Book 7 Chapter 10 - Street Assassination
Kou Zhong brashly, but with elegance, helped Yun Yuzhen climbed to her mount, and then he himself also flew up onto the horseback. Side by side they galloped together out of the General Mansion's main gate.
"Beautiful Shifu,” he said with a laugh, "You look more and more beautiful!”
Yun Yuzhen lightly squeezed the horse's belly; glowering at him, she said, "Since when did you pick up this bad habit of speaking in flowery language?”
Kou Zhong laughed involuntarily. He shook his head and sighed, while looking at the busy street ahead, full of carriages and pedestrians. "This is called ‘it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to alter one's character',” he said indifferently, "Fortunately, the disciple's small fault in the eye of Beautiful Shifu might just be disciple's strong point. Although on the surface Shifu looks sad, in reality you are delighted inwardly. Otherwise, your stern glance would not be so sweet and charming, so captivating.”
"Pfft,” Yun Yuzhen could not help laughing. "I don't have this kind of inferior disciple who's an expert in ‘infatuated with self' skill,” she said crossly, "Henceforth you are expelled from my school, never to be readmitted.”
Kou Zhong turned his head around toward Xu Ziling and cried out, "Xiao Ling! We are being expelled from Beautiful Shifu's school! Henceforth we can do whatever we please.”
Xu Ziling laughed and said, "Don't bother me! I am enjoying the scenery of the city.”
Seeing Xu Ziling was unwilling to respond, Kou Zhong turned his attention to Yun Yuzhen and lowered his voice, "I can do whatever I please; Yun Bangzhu, are you scared?”
Yun Yuzhen boldly met his gaze. Giving him a coquettish glance, she said, "If I am scared, I won't personally come with you to Jiujiang. In my eyes, you and Xiao Ling are big kids who will never grow up.”
Kou Zhong pretended to be surprised; he said, "Beautiful Shifu forgot that I have kissed you, I have also taken the liberty of running my hands and feet all over you.”
Yun Yuzhen's pretty face immediately blushed. In great anger, but in a mosquito-like voice she said hatefully, "Are you forgetting that this is a big street? There are people all around us; shame on you for saying such a scoundrelly words.”
Seeing her embarrassment, Kou Zhong cheerfully said, "Enough provoking each other! Which man can incite such an intense reaction from Beautiful Shifu?”
While Yun Yuzhen was unable to ward off, the two of them reached the street with two-story buildings on both sides. Kou Zhong also felt the alarm went off in his heart.
The changes happened so suddenly.
One of the big, finely carved windows facing the street on the covered porch on the second floor of the building, which bottom was approximately two zhang from the ground, suddenly exploded into millions of wood fragments, each one was infused with powerful qi, shooting toward the caravan passing through the street below.
Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, who were already on guard, were the first to react.
In the instant before Yang Xuyan made his move, Xu Ziling has already ascertained that this most terrifying assassin's target this time was not them; rather, it was Xiang Yushan.
This was no doubt a carefully planned mission, not an operation that was executed at the spur of the moment, because they arrived at Baling just the previous night. Unless Yang Xuyan was some kind of an immortal, how could he know that they were going to pass by here and pay him a visit?
Xiang Yushan was an important figure within the Baling Bang. Just like Shen Luoyan of the Wagang Army, his main responsibility was intelligence.
Ever since its founding, Baling Bang has always been engaged in brothel business; the pleasure houses under its banner covered the whole nation, therefore, their news network was very fast and abundant, it could even be said that no other entity could surpass it. The reason Xiang Yushan was promoted to be a general was precisely because he was responsible for this critical task.
If he were assassinated, Baling Bang's striking power would suffer a very heavy blow.
Xu Ziling did not dare to be negligence; while pulling the ‘Severing Jade' dagger from inside his trouser leg, he shot up to meet Yang Xuyan midair. Like a thunderbolt Yang Xuyan's sword flashed down amidst the rain of flying wood fragments, his target was Xiang Yushan.
As the alarm went off in his heart, Kou Zhong looked up and saw a blinding light. In that instant, based on previous experience, he knew that he was looking at Xu Ziling's body, but his eyelids were subjected to the pressure from the sword's qi, so that he was unable to see anything.
Were it not for he knew this deceitful trick, by this time any other person would definitely be thrown into panic. But Kou Zhong was cool-headed, like the moon in the well water. ‘Whoosh!' The whip in his hand lashed out to the air, carrying with it a sharp whistling noise, ferociously whipping toward the source of the sword qi.
Xiang Yushan, Yun Yuzhen, and all the personal attendants were thrown into confusion. First of all, they were shot by the wood fragments, so that several attendants, who were comparatively weaker, had the qi protecting their body shattered so that they suffered a crushing defeat.
Those with outstanding power like Xiang Yushan and Yun Yuzhen, because their mounts were also being attacked that their legs buckled, they were thrown down in such a sorry state, so they could forget about launching a counterattack.
‘Ding!'
Xu Ziling's ‘Jade Severing' dagger parried the tip of Yang Xuyan's ten-thousand jun [1 jun ~ 30 catties] lightning bolt sword strike.
Yang Xuyan's sword immediately generated a stream of strange sucking force, so that not only Xu Ziling was complete unable to use his strength, the ‘Jade Severing' dagger was nearly knocked off of his hand.
Apparently this world famous assassin had never expected anybody to be able to block his sure-kill sword strike. By the time he was about to follow-up with another killer strike, the tip of Kou Zhong's whip has already arrived on his back.
Even with his skill level, Yang Xuyan was helpless to continue his attack toward Xu Ziling, while dealing with Kou Zhong's killer move at the same time. Sighing inwardly, he suddenly soared into the air.
‘Swish! Swish! Swish!'
Just before he soared into the air, Xu Ziling suddenly launched three dagger strikes. Yang Xuyan met these three strikes head-on, while at the same time borrowing the reaction force to propel himself toward the broken window on the second floor.
Meanwhile Kou Zhong also pursued behind him, the long whip in his hand shot toward Yang Xuyan's feet trying to coil it around his ankles. To Kou Zhong's surprise however, with some unknown technique, Yang Xuyan suddenly threw his outer robe down; it descended upon Kou Zhong like a cloud.
While Xu Ziling was being forced to fall back to the ground, and Kou Zhong was shifting to the side to evade the enemy's strange tactic, Yang Xuyan disappeared into the hole.
From the time the fight began until now, what everybody saw was Yang Xuyan's ghost-like shadow; nobody was able to see his appearance.
It was only now did Xiang Yushan finally pulled his sword and shouted his order, "After him!” But he himself knew that relying on his astonishing qinggong, Yang Xuyan had already gone that not even his shadow could be found.
Xiao Xian, wearing the yellow royal robe, personally led his personal attendants to go out the door to receive them and lead them to the main hall. Finished listening to the thrilling narration of assassination attempt toward Xiang Yushan, he sighed and said, "Yushan's good fortune is indeed flooding the heavens. If the two Xiao Xongdi were not by your side today, inevitably there would be more chance of misfortunes, less chance of good. It can clearly be seen that my Great Liang Dynasty bears the Heaven's blessing, and no human power can alter it.”
This Emperor of the Great Liang's physique was thick and solid; he looked formidable. His height nearly surpassed Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, his age looked to be around thirty-five or thirty-six. Whether he was really enjoying the Heaven's blessing or not, his entire being seemed to glow, his vigor seemed to illuminate other people. It was obvious that his qigong cultivation has reached first-class master's level. Sooner or later he would be able to compete against Du Fuwei and the others in the struggle over the world.
An eternal smile seemed to freeze on his face. Perhaps this was due to the upturned corners of his mouth that made him looked friendly and cheerful. But if one was looking deep into his eyes, one would find some kind of calm and collected composure, as cold as ice and frost, which would make others feel the chill in the air.
This man was definitely not a simple, ambitious and ruthless character of the underworld.
Yun Yuzhen, who was walking behind him, was puzzled, "In the past, when Emperor Yang was still alive, it could be said that Yang Xuyan's operation was under that muddleheaded ruler's order; but nowadays, who is he working for?”
"Most likely Wang Shichong,” Xiang Yushan replied, "I heard that Wang Shichong's daughter is an outstanding beauty [orig. national grace, divine fragrance], a beauty whom Yang Xuyan admires.”
Meanwhile the procession had reached the main hall. As soon as they stepped in, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were stunned.
They were expecting civil and military officers to line-up on either side, with imperial bodyguards standing around to protect them; who would have thought that not even half a guard was even seen in the main hall. The strange thing was that Xiao Xian took them straight passed the main hall, and into a small hall in the back, where two sets of rosewood table and chairs were arranged in a simple, yet elegant, royal atmosphere.
Even more surprising to the two boys was that Xiao Xian halted his steps, sighed, and said, "This dragon robe and crown is really annoying; so uncomfortable to wear.”
And then two attendants served him in taking off his hat and robe, revealing the scholar attire underneath, immediately giving Xiao Xian some kind of refined, scholarly look.
Noticing the two boys stared at him, dumbstruck, Xiao Xian burst into laughter and said, "I proclaimed myself Emperor because I was forced by the situation. If you don't declare yourself Emperor, others would think that you lack ambitions; not only would they not be willing to attach themselves to you, they would not be afraid of you either. Therefore, in front of outsiders, I always put an act as the Emperor. But since Kou Xiao Xiong and Xu Xiao Xiong are one of our own, there is no need to do more than is required.”
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged glances; they both were able to see the fear in each other's heart. Xiao Xian was indeed not a simple man, his technique in winning others over was brilliant yet subtle; his amiable character attracted others' favorable impression.
Xiao Xian smiled leisurely and said, "Come! Sit down first so we can continue chatting!”
Following his lead, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Yun Yuzhen and Xiang Yushan sat themselves around the table.