On his bed inside the bedroom in the west wing where he slept, Kou Zhong was awakened by the approaching sound of footsteps; struggling to open his eyes, he noticed the sky was bright the sun was white, but after several nights without any sleep, he still felt that he did not get enough sleep.
Shuwen’s voice called from outside the door, “Kou Ye! Shaoshuai!”
Wrapping himself inside the quilt, Kou Zhong sat up and said with a frown, “What is it?”
Shuwen pushed the door and stepped in; looking a little nervous, he said, “Ke Dazhi of Tujue is waiting to see Kou Ye in the south hall.”
Immediately Kou Zhong’s spirit was aroused, musing that this kid was so belligerent, coming this early in the morning to fight with him? “Where’s Ling Shao?” he asked.
Shuwen replied, “Xu Ye just went out; he said that when Shaoshuai wakes up to wait for him a moment, he will come back to have breakfast with you.”
Kou Zhong laughed and cursed, “Good kid! He pays more attention to a lover than friends, early in the morning he already abandoned me, this good brother of his.”
Promptly he got up and freshened up, grabbed the Moon in the Well and went out to see Ke Dazhi.
Ke Dazhi, with the Sandstorm Saber hanging on his waist, was standing proudly facing the window, enjoying the scenery of the round woods in the middle of the courtyard with blank expression on his face, but Kou Zhong dared to say that he had a heavy load on his mind, since he was looking but not seeing.
Coming behind him, Kou Zhong followed the propriety by greeting him, “Ke Xiong, how are you?”
Ke Dazhi slowly turned around. His gaze fell on the Moon in the Well in Kou Zhong’s hand. His pair of eyes emitted sharp expression, he said, “Shaoshuai’s Moon in the Well, not only you named it well, it is also a treasured saber rarely found in the world. I wonder if you’d let Xiaodi admiring it?”
Without the slightest hesitation Kou Zhong handed the Moon in the Well forward. Ke Dazhi reached out to grab the saber hilt and pulled the blade out of its scabbard. Slashing it three times horizontally, he spoke in astonishment, “Really strange! How come this saber only emit faint yellow light in Shaoshuai’s hand?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Kou Zhong replied, “I’m afraid you’d have to ask Laotianye for that.”
The two looked at each other, and then burst into laughter at the same time.
Ke Dazhi gladly put the Moon in the Well back into its sheath and watched as Kou Zhong put the treasured saber on a small table by his side. “Ziling Xiong has not woken up yet?” he asked.
Kou Zhong grumbled, “I don’t know where that kid got lost early in the morning? I am striking the gongs and beating the drums looking for him as well [orig. to order the arrest of somebody as criminal].”
His remark made Ke Dazhi laugh; he said in sincerity, “Not only Shaoshuai is an enemy worthy of my respect, you are also an interesting friend. Until now, I still cherish the moment in Chang’an where Shaoshuai and I raised our wine cup and had a heart-to-heart chat.”
Kou Zhong laughed and said, “I’m okay with not receiving your, LaoGe’s kind of respect; who’d be more active than you to get rid of me?”
Stunned, Ke Dazhi blurted out laughing and said, “Shaoshuai is really forthcoming. But I am coming to you today as an interesting friend, completely without any intention to move the weapons of war.”
Astonished, Kou Zhong replied, “I was wondering about that, because right now you don’t respect me too much, you don’t regard me as an enemy. Ha!”
The murderous intent in Ke Dazhi’s pair of eyes flared greatly, it flickered brightly, as he spoke heavily, “I want to cooperate with you to do something interesting, which is to slaughter that kid, Liexia.”
After staring blankly for a moment, Kou Zhong looked him up and down in surprise, and asked, “In this kind of thing, based on the Sandstorm Saber in your, LaoGe’s hand, why do you still need to ask for someone else’s help?”
Ke Dazhi dejectedly replied, “The problem is that we must not let Xiufang Dajia know about this. Otherwise, I would have to pack my food and leave before finish eating.”
The fierce light in Kou Zhong’s pair of eyes burst forth, he asked, “What happened last night?”
Ke Dazhi sighed and said, “Although it’s not like what Shaoshuai is thinking, but it’s not far from that! Xiufang Dajia spent the entire night with that kid, who is covered in demonic qi from head to foot – studying the musical score; he did not leave until morning. Humph! Liexia has the impertinence not to consider me, Ke Dazhi in his eyes, I am definitely going to have him nurse a grievance.”
Shaken, Kou Zhong asked, “They haven’t done anything, have they?”
Ke Dazhi assured him, “I can guarantee that they were only researching the musical score. If he dared to touch half a finger of Xiufang Dajia, I would have disregarded everything to charge inside and chop his stinky head.”
And then he asked, “How did you know him? Liexia is a rising figure in the prairie in recent years, he loves to pick the flowers and trample the grass [idiom: to womanize] all over the place, he doesn’t care about anybody, but he really has a skill or two.”
“I came across him in Hualin,” Kou Zhong explained, “He entangled us to have a meal with him. Does Ke Xiong know that he is one of the Five Bright Sons of the Da Ming Zun Jiao? Not that I am elevating his resolve, but killing him will not be easy at all. One thing goes wrong and we fail to kill him, he would lodge accusation to Shang Xiufang, then we will be in trouble!”
Smiling wryly, Ke Dazhi said, “I am having a headache for this. Whatever the case, we must never let Xiufang Dajia be broken-hearted. Do you, Laoxiong have any idea how to do it neatly and cleanly?”
Turning over an old account, Kou Zhong said, “You ought to understand by now my angry mood that day when I advised you not to touch Sha Zhijing?”
Smiling wryly, Ke Dazhi said, “The fact was that when you, Laoxiong warned me, inwardly I already decided not to touch Sha Zhijing anymore. Not because I was afraid of your revenge, but because I respect you, I see you as a qualified opponent.”
Kou Zhong’s animosity toward Ke Dazhi was greatly reduced. He laughed aloud and said, “That’s more like it. His granny’s bear, how are we going to get rid of Liexia without the gods knowing, the ghosts perceiving, and afterwards Shang Xiufang will not suspect us, at best she will only suspect Old Ba and Ling Shao doing it? Ha! By doing it this way, we seem to be lacking elegance, giving up the affairs of the heart [qing chang] and take the battlefield [zhan chang] to score a victory.”
Ke Dazhi coldly said, “This is called one is called a king if successful, but will be called a bandit if defeated [idiom: losers are always in the wrong]. That kid has quite a skill toward women. I am most afraid that he would use some despicable trick to obtain Xiufang Dajia’s body and mind. When that happens, it would be too late to talk about elegance!”
Kou Zhong sighed and said, “Ke Xiong is very persuasive. I wonder if you’d dare to have a free hand – once we do it, we won’t rest, we might as well pull Da Ming Zun Jiao by the roots.”
Ke Dazhi’s pair of sharp eyes lit up, he said, “If Shaoshuai has a good proposal, Ol’ Ke will definitely keep you company.”
Kou Zhong said, “For the time being, I can only think of three ways to deal with that kid.”
Ke Dazhi cheerfully said, “Unexpectedly there are as many as three. Shaoshuai really makes Xiaodi pleased beyond my expectations.”
Kou Zhong smiled and said, “Before we go further, Xiaodi has two things I’d like to understand thoroughly.”
Stunned, Ke Dazhi asked, “What two things?”
Kou Zhong raised a finger and said, “The first thing is how do you know I am hiding in here? Xiaodi was extremely careful in coming and going.”
Ke Dazhi replied, “What’s the use of being careful? How big is Longquan? It was Zong Xianghua who told me.”
Scratching his head, Kou Zhong repeated, “Zong Xianghua?”
Ke Dazhi explained patiently, “Zong Xianghua is the captain of the female sword warriors under Bai Ziting’s command, which was the pretty Mohe woman by Xiufang Dajia’s side last night.”
As if he had just found a treasure, Kou Zhong blurted out, “Turns out her name is Zong Xianghua; she is indeed a very outstanding beauty.”
Ke Dazhi nodded and said, “Very few women have such long legs; even in Tujue, they are rarely seen.”
Kou Zhong laughed and said, “I wonder if we can be considered kindred spirit, or is it partners in notoriety? When it comes to women, I no longer feel like you are my enemy.”
Ke Dazhi laughed in spite of himself; he said, “Either one is all right. But I heard that Bai Ziting and Zong Xianghua are having an affair in the dark, hence the reason Zong Xianghua never give any time to other men. What is the second thing you want to know?”
Kou Zhong leaned over and deliberately lowered his voice, “I wonder if you, this kid, cannot help but fall in love with Shang Xiufang?”
Xu Ziling met with Yin Xianhe in a restaurant near the south gate. The restaurant was noisy, it was crowded to bursting point with diners. In this kind of environment, the proud and aloof above the crowd Yin Xianhe appeared even more out of place.
The two talked in a corner. Yin Xianhe said, “Beyond my expectation, after leaving Du Xing’s horse and mule shop at the Vermillion Bird Boulevard alone, Xu Kaishan went straight to a magnificent residence on the west side of the city to spend the night. The entire night he did not leave the residence half a step. Before I came here, he was still there.”
Xu Ziling was at a loss. If he were really a Da Ming Zun Jiao man, there was no reason not to look for Sha Fang and the others to discuss the situation. Unless there was a secret passage in the residence, from which he could sneak out anywhere.
Yin Xianhe said, “Is Xu Xiong thinking that there is a secret passage in the residence leading someplace else? That possibility is not high at all. Not to conceal anything from Xu Xiong, in shadowing and tracking, I have quite an insight. Last night, not even movements underground can escape my eyes and ears. If he left via the tunnel, he shouldn’t be able to hide it from me. Moreover, I found out that the magnificent residence belongs to Longquan’s famous courtesan Hui Shen; it should not have anything to do with Da Ming Zun Jiao.”
Xu Ziling felt quite lost; momentarily he was unable to figure out what kind of person Xu Kaishan really was.
“I have a proposal,” Yin Xianhe said.
Xu Ziling cheerfully said, “Die Gongzi [young master butterfly], please bestow your instruction.”
Yin Xianhe said, “I understand that Xu Xiong is afraid to accuse Xu Kaishan wrongly, but toward the real murderer, you are free and unfettered to lay out your net, am I right?”
Xu Ziling nodded in agreement.
Yin Xianhe said, “As long as we can find the wolf-bandits, then it is possible to find out whether the mastermind behind them is Xu Kaishan. It would be better for us to temporarily let Xu Kaishan and Du Xing off, and concentrate our power to investigate and arrest the wolf-bandits; it will be prescribing the right medicine for an illness [idiom: to take appropriate steps].”
Being reminded by him, Xu Ziling was happy, “Good idea,” he said, “I now have 90% confidence that the wolf-bandits are Bai Ziting’s men, but the problem is that no one has ever seen Cui Wang’s true face; how are we going to find him out?”
Laughing coldly, Yin Xianhe said, “Supposing Cui Wang is really Bai Ziting’s man, this moment that the founding of the kingdom is at hand, even if Cui Wang is not in Longquan, he ought to be nearby. This matter is indeed inexplicable; Cui Wang and everybody who was killed in Yin Ma Yi are all Huihe people, Cui Wang himself is surely also a Huihe. How could a Huihe be willing to throw his life in for a Mohe?”
Xu Ziling’s heart was moved. He explained the location of the big mansion hidden deep in the valley outside the city, and then said, “That place is quite demonic, perhaps the wolf-bandits are hiding in there; otherwise, a large number of Huihe people appearing in Longquan will provoke other people’s suspicion.”
“That is a clue,” Yin Xianhe said, “I don’t believe that Cui Wang can hide forever.”
Xu Ziling said, “If you find anything, you must never act alone. You ought to consider us as your brothers.”
Yin Xianhe revealed a hint of rarely-appeared smile on his face, “Brothers?” he said, “That word is extremely novel to me. Don’t worry! If I make any discovery, I will inform Xu Xiong and Kou Xiong first.”
After discussing all the details pertaining to their operation, the two went their separate ways.
Xu Ziling took the opportunity to go to the south gate. He scanned the city walls with his eyes, and finally found some secret mark that Duan Yucheng left on the trunk of a big tree, which was made using a sharp blade, indicating the time and place to meet.
Xu Ziling erased the secret mark and left in a hurry.
Ke Dazhi was pacing back and forth in the hall, before he finally sat down dejectedly on the chair. Motioning Kou Zhong to sit next to him, he shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Your question is even more difficult to block than your Moon in the Well. That day, when I received the order to escort Xiufang Dajia to Longquan, I made the decision in my heart that even if I had to pay with my life, I would definitely not allow Xiufang Dajia to receive any harm, because that would be my lifelong regret. You believe me, then it’s good; you don’t believe me, I don’t care, but I never had improper thought toward Xiufang Dajia, although toward her art and talent I prostrate myself in admiration. Ay! Xiaodi is not a man who keeps himself pure at all; in fact, I am quite loose. However, when I saw her, my heart only has esteem, admiration, and respect. Therefore, I cannot stand someone from the outside like Liexia get close to her, because he simply is not fit at all.”
Emotionally moved, Kou Zhong said, “I believe you. Because you are that kind of a person who is haughty and see anybody else as nothing, and you disdain to tell an untruth.”
Ke Dazhi stared blankly at him for half a day. Finally he spoke slowly, “Thanks a lot! I did not expect you to understand me so well.”
And then he said, “I haven’t figured out why Shaoshuai came to Longquan.”
Kou Zhong explained the wolf-bandits and the eighty-thousand sheets of sheepskin affair, and then he said with a laugh, “Your Great Khan is dying to eat my flesh and drink my blood, yet you, LaoGe came to cooperate with me. Aren’t you afraid Great Khan might not be happy?”
Ke Dazhi calmly said, “When the general is on the outside, the monarch’s order may not be received. My mission is to protect Xiufang Dajia well, who’d dare to blame me? In the future, if I meet Shaoshuai on the battlefield, I will definitely not show any mercy.”
“Likewise!” Kou Zhong responded.
The two looked at each other and burst into loud laughter together.
Gasping for breath, Kou Zhong said, “All my three methods may not be too surefire, Ke Xiong must not laugh at me. The first useless method is when the two of us are accompanying Xiufang Dajia, we have Ba Fenghan and Xu Ziling make their move to kill Liexia, then you and I can push the blame away, neat and clean.”
Frowning, Ke Dazhi said, “Don’t get me wrong or think that I am making fun of you, but when Xiufang Dajia find out that it was Ba Xiong and Xu Xiong who made their move, how could you get away from responsibility?”
“Hence the reason I said this is not too surefire,” Kou Zhong said, “But it’s not without any merit either. As long as no one knew it was Old Ba and Ling Shao, then it would work. The biggest problem is that Liexia, this kid appears and disappears unpredictably like a spirit or a ghost, it’s not easy find him within a given time, while letting people know what time he was to be slaughtered.”
Ke Dazhi said, “If I cannot take that kid’s dog life with my own hands, it would be a great pity.”
Kou Zhong said, “Then we won’t choose this method. Ay! I am afraid you won’t even want to hear the second method, I might as well jump to the third method.”
“Why not just tell me?” Ke Dazhi cut him off.
Kou Zhong said, “The second method is precisely me, Laozi put him in order, while you are not involved at all, you even pretend that you and Xiaodi cannot exist together, then Xiufang Dajia will never doubt that you, Ke Dazhi have anything to do with it at all.”
Finished speaking, he sighed inwardly; if he did that, then it would be akin to make a clean break [orig. two segments with a single cut] with Shang Xiufang, and henceforth he could only face a falling out with her.
Ke Dazhi shook his head and said, “How can this work? How about the third method?”
Kou Zhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He said, “The third method is we are doing it in a big way. We attack Da Ming Zun Jiao people until they suffer a crushing defeat, forcing Liexia to undertake the task to strike back at us. We pretend we are under pressure and have no choice but to kill him. Xiufang Dajia shouldn’t be able to blame us.”
Ke Dazhi was muttering to himself irresolutely for a moment, and then he nodded and said, “This can be considered a viable solution. But if we kill Da Ming Zun Jiao people indiscriminately, plus until now Da Ming Zun Jiao has never committed any noticeable evil conducts, it will appear that our action is inexcusable. What brilliant scheme does Shaoshuai have?”
“Leave this matter to me,” Kou Zhong said, “You will be in charge of monitoring Liexia well, don’t give him any opportunity to be alone with Xiufang Dajia. Tonight we’ll meet again for another discussion.”
Ke Dazhi smiled and said, “Now my mood is a lot better! In Longquan, I also have a bit of influence. If there’s something need to be done, Shaoshuai please don’t hesitate to tell me. I, Ke Dazhi can use my Sandstorm Saber as a guarantee that I will definitely not mess up Shaoshuai’s affairs.”
Kou Zhong got up to walk him off the door, he spoke cheerfully, “If there’s something that I need you, LaoGe to make your move, I will definitely not be polite.”
Ke Dazhi had just gotten on the horse and left, Song Shidao’s good-self arrived and said, “That thing that you entrusted me with, I made a bit of progress.”