Book 46 Chapter 9 – Walking Right Into The Trap
With the Moon in the Well on his back, Kou Zhong slipped out the window, unleashed his shenfa, and immediately the wind was whistling across his ears, as he entered the nightwalkers’ world.
The streets of Luoyang were still full of endless stream of horse and carriages, still bustling with noise and excitement. But Kou Zhong was very clear that disaster was imminent. Even if w.a.n.g Shichong could defend Hulao and Yanshi, two lifelines, Li Shimin will surely dispatch his troops in thousand ways, a hundred plans to intercept and plunder the army provisions in transit to Luoyang, to plunge the army and civilians of Luoyang into the years of besieged city.
Luoyang residents were not in high alert upon the looming war, because in the past, none of the battle besieging their city was not like a scratch on the outside of the boot, unable to affect the livelihood inside the city walls. The City of Luoyang, which had never undergone baptism of the fire of war, made the people inside the city have some kind of misconception that Luoyang would never be broken.
The fact was that Luoyang, which mightily occupied the southern bank of the Yellow River and north of Pingqiu Mountain, at the confluence of the Yi, Luo, Chen, and Jian, four rivers, the city was solid, the wall was thick, the circ.u.mference of the city exceeded fifty li. To have the city of Luoyang heavily besieged like Dou Jiande besieging Liyang, it was practically impossible. In terms of strategy, it was even more unrealistic. It could only be achieved by stationing ma.s.sive military force to seal off Luoyang.
Under such circ.u.mstances, if the strategic towns in the vicinity were still in the Zheng Army’s hands, it would be akin to an open wide gap; not only they could still break through Li Shimin’s blockade, it could also threaten the life or death of the besieging troops, so that Li Shimin did not dare to scatter his military force to surround Luoyang. In other words, they could not isolate Luoyang, but that was the only way to capture Luoyang.
Like an old horse knowing the way home, Kou Zhong pa.s.sed through houses and leaped over buildings, the true qi within his body was cycling through and climbing into its apex, escalating his senses to incomparably sharp. By the time he leaped over the external wall and landed into Rong Mansion’s rear courtyard, the enemy’s sentry, both covert and undercover, none could hide from his eyes and ears.
His visit to the Rong Mansion was not a spur of the moment decision, but he wanted to confirm the thought that has been brewing in his mind, about the Da Ming Zun Jiao, which had suffered serious setback beyond the Great Wall, whether they moved their troops to the Central Plains, and whether they have chosen the Rong Mansion as their place to stay.
Suddenly he pressed himself against the wall and slid toward the left to evade the sentry looking at his direction, and then using rapid-as-a-ghost shenfa, using the trees and flowering shrub as cover, he soared up toward the roof of a building, which seemed to be the lodging house for the lower-ranked members of the household.
Sweeping his gaze around, he saw layer upon layer of courtyards, ancient trees reaching high to the sky, and all kinds of winding corridors around the buildings, which looped back through the rock gardens, ponds, and small pavilions; everything was arranged in an orderly manner. Lantern lights leaked out from inside the buildings, the corridors were brightly lit by hexagonal palace lanterns. If it were an ordinary martial art master, in this kind of situation, it was indeed difficult to move a single step. But to a martial art master of Kou Zhong’s caliber, the Rong Mansion was no different to an unguarded place.
Unfolding his shenfa, Kou Zhong leaped high and crouched low, he reached the circular wooded area from which he could look straight at the area surrounding the main courtyard. He encountered the same problem that night when he and Xu Ziling were scouting the Rong Mansion at night.
Because the main hall was surrounded by a large, without any cover – open area, under the illumination of the lanterns, no matter how brilliant his shenfa was, to cross over the nearly a hundred paces of open s.p.a.ce without being detected was simply impossible.
At this time the sound of clinking cups and plates was coming out from the main hall, interspersed with the sound of drinking and finger-guessing game; evidently a dinner party was being held inside, which gave Kou Zhong even more itch to come nearer and take a glance.
Kou Zhong waited for a group maids and servants delivering trays of dishes to walk past, and then he leaped onto the second floor balcony, the same place they chose to hide in the past. He could not help being overcome with helpless feeling of gazing at the ocean and lamenting one’s inadequacy [idiom: feeling powerless and incompetent].
If there were Xu Ziling, with the two boys joining hands, they could easily cross this insurmountable ‘chasm’, avoiding the sentries’ eyes and ears, and the G.o.ds-did-not-know-the-ghosts-did-not-perceive landing on top of the main hall. But now with no felt no fan, even immortals will find it hard to change [idiom: insufficient conditions, no matter how good the technology is].
Right this moment, the alarm went off in his heart; he looked back quickly, and saw a shadow, as light as smoke, was rushing toward him, staying close to the back of the roof ridge.
He had just stepped into the Qing Cheng Chuancai restaurant, Ji Qian’s sweet laughter entered his ears, which gave Xu Ziling’s heart a big comfort, a feeling that the trip had not been made in vain. Quick glance around, he saw Ji Qian sat on a table in the corner, surrounded by four, five characters that looked like pampered son of wealthy families, just like the stars crowding around the moon. She was listening to something and was laughing like a quivering sprig of flower, attracting the gaze of all the diners around her.
Although there was no shortage of well-dressed lady diners inside the restaurant, but compared to her glamor, immediately they appeared dull without any splendor.
Suddenly someone was blocking his way. Turned out because the restaurant was full, he was politely asked to come back later.
Ji Qian’s attention finally moved to him. Xu Ziling met her shiny gaze, he gave her a slight smile, before turning around and left unhurriedly.
Stepping into the main street of Beili where people were rushing to and fro, he only walked for a few steps when the breathless Ji Qian caught up with him from behind. “Dead ghost!” she scolded, “You haven’t left yet? Consider yourself lucky. Yang WenGan’s Jingzhao Lian is like their trees collapsed, their lakes dried out and scattered; otherwise, they would skin you alive and tear your bones down.”
Xu Ziling kept walking forward as he said, “I came back just yesterday, the purpose is to look for a friend’s long lost little sister.”
Ji Qian unceremoniously pulled the sleeve of his outer robe and half-forced him into a comparatively less crowded side street. Her smiling face like a flower, she said, “Are you asking me? Otherwise, how could you be this straightforward, not deliberately mystifying like before? Hee … take me for a drink; anybody knew that drunken Ji Qian might do things that I would normally not do.”
Looking at her sparkling and translucent, crystal clear and bright and beautiful big eyes, hearing her br.i.m.m.i.n.g-with-seducing words, Xu Ziling was overcome with amiable, familiar touching feeling. He smiled and said, “It would be best to find a more secluded …”
Before he even finished speaking, Ji Qian already pulled him, so that his body did not obey its master – into the depth of the side street.
The other side and Kou Zhong met face to face, both sides were stunned.
Unexpectedly the newcomer was the Qiuci beauty Linglong Jiao, dressed in nightwalker outfit. She pounced and crouched down by his side. Craning her neck, she looked over the roof ridge at the direction of the main hall, and spoke in low voice, “What are you doing here?”
Kou Zhong sniffed the fragrance emitted by her tender body, and immediately felt that the night break-in into the Rong mansion suddenly became romantic, charming and gentle. He smiled and asked back, “What errands brought Jiao Xiaojie here?”
Linglong Jiao turned to look at him; her expression solemn and respectful, she spoke indifferently, “Naturally on Huangshang’s [His Majesty the emperor] order to scout any movement on Rong Fengxiang’s side.”
Blurted out laughing, Kou Zhong said, “You are lying!”
Linglong Jiao’s tender body shaking lightly, she spoke crossly, “Why would I lie to you?”
Kou Zhong turned around, he looked up to the starry sky above, with a smile on his face he said, “w.a.n.g Shichong and Rong Fengxiang are breathing from the same nostrils, they are a sable of one hill even more, presently they share a common interest, neither one is guarding against the other. If Jiao Xiaojie was not lying, then what are you trying to say?”
Linglong Jiao’s pair of eyes emitting sharp expression, she stared fixedly at him for quite half a day, finally she appeared to be softening as she lowered her tender body and turned to lie on her side. “How much do you actually know?” she spoke softly.
Kou Zhong twisted his body around, so that he looked at her eye to eye. Immediately he was overcome with the enchanting feeling of having the roof as the bed, the starry sky as the quilt, as he shared a bed and lay together with this beauty. “Do you trust me?” he spoke gently, “I don’t care about Jiao Xiaojie’s relationship with w.a.n.g Shichong, but I, Kou Zhong, am standing on Jiao Xiaojie’s side, I definitely won’t reveal Xiaojie’s matter with the fourth person, Xu Ziling is the only exception.”
Sighing lightly, Linglong Jiao said, “If I don’t trust you, I would not have talked with you. You haven’t told me how much inside story you know.”
Kou Zhong said, “In Longquan I have had some clashes with Da Ming Zun Jiao people; furthermore, I learned that w.a.n.g Shichong is a Da Ming Zun Jiao person who was sent to the Central Earth, the previous generation’s Yuanzi. May I ask Jiao Xiaojie, what is your relationship with Ramo?”
Linglong Jiao was shaken, “How did you know this secret?” she asked, “Ay! My Niang was Ramo’s disciple. With w.a.n.g Shichong giving her shelter, she fled to the Central Earth, and later on secretly returned to Qiuci. This time I am coming to the Central Earth is under Niang’s order to pay a debt of grat.i.tude to w.a.n.g Shichong, only …”
Kou Zhong continued for her, “Only under consideration of interests, plus w.a.n.g Shichong is renewing old cordial relations with Da Ming Zun Jiao, Jiao Xiaojie does not know where you stand, am I right?”
Linglong Jiao cast a glance to him, she said, “You are smarter than nujia, naturally nujia’s matter cannot be hidden from you.”
Kou Zhong asked, “The guests that Rong Fengxiang is entertaining right now, are they Da Ming Zun Jiao people?”
“I don’t know,” Linglong Jiao replied, “That’s why I came to find out. When did you arrive in Luoyang? Did Huangshang know?”
Kou Zhong asked in surprise, “I came to see w.a.n.g Shichong with big gongs, big drums; unexpectedly you did not know?”
Linglong Jiao replied, “I was at Cijian [lit. compa.s.sionate stream] scouting the enemy’s position and I came back in secret; how could I know what happened in Luoyang? What should nujia do now?”
Kou Zhong understood. He spoke with serious expression, “Jiao Xiaojie, please tell me first, what is your greatest wish?”
Linglong Jiao wanted to say something but then hesitated. Soon after she spoke sadly, “That is not possible.”
“What is not possible?” Kou Zhong asked, “Why don’t you tell me first.”
Linglong Jiao muttered to herself irresolutely for a moment, and then she met his gaze and spoke softly, “Niang’s greatest wish is to send the Five-Colored Stone back to Persia. Have you ever heard of the Five-Colored Stone?”
Smiling wryly, Kou Zhong replied, “Not only I have heard, I have even seen it and touched it.”
Linglong Jiao’s fragrant body severely shaken, she blurted out, “What?”
Sitting at the table by the wine shop door, Ji Qian took the fine wine delivered by the waiter, she personally poured a cup for Xu Ziling, before pouring another cup for herself. Smiling happily, she said, “Did you intentionally show yourself in front of Xiaomei [little sister]? What is the secret that you don’t want anybody to know? Quickly own up to the facts to this Guniang, otherwise I’ll tell the authorities and have you locked in jail. In here, I, Ji Qian have lots of resources.”
Xu Ziling knew that she was very happy because she had caught him, this big fish, hence she was ‘sparkling with wit’. Smiling, he said, “Have Xiaojie heard this name Yin Xiaoji?”
He went straight to the point [orig. open the door and see the mountain] in telling her the purpose of his visit, because he did not have much time, he still had to steal the ‘Han Lin Qing Yuan Tu’ for Hou Xibai.
Ji Qian stared blankly, “Yin Xiaoji, this name sounds familiar,” she muttered.
Xu Ziling was stunned, “Very familiar?” he said.
Shrugging her shoulders, Ji Qian said, “What’s so strange about it? Before I came to Chang’an, I have wandered everywhere north and south sides of the Yangtze River [idiom: all over China], and have met so many people. It’s very common to hear something and then forget about it. Is Yin Xiaoji the name of your friend’s long lost sister? Because this family name is not common at all, hence the reason I remember that I seemed to have heard it somewhere.”
Xu Ziling’s heart sank down straight to the bottom, the hope filling his heart vanished like a smoke, but he also suspected that Ji Qian was speaking randomly following his lead, so that she had more capital to haggle over the price with him. He spoke dejectedly, “I noticed Xiaojie’s stage name has the character ‘Ji’ in it, I thought … ay! Never mind.”
Ji Qian raised her cup to toast him, with exuberant mood she said, “My G.o.d! You unexpectedly thought I am Yin Xiaoji. Quickly tell me the truth, you can’t possibly think that I am Yin Xiaoji just based on one ‘Ji’ character, there must be other reasons. Quickly tell this Guniang the truth.”
Xu Ziling began to fell that he had walked right into the trap. Feeling big headache, he said, “This matter is complicated and not easy to express succinctly. Don’t Ji Xiaojie need to return to Shang Lin Yuan tonight?”
Ji Qian replied, “What’s the big deal in earning one-evening-less silver tael? Plus I never promised anybody that I would come back for sure. You are such an insensitive foe [sweetheart or destined love (in opera)]! How about pa.s.sing on a couple of your unique skills to me tonight? You want money, you want me, name your price.”
Xu Ziling’s heart was moved, he casually asked, “The person that Xiaojie wants to deal with, is it Chi Shengchun?”
Ji Qian’s pretty face changed slightly, the beautiful pupil of her eyes stared fixedly at him, it was quite half a day later that she spoke, “If I give you a positive answer, will you agree not to investigate further, to teach your unique skill entirely to me? Naturally you can no longer take up the utmost convenience of wanting the money or me.”
Xu Ziling understood that in the end, she was unwilling to sacrifice her body to him; a feeling of pity suddenly grew in his heart. Lowering his voice, he said, “Can Xiaojie put your right hand out?”
Ji Qian was slightly startled, her pair of eyes emitted suspicious look, but in the end she still obediently follow his order by spreading out his palm on the table.
Xu Ziling stretched his hand out. Seeing Ji Qian’s astonished expression as she noticed his translucent-like-jade right hand, he cried ‘Bad!’ inwardly, because his palm and his face differed so greatly. But this moment he had no time to think too much; he said, “If Xiaojie can tell with which finger I am pressing the hollow of your palm, I will do as you say.”
Ji Qian spoke cheerfully, “Isn’t that easy? Bring it on! Let this Guniang and you see who is right.”
Xu Ziling swept his gaze around, making sure no one was paying them any attention, and then his five fingers began to move, from slow to fast, up and down, like the wave. Suddenly his fingers no longer moved in succession, so fast that it was as if he was performing some magic tricks that Ji Qian was dazzled.
‘Ah!’ the beauty cried out, as she stared blankly at Xu Ziling pulling his hand away from her bright and clean, slender and long palm, as dumb as a wooden chicken.
“Which finger?” Xu Ziling asked.
Ji Qian’s pair of eyes turned red, and then two drops of sparkling and translucent tears flowed out of the corner of her eyes. Standing up abruptly, she ran to the door, crying. Now it was Xu Ziling’s turn to stare blankly, not knowing what to do.
Kou Zhong crawled up from the roof tile, he cast his gaze over the roof ridge toward the main hall and said, “Jiao Xiaojie ought to understand the grat.i.tude and grudges between me and Da Ming Zun Jiao.”
Coming to his side, Linglong Jiao said, “All along w.a.n.g Shichong has been showing great kindness to Niang and me; I could leave him, but I cannot betray him.”
Kou Zhong still did not know the real relationship between she and w.a.n.g Shichong, but he did not want to force her to tell him either; he said, “I want to go over to see.”
Knitting her brows, Linglong Jiao asked, “Do you have a way to get close?”
Kou Zhong smiled and said, “As long as my two legs do not fail me, I can always go in to see what kind of people Rong Fengxiang is taking care of, right?”
Linglong Jiao was shocked. “You have not yet figured out what is true and what is false of the enemy, yet you are going to charge in just like that?”
Patting the Moon in the Well on his back, Kou Zhong chuckled softly and said, “This is called in order to seek the goal, do whatever it takes. For example, when two armies are facing off against one another, it does not matter whether they knew what is true and what is false of the enemy, the battle still has to be fought. No matter what happens next, you must never show up to help me. Among the Thirty-Six Stratagems, I am most adept in the last move: if everything else fails, retreat. Even if Da Ming Zun Jiao’s Da Zun, Shan Mu, Yuanzi, Five Bright Sons, Five-Kind of Demons, all are present to eat and drink to their heart’s contents, I, Kou Zhong, still have enough ability to go home and go to bed. Spying fails, immediately put his Niang’s power in display. This is called being flexible and pragmatic.”
Finished speaking, he flashed her his brilliant smile.
Linglong Jiao revealed a helpless expression of not knowing whether she should be angered or amused, but she immediately spoke in low voice, “I like it that you don’t seem to care about anything, but I hate that look. Go on then!”
Kou Zhong quietly moved backward and slipped down from the roof, landed on the ground, and then he left the dark place and swaggered toward the main entrance of the main hall.
Xu Ziling took off his outer robe and his mask, and hid them inside his bosom, and then he tore off his hair, and put on the ghost-face mask. After changing shape in a single shake to become the Short-lived Cao San, light and easy he flipped over the rear courtyard wall of Chi Shengchun’s big residence, which was located at the Yongfu [lit. fortune forever] Lane on the northeast side of the city. Immediately he restraint all the pores on his body to prevent his body odor from leaking, because he had just heard the sound of dogs moving around the courtyard. Ordinary Jianghu rats and thieves could forget about concealing their presence from his sense of smell and sense of hearing, which were a hundred times sharper than ordinary person.
The place where he stood was the southeast corner of the rear garden. His toes lightly tapped the ground, he soared onto the nearest building and landed on the roof without making any noise at all.
From behind him came the sound of dogs walking around on the ground, he could not help crying inwardly, ‘Close call!’ If he was late ever so slightly, he would certainly be discovered by the vicious dogs guarding the courtyard.
Crouching low on the roof, he scanned the situation around. Relying on his understanding of architecture, he quickly decided the difference between the guest and the host structures among the layer upon layer of courtyards, and decided on a building located at the center of the courtyard manor as his target, and then pa.s.sing through rooms and leaping over buildings, he stealthily went toward it.
The building was divided into front, middle and rear, three sections, joined by long corridor and atrium, surrounded by gardens all around, the scenery was extremely fine. The flowers and trees, the ponds, the rock gardens, pavilions and gazebos, were very different from other places. It ought to be the master of the house’s place of residence.
He and Kou Zhong had learned the skill to steal from Chen Laomou, at that time it was for the account book in Madame Dongming’s hands, but now it was for the landscape painting grandmaster Guan Tong’s ‘Han Lin Qing Yuan Tu’.
According to Chen Laomou’s instruction, all treasures must be kept by the master’s side, because only then would he feel at ease; therefore, the most likely place was either the bedroom or a vault built near the place where he lay down.
This moment it was just past the first watch of the night [19:00 – 21:00], most of the people in the Chi Mansion had already gone to bed, leaving only a few buildings with lantern lights leaking out of them, not a sound to be heard, it was a piece of tranquility.
After making sure there were no signs of vicious dogs nearby, he swept into the garden without any hesitation. At the same time, he focused his power to his pair of ears to listen to any sound coming out of the building.
There were voices from straight ahead, it sounded like a man and a woman, but since it was quite some distance away, plus it was behind the wall, he could not hear what they were talking about.
The middle section was completely silent, the rear section ought to be where the bedrooms were. There were also faint lights coming out, coupled with drawn-out and even breathing noise; it appeared that the people in the room were fast asleep.
Xu Ziling wanted to go to the front section very much to eavesdrop the people talking, because it was quite possible that one of them was Chi Shengchun, but he was also afraid that Chi Shengchun might go back to the rear section to his bedroom to sleep, and then he would miss the opportunity to find the treasured painting.
Finally he made up his mind to find the treasure first and eavesdrop later, thinking that ordinary, day-to-day casual conversation, probably missing it would not give him enough reason for regret.
Putting the plan into action, Xu Ziling flew out from his hiding place, pressed himself against the wall next to the window where the lantern light was leaking out, and took a glance inside.
As soon as he took a glance, he was dumbstruck, since he had never thought that he would see such a scene in here.