The youngster in black followed him with his eyes. Shaking his head, he said, "I wonder if that man is kind of sick?"

Chu Liuxiang sighed and said, "That man's sickness is that he kind of likes to meddle in other people's business. He thought he is doing me a favor, but he has actually spoiled my big plan."

The youngster in black could not help asking, "He spoiled what big plan of yours?"

Chu Liuxiang replied, "I originally wanted to use jadeite in exchange of a pearl, but he spoiled my business deal."

The youngster in black stared blankly at him, as if his face has suddenly grown a flower. His eyes full of astonishment and curiosity, he said, "I only felt that he is sick; who would have thought that you are actually a lot sicker than him."

Chu Liuxiang roared in laughter; he said, "This is called 'fellow sufferers empathize with each other' [idiom: misery loves company], 'similar things come together' [idiom: birds of a feather flock together]."

The youngster in black said, "But I have no sickness whatsoever, apologies for not accompanying you."

He was about to turn around to leave, Chu Liuxiang suddenly said, "You wanted to ask me something; don't you want to ask me now?"

These words were like a bowl; all of a sudden it caught the youngster in black's foot. Immediately he turned around, his face lit up, and he said, "Now you are willing to tell me?"

Without even thinking Chu Liuxiang said, "I saw the flying camel inside your cape, hence I know you must be either the son or nephew of 'King of the Desert'. I once saw him inside the Pa.s.s, hence I knew he already entered the Pa.s.s."

The youngster in black's eyes lit up, "You've see my Diedie?" he asked.

Chu Liuxiang heaved a sigh; he said, "If you are willing to trust me, our difficulties can be resolved."

The youngster in black looked straight into Chu Liuxiang's eyes. Under the starry sky, this pair of eyes seemed to be brighter than the stars. The youngster in black suddenly laughed and said, "Very well, I trust you."

Chu Liuxiang sat down, leaning against the roof ridge. If he could sit, he would never stand. Stretching out his limbs, he laughed and said, "That being the case, I'll ask you to quickly tell me what exactly was written in that letter."

"Letter?" the youngster in black said, "Didn't I give that to you?"

Smiling ruefully, Chu Liuxiang said, "I am decreed by fate not to see the letter, but as long as I can hear it, I will be perfectly contented."

The youngster in black spoke slowly, "What if I have not seen it?"

Chu Liuxiang tensed up immediately, "If you say you have not seen it, I am afraid I will faint at once," he said.

"Then faint!" the youngster in black said.

"You really have not seen it?" Chu Liuxiang blurted out.

Unexpectedly the youngster in black chuckled. "I have not seen it," he replied, "But my Diedie has read it for me."

Chu Liuxiang heaved a long sigh; he muttered, "To be able to see you chuckle, even if I have to be scared to death it is worth it."

The youngster in black said, "Listen up, the letter says …"

"Wait!" Chu Liuxiang said, "Wait for me to wash my ears clean first."

The youngster in black laughed, and then said, "The letter says: 'Parting for many years, remembering the lord's elegance, which must have surpa.s.sed the past, while Qie [I, your servant (deprecatory self-reference for woman)] is already a lot more wan and sallow, now caught in predicament, wis.h.i.+ng the lord remembers old affection, to come and bestow your a.s.sistance. If the lord does not come, Qie could only die.' The signature on the bottom was only one character, 'Su'."

After suffering untold hards.h.i.+ps, Chu Liuxiang was finally able to listen to, which was tantamount to looking at, the letter. Although he had already guessed the content of the letter, but now he was able to verify it with his own ears, hence he was somewhat more confident.

It was a pity that the letter did not mention what the difficulty was. Chu Liuxiang could not help feeling a bit disappointed. After being lost in thought for a long time, he muttered, "Whatever the case, presumably Qiu Lingsu's difficulty is related to the Beggar Clan."

"My father also thought of that point," the youngster in black interrupted, "Hence the reason I thought my father's disappearance must be related to the Beggar Clan; otherwise, how could I intentionally want to become a stench in the Beggar Clan's nostrils?"

Chu Liuxiang thought for a moment. "This letter, when was it received? Who delivered it?" he asked.

The youngster in black proudly laughed and said, "My father roamed the desert as a knight-errant, all year long his whereabouts is uncertain, we completely rely on flying pigeons to exchange information, to get in touch with subordinates in various places. Although he is called the 'King of the Desert', his influence reaches far into various provinces inside the Pa.s.s. The letter was received a month ago, delivered by carrier pigeon from Lincheng [county, in Xingtai, Hebei] pigeon station."

"But who delivered this letter to Lincheng pigeon station?" Chu Liuxiang asked, "How did he know the 'King of the Desert' has a pigeon station in Lincheng?"

The youngster in black sighed and said, "This question of yours, I am afraid n.o.body can answer it."

"Why?" Chu Liuxiang asked.

The youngster in black replied word by word, "Because everybody at the Lincheng pigeon station has died."

Chu Liuxiang took a long, withdrawn breath. He was silent for half a day. Finally he said, "Your esteemed father went out only for a month, somehow you think he disappeared?"

The youngster in black said, "After entering the Pa.s.s, my father sent pigeon letter to stay in contact with me every day, but more than ten days ago the letters suddenly stopped. If not for encountering enormous misfortune, he definitely would not forget to write a letter to me."

"And so you followed him out?" Chu Liuxiang asked.

The youngster in black replied, "Naturally I immediately traveled at double speed to enter the Pa.s.s, while making some inquiries at the pigeon stations along the way, yet there is no news about him, the Senior. Only after finding out that the Lincheng pigeon station personnel suddenly died by violence, I became anxious, hence I looked for the Beggar Clan."

Chu Liuxiang's eyes flashed, "What did you find from the Beggar Clan?" he asked.

The youngster in black sighed and said, "I didn't find anything. Not only the Beggar Clan people completely did not know my Diedie's whereabouts, practically they do not have any difficulties for the past few years, so they can't possibly seek help from outsiders."

He stared at Chu Liuxiang, and then spoke slowly, "But the more so, the more I doubt them. I always feel that under their peace-and-security-with-no-problem-at-hand outside appearance, there must be a hidden secret. My Diedie clearly received their Madam Gang Leader's letter; he clearly must have had contact with the Beggar Clan, how could they have not the slightest bit of knowledge?"

Chu Liuxiang muttered to himself irresolutely, "Perhaps Mrs. Ren's difficulty is only her own personal matter; she simply did not wish others in the Beggar Clan to know. She and your Diedie met each other, it was also concealed from the others' eyes."

The youngster in black said, "Naturally that is also a possibility. But there are two things that I find strange: first, within the Beggar Clan, unexpectedly n.o.body knows their own Madam Gang Leader's whereabouts. Second, you must not forget, their old Gang Leader Ren Ci died within this period of time. Although it is said that he died because of illness, who within the Jianghu saw it with his own eyes?"

Chu Liuxiang suddenly sprang up, and spoke in heavy voice, "From what you have been jabbering about, only this sentence hit the spot right on. But you must not repeat it to anybody else, otherwise there might be instant chaos in Jianghu. This Gang Leader throne of the world's biggest gang, everybody in the world, whether he is a Beggar Clan disciple or not, would want to sit on it."

The youngster in black said, "As long as I can find my Diedie, whether Jianghu is in chaos or not, it's none of my business."

Chu Liuxiang pondered deeply for half a day, and then he went on, "Since you are this anxious to find your esteemed father's whereabouts, how could they still not know your background?"

The youngster in black replied coldly, "The reason is very simple … those Beggar Clan disciples whom I have asked would no longer able to divulge any of my secrets."

Chu Liuxiang sighed; smiling wryly, he said, "This business of killing people seems to come to you quite easily."

The youngster in black said, "If I don't kill other people, other people would kill me. Although killing is not a pleasant thing at all, it is always better than being killed."

Chu Liuxiang said, "How did you know that Nangong Ling wanted to kill you? Why didn't you ask him directly?"

"I always feel that he is not a good man," the youngster in black replied.

Chu Liuxiang chuckled and said, "Just based on your feeling? That reason is not enough."

"In my case, that reason is enough," the youngster in black replied.

His eyes lit up again; fixing his gaze on Chu Liuxiang, he continued slowly, "Do you think … if you ask him, would he tell you?"

Chu Liuxiang replied, "Do you think … he has any reason not to?"

The youngster in black said, "If he has done some shameful deed, naturally he would not tell you."

Smiling wryly, Chu Liuxiang said, "In that case, if he is unwilling to tell me, would that be tantamount to proving that he has done some shameful deed? Just think, could there be such a fool in the world?"

The youngster in black thought for a moment. He spoke slowly, "If he told you, would you be willing to tell me?"

"Is there any reason why I would not be willing to tell you?" Chu Liuxiang replied.

The youngster in black laughed again; he said, "Turns out Bandit Chief Chu Liuxiang is not at all as hateful as the legend says."

His cold and detached face revealed a hint of smile, just like on the frozen glacier, on the frigid earth suddenly blew spring breeze, bringing warmth that arose from the bottom of one's heart.

Chu Liuxiang sighed and said, "If you are willing to laugh more often, you will find that there are so many people in the world that are not at all as hateful as you think."

The youngster in black immediately returned to his wooden expression; he spoke coldly, "Whether there are many hateful people in the world or just a few, it has nothing to do with me. I only ask you: you are going to ask Nangong Ling, when are you going to tell me?"