"I can"t read music scores myself, though I have seen sword art ma.n.u.scripts before. This booklet really doesn"t look like a sword art ma.n.u.script. Grandmaster w.a.n.g, is there anyone in your house that knows how to play zither or flute? We might as well ask him to take a look, then we would know for sure," Madam Yue suggested.

w.a.n.g Yuanba hesitated, afraid that if this really were just a music score booklet, how embarra.s.sing it would be. So he didn"t answer right away. w.a.n.g Jiaju, on the other hand, was a total blockhead, and shouted in a loud voice.

"Grandpa, our accountant, Mr. Yi can play the flute. We can ask him to take a look at this. This clearly is the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script." How can it be a music score booklet?"

"There are many types of martial arts ma.n.u.scripts. Some people would intentionally write martial arts formulas or techniques in the form of a music score in order to keep it a secret so others wouldn"t be able to pry about. That"s not at all surprising," w.a.n.g Yuanba immediately added.

"If this mister in your house knows how to play the flute, then he would be able to tell if this really is a sword arts ma.n.u.script or a music score for flute," Madam Yue insisted.

Having no other choice, w.a.n.g Yuanba asked w.a.n.g Jiaju to get Mr. Yi, the accountant of the house. Soon he came back together with Mr. Yi.

Mr. Yi was a thin and short man in his fifties. He had a spa.r.s.e goatee on his chin, but his clothing looked neat and clean.

"Mr. Yi, will you please take a look at this booklet and tell us if it"s an ordinary zither score or flute score?" w.a.n.g Yuanba asked.

Mr. Yi opened the zither portion of the booklet and glanced over a couple of pages. "Sorry, I don"t know much about this part." He shook his head.

He quickly skimmed to the flute portion of the booklet, and suddenly his eyes brightened as he started humming along the music score in a low voice and drumming two of his fingers on the table simultaneously. After a while, he shook his head again.

"This can"t be right!"

He continued humming alone, but suddenly the pitch of his voice went very high, and only seconds later, it dropped very low.

"This is impossible! Well…well…I really don"t understand this," he muttered with a frown.

"Is there anything suspicious about this booklet? Is it very different from an ordinary music score?" w.a.n.g Yuba asked with a happy face.

"Oh Master, please look here." Mr. Yi pointed at the flute score. "This is the Gong major[2] here, but it suddenly turned into the Wei minor. That"s totally against musical theories, and it would be impossible for a flute to play. Then from here it suddenly turned into the Jiao major. That"s something I"ve never seen before. It"s simply impossible to play such music using a flute."

"Humph, you don"t know how to play it doesn"t mean others don"t know how to play it!" Linghu Chong sneered.

"You"re absolutely right!" Mr. Yi nodded. "But if someone is able to play music like this, I would sincerely admire him from the very bottom of my heart! Certainly the very bottom of my heart! Unless…unless it is he in the East Town…."

"You said that this is no ordinary flute score, and some of the tones are impossible to play using a flute, right?" w.a.n.g Yuanba cut him off.

"Ah, yes! Definitely not ordinary! Definitely not ordinary! I will never be able to play something like that. Unless it is he in the East Town…." Mr. Yi nodded.

"Which great musician in the East Town can play this music?" Madam Yue asked.

"Well…I can"t guarantee it, but…but there"s this Elder Bamboo-Green from the East Town who can play both the zither and the flute," Mr. Yi answered. "Maybe he can play it. His skills in playing the flute are way better than mine. Way better indeed! We are not even talking about the same league here! Certainly not the same league!"

"If this is no ordinary music score for flute, then there must be more behind it," w.a.n.g Yuanba said.

w.a.n.g Bofen had been listening quietly by the side. He suddenly cut in, "Father, isn"t the Four Ways Six Harmonies Knife Form of the Eight Diagrams Knife Dojo in Zhengzhou also recorded in a music score?"

w.a.n.g Yuanba immediately understood. He knew that his son was just making things up. The family of the Eight Diagrams Knife Dojo Head Master, Mo Xing, had been in-laws with the w.a.n.g Family for generations. Their Dojo didn"t have anything named the Four Ways Six Harmonies Knife Form. But he figured that since the Huashan Sword School only focused in sword arts, whether another school had this knife form or not, Yue Buqun most probably wouldn"t have known, even though Yue Buqun had good knowledge of the Martial World. So he nodded.

"That"s right! That"s right! In-law Mo certainly mentioned about it several years back. Recording knife arts or sword arts in music scores is nothing unusual at all."

"Since it"s nothing unusual at all, then would you, Grandmaster w.a.n.g, enlighten me and tell me what exactly are recorded in these two music scores?" Linghu Chong asked with a smirk.

"That…Alas, my son-in-law had pa.s.sed away, therefore, other than you, I am afraid there"s not another one who would be able to understand the secret in the music score." w.a.n.g Yuanba heaved a long sigh.

If Linghu Chong had wanted to plead innocent, he could have simply told the origin of the "Smiling Proud Wanderer" music score, but then inevitably, he would have to mention about how the Hengshan Sword School"s Great Mr. Mo had killed Great Songyang Palm Fei Bin, and that would certainly bring severe consequences; also, once Master found out that the music score was really related to the Demon Cult Elder Qu Yang, for sure Master would have it destroyed right away, then he would not be able to fulfill his promise to the dead. With these in his mind, he held his anger and responded calmly.

"Since this Mr. Yi mentioned that there"s an Elder Bamboo-Green who is an expert in music, why don"t we take the music score over to let him examine it?"

"That Elder Bamboo-Green is a weirdo who acts like a mad man. How can we believe any word out of his mouth?" w.a.n.g Yuanba shook his head.

"But we must get to the bottom of this matter," Madam Yue replied. "Chong is our apprentice and Pingzhi is also our apprentice. We can"t grant favor to either side. To find out who"s right and who"s wrong, we might as well ask that Elder Bamboo-Green to give a judgment." She didn"t want to say that this was a dispute between Linghu Chong and the Golden Blade w.a.n.g Family, so she conveniently replaced the w.a.n.g Family with Lin Pingzhi.

"Mr. Yi, would you please send a wagon for this Elder Bamboo-Green?" Madam Yue requested.

"Well, this old gentleman is a very eccentric folk. When people ask him for favors, if it"s something that he doesn"t care, he won"t pay any attention to it even if you kowtow to him at his door. But if he decides to intervene, you can"t even push him away," Mr. Yi replied.

"That sounds just like us martial people," Madam Yue nodded. "I suppose this Elder Bamboo-Green must be a senior master in the martial arts society. Senior apprentice brother, we have certainly been really ignorant."

"That Elder Bamboo-Green is merely a craftsman skilled in making baskets and floor mats with bamboo strips. He is no martial master," w.a.n.g Yuanba replied with a smirk. "He plays the zither and the flute well and also paints pictures of bamboos. Many people buy his paintings. He is just an old craftsman posing as a lover of art, and does attract a certain local crowd."

"It would be a pity if we don"t pay a visit to such a figure while we are in Luoyang. Grandmaster w.a.n.g, would you please be kind enough to accompany us and pay a visit to such an elegant craftsman?" Madam Yue asked.

Seeing that Madam Yue was quite determined to go, w.a.n.g Yuanba had to agree. So led by Mr. Yi, w.a.n.g Yuanba, his sons and grandsons set out for the East Town with the Yue Buqun couple, Linghu Chong, Lin Pingzhi, Yue Lingshan, and other Huashan apprentices.

The group went through several small streets and came upon a very narrow alley. A large bush of bamboos occupied the end of the ally. Swaying gently in the breeze, they set an elegant tone to the surroundings. As soon as the group stepped into the alley, dim sound of zither play echoed in their ears pleasantly – someone was playing a song. The alley appeared to be so refreshing and peaceful that it almost seemed as if this was an entirely different world totally isolated from the crowded city outside.

"This Elder Bamboo-Green certainly knows how to enjoy life!" Madam Yue whispered.

Suddenly, a clank echoed as one of the zither strings snapped, and the zither play halted abruptly.

"Respectful guests have arrived at my humble shack. Is there something you want to see me about?" an old voice rose from inside.

"Elder, we have this odd zither and flute music score. Would you be kind enough to examine it for us?" Mr. Yi announced.

"You have a zither and flute music score and want me to examine it? Hha, you really flatter an old craftsman," Elder Bamboo-Green answered.

Before Mr. Yi even had a chance to respond, w.a.n.g Jiaju had already shouted out, "Grandmaster w.a.n.g from the Gold Blade w.a.n.g Family is here to visit."

He had thought that because his grandfather was a very important figure in the city of Luoyang, as soon as he mentioned his grandfather"s name, the old craftsman would for sure rush out to greet them, but all he got in return were Elder Bamboo-Green"s sneers.

"Golden Blade or Silver Blade, it"s no better than the old craftsman"s rusty iron blade. An old craftsman doesn"t need to visit Master w.a.n.g, and there"s no need for Master w.a.n.g to visit an old craftsman, either."

w.a.n.g Jiaju was infuriated. "Grandpa, this old craftsman is a moron with no manners. We don"t need to see him. Let"s go home," he said loudly.

"Since we are already here, we might as well ask Elder Bamboo-Green to take a look at the music score," Madam Yue insisted.

"Hmm!" w.a.n.g Yuanba snorted as he handed the music score booklet to Mr. Yi, who, in turn, took the booklet and walked behind the bush of bamboos.

"You can put it down here," Elder Bamboo-Green"s voice rose from inside.

"Elder, is this a real music score or some kind of secret martial arts ma.n.u.script with formulas and techniques written in disguise in the form of a music score?" Mr. Yi asked.

"Secret martial arts ma.n.u.scripts? Are you out of your mind? Of course this is a music score!" Elder Bamboo-Green reproached, and moments later, sound of zither rose again, graceful and pleasant.

Linghu Chong listened to the music and soon remembered the melody – the same melody Liu Zhengfeng had played that day. The music was the same, but the previous player had long perished. Linghu Chong couldn"t help but feel mournful.

Not far into the music, the pitch of the zither sound suddenly went higher and higher until it almost sounded like a shrill whistle. Clank, one of the zither strings snapped. And as the sound went even higher, another clank echoed when another string snapped. Elder Bamboo-Green uttered a cry of surprise.

"This zither score is really odd. I don"t understand."

w.a.n.g Yuanba and his two sons and two grandsons exchanged looks among themselves, all looking content and triumphant.

"Let me try the flute score," Elder Bamboo-Green muttered, and soon the sound of a flute rose from behind the bamboo bush.

At the beginning, the flute sounded melodious and pleasant, depicting a romantic scene. But then the pitches of the flute sound turned lower and lower till it was almost impossible to recognize. And after several more notes, the sound became hoa.r.s.e, and turned into very unpleasant noises.

Elder Bamboo-Green heaved a sigh. "Little brother Yi, you play the flute yourself. Don"t you know it"s impossible to play anything with such a low pitch? The zither score and the flute score aren"t necessarily fakes, but the composer is certainly being deliberately mystifying, and perhaps is playing jokes on us. Why don"t you go home first and let me ponder over this a bit more?"

"Sure!" Mr. Yi answered and then walked out from behind the bamboo bush.

"Where"s the sword arts ma.n.u.script?" w.a.n.g Zhongqiang asked.

"Sword arts ma.n.u.script? Oh, Elder Bamboo-Green wants to keep it for a while so he can ponder over it some more," Mr. Yi answered.

"Go get it back, quick! This is an invaluable sword arts ma.n.u.script. Do you have any idea how many people in the Martial World want to get their hands onto this? How can we leave it in the hands of someone totally irrelevant?" w.a.n.g Zhongqiang admonished hurriedly.

"Ah, alright!" Mr. Yi replied and turned around to head back toward the back of the bamboo bush, again, when Elder Bamboo-Green"s voice suddenly rose again.

"Auntie, why have you come out?"

"How old is the Elder Bamboo-Green?" w.a.n.g Yuanba asked in a whisper.

"In his seventies. Close to eighty years old I guess," Mr. Yi answered.

"If an eighty-year old man still called her his auntie, then this old granny had to be at least a hundred years old," everybody thought of the same thing.

A woman"s voice acknowledged with a m.u.f.fled "hmm."

"Auntie, please take a look at this. This music score is very strange," Elder Bamboo-Green explained.

The woman acknowledged again with a m.u.f.fled "hmm." Then sound of strings being plucked rose. Apparently someone was tuning the zither. Then it fell quiet for a moment as the snapped strings were probably being replaced with new ones. After some more tuning sounds, the granny started playing. At the beginning, it sounded the same as how Elder Bamboo-Green had played. Then the pitch of the zither sound went higher and higher, but this time it somehow transformed into a higher scale smoothly and pleasantly as if it were never difficult to start with.

Linghu Chong was half surprised and half joyous. He could vaguely remember that this was exactly the same melody he had heard Qu Yang play that night. The melody sometimes sounded impa.s.sionate and moving yet sometimes turned elegant and gentle. Although Linghu Chong didn"t know anything about music, he could still tell that the artistic conception this granny had interpreted was quite different from what Qu Yang had interpreted, even though they were playing the exact same melody. The granny"s play sounded placid and gentle, making the listeners truly appreciate the exquisiteness of good music, but it lacked the exciting surges Qu Yang"s play was able to bring out. After a long while, the music gradually slowed down as if the music was drifting further and further away, and the zither player had slowly walked away, hundreds of feet, and then miles away. The notes became so subtle that it simply faded into the gentle breeze.

Just when the sound of the zither was about to fade away, a couple of very low and delicate flute sounds rose next to the sound of the zither. The sweet sound of the flute circled in the air and turned louder and louder, as if the flute player had walked closer and closer, while playing the flute continuously. The sound was clear and melodious, sometimes high and sometimes low, sometimes gentle and sometimes loud. When everyone thought that the sound was already at its lowest, after some twirls, it would turn even lower. Although subtle and mild to the extreme, every syllable was still clearly recognizable.

Gradually, some high-pitched notes would occasionally break out from the low-pitched melody, like pearls falling into a jade plate and bounced back and forth, short and brisk, as one fell down, another one would bounce back. Then more and more sounds joined and echoed each other. First, it was like a spring streaming down the mountain path, echoing as the little waves splashed over the narrow banks. Then it turned into a garden full of colorful flowers, each blossoming so vividly in a compet.i.tion to earn a glance from the dancing b.u.t.terfly. There was also the choir from the many kinds of birds, echoing each other here and there, praising the efforts of the various blossoms, and singing joyously about the beauty of the season. Then gradually, the many birds flew away one after another as the spring season quietly stepped away and the petals from the withered blossoms swirled in the air, performing their sad dance falling toward the ground. Then the rain came, which painted everything in a color of gloom and made the leaves rustle. It was now cold and dreary and lifeless. All there left was the drizzle now, so tiny that no one could tell when it went from on to off and then from off to on again. And finally, everything fell into an ultimate silence.

Only a long while after the flute had stopped playing did everyone realize the silence. All felt as if they had just come out of a dream. Although w.a.n.g Yuanba, Yue Buqun and the many others didn"t know much about music, they all found themselves deeply intoxicated by the magic of the music. And Mr. Yi simply froze there in a trance, as if his soul had faded together with the music and was no longer inside his body.

Madam Yue heaved a sigh in great admiration. "Admirable! Very admirable! Chong, what"s the name of the music?"

"It"s called the "Smiling Proud Wanderer" song," Linghu Chong answered. "This granny has such incredible skills, and it is even rarer that someone could have such supreme skills in both zither and flute."

"The composer certainly did a fantastic job writing the music, but it sure takes someone like this granny with such superb skills to be able to bring the best out of it. It must be the first time for you to listen to such wonderful melody," Madam Yue remarked.

"Actually, no! Last time when I heard it, it sounded even more spectacular," Linghu Chong replied.

"Really? How can there be anyone with even better zither and flute skills than that granny?" Madam Yue asked in surprise.

"Not necessarily better than this granny. But when I heard such wonderful music the last time, there were two players. One played the zither and the other one played the flute, and they were also playing this "Smiling Proud Wanderer" song…."

Before he even finished his sentence, three plucking sounds came from behind the bamboo bush as the granny whispered something in a very low voice. Vaguely, it sounded like that she had said, "Zither and flute playing together? Where can I ever find the other one?"

Elder Bamboo-Green"s voice rose again, loud and clear. "Mr. Yi, this is indeed a music score. My auntie has just played it. You can take it back now."

"Yes." Mr. Yi replied. He stepped behind the bamboo bush and soon returned, holding the music score booklet with both hands.

"Such fine work of art as this one recorded in the booklet is very rare and very hard to come by. Such wonder should never fall into the hands of vulgar people. And you should never have the wishful thinking of studying this music piece recklessly. It would only cause you more harm than gain," Elder Bamboo-Green added.

"Yes, yes! I would never even dare!" Mr. Yi replied sincerely, and then handed the music score booklet back to w.a.n.g Yuanba.

w.a.n.g Yuanba had heard the spectacular performance himself and knew that it couldn"t have been a fake. Returning the booklet back to Linghu Chong, he said in an awkward tone,

"Nephew Linghu, we are truly very sorry!"

Linghu Chong answered with a sneer and was just about to add some satirical words when he saw Madam Yue shaking her head at him, so he swallowed them back down.

Feeling so embarra.s.sed, w.a.n.g Yuanba, his two sons, and the two grandsons left before everyone else. Yue Buqun and the many apprentices also followed. But Linghu Chong remained. Holding the music score booklet in his hands, he stood there like a statue.

"Chong, aren"t you going back now?" Madam Yue asked.

"I just want to stay here a bit longer," Linghu Chong answered.

"Don"t be too late. Go back and take a good rest. Oh, be careful with your arms. They were dislocated pretty badly. Don"t try anything heavy." Madam Yue exhorted.

"I got it!" Linghu Chong replied.

After the group left, the small alley was quiet, once again. The only occasional sound breaking the silence were the rustling of the bamboo leaves in the gentle breeze. Staring at the music score in his hands, Linghu Chong remembered how Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang had performed the music together in that late night.

"The two of them were so lucky to have found their intimate friendship in each other and composed such a wonderful piece together," he thought to himself. "Even though the granny behind the bamboo bush has incredible skills in playing both the zither and the flute, she could only play the two parts separately. The Elder Bamboo-Green couldn"t play the music together with her. Maybe this "Smiling Proud Wanderer" song written for a zither and a flute to play together would perish forever and I would never have the opportunity to hear it ever again."

His mind fell blank for a little while before he thought again, "Uncle-Master Liu and Elder Qu, one was a senior master of the Chivalrous Side while the other was an Elder of the Demon Cult. One represented righteousness while the other one represented evil. They should have been completely irreconcilable. But when they talked music to each other, they could feel each other"s heart and ended up becoming bosom friends. They were also able to compose such a magnificent and spectacular piece of "Smiling Proud Wanderer" song together. When the two of them left this world together, hand in hand, there were really no regrets in their hearts. That was so much better than what I have to endure right now, living a lonely life in this world, suspected by my Master, forsaken by my little apprentice sister, while the only apprentice brother who respected me and loved me died in my own hands." His heart was swelled by grief and sorrow. Tears ran across his cheeks and dripped onto the music score booklet. Linghu Chong couldn"t help but choke with sobs.

Elder Bamboo-Green"s voice came from behind the bamboo bush again, "Friend, may I ask why you are crying?"

"Oh, I just grieved about my own life experiences besides remembering how the two senior masters, who composed this music piece, pa.s.sed away. I must have forgotten myself. I am so sorry. It"s my fault that I have disturbed your peace," Linghu Chong answered. After these words, he turned around to leave.

"Little friend, would you please step in here and have a word with an old man? I"d like to consult you on a few questions," Elder Bamboo-Green invited.

That caught Linghu Chong in a bit of surprise. He had seen the arrogant att.i.tude the Elder Bamboo-Green put on display toward w.a.n.g Yuanba, and didn"t expect such courtesy toward him, a n.o.body, at all.

"You flatter me. Anything Elder wishes to ask about, I will answer to the best of my knowledge," he answered, and then walked through the bush of bamboo.

What came to his eyes were five small cabins, two on the left, and three on the right, all made out of thick bamboo poles. An old man strolled out from a cabin on the left with a bright smile on his face.

"Little friend, please come in and join me for some tea."

Linghu Chong took a good look at the Elder Bamboo-Green. The old man"s back was a little bit hunchbacked. His head was almost bald. All there left were patches of spa.r.s.e hair. He had big hands and big feet, yet looking hale and hearty.

"Linghu Chong here pays his respect to an elder." Linghu Chong bowed to salute.

"I"ve only wasted more years of my life. That"s all. Come in! Come in! Make yourself at home." Elder Bamboo-Green smiled.

Linghu Chong followed him into the small cabin. The furniture inside was all made out of bamboos. A painting of a bamboo bush hung by the wall. The strokes in the painting flowed freely. Together with the many dripping ink spots in shape of bamboo leaves, the bamboo bush looked thick and dense. A zither and a flute lay on the table.

Elder Bamboo-Green poured out some dark green tea from a pottery teapot and filled a bowl. "Please have some tea," he invited.

Linghu Chong took the tea bowl with both hands and bowed slightly.

"Little friend, would you be kind enough to tell me how you ended up with this music score booklet?" Elder Bamboo-Green asked.

At those words, Linghu Chong"s heart skipped a beat. The story of the music score contained many secrets. That was why he didn"t even tell his Master and Master-Wife. But that day when Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang gave him the music score, they had intended to leave this music piece behind so it would not perish with them. The Elder Bamboo-Green and his aunt both had excellent understanding of music, and furthermore, his aunt had shown superior skills and understanding in the music piece. The two of them were quite old, but other than these two, where in the world would he be able to find a third one who would be worthy of receiving this music score? Even though there might be someone else in the world that would be an expert in music, since Linghu Chong wouldn"t be living for long, the chances of find that person would be very slim. With these thoughts, Linghu Chong pondered over it for a short while and then answered,

"The two senior masters who composed this music piece, one had superior skills in playing the zither, and the other one had excellent skills in playing the flute. The two of them became bosom friends and wrote this music piece together. But it was so unfortunate that disaster came upon them and they left the world at the same time. Right before they pa.s.sed away, the two senior masters gave the music score to me and asked me to find the right person to pa.s.s it onto, so the music piece would not perish together with them." He paused for a second and then continued. "Earlier, when I heard Elder"s aunt demonstrating her superior skills in both zither and flute, I was so relieved that I"ve finally met the destined owner of this music score booklet. Elder, please take the music score booklet and give it to the granny, so I can fulfill my promise to the two composers and comfort their souls in the underworld." At that word, he held the music score up with both of his hands respectfully.

But Elder Bamboo-Green didn"t take it. "Please allow me to ask my auntie first," he said. "I don"t know if she is willing to accept it."

The granny"s voice rose from the little cabin on the left, "Mister Linghu is too kind to have presented us with such a wonderful gift, showing his vast generosity. It would be disrespectful to decline yet embarra.s.sing to accept. Would you be kind enough to enlighten us with the names of those two senior masters who composed this excellent piece?" Strangely, her voice didn"t sound old in any way.

"Certainly," Linghu Chong answered. "The two senior masters who wrote this, one was Uncle-Master Liu Zhengfeng, and the other one was Elder Qu Yang."

The granny uttered a cry of surprise. "So it was them," she murmured.

"Do you know them?" Linghu Chong asked.

The granny didn"t answer his question and kept her silence instead. Only after a good while, she spoke again.

"Liu Zhengfeng was an elite master in the Hengshan Sword School, but Qu Yang was an Elder of the Demon Cult. The two sides have been bitter enemies for generations. What had made them compose this piece together? I am really lost now."

Even though Linghu Chong hadn"t even met the granny face to face, from her performance of the zither and flute, he was already convinced that she was an old, kind, and wise lady aloof from any of the worldly affairs, someone who would never lie to him or sell him out. If she was able to tell who Liu and Qu were, then obviously she was a fellow martial arts master. So he told her everything from the beginning to the end truthfully: how Liu Zhengfeng planned to quit at the Gold Basin Hand Washing ceremony, how Chief Zuo of the Songshan Sword School sent his Command Flag to stop the event, how Liu and Qu were hit by Songshan School elite fighter"s palm strike, how they performed the music together in the remote valley, and how the two asked him to find the right person to pa.s.s on the music piece before they pa.s.sed away. The only thing he omitted was the part when Great Mr. Mo slain Fei Bin.

The granny listened quietly. After Linghu Chong finished telling the story, she asked, "This is clearly a music score. Why did Golden Blade w.a.n.g Yuanba claim that it was a martial arts ma.n.u.script?"

Linghu Chong then told the part about how the Lin Zhennan couple was fatally wounded by the Qingcheng Sword School and Yu Canghai, how they had asked him to take their last words to Lin Pingzhi, and how the w.a.n.g brothers suspected him and etc.

"I see," the granny responded. "You could have told your Master and Master-Wife everything, the reasons and causes. Wouldn"t that have saved you a lot of trouble and kept all these meaningless suspicions off your back? I am only a stranger. Why have you told me everything without reservation?" she inquired again after a short pause.

"I don"t quite understand it myself. I guess it"s because I was deeply moved by your high demeanor after listening to your graceful performance and didn"t feel suspicious about you," Linghu Chong answered sincerely.

"Then are you saying that you actually felt suspicious about your Master and Master-Wife?" the granny asked.

Linghu Chong felt a shock in his heart. "I dare not. It"s only that…in my Master"s heart, he suspects me a great deal. Alas, I can"t really blame that on my respectful Master."

"From the sound of your voice, I can tell that you lack a solid foundation of inner strength. That shouldn"t have happened to a young man in your age. Why"s that? Have you recently fallen seriously ill or gotten wounded badly?"

"I did get wounded badly."

"Nephew Bamboo-Green, will you please bring this young man to my window so I can check his pulses?"

"Sure!" Elder Bamboo-Green answered. He led Linghu Chong to the window by the little cabin on the left side, and then asked him to put his left hand into the window through the window screen made out of thin bamboo sections. Inside the bamboo screen there was another layer of thin gauze. Linghu Chong could only vaguely see the shape of a person, but none of the face. Then he felt three ice-cold fingers touching his wrist. The granny started checking his pulse. [3] But only a short moment later, she cried out in surprise.

"This is very odd!" A few moments pa.s.sed before she spoke again, "Your right hand please."

After the checking was completed, she fell into dead silence.

"Senior master, there"s no need to worry about me. I know my life won"t last for too long. I really don"t give much thought about it," Linghu Chong said with a slight smile.

"Why are you saying that your life won"t last long?" the granny asked.

"I accidentally killed my junior apprentice brother and also lost my Master"s "Divine Art of the Violet Twilight Ma.n.u.script." I only hope that I will be able to find the ma.n.u.script soon to return it to my Master. After that, I will commit suicide in exchange for my apprentice brother"s forgiveness."

"Divine Art of the Violet Twilight Ma.n.u.script? That"s nothing extraordinary. How did you accidentally kill your apprentice brother?"

Linghu Chong then told the story about how the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies tried to heal his wounds, how the six energy streams clashed and smashed against each other inside him, how his little apprentice sister stole Master"s invaluable ma.n.u.script for him to heal himself, how he refused to read it and apprentice brother Lu Dayou decided to read for him against his will, how he sealed Lu Dayou"s pressure points, and how he must have used too much strength in sealing those points and got Lu Dayou killed.

"Your apprentice brother didn"t die off your hands," the granny concluded after listening to the entire story.

"He didn"t die off my hands?" Linghu Chong was stunned.

"Your inner strength was not pure. Just by sealing those two points, you wouldn"t be able to kill him. Somebody else killed your apprentice brother," the granny said firmly.

"Who killed apprentice brother Lu, then?" Linghu Chong murmured.

"It"s not necessary that the one who stole the ma.n.u.script is the murderer, himself, but at least the two must have some kind of connection," the granny said.

Linghu Chong heaved out a deep breath, feeling so relieved as if a huge rock had just been removed from his chest. He had asked himself the same question before. How could he have killed Lu Dayou by jabbing his two pressure points so lightly? But deep in his heart he had always thought that even if Lu Dayou wasn"t killed from his jabs, Lu still died for his sake. How can a true man shirk responsibility, shift the blame onto others, and find excuses for himself? During the past many days, he had seen again and again the intimate relationship between Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi. Out of disappointment and despair, he had really lost his will to live. There was only one thing on his mind, and that was to die and leave this world once and for all. But now when the granny reminded him, anger swelled in his heart.

"Revenge! Revenge! I must seek revenge for apprentice brother Lu!" he thought aloud.

"You said that there were six energy streams clashing inside you, but based on what I read from your pulse, there seemed to have eight energy streams. May I ask why?" the granny asked.

In loud laughter, Linghu Chong told her how Monk No Commandment had worked on mending his wounds as well.

"You have a sanguine disposition. Even though your pulses are in disorder, they showed no sign of prostration. Would you care to listen to another zither music?" the granny suggested.

"You are too kind. I truly appreciate it," Linghu Chong replied.

Soon, music rose again, but this time the melody was ultimately mild and tender, like the sound of a slight sigh, the tender petals of blossoms moistened by the silent morning dews, or the morning breeze, stroking the many hanging twigs of the willow tree. Not long into it, Linghu Chong felt as if his eyelids had grown heavier and heavier. He kept reminding himself, "I can"t doze off. I am listening to a senior master playing the zither. If I doze off, that would be so disrespectful." But as hard as he tried to stay focused, the drowsiness simply was irresistible. Before long, his eyes were closed. He lay on the ground and fell asleep. Even in his sleep, the soft and gentle music echoed vaguely in his dreams. It almost felt as if a gentle hand was caressing his hair with love and caring, and he had gone back to his childhood, resting in Master-Wife"s arms, and enjoying her tender affection. A good while pa.s.sed before the sound of the zither finally quieted down. Waking up abruptly, Linghu Chong stood up hurriedly, looking very embarra.s.sed.

"Oh, no! I am so sorry that I was so impolite to have fallen asleep while listening to your wonderful play! This is so embarra.s.sing," he muttered.

"Don"t blame yourself. I intentionally played that music to lull you into sleep, hoping the music would be able to put the energy streams inside you in order. Why don"t you try to channel your inner strength and see if the feeling of nausea has lessened?" the granny suggested.

"Many thanks!" Linghu Chong replied.

Feeling very delighted, he sat down on the ground with his legs crossed and started to channel his inner energy. He could feel that those eight energy streams still charged about inside him, clashing against each other, but that strong feeling of nausea at his chest did lessen quite a bit. He worked some more, trying to gather some inner strength, but only felt dizzier and dizzier. Suddenly, his body collapsed to the side. Elder Bamboo-Green hurried forth to prop him up and then walked him back inside the cabin.

"The Peach Valley"s Six Fairies and Great Master No Commandment all had resourceful inner energy. The energy streams they planted are too strong to be messed with from my shallow music play. I am very sorry to have put you through more pain and suffering," the granny apologized.

"You are being too modest. I have already benefited tremendously from listening to this song," Linghu Chong replied in a hurry.

Elder Bamboo-Green picked up a writing brush. Dipping it in the black ink, he wrote on a piece of paper, "Ask about learning this song and benefit all your life."

Linghu Chong immediately came to realization. "May I be bold enough to ask the senior master to teach me this song, so I can slowly improve my injury by myself?" he asked.

Elder Bamboo-Green nodded, looking very pleased.

The granny did not answer right away. After a moment of pause, she finally asked, "How are your zither skills? Will you please play a song?"

Linghu Chong blushed. "I have never learned how to play the zither before. I really know nothing about it. It was such a bold request for me to have even thought about learning the superior skills from you, senior master! Please excuse my presumptuous head."

"I"d better get going now," he bowed deeply toward Elder Bamboo-Green.

"Please wait. It is embarra.s.sing that we couldn"t repay the great generosity you have shown by giving us the wonderful music. It also troubles me deeply that your wounds are too severe to be cured. Nephew Bamboo-Green, you can start teaching Mister Linghu how to play the zither tomorrow. If he has enough patience and can stay in Luoyang for a period of time, then…then I might as well teach him this "Song of Peace and Serenity"." In the last several words, her voice almost turned into a whisper, hard to pick up.

In the early morning the next day Linghu Chong came to the small cabin in the small alley for his first zither lesson. Elder Bamboo-Green took out a brown-ended zither made from the trunk of a phoenix tree and started to teach Linghu Chong basic music theories.

"There are a total of twelve majors. They are Huang-Zhong, DLv, Tai-Cu, JiZhong, Gu-Xi, Zhong-Lv, Rui-Bin, Lin-Zhong, Yi-Ze, Nan-Lv, Wu-Yi, and Ying-Zhong. These all came from the ancient times. Legend has it that many years ago, Huang Di[4] commanded Lin Lun to create scales, and Lin Lun was inspired by phoenix"s singing, thus creating the twelve majors. A zither has seven strings and can play Gong, Shang, Jia, Wei, and Yu the five scales. The first string plays the Huang-Zhong major, and the third string plays the Gong scale. The five tones are Man-Jiao, Qing-Shang, Gong-Diao, Man-Gong, and Rui-Bin." He went ahead and started explaining every single one of them in details.

Although Linghu Chong had no prior knowledge of any kind about music theories, because of his natural gift, he picked everything up in a very fast pace. Very satisfied with his progress, Elder Bamboo-Green started to teach him the fingering techniques, and also taught him a short song named "Vivid Sky Melody." Linghu Chong followed the song several times and then played it on his own. Even though he missed several notes and his fingering looked jerky, the music depicted a good picture of the vast blue sky, cloudless and s.p.a.cious. The granny listened in the cabin next to it. When he had finished playing, she let out a gentle sigh.

"Young Mister Linghu, you have shown great talent in learning the zither. Perhaps it wouldn"t be long before you can start learning the "Song of Peace and Serenity"."

"Auntie," Elder Bamboo-Green said, "today is only little brother Linghu"s first lesson in music, yet when he played the "Vivid Sky Melody," he was already able to portray a much better imagery than I could. Sound of the zither came directly from one"s heart. I guess the reason is because he is very broad-minded indeed."

"Granny, you really flatter me," Linghu Chong replied. "I wonder when the day will come when I will be able to play the "Smiling Proud Wanderer" song the way you did."

"You…you want to play the "Smiling Proud Wanderer" song?" the granny uttered.

"After hearing senior master"s graceful performance yesterday, I felt great admiration. But of course it"s just my wishful thinking. Even master Bamboo-Green couldn"t play it, and I am far from that." Linghu Chong blushed in embarra.s.sment.

The granny fell quiet. After a long while, she finally murmured in a very low voice, "If you can play the zither part, of course that would be great…." Her voice fell lower and lower, and then a tender sigh followed.

For the following twenty some days, Linghu Chong would always come to the bamboo cabin in the small alley to take his zither lessons and stay till dusk before leaving. He ate all his lunches at Elder Bamboo-Green"s place. Though it consisted only simple vegetables and tofu, he enjoyed it a lot more than the expensive dishes that were served in the w.a.n.g Family, especially when there were also great wines to go with the lunches everyday. Elder Bamboo-Green didn"t have a great wine tolerance, but all the wine he stored were cream of the crop. He had a great knowledge about wines. Not only did he know the origins of every kind of wines, he was also able to tell the place the wine was made and the year it was made with a single sip. Linghu Chong had never heard of the many things about wine before. So he not only learned how to play the zither, but also a great deal about wines from Elder Bamboo-Green. He sometimes even felt that the theories related to wines were as deep as theories of sword arts or zither play.

Several times when Elder Bamboo-Green went out to sell handicraft arts made out of bamboos, the granny would then give him lessons behind the bamboo made screen. As days went by, many of Linghu Chong"s questions regarding the zither play were so advanced that even Elder Bamboo-Green didn"t know the answer and the granny had to answer them, herself.

But Linghu Chong never had a chance to see the granny"s face. Her voice sounded gentle and tender, as if it was the voice of a young girl from a rich family, nothing like the voice of an elderly granny living a poor life in a shabby alley. He figured that it was probably because she had been continuously nurtured by cla.s.sical music since her young age, and that was why her voice remained pleasant, just like the pleasing music she played, even in her old age.

One day, the granny taught Linghu Chong a new song named "Affectionate Thoughts." This was an ancient song from the Han Dynasty with a very sweet and melodious tone. Linghu Chong first listened to the granny playing it several times, and then tried it himself. As the music went on, unconsciously, many memories flashed by his mind. He remembered when Yue Lingshan was still a child many years ago, how the two of them, as a pair of innocent playmates, shared so much joy and fun together. He also remembered the warm affection little apprentice sister had shown when she practiced sword arts in the waterfall with him and when she brought dinners up the "Cliff of Contemplation" for him. Then, out of nowhere, Lin Pingzhi came, and how the little apprentice sister became colder and colder toward him. Grief swelled in his heart as he played on. Suddenly, the tone changed into something else, and out came the melody of a Fujian folk song – it was none other than the folk song Yue Lingshan had sung that day when she walked down the cliff. In shock, he immediately stopped playing.

"You were doing a good job playing this "Affectionate Thoughts" with much affection and good understanding of the meaning behind it. I guess you must have remembered some past events while you played. But may I ask why the tone suddenly turned into the kind of melody from the Fujian region and sounded almost like a folk song?" the granny asked in a mild tone.

Linghu Chong had always been a man of a sanguine disposition, and this was something that had smoldered in his heart for months. Feeling very grateful about how the granny had treated him so warmly and kindly for the last twenty some days, he simply couldn"t hide it to himself any longer and spilled out all about his bitter love toward Yue Lingshan. Once he started telling the story, he could no longer restrain himself, and ended up telling everything from the beginning to the end without any reservation, as if the granny had become his grandmother, or mother, or a sister. By the time he finally finished telling his story, he felt greatly embarra.s.sed.

"Granny," he apologized, "sorry that I just babbled on and on with these meaningless things. That is so…so…."

"Fate cannot be imposed upon. Like the old saying says, "Everyone has his own fate, so don"t envy others." Young mister Linghu, although you"ve lost your present love, it is not to say that you won"t find your soul mate another day," the granny replied in a gentle voice.

"I don"t even know how many days I still have left in this world. I guess having a family of my own will never be my concern," Linghu Chong said loudly.

The granny did not speak another word. Sounds of zither rose again; she started playing the "Song of Peace and Serenity." Only minutes into it, Linghu Chong almost fell asleep again.

The granny stopped playing. "From now on, I will start teaching you this song. It probably will take ten days to learn the entire song. Then you can play the song every day. Even though your inner strength won"t be fully recovered, more or less, it will be somewhat beneficial for you."

"Yes," Linghu Chong answered.

From that day, the granny began teaching Linghu Chong the music score and the fingering techniques. Linghu Chong put in good efforts in memorizing everything, and four days soon went by.

By the morning of the fifth day, when Linghu Chong was just about to head out to take zither lessons in the small alley, Lao Denuo walked to him in a hurry.

"Big apprentice brother, Master has given his order. We will be leaving here tomorrow."

"We are leaving tomorrow? I…I…." Linghu Chong was taken by surprise. He had wanted to say that he hadn"t finished learning the zither song, but he swallowed the words back.

"Master-Wife asked you to start packing. We will be setting out in the early morning," Lao Denuo added.

Nodding his acknowledgement, Linghu Chong came to the bamboo cabin in a trot.

"I will be leaving Luoyang tomorrow," he said to the granny.

The granny was taken by surprise. After a good while of silence, she finally said gently, "Why are you in such a hurry? You…you haven"t finished learning the song yet."

"I was thinking about the same thing. But this is the Master"s order. Besides, we are only guests in a foreign town. We can"t really live long in someone else"s house," Linghu Chong answered.

"That"s true," the granny answered.

That day, the granny taught Linghu Chong some more music score and fingering techniques no different from any other day.

In the many days spent together with the granny, even though Linghu Chong never saw her face, from the sound of her zither play and the dialogues between the two, he could tell that she had great care for him as if he was a member of her family. Only that she was not the kind who liked to show her enthusiasm, so occasionally when her words showed some affection, she would immediately mix it up with other things, apparently not wanting him to catch it. In this world, it used to be the Yue Buqun couple, Yue Lingshan, and Lu Dayou those four who cared the most for him, but by now Lu Dayou had pa.s.sed away, Yue Lingshan cared for Lin Pingzhi whole-heartedly, instead, and Master and Master-Wife both were suspicious of him, so he naturally felt that the Elder Bamboo-Green and the granny were the closest to him. During the day, for several times he had wanted to tell Elder Bamboo-Green that he would like to stay in the small alley, studying zither and flute and also the craftsmanship instead of going back to the Huashan Sword School. But as soon as he remembered the lovely face of Yue Lingshan, he would drop the thought, not able to bare the idea of parting with his dear little apprentice sister.

"Even if the little apprentice sister stopped talking to me, all I want is to see her once everyday. I would be happy even with just a view from her back or the sound of her few words, let alone the fact that she never stopped talking to me."

Dusk came, and it was time for farewell. Reluctant to leave Elder Bamboo-Green and the granny, Linghu Chong walked next to the window of the granny"s cabin and knelt down to salute. Vaguely he could see that behind the bamboo screen, the granny also knelt down to salute back.

"I have taught you zither skills to repay the great favor you have granted us by giving us the music score. Young Mister Linghu, why are you saluting me in such a serious manner?" the granny"s voice rose from inside the cabin.

"After our parting today, who knows when I would have the pleasure to listen to senior master"s elegant and magnificent performance? As long as I am still alive, I promise that I would come back to Luoyang once again and pay a visit to Elder and Granny," Linghu Chong replied.

Suddenly a thought came to his mind, "The two of them are already in their final days. Who knows how many years more would they be able to last? By the time I come back to Luoyang again, they"d probably be gone from this world. Alas, life is almost like a dream, hard to tell what"s real and what"s illusory. It is also like a morning dewdrop, so insignificant, so pretty, yet so brief." At those thoughts, he choked with sobs.

"Young Mister Linghu, at the moment of parting, I have an advice for you," the granny said.

"Yes, please bestow your wisdom upon me. I will keep it to my heart," Linghu Chong answered.

But for a long while, the granny kept her silence. After another long while, she finally spoke again in her gentle voice, "Ominous, the martial world is. Do take good care!"

"I got it!" Linghu Chong replied as a feeling of sadness swelled in his heart.

He bowed his farewell to Elder Bamboo-Green as sound of zither rose again from the small cabin on the left, and the music played was none other than that ancient tone – "Affectionate Thoughts."

The next day, Yue Buqun and the rest of the group bid their farewell to w.a.n.g Yuanba and his two sons. The plan was to go north by boat following the Luo River. w.a.n.g Yuanba, his two sons, and his two grandsons came all the way to the wharf to see their guest off. Servants brought onto the boat trays of silver ingots piled high – presents from the w.a.n.g Family as travel expenses. A sumptuous feast was also catered along the pier for the farewell party.

Ever since that day when the w.a.n.g Jiajun and w.a.n.g Jiaju brothers broke Linghu Chong"s arms, Linghu Chong never spoke to any one in the w.a.n.g Family ever again. At the moment of parting, he simply turned the whites of his eyes up and stared blankly toward the five members of the w.a.n.g Family as if the "w.a.n.g Family" didn"t even exist.

Yue Buqun almost got a headache because of this Head Apprentice of his. He knew that Linghu Chong was a stubborn young man. If he had forced Linghu Chong to salute w.a.n.g Yuanba for the farewell, at the current moment, he probably would bend to Master"s order and give in, but afterwards, he would most probably cause a great deal of trouble for the w.a.n.g Family and create many disturbances. That was why he thanked w.a.n.g Yuanba again and again, himself, and pretended that he didn"t see the rude expression on Linghu Chong"s face.

Linghu Chong glanced over the crowd by the side with cold shoulder. Boxes and packages of presents were brought onboard, and a good number of them were specifically for Yue Lingshan. One after another maids walked aboard the boat and presented the presents to Yue Lingshan.

"Here are some cookies and candies for Miss Yue from Granny w.a.n.g. These are some dresses for Miss Yue to wear on the road from Madam w.a.n.g and some jewelry for Miss Yue to wear from the other Madam w.a.n.g…." It almost seemed as if Yue Lingshan was a family member of the w.a.n.g Family.

Yue Lingshan thanked again and again happily with a big smile across her face. "Wow! I don"t think I can eat that much. That"s too many dresses for me!"

An old man in shabby clothing suddenly walked aboard amid the exciting crowd. "Young Mister Linghu," he called out.

Seeing that the old man was none other than the Elder Bamboo-Green, Linghu Chong was taken by surprise. He immediately stepped forth to greet him.
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"My auntie asked me to give this small present to young Mister Linghu." Elder Bamboo-Green raised his arms and presented a long package wrapped in a piece of blue coa.r.s.e cloth in white flower patterns. Linghu Chong bowed and then took the package.

"Many thanks to the senior master! I am truly grateful!" He bowed again.

The w.a.n.g Jiajun and w.a.n.g Jiaju brothers caught the entire scene in their eyes. Seeing how Linghu Chong didn"t even bother to cast a glimpse to the famous Unbeatable Golden Blade Grandmaster w.a.n.g, yet showed such deep respect to an old folk in shabby clothing, they couldn"t help but feel enraged. If it hadn"t for the sake of the Yue Buqun couple and the many apprentice brothers and sisters of the Huashan Sword School, they would have dragged Linghu Chong out and give him a good beating to vent their spleen. When they saw Elder Bamboo-Green step onto the gangboard from the bow to get back ash.o.r.e after giving Linghu Chong the package, they gave each other a meaningful glance and then jostled toward the old man with their shoulders abruptly from both sides, thinking that just a slight b.u.mp would have sent the old folk falling down into the Luo River. Although the water was quite shallow near the sh.o.r.e and wouldn"t drown the old man, at least it would make Linghu Chong lose a great deal of face.

"Watch out!" seeing what was going on, Linghu Chong called out in a hurry.

He was just about to reach out and grab the two brothers when he suddenly remembered that he didn"t have any inner strength left in him to go with the grab. He wouldn"t be able to grab onto them anyway. Even if he did get his hands onto the w.a.n.g brothers, it would be useless just the same. Within seconds, the w.a.n.g brother had b.u.mped into Elder Bamboo-Green.

"Don"t!" w.a.n.g Yuanba shouted out.

w.a.n.g Yuanba knew clearly that he was very different from ordinary martial people, for he had a big family and lots of properties in the city of Luoyang. His two grandsons were both young and vigorous. If this old and feeble folk had died because of the jostle, there would be endless trouble when the law enforcement began their investigation. But since he was sitting inside the cabin talking to Yue Buqun at the time, it was already too late for him to stop them.

A loud thud rose as the two shoulders from the two brothers b.u.mped squarely onto Elder Bamboo-Green. All of a sudden, two figures flew in the air. Immediately followed were two loud splashes – the w.a.n.g brothers had fallen into the Luo River one from each side of the gangboard. It almost seemed as if the old man was a big leather bag filled with air, and when the two w.a.n.g brothers b.u.mped into it, they simply bounced right back. The old man kept his slow pace and went tottering off the gangboard onto the bank as if nothing had happened.

As soon as the w.a.n.g brothers fell into the river, the crowd aboard the boat broke into chaos. Several sailors jumped into the river in a hurry and dragged the two out of the water. It was still early in the spring. Even though all the ice in the river had melted, the river was still icy cold. Neither of the w.a.n.g brothers knew how to swim, so they both drank a good mouthful of water. Their teeth shuddering non-stop, both of the brothers found themselves in a very embarra.s.sing situation.

In shock, w.a.n.g Yuanba checked his two grandsons, but what he saw astounded him even more. The four arms of the two brothers were all dislocated at the shoulder joints and elbow joints, which looked exactly the same as how they had broke Linghu Chong"s arms the other day. Their arms hanging by their sides, the two brothers still spilled out streams of abuses wildly.

Seeing what had happened to his two sons, w.a.n.g Zhongqiang leapt off the boat onto the bank and blocked Elder Bamboo-Green"s way. But Elder Bamboo-Green still kept his slow pace, his back arched, his head bending low.

"Who are you? Are you here to make trouble for the w.a.n.g Family in Luoyang?" w.a.n.g Zhongqiang yelled.

Elder Bamboo-Green kept walking as if he had not heard anything. Slowly, he came closer and closer toward w.a.n.g Zhongqiang.

Everyone aboard the boat had their eyes fixed on the two as Elder Bamboo-Green stepped closer and closer to w.a.n.g Zhongqiang, who extended his arms slightly out and blocked in the middle of the road. Gradually, the distance between the two shortened, from ten feet to five feet, and then from five feet to three feet.

As Elder Bamboo-Green took another step forward, w.a.n.g Zhongqiang yelled, "Enough!" He reached out with his two hands and smacked them down at Elder Bamboo-Green"s back in claw hands. Just when his fingers were about to touch Elder Bamboo-Green"s back, all of a sudden, his giant body flew in the air for tens of feet. Amid the gasps and screams of the crowd, he did a back flip in the air and then landed on the ground steadily.

When two persons ran toward each other in high speed, it would not be surprising if one of them flew in the air like this from the colliding force. But what seemed very strange was the fact that w.a.n.g Zhongqiang stood still while Elder Bamboo-Green closed in on him very slowly yet was still able to send him flying in the air from the colliding force. Even elite fighters like Yue Buqun or w.a.n.g Yuanba had no clue as what techniques the old man used to b.u.mp people into flying in the air like that.

Since w.a.n.g Zhongqiang landed so steadily without any sign of sore straits, people in the crowd who didn"t know any martial arts skills actually thought that he had leapt up all by himself to show off his Qing-Gong. The many servants and chairmen put their hands together and cheered happily. Many couldn"t wait to start praising the superb martial arts skills Master w.a.n.g had just put on display.

w.a.n.g Yuanba had been greatly surprised when he had found out that the Elder Bamboo-Green dislocated his two grandsons" arms so easily in a b.u.mp without even batting an eyelid. He figured that he could achieve the same effect himself, but it would have been very forceful and overwhelming, never as subtle as the way the old man did it, and never as swift either. By the time he saw his son sent into the air from the b.u.mp, it was no longer surprise in his heart but rather terror. He knew very well that this second son of his had mastered all of his skills and techniques. Not only could he wield a saber in an unruffled yet fierce manner, his skills in fighting barehanded and his accomplishment in inner energy were also very adequate, no less than what he himself had achieved in his prime of life. But before the two even exchanged one move, his son had already been knocked flying in the air. That was something he had never seen in his life. Noticing that his son wanted to run back for a fight after the setback, he called out immediately.

"Zhongqiang, come here!"

w.a.n.g Zhongqiang turned around and leapt back onboard. Spitting on the floor angrily, he cussed resentfully, "What a stinking, old rascal! He probably knows some kind of witchcraft!"

"How do you feel? Any injuries?" w.a.n.g Yuanba asked in a whisper.

w.a.n.g Zhongqiang shook his head.

w.a.n.g Yuanba pondered upon the situation, but only concluded that it was likely that he still lacked enough skills to take on this old man. And if he asked Yue Buqun to fight the old man together with him, it would be no glory winning the fight. So the best way out probably would be pretending that nothing had happened and just get on with it. The old man did show some mercy by not wounding his son or throwing his son off balance. That had already saved him from losing face. He watched the Elder Bamboo-Green slowly walking away, his heart filled with some kind of indescribable discomfort.

"This old man, of course, is a friend of Linghu Chong," he thought to himself, "and because my grandsons broke Linghu Chong"s two arms, he came to get even by breaking their arms. I have ruled the martial arts society in the Luoyang region for all my life. Could it be possible that I am destined to fall hard in my old age?"

By then w.a.n.g Bofen had put his two nephews" dislocated parts back in place. Two sedan chairs carried the two dripping wet young men back to their home.

"Mr. Yue, do you know who he is? I am so dim-sighted from my old age. I couldn"t tell who that elite was at all," w.a.n.g Yuanba glanced at Yue Buqun and asked.

"Chong, who is he?" Yue Buqun asked.

"He is Elder Bamboo-Green," Linghu Chong answered.

w.a.n.g Yuanba and Yue Buqun both uttered a cry of surprise. Even though they both went to that small alley the other day, neither of them had a chance to meet Elder Bamboo-Green face to face. And it just happened that the only one who would be able to recognize Elder Bamboo-Green, Mr. Yi, decided to see the guests off at the gate of the w.a.n.g house instead of coming to the wharf. That was why no one had a clue as who this old man was.

"What did he give you?" Pointing at the package wrapped in blue cloth, Yue Buqun asked.

"I haven"t opened it yet," Linghu Chong answered.

He opened the package and found a short zither inside. The zither"s body looked ancient and obsolete. Obviously, the zither was an invaluable antique. Two characters "Yan Yu" in ancient script were calved on the tail of the zither. Inside the package was also a booklet with the words "Song of Peace and Serenity" written on the cover. Feelings of grat.i.tude swelled Linghu Chong"s heart. He couldn"t help but let out a cry of joy.

"What?" Yue Buqun stared at him and asked.

"This senior master not only gave me a zither, but also copied down the entire music score for me," Linghu Chong explained.

He turned the booklet open and flipped through it. Every page was filled with beautiful calligraphy in small fonts. Not only were there words and symbols recording the music tone, there were also a great deal of notes and comments explaining in detail about the fingering techniques and various keynotes about zither play in general. The papers and the ink prints all looked new, apparently, the granny had just hand printed the entire booklet. Deeply moved by the granny"s affectionate love and care, Linghu Chong found tears rolling in his eyes.

w.a.n.g Yuanba and Yue Buqun saw with their own eyes that the booklet only contained techniques relating to zither play, and some of the strange characters and symbols were indeed similar to the ones inside the "Smiling Proud Wanderer" music score booklet. Although there were still many suspicions in their hearts, they had nothing else to add.

"A true master never reveals his abilities unless necessary. Who would have thought that this Elder Bamboo-Green is actually an elite in the marital world? Chong, do you know which school or clan he is from?" Yue Buqun asked. He had figured that even if Linghu Chong did know the answer, he would still not tell the truth, but he asked anyway, for it disturbed him very much to not know any details about such an elite fighter with such superb Kung Fu skills.

Not to his surprise, Linghu Chong answered, "I only studied zither from this senior master. I didn"t even know he had martial arts skills."

After Yue Buqun and Madam Yue bid their farewell to w.a.n.g Yuanba and the w.a.n.g Bofen, w.a.n.g Zhongqiang brothers, the boat set sail toward the north, and soon were hundreds of feet away from ash.o.r.e. The many apprentices soon engaged each other into a hearted discussion. Some were convinced that Elder Bamboo-Green had unusually superb Kung Fu skills while some others believed that nothing could prove that the old man had great skills, the young w.a.n.g brothers only fell into the river because of their recklessness, and w.a.n.g Zhongqiang only leapt away because he didn"t want to take the old man up on it.

Linghu Chong sat at the back of the boat to read the music score by himself, having no interest listening to the discussion among his junior apprentice brothers and sisters. Following the directions from the booklet, he lay his finger on the strings and felt the keys. Afraid to disturb his Master and Master-Wife, he only practiced the positioning and didn"t really make any sound.

The boat was heading in the same direction as the wind and the wave, thus gained some good speed. Madam Yue walked to the bow and tried to enjoy the scenery, but that didn"t help her get rid of the image of the odd looking Elder Bamboo-Green in her head at all. Many disquieting thoughts surged in her mind when suddenly, her husband"s voice rose next to her ear.

"What do you think of that Elder Bamboo-Green?"

This question was the exact same one she had wanted to ask her husband, so even though he had asked it first, she still asked, "What do you think of him?"

"That old man"s technique was so unusual and strange. Without even moving his arms or legs, he was still able to knock the three members of the w.a.n.g Family flying far in the air. I"d have to say that his techniques aren"t from any orthodox school," Yue Buqun answered.

"But he seems to be very nice to Chong, and it didn"t look like he was intentionally making trouble for the Golden Blade w.a.n.g Family," Madam Yue remarked.

"I hope this is the end of it. Or else, the great reputation Grandmaster w.a.n.g had built up throughout his life might be at the very brink of ruin." Yue Buqun heaved a sigh. He paused for a good while before speaking again, "Even though we are continuing our journey by water now, it is still wise to be cautious."

"Are you saying that someone might come aboard to make trouble?" Madam Yue inquired.

Yue Buqun shook his head. "We are still kept in the dark. We still have no idea who those fifteen masked a.s.sa.s.sins are and where they came from. We are in the light while our enemy is still in the dark. Our journey might not be as peaceful as we"d like it to be."

Ever since Yue Buqun became the Head Master of the Huashan Sword School, he had never experienced any serious setbacks until recently. But in the last couple of months, he had realized there was a good chance that many difficulties were awaiting them in the road ahead. But who was the enemy, and what did the enemy want? He couldn"t find an answer. Just because of this clueless feeling he was laden with more and more anxiety.

That day, the Yue couple urged their apprentices again and again to be on good guard days and nights, but as time went by, their boat entered the main river from near the Zigong County and then headed east following the flow of the river; not even one accident happened. The further away they were from Luoyang, the more relaxed each one became. And before long, their vigilance gradually slacked away.

.......

[1] A style of Chinese calligraphy, often used on seals.

[2] These names of majors and minors are used in ancient Chinese musical theories.

[3] Pulse checking was a standard procedure performed by doctors in ancient China. By checking the patient"s pulse, the doctor would be able to find out what might have gone wrong with the patient.

[4] Huang Di was a legendary character in the very ancient times (before any of the dynasties). He was considered the very ancestor of all Chinese people.