Liu Heita's thick face turned scarlet. "In this kind of matter, naturally I cannot conceal it from you two,” he admitted, "The strange thing is, I have met not a few girls, but as soon as I saw your Jiejie, it's hard for me to maintain self-control, ay!”
Kou Zhong was puzzled, "This is a good thing,” he said, "Why did Liu Xiong sigh?”
Liu Heita dejectedly said, "Five years ago, someone told my fortune by reading my facial features. He said my mountain root [don't ask, I don't know what it is …] appears too low, my two eyebrows are squeezing my qi extensively, perhaps before I turn forty one I would have passed. Therefore, I have made up my mind, I will enjoy my forty years of life without the slightest hesitation. Other things, I dare not think.”
Kou Zhong downplayed his remark, "How can we believe Jianghu charlatan's words?”
Liu Heita smiled wryly and said, "Problem is, that person was not a Jianghu charlatan at all; rather, it was the Number One Expert of the Central Plains, Ning Daoqi. And it was because I was not afraid of the truth that I implored him repeatedly before he was willing to tell me.”
Kou Zhong was severely shaken, "Have you seen him?” he asked.
Liu Heita's face revealed an awed expression; he nodded and said, "Only for a moment, and in a hurry. But his simple, relaxed and calm demeanor, I will never forget until the day I die.”
Reaching out to pat Kou Zhong's shoulder, he said, "My deep affection for your virtuous sister can only be buried deep in the bottom of my heart; I do not dare to implicate her. Furthermore, when I come back this time, I am going to fight in one place after another all around the world [tian xia, i.e. China], life or death is unpredictable, I don't know if in the future I will have the good fortune of seeing the three of you again. Kou Xiongdi's good intention, Xiongdi is deeply grateful.”
What else could Kou Zhong say?
Heavy snow was starting to fall from the sky, again.
By nightfall, Baling Bang sent a carriage to pick up the three people. With heavy heart Liu Heita and the others bade farewell to the three people; recalling that they might never meet again in the future, everybody's heart was brimming with sorrows.
After taking a seat in the carriage, Susu was overwhelmed with emotion, she bowed her head and shed some silent tears. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were scared; they did not dare to disturb her, they simply looked out the window, silently watching the snowflake fluttered in the air along the street.
The driver, Baling Bang man, was polite and very hospitable; he drove straight out of the gate toward the big pier by Tongji Canal outside the city, led the three people to a skiff, and a moment later they reached a huge five-mast ship anchored in the middle of the river.
The three have just stepped foot on the deck, someone, beaming from ear to ear, already greeted them, "Kou Xiong, Xu Xiong, Miss Susu, how are you?”
"Ah!” Susu was pleasantly surprised, "It's Xiang Gongzi!”
The man welcoming them was unexpectedly Xiang Yushan. Noticing the ill expression on Kou and Xu, two boys' faces as they looked at him, he hastily bowed respectfully with clasped hands and said, "Two Dage must not blame Xiaodi, I have done everything in my power to find you three's whereabouts, but all those hard works accomplished very little. Fortunately I guessed correctly that to go to Jiangdu, unavoidably you will have to pass through Yangwu, so I came here to wait for your news. Sure enough the Emperor of Heaven did not turn his back on resolute person, in the end I can meet once again with the three of you!”
With ‘frigid irony and scorching satire' Kou Zhong said, "We were also very fortunate not to go to your Peipei or what have you, or else we would have fallen into the Wagang Army's hands early on.”
Xu Ziling let out a cold laugh and said, "Xiang Xiong indeed know how to introduce us to good people.”
Xiang Yushan was shocked, "Is there such thing?” he asked, "Humph! If verified, Xiongdi will definitely punish the traitor according to gang rules.”
Kou Zhong said, "If we encounter something in the future, how would we know that you will not betray us like Peipei?”
Xiang Yushan feigned helpless ignorance as he lamented, "How could Kou Xiong look down on me, Xiang Yushan, like that? If I have that kind of intention, let me not have a good end.”
Susu could not bear not to say something, "We did not know Xiang Gongzi have his own problem, you two must not blame him again.”
Xu Ziling swept his gaze around; he noticed the sailors were raising the anchor and untying the sail in preparation to set off. Turning to Xiang Yushan he said, "Very well! But if we discover later on that you are playing trick on us, I will immediately tear you apart.”
Xiang Yushan indignantly puff out his chest and said, "The three of you may set your heart at ease, I, Xiang Yushan is definitely not a despicable man.”
After a short pause, he continued respectfully, "Xiaodi has prepared a banquet inside the cabin, especially in honor of the three of you. Miss Susu, please!”
After staring at Xiang Yushan for a few seconds, Susu gladly walked over, Xiang Yushan delightedly led the way. Seeing Susu accepting the invitation and entered the cabin, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had no choice but to follow behind her.
The cabin was brightly lit, plus there was a stove in the corner, so that it was as warm as springtime. In the middle of the room was a table of sumptuous banquet, by the table was a beautiful lady in white. Leading four good-looking maids, she bowed to greet the guests.
Xiang Yushan made the introduction, "Xiao Dajie [big sister] is the younger sister of our humble gang's Fu Bangzhu [Deputy Gang/Clan Leader] Xiao Xian; she manages the daily expenses and necessities of the imperial concubines in the imperial palace, she knows the imperial palace situation like the back of her hands. With her working out a strategy, this time Yuwen Clan is in danger.”
[Translator's note: so far I always translated Bang as Clan, like in Beggar Clan (gai bang), or Clans and Societies (bang hui) just because this term is widely known in our circle; however, since in this story there are a lot of references to ‘family clan' (fa), I feel that I need to differentiate these two. So … I will make conscious effort to use ‘gang' instead of ‘clan' when referring to these organizations.]
This Big Sister Xiao was about twenty years or so, in terms of beauty, she was inferior to Shen Luoyan, Shan Wanjing, and the like, but her figure was like standing jade, her body alluring, her bearing elegant; in short, she was sexually very attractive.
Big Sister Xiao's laughter sounded like the ringing of a bell; absolutely unrestrained, she sized Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling up and down, and laughed again before even speaking, "You are fine specimen indeed, no wonder as soon as he saw you, Yushan has such a high regard of the two gentlemen!”
Awkwardly Xiang Yushan cleared his throat and said, "Please sit down.”
After everybody was seated, the pretty maids poured wine into their cups and then withdrew from the cabin.
Susu did not drink wine, she asked for fragrant tea instead. Xiang Yushan, who was sitting next to her, politely served her.
With licentious look, Big Sister Xiao repeatedly urged Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling to drink their wine; it was such a warm atmosphere.
After three rounds of drink, Xiang Yushan said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated [idiom, from Sunzi's ‘The Art of War']. I wonder if two Dage are familiar with Yuwen Clan's affairs.”
Kou Zhong was particularly blunt toward Xiang Yushan; knitting his brows, he said, "If you don't tell me, how would I know?”
Big Sister Xiao laughed coquettishly and said, "Yushan is so bad, when he started, he gave two Gongzi bad impressions. Just consider this cup as my apology on behalf of Yushan.”
Since she spoke up the load in their mind in such a forthcoming manner, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling felt embarrassed instead; they promptly drank their cups.
Like a blossoming flower Big Sister Xiao smiled toward Susu and said, "If I had two good Didi like Miss Susu, I would be extremely thrilled.”
At first Susu was uncomfortable with this young - but acted as if she was a seasoned windblown dust [i.e. prostitute] who had gone through everything - woman, who incessantly threw flirtatious glances toward Kou and Xu, two boys; but with such flattering remark, her ill will immediately diminished greatly. A smile burst open on her pretty face.
Xiang Yushan was a bit mesmerized by her flourishing fresh flower-like smile; he sighed and said, "If I could be like Kou Xiong and Xu Xiong who have a sister like Miss Susu, that would be really good!”
Susu rolled her eyes at him; her pretty face blushed, she hung down her head and said in a low voice, "How could Susu dare to accept the compliment? I am only a maid.”
Xiang Yushan replied in earnestness, "I don't care what Miss Susu's status is, in my, Xiang Yushan, heart, you are a fairy from heaven.”
Susu's pretty face blushed even redder, but her expression showed that she was delighted.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged a glance; they both felt it was inappropriate. The first time Susu met Xiang Yushan, she already spoke up on his behalf. If this time Xiang Yushan mixed some sweet nothing in his old hand technique to arouse the romance and thus force his way inside her heart, wouldn't it be very bad?
While both of them separately plotting a countermeasure, Big Sister Xiao said, "About Yuwen Clan's affairs, let me tell you! The two most formidable persons in Yuwen family are Yuwen Shang and Yuwen Shu. The former concentrates fully on martial art training. Along with the Song Clan's ‘Heavenly Saber' Song Que, they are known as the Central Plains' two greatest martial art masters after Ning Daoqi. His martial art skill is matchless, but he never set foot in officialdom. He begets two sons, Yuwen Chengdu and Yuwen Wudi.”
Kou Zhong was dumbstruck. "I thought Yuwen Huagu is his son, turns out he is not,” he said.
Big Sister Xiao shook in laughter like a flower at the trip of a branch. "Yuwen Huagu?” she said, "Fancy that you came out with that name.”
Kou and Xu could not avert their eyes from her silky breasts, which were trembling in sync with her shaking body due to the laughter; they found it to be highly captivating.
Xiang Yushan interjected, "Yuwen Shu successively held high positions in the imperial court, until his nobility rank reaches Guo Gong [state duke], the highest possible official positions. He has three sons; Yuwen Huaji is the oldest, followed by Yuwen Shiji [士及] and Yuwen Shiji [智及]. Although Yuwen Shiji is not among the four great martial art masters of the Yuwen Clan, but since he is the most inscrutable, we must never underestimate him.”
Big Sister Xiao continued, "Yuwen Shang never held any official position, his specific responsibility is Jianghu matters. From Yuwen Shu's three sons, Yuwen Huaji inherited his father's Guo Gong nobility, his official position is the Commander of the Right Reserve Officers, and the Zongguan [Chief Manager] of the Capital. His second son Shiji married Yang Guang's daughter Princess Nanyang, so he is the Sui Dynasty's prince consort.”
Xiang Yushan joined in, "Yuwen Shiji [the third son] is proficient in wood construction. Yang Guang's minor jail, north of Jiangdong city's Guiyan Palace, Huiliu Palace, Songlin Palace, and the others, the ‘Shugang Ten Palaces', were all built under his supervision.”
Xu Ziling breathed out a mouthful of cold air, "Yuwen Clan is in such a close relationship with the imperial household, how could one account book make any difference?”
"That's why we must make a careful plan,” Xiang Yushan said, "Otherwise we won't be able to harm them but suffer a heavy loss instead.”
It was only now did the two boys realize the dangerous nature of their mission; it was definitely not as easy as they thought.
But they were already riding on the tiger's back; there was no way they could shrink back.