Book 23 Chapter 5 – Four Holy Monks
Kou Zhong took Gui Xiliang and Xing Rong with him, while Li Zitong, Zuo Xiaoyou and the others personally were sending them off the Zongguan Mansion. Compared to the treatment when he came, it was like heaven and earth.
At the Mansion’s gate, Shen Beichang, Luo Feng and Madame Yuling were waiting for them; everybody showed disbelief expression on their faces.
Shen Beichang said, “This place is not suitable to talk; follow me.”
Half a day later, they reached a shop, which had connection with their Gang, nearby. More than a dozen Zhu Hua Bang leaders of Xiangzhu [fragrant master] level were already waiting inside, most were younger than thirty, but everybody had grave expression on their faces
Finished listening to Kou Zhong’s narrative, Madame Yuling let out a tender snort and said, “Whatever problem we have within the Gang, we ought to resolve it internally. Shao Lingzhou is borrowing outside force to deal with our Gang brothers, he is already violating the Gang’s rules; what a despicable, shameless man.”
Evidently Madame Yuling still had strong influence within the Gang. Listening to her, nobody present did not show indignation. Only Shen Beichang remained expressionless; nodding his head slightly, he said, “However, this is not a good time for internal strife. It was only because Li Zitong needs Shao Shuai’s support that he agreed to release Gui Tangzhu [hall master] and Xing Fu Tangzhu [deputy], two men. Once the siege is relieved, this lowly man might turn his face around, so much so that he might deploy his troops to intercept Shao Shuai; therefore, we must think thrice before making our move.”
Luo Feng agreed. He said, “The only way right now is to leave the city immediately. We will settle the account with Shao Lingzhou later. Shao Shuai, what do you think?”
Kou Zhong nodded and said, “I cannot think of a better idea. Taking advantage while Li Zitong does not dare to give us any difficulty, we must leave as soon as possible. You’d better pretend that you are going to help me dealing with Du Fuwei. Although Li Zitong is well aware of what’s going on, it will make it easier for him to step down the stage [fig. to disentangle himself].”
Shen Beichang made the decision, “So be it!”
Everybody chorused their agreement.
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Shi Feixuan turned her tender body around to face Xu Ziling. Her jet-black eyebrows knitted lightly, she said, “Listening to the tone of Ziling Xiong’s voice, you seems to be somewhat resentful toward Feixuan?”
Laughing calmly, Xu Ziling said, “Miss Shi does not touch the dust of the world; you can come and go freely without anything or anybody controlling you. But I, Xu Ziling, am only a mortal, I still have questions I’d like to ask about, but it seems to me that Miss won’t answer my question!”
Smiling, Shi Feixuan replied, “The misunderstanding is too big. Just now Feixuan was asking Ziling Xiong, where you are heading, yet you evaded the question and did not answer. Not only Feixuan is an ordinary person, I am also a woman who loves a tooth for a tooth, hence I am forced to have some reservations, yet you dared to blame me?”
Hearing this kind of little-girlish talk coming from the mouth of a woman, who, although she could not be considered ‘sanctimonious’ yet, but she had at least ‘the solemn demeanor of the immortals’, Xu Ziling could only return a blank stare; he felt even more unsure. This kind of formidable verbal attack has caused his heart to be in turmoil.
Shi Feixuan tried not to laugh; opening her eyes wide, she said, “What? Suddenly you became a mute? From here, you can only go to Sichuan. What’s so important that you are abandoning your Shao Shuai brother and rushing for thousands of li to go to Bashu?”
Smiling wryly, Xu Ziling said, “If Miss Shi wants to know, why can’t you just ask me directly? Why did you use a roundabout way to tease me?”
Shi Feixuan returned to her usual calm and composed manner; she spoke gently, “Because until this moment, Feixuan still cannot grasp what kind of person you are; therefore, I am using all kinds of indirect approach to feel you out.”
Stunned, Xu Ziling asked, “Am I that difficult to understand?”
Nodding her head, Shi Feixuan replied, “If I may say so, Feixuan is good at judging a person’s character, yet I find it difficult to understand you and Kou Zhong, two persons. Because Kou Zhong has some pursuits, he is comparatively easier to fathom. But you are like a well that is difficult to tell whether it’s deep or shallow. On the surface you look simple, but I cannot get to the bottom, hence I am curious; I want to know where have you learned so much about the secret of the demonic school’s Two Sects and Six Ways. This time you are entering Sichuan, what noble errand brings you here?”
Xu Ziling calmly replied, “Actually, I do not have any intention to conceal anything. I am going to Sichuan this time is to look for Shi Qingxuan, concerning something of a huge importance to Miss Shi.”
Shi Feixuan’s jade countenance slightly moved, she asked, “What is it?”
※ ※ ※
Kou Zhong followed Shen Beichang, Luo Feng, Gui Xiliang, Xing Rong, and the others, various Zhu Hua Bang brothers, with his eyes as they were leaving via land route, before he himself rushed toward the dock outside the city, where he climbed on board a fishing boat that came to his rescue, and then quickly went far away.
The boat was manned by Chen Changlin. To his pleasant surprise, other than him, Bu Tianzhi and Luo Qifei were also coming. Meeting again after a long period of separation, they were very happy.
Kou Zhong used the simplest way to present the situation at Li Zitong’s side. He said, “Li Zitong was willing to lower his voice and suppress his anger, to look the other way while letting me, his big personal enemy, walking away, clearly he is well aware that he is powerless to resist Old Du’s new round of attack. Therefore, we must win and must not lose. If we let Old Du to capture Jiangdu, we will have no choice but to pack and quit and go someplace else. Jianghuai Army is not a laughing matter.”
Luo Qifei said, “That is precisely the reason Shao Shuai is seeing Qifei here this time. Three times have I sneaked into Qingliu in disguise, eventually I discovered a young general under Du Fuwei’s command by the name of Chen Sheng; this man is bold and powerful, an expert in battle, and Du Fuwei relied heavily on him. If we could pose as Shen Lun’s men and kill this man, in his grief and indignation, Du Fuwei might disregard everything to attack Shen Lun.”
Bu Tianzhi joined in, “Based on Qifei’s observation, Chen Sheng’s five-thousand-strong troops ought to leave Liuhe tomorrow night to provide support to the land-based vanguard troops coming to Jiangdu.”
“What kind of place is Liuhe?” Kou Zhong asked.
Luo Qifei replied, “Liuhe is a county town linking Yangtze River waterways, located by the Chu River east of Qingliu. From there, with tailwind and clear passage, they could reach Jiangdu in only one day. Chen Sheng is in charge of Jianghuai Navy stationed in Liuhe, his fleet consists of more than seventy ships, big and small.”
His countenance changed, Kou Zhong said, “Such a short water travel, mounting a sneak attack will be more difficult than ascending the heavens.”
Chen Changlin shook his head and said, “Actually we must not mount sneak attack either. The route from Liuhe to Jiangdu is entirely under Du Fuwei’s tight control. We can only use thunderbolt-reaching-the-ear method to hit Chen Sheng’s command ship, and then board the boat to kill him. Because a man who is adept in naval warfare poses greater threat toward Shen Faxing, Du Fuwei will believe firmly without any doubt that it was Shen Lun’s men who did this.”
Luo Qifei nodded and said, “Under Shen Lun’s command, there is a martial art master adept in using spear called the ‘Chang Qiang Lang’ [lit. long spear youth] Gu Jun. He has imposing stature, somewhat similar to Shao Shuai. If instead of using saber Shao Shuai uses a spear and assassinates Chen Sheng, even if Shen Lun jumped into the Yangtze River, he would not be able wash the suspicion clean.”
Bu Tianzhi added excitedly, “I have transferred seven fast ships most suitable for this kind of ambushing attack to the nearby waterway especially for this mission, and I also have them disguised as Haisha Bang warships. When the time comes, we’ll use Haisha Bang’s usual military strategy to carry out the surprise attack. I guarantee no one can see the flaw.”
Greatly delighted, Kou Zhong said, “Gentlemen, uncles and brothers, whatever instruction you have, just let Xiaodi knows, and I’ll do it!”
Hearing that, the crowd roared into laughter.
Kou Zhong suddenly sighed. Turning his eyes on the night sky brightened by Jiangdu city light, he shook his head and said, “If I can spare some time for a separate task, Yun Yuzhen can forget about slipping back to Baling alive.”
※ ※ ※
Emotionally moved, Shi Feixuan said, “Yang Xuyan is Shi Zhixuan’s disciple!”
Xu Ziling spoke heavily, “Not only he is Shi Zhixuan’s disciple, he is also the son of the former Sui dynasty’s deposed crown prince Yang Yong. Because Shi Zhixuan’s other identity was Pei Ju, the author of ‘Maps and Notes on the Western Regions’, can Miss Shi make an associative connection on this matter?”
Shi Feixuan appeared to be pondering deeply. It was quite a while later that she nodded and said, “Thank you very much Ziling Xiong, your remark has brought many suspense surrounding Shi Zhixuan to light. This is indeed a matter of great importance; I wonder where did you get it from?”
After recounting his encounter with Cao Yinglong, Xu Ziling said, “Kou Zhong and I guessed that Shi Qingxuan did not know who the Hua Jian Pai disciple of this generation is. Therefore, Yang Xuyan will, using some deceit, attempt to gain Shi Qingxuan’s trust, in order to get the manuals that Shi Zhixuan handed over to his daughter for safekeeping.”
Shi Feixuan said, “Actually, Shi Qingxuan is not the custodian of the Hua Jian Pai’s ancient books and records. If I am guessing correctly, Yang Xuyan is looking for the ‘Bu Si Yin Juan’ [lit. not dead (immortal) printed scroll] hidden in the small valley of the hidden forest. If this printed scroll fell into anybody else’s hands, it would be absolutely useless; only in the hands of Yang Xuyan or Hou Xibei, these two direct disciples of Shi Zhixuan, will it bring huge benefit.”
The more Xu Ziling listened, the more confused he was, “Shi Zhixuan and ‘Immortal Printed Scroll’, what is it?”
Showing a pained smile on her face, Shi Feixuan said, “For the last hundred years or so, both to us and to the demonic schools, Shi Zhixuan is the bad person who brought the most headache. Just by looking at how this man can use one hand, single fist, with no blood on the men’s sword, to cause the fall of the Great Sui, and make the world all split up and in pieces, we can infer his formidability. Were it not for Xiuxin Shibo moving his true feeling, leading him to fuse the orthodox and heretic schools, as well as to develop and create the ‘Immortal Printed Scroll’ that appears to have no flaw, the world may not be in the situation it’s currently in.”
Taking a deep breath, Xu Ziling said, “What kind of terrifying demonic skill ‘Immortal Printed Scroll’ actually is? Is it because when trained to perfection, the practitioner will not die? How is it compared to Tian Mo Da Fa [demonic great method] and Dao Xin Zhong Mo [the heart of ‘Dao’ (the Way) kind of devil]?”
Shi Feixuan calmly replied, “In this world, there is no such thing as skill and technique that can make people live forever and won’t die; keeping this mortal flesh forever is not a sensible act at all. Has Ziling Xiong heard about the Four Holy Monks of Buddhism?”
Xu Ziling did not understand why she suddenly changed direction; he nodded and said, “I heard Cao Yinglong mentioning this. I think they are Tiantai, Sanlun, Huayan, and Chan Zong. Shi Zhixuan stealthily studied Sanlun Zong’s Jiaxiang Dashi and Chan Zong Four Ancestors’ secret arts [see Chapter 1].”
Muttering to herself irresolutely, Shi Feixuan said, “It seems that Cao Yinglong really had a change of heart; what he said was not a wild babble at all, because this is the secret that the Four Ancestors have never revealed to outsiders. Shi Zhixuan is an exceptional genius in martial art study. As soon as any strange skill or secret manual fell into his hands, he could always fuse and link them up together, and then produce another pivotal skill out of it, which is of an even higher level than the original. In Wulin history, I am afraid only you and Kou Zhong are qualified to be mentioned on equal terms with him.”
First, Xu Ziling was stunned; he really never expected that Shi Feixuan had such a high evaluation on Kou Zhong and him. And then, his old face blushed. Embarrassed, he said, “Miss Shi praised me too much!”
Shi Feixuan smiled and said, “No need to stand on ceremony. You and Kou Zhong are the marvels of the Wulin world that people still find it difficult to believe even until now. How formidable ‘Immortal Printed Scroll’ really is, let’s not talk about it yet. Just know that the Four Holy Monks had joined forces to hunt and kill Shi Zhixuan, wanting to take his martial art skill away. Three times they surrounded him, yet he still managed to escape albeit being wounded. From this you can infer how terrifying Shi Zhixuan is.”
Noticing Xu Ziling’s expression, Shi Feixuan sighed and said, “If Ziling Xiong assumes that the Four Holy Monks’ martial art skill is just so-so, then you are gravely mistaken. The reason their name does not appear in Jianghu was simply because they are really men who are outside this world; they had never been involved in Jianghu’s ordinary affairs, unlike Ning Daoqi, whose name shakes the heavens. In the past, Jiaxiang and Four Ancestors joined forces with Tiantai Zong’s Zhihui [lit. wisdom/intelligence] Dashi, and Huayan Zhong’s Dixin [lit. emperor’s heart] Zunzhe [lit. honored sir], to hunt down Shi Zhixuan. Even Yin Gui Pai kept quiet out of fear; nobody dared to interfere or to attract troubles. From this you can infer how formidable the Four Holy Monks are. Speaking about power, you would find it difficult to compare any one of the Four Holy Monks with Ning Daoqi.”
Sucking a mouthful of cold air, Xu Ziling said, “In that case, wouldn’t Shi Zhixuan be more formidable than Zhu Yuyan and Xiang Yutian?”
“You can’t compare them like that either,” Shi Feixuan replied, “I can only say that they are figures of equal rank. As for who is superior and who is inferior, it would be difficult to tell unless they are having a show-down.”
Knitting his brows, Xu Ziling said, “Just now Miss mentioned that to the demonic schools, Shi Zhixuan is also a big bad person; what do you mean by that?”
Shi Feixuan replied, “Because Shi Zhixuan has the intention of unifying the demonic schools, he is definitely a threat to the leaders of various demonic schools. Zhu Yuyan is extremely afraid of the consequences if this is really happening. Were it not for Xiuxin Shibo breaking his ‘Immortal Printed Scroll’, I’m afraid Zhu Yuyan would have lost her most-revered-within-the-demonic-schools status early on.”
Xu Ziling could only stare blankly in silence. In Luoyang that day, Zhu Yuyan snatched Shangguan Long back from him, Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan, as easily as blowing off an air from her mouth. Remembering this, he still had a lingering fear. From this, he could imagine to what extent Shi Zhixuan’s martial art prowess was.
Cast her eyes to the night sky, which would become dawn very soon, Shi Feixuan spoke softly, “Now, the only flaw in Shi Zhixuan’s ‘Immortal Printed Scroll’ is his daughter, whose resemblance to Xiuxin Shibo is striking. She is also the only person who can make Shi Zhixuan cannot be unmoved. Cao Yinglong has a very deep understanding of this aspect of Shi Zhixuan’s. If Shi Qingxuan suffered any mishap, Shi Zhixuan might revert to his Xie Wang [demonic king] innate character without any worries. Therefore, we must do everything we can to stop Yang Xuyan’s evil scheme to prevail. Otherwise, an unknown variable would appear in this world, which is chaotic enough as it is.”
Looking at the first streak of dawn across plains on the eastern horizon, Xu Ziling asked, “Would Miss Shi like to hasten toward the small valley in the hidden forest with Zaixia?”
Shi Feixuan apologetically said, “Feixuan is accustomed to coming and going alone. If Ziling Xiong check in at the Yue Lai [lit. pleased to come] Inn at the south market of Chengdu’s Shaocheng district, Feixun will look for you there.”
“Let’s just wait and see,” Xu Ziling replied indifferently.
Inwardly he thought that you roamed the Three Gorges together with Hou Xibai, yet now that we are clearly having the same destination, you want to travel separately into Sichuan. From this, his position and importance in her heart could clearly be seen. That being the case, it would be better if he travelled alone, unrestrained and leisurely trying to find Shi Qingxuan without any care; he would be more free and unfettered instead.
Naturally Shi Feixuan was able to hear the tone of his voice, but she did not offer any explanation. After bidding farewell with each other, they went their separate ways. In fact, they were going to enter Sichuan from opposite directions.
Xu Ziling put his feeling under control, threw all the troubles to the back of his mind, and ran toward the Great Mount Ba at full speed.
※ ※ ※
The fishing boat reached the shore.
“Where’s our warship?” Kou Zhong asked in great astonishment.
Bu Tianzhi smiled and said, “To deceive Jianghuai Army spies, naturally we must use a little trick. We used winch and long wooden logs to tow the seven warships ashore, and then covered them with trees and branches to make sure that we don’t reveal any flaw.”
By this time Kou Zhong was following the crowd into the jungle by the shore; after passing through more than a dozen thick bushes, a wide panorama suddenly opened up before his eyes, where the seven boats were laid out in a row, securely nestled on the frame slanting down toward the river. All these were beyond his expectation.
Chen Laomou was directing his men to paint Haisha Bang’s insignia on the hull of the boats using red lacquer; he was busy, yet was full of joy.
Seeing Kou Zhong’s appearance, the warriors’ morale was greatly boosted.
This lot of boats did not have big hull. Just by looking at its shape, one would be able to feel its lightweight and agile characteristics.
Kou Zhong sighed with deep admiration; this tactic of hiding boats inside the forest, he would never have thought about it, not even in his dream.
Offering his expertise, Chen Changlin explained, “These are the smaller size warships that Haisha Bang is most adept in using; they are good for assault and breaking the enemy’s defense. If there’s wind, the sail will be fully opened, if there’s no wind, they will use the oars. Both sides of the ship are reinforced with crenelated parapet walls, which protect half of the body against powerful bows and strong arrows. There are holes below the walls for the oars to go through, while the sailors operating the oars will be completely hidden inside the ship.”
Noticing small holes along the crenelated parapet walls, Kou Zhong praised, “These holes must be for shooting arrows; wouldn’t it be better if the holes are slightly bigger?”
Chen Laomou came over and said, “These are called crossbow window or simply tooth gaps, used especially to shoot arrows from crossbows. Therefore, they don’t need to be too big to take aim and shoot.”
“How much longer?” Bu Tianzhi asked.
Wiping the sweats off his brow, Chen Laomou proudly said, “We only need to cover the hull with raw cowhide to protect against fire. This is the trick that Haisha Bang usually use, it’s known as the Meng Chong Doujian [lit. dashing-against-covering fighting ship]. It could be said that in framing them up this time, we spare no effort.”
Luo Qifei said, “Our operation this time has been through repeated scrutiny and careful thought. We do not dare to keep the warships in the open, precisely because we don’t want Jianghuai Army to grow suspicions. These seven warships came separately from elsewhere, winding around in big circles, hence Du Fuwei would believe firmly without any doubt even more.”
Kou Zhong exclaimed in admiration, “If I were Ol’ Die, I would also fall into the trap. Ha! And now the only thing I ought to do is just to have a good nap?”
Chen Laomou laughed aloud and said, “Shao Shuai, go ahead and sleep in peace! It would be best if you sleep on the boat. When the time comes, Laofu [old man] will wake you up. I’ll also disguise you. Otherwise, how could the ‘Chang Qiang Lang’ Gu Jun brave the Great River to put Chen Sheng to death?”