Chapter 16

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Just A Straight Road (Part 17)

Jiu Xing has just helped Xu Zhi to her feet when Jiang Jiu kicks her squarely in the midriff and sends her flying off the stage

“Xu Zhi!!”

Zhou Wen Wu tries to break out from the guards surrounding him, but there are too many of them and he can only watch in shock as Xu Zhi is kicked off the stage. In that instant, the anger, helplessness and terror that he has experienced as the bird in his dream washed over him once again. As his mind turns blank, his attackers make use of his distraction to land several blows on him. The stings from his chest and back brings him back to the present and tells him that he can forget about saving Xu Zhi if he remains dazed.

With a roar, Zhou Wen Wu raises his sword and slashes to the left, neatly slicing the throats of two guards closest to him. Unfortunately as the two men fall, four more dash forward to replace them. As he wards off the opponents on his left, a shift in the air on his right causes Zhou Wen Wu to jerk around, just in time to see the glint of a sword descending toward his head. He twists his body and dodges the blow by an inch as he quickly raises his sword to block another blow.

From behind him, three guards made use of his preoccupation with his attacker and launch an attack. This time, their swords found their mark in his shoulder and back which cause Zhou Wen Wu to grunt in pain. Ignoring the pain, Zhou Wen Wu swings his sword in a series of rapid movements and clears a path for him to dash to where Xu Zhi was standing before she was kicked off.

The kick that sent Xu Zhi flying sends a burst of fireworks through her head and the pain is so intense that it robs her of the ability to think or feel anything else. When she emerges from the haze of pain, she realizes that someone is wrapping a hand around her waist and that she seems to be lying down on the ground. Looking downwards, she sees Tong Mo pinned beneath her. She has caught her in midair and cushioned her fall. Tears filled her eyes. “Tong Mo!”

Tong Mo does not have the strength to sign and opens her lips … only to cough out a mouthful of blood. Using the last of her strength, she pushes feebly at Xu Zhi in an unmistakable signal for her to leave. Xu Zhi panics and tries to dab the blood from her lips but the roar of a wild beast distracts her.

The bear, attracted by the smell of blood, scampers towards the 2 women. As it raises a giant paw over its head, Xu Zhi hugs Tong Mo by the waist and rolls away. But she is too late and the fire that seems to burn through her back tells her that the paw has found its mark on her back. Following the sensation of fire is another jolt of pain through her head. This time, the pain is so strong that she feels like her head will be split into 2 in the next second.

Biting her lips, she quickly scrambles up, just in time to see a burly figure lands in front of her and take on the bear. The figure looks like Zhi Jin Wu but she has no time to question who and why he is here at this moment. Turning her head towards the stage, she sees a pale-looking Jiu Xing looking down at her and what seems like Zhou Wen Wu in the distance. “Jiu Xing! Where is Ah Wu?”

Turning back, Jiu Xing makes a quick a.s.sessment of the situation. “He is fighting with Master Zhou.”

“Throw me a bow and arrow!”

Jiu Xing is not sure what she intends to do but he grabs a forsaken bow and arrow on the floor near to him and hesitates a moment before jumping down the stage. Like most Xi Xuan n.o.blemen, Jiu Xing is trained in martial arts just that he is not very good it at. But now is definitely the time when every hand counts and not the time to hide away. He limps towards Xu Zhi to pa.s.s her the bow, and cringes when he sees a badly injured Tong Mo lying on the ground.

He places the bow and arrow in Xu Zhi’s hand and moves to help Tong Mo. However, he has barely taken a step towards her when Xu Zhi calls him back. He is amazed to see that Xu Zhi has already loaded the arrow on the big bow but she is obviously having trouble in focusing, and he suspects that she could be having another headache. “Da Gu Niang, are you sure you know how to use this thing?”

She takes aim and did not look at him. “If I can teach Tong Mo how to shoot, what do you think? But I need your help. This bow is too heavy for me and I need you to help me hold it steady.”

He moves towards her and pales even more when he sees the bloodied mess on her back. But he did not say more and help to hold the bow in place while she takes aim and shoots.

It is customary during each Hunting Festival to shoot the bear before killing it. The reason for doing so is because a healthy bear would be too much for even a seasoned Xi Xuan warrior to handle, which is what is happening now. The arrow finds it mark in the thick neck of the bear and the giant beast roars in pain. Weaken, the bear tries to amble away and Zhi Jin Wu uses the chance to kill it.

As he turns back for Xu Zhi, a voice rings out from the stage. “Hear my royal order. Seal the exits and bring to me Xu Zhi’s head!”

The imperial edict is a shock to everyone and all the n.o.blemen and court officials fall to their knees to plead for leniency. On stage, Zhou Wen Wu releases a cry of determination and thrust his sword midair left and right, slashing as many guards as he can. When he sees that Jiang Jiu is trying to jump off the stage, he swings his sword to stop him and forces the latter back into a throng of guards.

Down the stage, Zhi Jin Wu Wu walks towards Xu Zhi and Jiu Xing tries to block him but he is pushed aside. Zhi Jin Wu helps Xu Zhi to stand and winces when he sees the blood on her . “Xu Zhi, you need to flee. The guards may not dare to take action now but this place is too dangerous for you. It will only be a matter of time before they start acting on His Majesty’s orders so you need to leave now!”

As he half drags, half carries Xu Zhi away, she tries to get him to help Tong Mo but he refuses as he cannot handle another casualty. Rather than putting them all at risk, he rather that he just focus in saving her. Hearing their exchange, Jiu Xing walks over to try to help Tong Mo, but she waves at him to leave without her.

Jiu Xing is thoroughly confused. What is happening now? Isn’t Zhi Jin Wu and Tong Mo both loyal to His Majesty? If so, why is Zhi Jin Wu helping and why is Tong Mo asking him to leave with Xu Zhi and to protect her?

Zhi Jin Wu, Xu Zhi and Jiu Xing make their way to the exit amidst the chaos and before she steps out of the exit, Xu Zhi turns to take a last look at the stage. Rays of sunlight reflected off the bellies of dancing blades and she sees a group of guards with Jiang Jiu in their midst, attacking Zhou Wen Wu. Blood was streaming down his back and shoulder and his movements seem a little sluggish, as if weakened by his wounds. He happens to turn his head her way and for a brief instant, their gaze met and held. He seems to be saying something but he is too far away for her to figure out what he is trying say and in the next instant, she is out of the door.

The cold air helps to clear her head a little, but the image of a bloodied Zhou Wen Wu overlaps with the image of bloodied Tong Mo in her mind. Something stirs in her heart as tears filled her eyes. Unaware of her inner turmoil, Zhi Jin Wu steers her towards her carriage and suggests that they seek refuge at the Scholar’s Hall. With a hundred scholars from different nations willing to protect her, His Majesty will surely think twice about killing her. However, Xu Zhi is loathe to endanger the scholars when His Highness is under the spell of the Soul s.n.a.t.c.hing Bell and insists that they leave the city as soon as possible.

Bai Hua and Yun Qing see her approaching from afar and hurry forward to greet her. Yun Qing has came here specially to send Xu Zhi off after the event and he is shocked to see her unkempt appearance and blood on her clothes. And Jiang Jiu is not with her. What has happened?

Jiu Xing is the first to speak. “Bai Hua! Did you give the bell to that eunuch?”

At all the stares sent her way, Bai Hua flushes. “What… what…” She turns towards Xu Zhi anxiously. “Da Gu Niang, Da Gu Niang…. did I do something wrong again? Please tell me what happened. I did lend the bell to a fellow friend from Nan Ling who works for His Majesty. Did he… did he…?”

Xu Zhi finishes the sentence for her. “Did he say that he will use the bell to help Nan Ling, and that he will return the bell the moment he is done with it? Bai Hua, you told me before that your father is from Nan Ling while your mother is from Wei, and that you travelled to Xi Xuan after your parents died and left you an orphan. Does your loyalty lies with Nan Ling?”

Bai Hua can tell from her tone that Xu Zhi has really given up on her this time. She has worked with Xu Zhi long enough to know that Da Gu Niang does not care a hoot about a person’s background, status or nationality, so long as he or she is talented. This applies even if the person is a dirty beggar from a tiny country. Did she still fail to make the cut?

She only wanted Nan Ling to become prosperous, because everyone who sees her a.s.sumes that she is from Nan Ling and over time, she has come to identify with Nan Ling. “Da Gu Niang,please believe me that I have never imagine that he would use the bell against you. He is working for His Majesty and like me, he is a drifter who settled in Xi Xuan. He said that…. that the bell can give Nan Ling scholars a headstart. I did not doubt him or his loyalty towards the Xi Xuan Emperor.”

Xu Zhi looks at her steadily. “Yes, he is so loyal that he is willing to kill me just to give Nan Ling a more level playing ground. Bai Hua, it is okay if you are not good at crosswords. But how can you even fail to consider something so basic?” Closing her eyes, she sighs. “Had it not been for Tong Mo, I would have fallen to my death just now.”

Bai Hua frantically tries to see who else in their group in missing but Yun Qing beats her to it. “Where is Jiang Jiu?”

“He is still inside and there is no point even if you go in and look for him now.” Zhi Jin Wu is one who answers the question as he steers the group towards Xu Zhi’s carriage. Xu Zhi considers the fact that her carriage is too easily recognized and suggests that they switch to another carriage.

So Jin Zhi Wu stops a pa.s.sing carriage and as luck would have it, it turns out to be a carriage with Zhao Zi Huan inside. Jin Zhi Wu briefly explains to him about the strange happenings today and orders him to escort Xu Zhi out of the city. While Zhao Zi Huan hem and haws about how he and his family might get implicated by the unexpected turn of events, Zhi Jin Wu has already seated Xu Zhi inside the carriage and shouts for Bai Hua, Jiu Xing and Yun Qing to join her.

When Bai Hua asks if he is going to follow them, he shakes his head. “No, I have to go back. Even if I can only delay a moment more, at least it will be a moment more for you to leave.” Pausing, he turns back and tugs at Xu Zhi’s sleeve. “I bet you have never bothered to remember the names of the people who served you. But since this may be our last meeting, please remember my name.”

“My surname is Xu but it is not the same family branch as yours. My full name is Xu Ning and if you manage to leave Xi Xuan safely, please help me take care of my wife and children -”

He stops in mid-sentence at the sound of approaching footsteps. Turning around he sees a stony-face Jiang Jiu in a blood-stained robe and slaps the horse to pull their carriage away. “Leave!”

Tightening his grip on his sword, he rushes forward to meet Jiang Jiu and the 2 men exchange blows. Against the sounds of swords clanging in the distance, the carriage pulls away and Yun Qing bids a quick farewell to Xu Zhi. “I cannot leave with you. Jiang Jiu is trained under the same tutor who trained Wu Tong Sheng and Zhi Jin Wu is no match for him. Had the Jiang family not fallen from grace, Jiang Jiu would have replaced Wu Tong Sheng as Xi Xuan’s Number One warrior and I will try to stall him.”

“Jiang Jiu and I… have been close friends since young and we have promised each other that even if we have to betray each other one day, we will continue to cover each other back until the day we can no longer hold on. If we have to die, we would rather the other person be the one to end the other’s life. I need to send him off now but before I do so, I like to thank Da Gu Niang for fulfilling my dream to be a scholar. At least when I see my dead father in the afterlife, I would not feel too ashamed.”

Xu Zhi closes her eyes and does not speak as he dashes off, leaving Zhao Zi Huan to freak out after him. “Yun Qing! Come back you idiot! Since when have you managed to win Jiang Jiu in a sword fight! If you have not realized it, he has been giving in to you all along! Come back!”

Oh no! Not another one! Tong Mo is surely dead by now; Zhou Wen Wu, half-dead; Zhi Jin Wu, in peril; so I pray to the author not to add another body count! Both Zhi Jin Wu and Yun Qing are characters whom I am not even wiling to mention their names at the start of the story as I think that they are insignificant in the story recap. But the story has grown on me and before I know it, I have “summarized” so much that I have written their backstory too.

Yun Qing and Jiang Jiu used to be good friends when they were both carefree young n.o.blemen. When both families were persecuted, Yun Qing was the original candidate to become Xu Zhi’s personal a.s.sistant but Jiang Jiu has beat him to it, leaving Yun Qing no choice but to become a lowly entertainer. Earlier conversations between the 2 show that relations are strained. When he first appeared in the story, Yun Qing openly mocks Jiang Jiu for warming Xu Zhi’s bed; neither do they appear to be friendly at subsequent encounters. But when it comes to the crunch, their brotherhood shines through and I sincerely hope he can shake Jiang Jiu out of his spell and bring him back to his senses as it seems at this point that we have lost too many characters within the blink of a chapter.

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