Book 8 Chapter 5 - Night Talk on Yangtze River
By dusk that day, the warship sailed out of the river bend and entered the Yangtze River, going upstream toward Baling. The cargo ship also sailed along the river going north.
When Kou Zhong pushed the door and entered into Xu Ziling's cabin, the latter was regulating his qi and his breathing. Other than the paleness due to slight loss of blood earlier, he did not look like someone who had just been stabbed by a sword.
The two boys sat in the two chairs by the window.
Kou Zhong sighed and said, "Your guts are really not small. At that time I was so afraid that she could not stop her hand and hence take your life for real. Whenever I thought about it I am still having cold sweats.”
Xu Ziling smiled wryly and said, "It was the only way to resolve the enmity; otherwise, how would she be willing to step back? If we fought, no matter who got injured, the result would not be good.”
Kou Zhong seemed to be deep in thought. He said slowly, "Ren Shaoming's death not only alters the situation in the south, it also changes our fate, making us the target of a multitude of arrows. Although it has been like that for a while, but now the danger increases several folds.”
After pausing for a moment, he continued, "There are two people that we must guard against even more so than before. Can you guess which two I am talking about?”
Xu Ziling mused, "Is one of them Ba Fenghan? When Shan Wanjing let me off, I felt his murderous intention toward me. And the other one must be Tiele's Big Bandit Qu Ao?”
"If it were Qu Ao, I don't need you to guess,” Kou Zhong replied, "I was thinking about Yang Xuyan. He wanted to assassinate Xiang kid; obviously it was for Lin Shihong and Ren Shaoming's sake. Now that we killed Ren Shaoming instead, it would be really strange if he did not come looking for us to create trouble.”
Xu Ziling turned his gaze toward the window, to the riverbank under the bright moonlight. He sighed, and then slowly shook his head, as if he wanted to throw away all the burden of his heart.
Kou Zhong tried to sound him out, "Even Ba Fenghan seemed to think that that wicked Princess has a great interest toward you.”
Xu Ziling absent-mindedly said, "So what if she is interested. Dongming Pai has the strangest rule; Princess has already had prince consort early on. More importantly, I basically don't want to get married and have children. I just want to spend my days living a free and easy life. I am not like you with your lofty aspiration of saving the world or helping common people.”
Kou Zhong was upset, "You are making fun of me,” he said.
"I'm just speaking the truth,” Xu Ziling replied seriously, "In terms of strategy, it would really help your cause if you could marry Song Yuzhi.”
Kou Zhong looked up at the cabin's ceiling, there was a flash of longing look in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by a layer of blank expression. He spoke dreamily, "Can't say for sure which part of her attracts me most, but I can't ever think of her like I do Li Xiuning, which keeps winding around in my dreams and pulling away my soul, that keeps me awake at night feeling sad, giving me both pain and pleasure. Ay! Is it because I learned my lesson with Li Xiuning that I no longer have the guts to rush into love relationship?”
Xu Ziling emphatically shook his head and said with a smile, "Li Xiuning represents a key turning point in your, Zhong Shao's life. From that moment on, your desire for the fine things of the world was transferred to the great undertaking. Therefore, before you can figure out whether you love Song Yuzhi or not, you already decided to marry her. Because from your point of view, no feeling is more important than contending for the world. Hence anything that you have your eyes on, you only view it from this aspect. Am I wrong?”
Kou Zhong was stunned, "In that case, have I lost the ability to love a woman deeply?” he asked.
Xu Ziling sympathetically said, "This is called if you want to gain something you must lose something. A choice is a choice; since you chose one thing, naturally you lost something else.”
Grabbing his head, Kou Zhong lamented, "Can't I choose two things at once? Can't I find balance?”
Upset, Xu Ziling said, "Supposing right this moment Li Xiuning came to you and told you that she finally realized that the one she loved was you, and asking you to grow old together with her, would you be willing to give up Song Yuzhi?”
Kou Zhong was immediately dumbstruck and was unable to reply.
This moment Yun Yuzhen pushed the door and walked in; smiling brightly, she asked the two boys, "What are gentlemen, great heroes talking about? May I join you?”
Kou Zhong patted his thigh and said with a laugh, "Beautiful Shifu, are you interested in sitting on the most comfortable seat in the world?”
With ten thousand flirtatious expressions Yun Yuzhen glowered at him and sat on the bed. Turning to Xu Ziling, she said, "Are you still in pain? That Princess seemed to treat you with …” Seeing Kou Zhong kept signaling her with his hand, Yun Yuzhen quickly corrected herself, "Ay! I almost forget to tell you the latest news: the Jade Annulus of He Clan has reappeared!”
Kou Zhong was visibly shaken, "Could you tell me the details?”
Yun Yuzhen said, "The widely spread rumor in Jianghu is that just before he left for Luoyang, while he was still at Duanwu, Ning Daoqi had given the Jade Annulus of He Clan to Shi Feixuan.”
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were puzzled. "So the Jade Annulus of He Clan is in Ning Daoqi's hand?” Xu Ziling asked in bewilderment.
Kou Zhong's interest was in something else, "Who is Shi Feixuan?” he asked, "From the name, she should be a woman?”
Seeing the two boys' interest, Yun Yuzhen was delighted, "The rumor is highly doubtful,” she said, "First of all, both parties can't possibly leak this kind of information, which would only bring endless trouble for them. Plus whoever started the rumor must have very strong imagination and have deep understanding of unpredictable human psyche.”
Knitting his brows, Kou Zhong said, "You haven't answered my question: who is Shi Feixuan?”
Yun Yuzhen cast him a sideways glance and said, "So you are very interested because the person involved was a woman?”
Kou Zhong burst out laughing, "My Beautiful Shifu, even if you said that Ning Daoqi was giving the Jade Annulus of He Clan to someone called Kou Laoniu [lit. old cow], I would be very interested in this Kou Laoniu. This is called I am interested in the people involved, not the gender.”
With an enchanting smile Yun Yuzhen said, "Just consider Shifu has blamed you wrongly, all right? Have you guys heard about Ci Hang Jing Zhai? She and Yin Hui Pai are very similar [see Book 5 Chapter 12 for first mention of these two organizations], they both enjoy supreme status, but both are equally mysterious. The difference is that one is upright the other is heretical!”
Xu Ziling's tiger-eyes were flashing; he said slowly, "That Shi Feixuan is the representative of Ci Hang Jing Zhai in the decisive battle against Yin Gui Pai.”
Yun Yuzhen nodded and said, "Turns out you guys already know about these two upright and heretical major sects. This time you killed Ren Shaoming, Yin Gui Pai will definitely not let you off.”
Kou Zhong smiled and said, "If there was no such enemy like Yin Gui Pai, we will never reach martial art master level like Ning Daoqi.”
Yun Yuzhen stared blankly at him for half a day. She could not help asking, "Do you want to be the emperor, or you want to be a genuine Wulin expert?”
Xu Ziling replied indifferently, "Beautiful Shifu talked about these two things as if it is as effortless as being a salt merchant or a chef. To Zhong Shao, these two objectives are ‘the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time', both desires could be obtained quickly and later.”
Yun Yuzhen was pleased, "Xiao Ling, it has been a long while since you called me ‘Beautiful Shifu'! What wind has been blowing today?”
Xu Ziling sighed and said, "Tonight, whether Beautiful Shifu's scowling or laughing, there is a little bit of sincerity that was not there before, so that my heart is touched, remembering those beautiful days when we first met.”
Yun Yuzhen's charming body trembled slightly; she looked at Xu Ziling, and then gazed at Kou Zhong. Hanging her small head down, she said softly, "When I knew you, you were urchins who have not grown up. Fast forward to today, you have killed a formidable figure who had dominated the south for more than ten years, I suddenly realized that you have finally matured into Wulin experts who assume personal responsibility.”
After a moment of pause she sighed and went on, "Although I have schemed against you, the fact is that at that time the pain of contradiction in my heart was killing me. I don't know why, but I always felt you and I are kindred spirits; I am willing to trust you, to work for you. I don't trust Xiao Dangjia too much.”
The last sentence was spoken with a voice as tiny as a mosquito.
Kou Zhong's eyes were gleaming with mysterious glint; he said in low voice, "If Beautiful Shifu is willing to help me, I guarantee I will treat you right.”
Assuming a bit of helpless attitude Yun Yuzhen said, "I hope you won't one day forget that promise. Xiao Ling is my witness.”
Xu Ziling could only smile wryly.
Kou Zhong was progressively accomplishing his plan to build up his power and prestige. And successful mission to kill Ren Shaoming was the most important juncture. Otherwise, how could such a figure like Yun Yuzhen, a Gang Leader rich with Jianghu experience, express allegiance to him? Moreover, it appeared more complicated because it involved the man-woman attraction between them. Supposing in the future Kou Zhong let Yun Yuzhen down, what could Xu Ziling do?
Kou Zhong showed an engaging smile toward Yun Yuzhen as he said tenderly, "Beautiful Shifu may be rest assured! I understand revering master is a serious thing. Right! What kind of person is Shi Feixuan? How's her martial art skill?”
Enchanted by the charm of his smile, Yun Yuzhen blissfully said, "Shi Feixuan is just like Shi Qingxuan [Translator's note: not the same ‘shi' and ‘xuan' characters]; they are both shrouded in mystery. The number of people who had seen them is really not many, but those who have, all of them are awed by her extraordinarily refined personality traits. She appears to represent the most beautiful thing of the world, so that people adore her, without ever arousing lust in their hearts. Moreover, she brings forth a feeling of inferiority in both men and women who are in her presence.”
Listening to her, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling could only stare blankly; unexpectedly there was a character like her in the world.
"Isn't she a [Buddhist] Nun?” Xu Ziling was puzzled, "How come she is using secular [orig. ‘sujia', original home of a monk/nun] name and surname?”
"No one knows,” Yun Yuzhen replied, "But although she grew a cloud of hair and used secular family name, her conduct and her way of living is no different from someone who has left home [to become Buddhist monk/nun]. She lives an ascetic, plain and simple life.”