard to meet in person.”
Kou Zhong replied with a bitter laugh, "But in the end we were driven out by Madame.”
Madame Dong Ming said, "It was not me who wanted you to leave, it was my daughter Wanjing. The people she hates the most are worldly disciples who are only after wealth and fame. Nowadays my duties within the Sect are gradually being taken over by her, I just assume the responsibility to give guidance; hence everything is decided by her.”
The two boys suddenly understood why Ruyin said that Dong Ming Princess' impression on them was very bad.
Madame Dong Ming sighed and said, "This daughter of mine is stubborn; once she had a preconception about anything, it is very difficult to change her mind. But surprisingly this time it was she who found you; furthermore, she gave the order to give you assistance.”
She did not understand, naturally the two boys did not understand even more; they merely listened attentively.
Madame Dong Ming changed the subject, "Whether it's Du Fuwei, Li Mi, and perhaps Yuwen Huaji, or even all gangs and societies who know your whereabouts, nobody is willing to give up on you. Do you have any plan for the future?”
The two boys shook their heads with blank expression on their face, indicating that they had no idea.
Madame Dong Ming's voice was a bit emotional as she spoke tenderly, "Before we learned about your involvement in the conflict concerning ‘Secret to Long Life' and ‘Duke Yang's Treasure Trove', we did have the intention of absorbing you into our Sect to strengthen our men department, but now I changed my mind. But please don't think that it is because we are afraid to be implicated in this matter, rather, we are afraid to waste the kind of talent that you have. I don't know whether it's the Heaven's will, but your suffering is actually a great opportunity for you to learn by experience. In just over a year, you have shed your mortal body and exchange your bones and become new persons. The most amazing thing is you are able to make your expression [or shen qi - ‘divine qi'] understated, which is the realm where only genuine martial art masters are able to attain. Obviously your internal energy level is not high, but you can definitely accomplish it. Give it a little more time, your achievement will be beyond measure.”
The two boys jumped in fright; they thought that if they could not stay, wouldn't they lose the opportunity to carry out their trick ‘to imitate the dog and steal the chicken'?
But Madame Dong Ming continued, "By midday tomorrow, we will arrive at Weishan Lake. After taking care of some businesses, we can go up north along the canal. After Juye Wetlands, the water should be covered by mist for hundreds of li, we can easily shake off enemy's pursuit; there we can arrange for you to slip away onto the shore. After that you will have to rely on your good luck.”
The two boys were relieved; within these next eight to ten days, they should be able to complete the heavy responsibility Li Shimin entrusted to them.
From a very deep slumber, Xu Ziling slowly, fen by fen [1 fen ~ 1/3cm, 1/8-in], cun by cun [1 cun ~ 1-in] regained his consciousness.
The feeling was like from the bottom of a deep, dark and quiet pool, gradually floating to the surface, and the instant he made contact with the water surface was the same instant he regained the perception of the outside world.
Every night when he slept peacefully was the good time he practiced the ‘Secret to Long Life'.
‘Thump!' Kou Zhong, who was sleeping next to him, kicked the side of his thigh.
Xu Ziling was already accustomed to this. Whenever Kou Zhong kicked him, a burst of true qi immediately entered his channels, while at the same time he also returned a stream of true qi back to Kou Zhong.
This kind of feeling was really unspeakably comfortable.
When sleeping, Kou Zhong always kept moving, while Xu Ziling always stayed calm like a deep sea.
The sun outside penetrated the window, bathing the small empty space in front of the window with its light; everything seemed so peaceful, serene and beautiful.
Xu Ziling's mind was a piece of peacefulness, just like a calm deep pool, mirroring everything before his eyes. He looked up at the rectangular-shaped mosquito net above the bed. The net was made of silk yarn weaved together into a mesh; abundant with some kind of principle that was hard to describe with words, rich with many patterns. What seemed to be identical square holes were actually myriads of different holes. Each small hole, each small square actually had subtle differences with each other. Light and darkness, big and small, they were all different. Yet all these different holes formed a whole entity that could not be broken; each hole was independent, yet they also affecting each other.
He had never thought that a mosquito net could be so engaging and interesting.
‘Buzz! Buzz!' A buzzing noise came from the top of the net. A mosquito wanted to break into the net, but was thwarted by the mesh and was kept outside.
After trying several times, the mosquito flew toward a corner. Immediately it attracted the attention of a house lizard that was crouching on the patterned ceiling above. The lizard rapidly traversed several cun across, and lay prostrate again, motionless.
The lizard's movement was both steady and nimble, there was dynamic within the static, and there was static within the dynamic.
Xu Ziling's heart was filled with indescribable feeling; somehow he indistinctly captured the true meaning of the blend between static and dynamic.
Suddenly this incomparably rich and moving moment was broken by light footsteps from a distance coming near. The footsteps stopped in front of the door, and then the door was pushed open.
Kou Zhong instantly reacted; he opened his eyes and sat up.
The two boys focused their attention, and saw that it as a big and tall maid. She looked quite ugly, but the saddest thing about her was the ‘thousand-li distant' expression on her face, icy-cold and wooden, as if everybody in the world owed her money and has not paid her back.
As soon as she came in, her gaze swept the boys behind the net, and then she looked away as if she lost interest already. She brought along a basin of water, a towel, a comb, and other things, which she then placed on a small table by the window. And then, without any trace of politeness she barked with her hoarse voice, "Quickly get up! Commander Ming [orig. shuai - commander-in-chief] is waiting for you for breakfast.”
The two boys exchanged glances; they wondered which divine being this ‘Commander Ming' was.
Kou Zhong crawled out of the net and went over to the ugly maid. Cupping his fist in respect he inquired, "How may I address this Jiejie?”
The ugly maid spoke with disdain, "I am not your Jiejie, and you don't need to pay attention to my name.”
Meanwhile Xu Ziling pushed the net aside and sat on the bedside; he was stooping down to look for his boots. Hearing what was said, he said, "If we made any mistakes, Jiejie is welcome to scold us or curse us, so that we can make it right.”
The ugly maid did not expect the two boys would still be modest and polite even after her mean treatment to them. She stared blankly for a moment before finally walking toward the door. "I'll wait for you outside,” she said. Her tone was a little gentler.
The two boys hurriedly wore their clothes and washed their faces.
By the time they walked out the door, the ugly maid impatiently said, "Hurry up and follow me!”
Kou Zhong giggled and ran after her. In the most respectful manner he said, "May I ask Jiejie, who is Commander Ming?”
The ugly maid led them to the end of the hallway where the stairs leading to the upper deck was located. She appeared to be ignoring Kou Zhong, but then she suddenly said in cold manner, "Didn't you see him yesterday?”
Kou Zhong, and Xu Ziling who was running behind him, suddenly came to realization that the Commander Ming she was talking about was Shang Ming. Since they had ‘generals', it was only natural that they also had ‘Commander-in-chief'. It seemed that this young, handsome Shang Ming's status in Dong Ming Sect was, by no means, low.
Climbing to the upper deck, they found out that it was actually a spacious cabin, almost like a hall. Shang Ming, accompanied by Shang Bang and Shang Kuitai, two men, sat around a round table, where an assortment of light breakfast food was served, talking in low voice.
Seeing the two boys' arrival, Shang Ming did not stand up or show any sign of welcoming gesture at all; he simply smiled unenthusiastically and said, "Two Xiao Xiongdi, please have a seat.”
After the two boys took their seats, the ugly maid left the hall.
The cabin was decorated with over a dozen big windows on both sides, adorned with hanging curtains, but did not affect their view at all. They could still enjoy the panoramic view of the green mountains and verdant pastures scenery on both banks of the river.
"Did the two gentlemen sleep well last night?” Shang Bang asked.
The two boys had already stuffed their mouth full with food, so they could only nod their head.
Shang Kuitai said, "There are two sichen more [i.e. 4 hours] before we reach Weishan Lake. Once we get there, we have no fear of being tracked.”
Shang Ming said, "The weapons that you use, where did you buy them? The material and craftsmanship are quite good.”
Of course Kou Zhong could not tell him the truth, he randomly replied, "It's Shen Luoyan, that woman [derogatory] who gave them to us.”
How could Shang Ming be able to distinguish whether he was telling the truth or a lie? He could not help laughing, "There are not many people in Jianghu who dare to call her ‘woman'. The two of you can be considered having enough skill that there are a lot of Jianghu characters, that many people would be scared at the mere mention of their names [orig. turn pale at the mention of a tiger], are hunting you down, yet time and again you were able to escape with your lives. ‘Being fugitives for thousand li', it can also be considered ‘anecdote passed on with approbation' in Jianghu.”
Xu Ziling was curious, "What kind of place is Ryukyu?” he asked.
Shang Ming proudly replied, "It's the world's most beautiful and mysterious place. It's a big island suspended over emptiness of the vast body of water. The climate is pleasant, large part of it remains uncultivated fertile land, wonderful birds and different animals can be seen everywhere.
The two boys listened with their minds wandering far away.
Shan Kuitai asked, "Was your martial art skill taught by the Luocha female?”
Kou Zhong nodded, "That is correct!”
"If that is the case,” Shang Bang seriously commented, "It can clearly be seen that Gaoli's Yi Jian Dashi [see Book 1 Chapter 3] Fu Cailin really possesses inscrutable, supernatural skill.”
Shang Ming said, "People have name, trees have shadow. Since Fu Cailin was able to make his name alongside Wu Zun Bi Xuan and Shan Ren Ning Daoqi [all these names were mentioned back in Book 1 Chapter 6], and still enduring for the last few decades, they must have earth-shatteringly ultimate skill. Just look at how he sent one of his disciples over, and she had the Central Plains' Wulin world in complete confusion [orig. sky and earth turning upside down]; even Yuwen Huaji was injured and forced to return. Clearly he has real talent and is a solid material.”
Remembering Fu Junchuo, the two boys' throat choked and they did not feel like eating anymore.
This moment the ugly maid returned. Shang Ming and the others, all three people revealed a disgusted look on their faces.
The ugly maid saluted, and then hoarsely and crudely said, "Princess wants to see Xu Ziling.”
Kou Zhong was baffled, "What about me?” he asked.
The ugly maid shook her head coldly, but did not say anything.
Shang Ming and the others also showed a surprised look; especially Shang Ming, his expression looked quite unnatural.
"Why haven't you followed me?” the ugly maid urged.
Having no other choice, Xu Ziling shrugged his shoulders.
Finally Xu Ziling set his foot on the cabin deck below the main deck. On the surface there did not seem to be any differences; there was also a long corridor, with more than a dozen doors lining both sides of the hallway, but the decoration was a lot more exquisite. From the ceiling of the hallway hung down more than a dozen delicate chandeliers, shining their lights on decorative pattern carved subtly along the wall of the hallways. Underneath his feet was plain green carpet embroidered with geometric patterns like moss on grass, like uninhabited, calm and quiet meadows.
The ugly maid led the way silently, until they arrived at the door at the end of the hallway, where she turned around and said, "You wait here. When Princess is ready to see you, she will call you.”
Finished speaking, she left.
Xu Ziling thought in his heart that this Dong Ming Princess really had a big ego; if she did not have time to talk, she could always summon him a bit later.
Up to this moment he still did not understand why Dong Ming Princess wanted to see him alone. But just as quick his mind turned to the account book.
If this account book really did exist, would it be kept in this room?
The door and the walls of this cabin were extremely solid; breaking in would not be easy at all.
While he was indulging himself in flights of fancy, a sweet, tender, but icy-cold voice sounded in his ears, "Come in!”