Book 4 Chapter 5 - Peerless Yuwen
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The two boys were a bit reluctant to leave.
In these three days, they felt like they had returned to the place where Fu Junchuo was buried, back to their previous hazy, blurry state of mind, where day and night they buried themselves in training. Only when they heard voices did they withdraw back to their hiding place.
To be able to watch Ba Fenghan and Ouyang Xiyi's shaking-to-the-core battle, the benefit they reaped was indeed no small matter.
Previously they lacked guidance in their training, just like a blind man riding a blind horse, or like in the absence of a target an archer shot the arrow randomly.
But this time they had clear direction and objective; they understood that spirit, true qi, and strategy, three factors must merge together before they could be true martial art experts.
Even they themselves did not know that the qi cultivation principle they learned from the ‘Secret to Long Life' in itself already emphasizing essence, qi, and spirit, the supreme marvelous method.
This moment they acted without thinking, incidentally they grasped the essence of it, hence although it was a mere three-day period, they have received the lifelong benefit of breakthrough in the martial art way.
After further discussion, they decided to stay seven more days.
It was precisely this decision that made them avoid a disaster.
After Wang Shichong grew suspicious of them that night, he talked with Shen Naitang, and found out that the two boys had been with Du Fuwei, hence he knew that two treasures has just slipped away in front of his face. Hastily he dispatched his men to hunt the fugitives everywhere, while at the same time notified Yuwen Shi, another important figure within the Yuwen Clan who happened to be in the vicinity, to personally come and take charge of this matter. Nearly all of Dongping County was turned upside down before they finally declared that the two boys had escaped far away.
If this hunt and arrest operation was presided over by Du Fuwei, he would have known that the two boys were still remaining within the city walls. But how could Yuwen Shi have thought that the two boys could be that calm and not run away. After five days, the search network spread over to the neighboring counties, and no longer focused on Dongping County.
By early morning the sixth day, the two boys remembered Susu, plus they felt a bit bored from training.
"Didn't Niang say that the best way of training martial art is to advance intentionally without any intention?” Kou Zhong said, "These past two days we placed great care in training, but we feel a bit unsettled and impatient instead.”
Xu Ziling agreed, "I was just thinking about the same thing. Niang said that in cultivating internal energy we must have a strict control over body heat; cold and heat must be in moderation. We were immersing ourselves in hard training, apparently we went too far; we'd better slow down for the time being.”
Kou Zhong said, "In that case, we'd better immediately leave for Xingyang, I am afraid Susu Jie already met a mishap.”
"We can't just walked out of the city walls like this,” Xu Ziling said, "Can't say for sure, but that government official might have issued an order to arrest us. Don't forget that Shen Naitang knew who we are.”
"Humph!” Kou Zhong snorted coldly, "In the eyes of the imperial court, isn't the old Shen in cahoots with the rebel thief Liang Shidou? It's just that other people didn't know!”
After a short pause he continued, "Right now the weather is getting colder, we ought to buy some warm clothing, and while we are at it, we may also buy ropes, hooks, that kind of things. And then when the night comes we can climb the wall and get out of the city. It's a foolproof plan.”
The plan was decided, the two boys felt a little reluctant to leave this woodshed to kick-start their next move.
That night, without any alarm without any danger they leaped over the city wall to get out, just like a little bird leaving its cage. After ascertaining the direction to Xingyang, they ran all night in the wilderness. By daybreak, their body weary their strength exhausted.
When they were seated, Kou Zhong laughed and said, "We are really stupid. We actually forgot that we have ample riches. Later on let's buy two horses to ride instead of walk, won't we avoid the hardship of journeying on foot?”
Xu Ziling also laughed and said, "Riding horses is not as good as taking a boat. We might as well buy a small fishing boat, you and I can take turn steering the boat and sleeping and practicing martial art; won't that be fun?”
Kou Zhong shook his head and said, "You think we are on a scenic tour? Our destination is the nest of Wagang Army; if you were an officer, would you let people coming and going at will? Land route is a bit more dependable. Ha, since you reminded me, let us by a carriage, so we can still take turn driving and resting. Ha, we save time, we save energy. Ha, when you are coming with me, nothing can go wrong!”
Laughing and swearing, the two boys ran fast to the largest town nearby, bought a simple and crude carriage and two healthy horses to pull it along, and continued their journey.
It was the first time that the two boys owned such an expensive and very useful means of transportation; they doted on the two horses very much. The white horse they called it Bai'er [simply ‘dear white'], the grey one they called it Hui'er [ash/grey].
Four days later, they arrived at Wagang City, where Zhai Rang raised his army in rebellion. Only this moment the city already fell into the imperial army's hands.
The two boys barely entered the city, they already felt the tensed atmosphere. Not only the city defense was reinforced, on the street they came across groups after groups of troops going God knows where.
After finding an inn, Kou Zhong tipped the inn assistant with specific thing in mind, he repeatedly told him, a thousand times, ten thousand times, to take a good care of their horses, while in passing, he inquired about the current situation.
While having a meal at the restaurant attached to the inn, he said in low voice, "Turns out Li Mi originally wanted to attack the Eastern Capital Luoyang. For some reason, the secret leaked out, and now the plan changed to attacking Xingluo Cang [barn/warehouse]. But the defender of Eastern Capital Wang Yangdong has dispatched Liu Changgong to intercept him. Furthermore, the defender of Xingyang's Western Tiger Prison Pei Renji is prepared to trail Li Mi's rear leg. It seems that Li Mi's circumstances really isn't so optimistic.”
Xu Ziling was puzzled, "Isn't Wagang Army's big boss Susu Jie's master Zhai Rang? Why is it that you open your mouth, you close your mouth, it is Li Mi this and Li Mi that?”
Kou Zhong shrugged his shoulders and said, "It was exactly what that inn assistant told me. It's very possible that because Zhai Rang was wounded by that strange man, he needs to live in seclusion to recuperate. But then again, ay! I really hope he is not killed by Li Mi.”
Speaking to this point, the two boys' heart was burning with anxiety; they really wished they could grow wings to fly to Xingyang.
With a wry smile Kou Zhong said, "I just asked the inn assistant for direction to Xingyang, the assistant strongly urged me not to go there, and he said Yang Wu has become a mess, and that we can meet danger at any time. Ha, he said that coming across Wagang Army is not a problem, the most scary thing is coming across deserting government troops or perhaps defeated troops. That would be more disastrous than coming across a tiger or wolves.”
Recalling those killing and burning defeated army they had met, Xu Ziling sighed.
Kou Zhong suddenly grew excited; he whispered, "Now the world [tian xia] is becoming more and more chaotic. I heard a man who was originally a defender officer of Jincheng county magistrate called Xue Ju, has raised an army to revolt, and has proclaimed himself Xi Qin Bawang [hegemonic prince of western Qin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xue_Ju)]. He wanted to imitate Qin Shihuang [the first emperor of China] in unifying the world. Right now he has taken Tianshui [prefecture, Gansu], and wanted to establish it as his capital. I'll say there is nothing exceptional about this Xue Ju. If it were me, I wouldn't be so foolish to impatiently declare myself an emperor. It clearly shows that he looks down upon the other militias, and hence has become the target of multitude of arrows.”
"Where is Tianshui?” Xu Ziling asked.
Immensely proud of himself, Kou Zhong replied, "Tianshui is outside Qinling [mountain range, Shaanxi, between Guanzhong plain and Han River], west of the Capital; no wonder you did not know.”
Assuming the air of an analyst, he said, "If not for Wagang Army holding up the main forces at the Capital and the Eastern Capital, perhaps Xue Ju would not dare to revolt. Other than him, there is also a fellow called Li Gui who also raises an army at Wuwei [also in Gansu], and bestowed himself the title of Da Liang Wang [king of the great Liang]. In just several short months there are two more militias; it seems to me the Sui dynasty's days are numbered.”
He added, "In my opinion, like Li Dage said, other than Dou Jiande, Li Mi, Wang Bo and our ol' Die, I am afraid other people would not amount to much.”
Xu Ziling laughed and said, "Are you forgetting Li guy?”
Kou Zhong's thick face turned red; he said, "Honestly, I do not want to remember that Li guy.”
At that moment, flustered and exasperated, the inn-worker in charge of the stable ran toward the two boys' table; he said in panic, "Two Shaoye, not good! Some people are going to steal your horse.”
Immediately Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's countenance changed.
By the time the two boys rushed toward the stable at the inn courtyard, Bai'er, Hui'er, and about a dozen other horses were led out of the stable by about a dozen soldiers; they were about to leave.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling pounced forward to block the exit and shouted at them to stop. Obviously the soldiers have never expected that someone would be so brazen like this, they all shouted back at the two boys, two of the soldiers even drew the saber hanging on their waists.
Kou Zhong whispered to Xu Ziling, "Grab the horse, I'll deal with the people. Just watch Laozi's imposing manner!”
There was a saber flash, one soldier's broadsword chopped down on Kou Zhong's neck; the soldier did not have any care in the world whether he would kill an innocent civilian or not.
Kou Zhong's eyes gleamed with sharp rays, his countenance turned incomparably cold, just like Ba Fenghan, as he watched the incoming momentum. Fast as lightning his right hand shot out, unexpectedly he grabbed the saber's hilt, while down below his leg also flew out as fast as lightning.
The soldier screamed as he met Kou Zhong's foot and was thrown about a zhang away, and crashed against another soldier. The two soldiers rolled around together in a jumble, and looked extremely miserable.
The other soldiers could only stare blankly; they started to realize that they have met martial art experts.