Book 1 Chapter 24 - Going Down South To Chase After The Vicious

Chu Liuxiang closed his eyes and mumbled to himself, "Turns out Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang did not come to the Central Earth alone; he took his two children along. After he died, one child was entrusted to Ren Ci; but what about the other child? Whom did he entrust the child to? Who else in the world know about this matter?"

It was a secret of twenty years ago, so now, there was almost no clue to be found.

Chu Liuxiang suddenly sprang up and spoke loudly, "I know, since Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang entrusted the younger child to Ren Ci, he must have entrusted the older child to the person he fought first. As long as I can figure out who it was, I will be able to find who 'he' is."

Although Chu Liuxiang did not know the person who fought with Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang before Ren Ci did, but so far, he knew these things:

First, the person's reputation must be very high, hence Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang looked for him first before he looked for Ren Ci. In Wulin world, the number of people with higher reputation than the Beggar Clan's Gang Leader was really not many; so the range is narrowed down considerably.

Second, this person's martial art skill must be extremely strong; only then would he be able to injure Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang.

Third, this person's character must be similar to Ren Ci: enormously magnanimous; only then would he shelter Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang's orphan and teach him martial art.

Fourth, this person definitely did not like to brag; therefore, although he defeated the saber expert from Dongying, no one in Jianghu knew about it.

Fifth, this person must be residing in the Minnan region; therefore, after Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang was wounded from the fight with him, he was still able to rush to personally meet with Ren Ci in time.

Chu Liuxiang exhaled slowly and said, "Now, what I know cannot be considered a few already."

Rus.h.i.+ng out the cabin, he grabbed the punting pole and drove the fancy boat to the sh.o.r.e.

Suddenly he heard the sound of hoof beats, followed by someone calling out from a distance, "Chu Liuxiang, is it you?"

Amidst the shout, someone flew on horseback and dismounted; it was Hei Zhenzhu.

Chu Liuxiang said, "Unexpectedly you came here; how is she?"

Hei Zhenzhu was silent for half a day. "She is really obedient," he spoke coldly, "She has obediently gone home."

But suddenly he opened his eyes wide and shouted loudly, "But I want to ask you, where actually is my Diedie? How come you always refused to tell me?"

Chu Liuxiang hung his head down and said, "Your esteemed father has … has pa.s.sed away."

Hei Zhenzhu's body shook, he hissed, "You … what did you say?"

Chu Liuxiang sighed and said, "I already have your esteemed father's remains preserved at Lu Dong Red Rock Cliff. In the fis.h.i.+ng village by the sea, there is a Li Tuozi [lit. hunchback Li]. If you hasten there, ask him to take you to my boat. When you see Su Rongrong, you will also be able to see your esteemed father's remains."

Hei Zhenzhu rushed a step forward and spoke sternly, "How could my Diedie's body be on your boat? Did you kill him?"

Smiling wryly, Chu Liuxiang replied, "It's hard to explain the twists and turns in this story clearly in short moment, but Rong'er will be able to tell you in details … As for the man who killed your esteemed father, he is currently on this fancy boat."

He has not even finished, Hei Zhenzhu already flew to the boat.

Chu Liuxiang rolled his eyes, suddenly he spoke loudly, "I need to borrow your precious horse, someday, I'll return it to you with grat.i.tude …"

Amidst his voice, he already flew onto the horseback, raised his whip, and was gone in an instant!

After meeting with Qiu Lingsu on Mount Ni, Chu Liuxiang went down the mountain to the woodcutter's house to fetch this horse. Riding on it, he returned to Jinan with only one purpose in mind: to find NanGong Ling. Therefore, he did not return the horse to Hei Zhenzhu, but entrusted the horse to an inn. By the time he came back from the Beggar Clan's Fragrance Hall, the horse has already run out of the stable to look for its master. It was precisely because of this horse that Hei Zhenzhu and Yitian Hong discovered that Chu Liuxiang has returned to Jinan, and thus they came in time to save Su Rongrong.

Only by relying on this horse would Chu Liuxiang be able to reach Minnan in the shortest time possible. But when he arrived at Minnan, he was completely disappointed.

Whatever happened twenty years ago, the people there have long ceased to remember. As for the Chen and Lin families, two prominent Wulin families of Minnan, they have never even heard of Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang's name.

One day, Chu Liuxiang reached Xianyou [county, in Putian, Fujian]. Although the scenery around Xianyou was magnificent, Chu Liuxiang was in a very bleak mood; unexpectedly he was not even in the mood to drink any wine, he just wanted to drink two cups of bitter tea instead.

Minnan was a tea-producing region. In Xianyou town, teahouses were numerous, they also paid very particular attention to the tea-drinking utensils. He saw that everybody sitting inside the teahouse had their eyes closed while raising the teacup, which was even smaller than a winecup, and carefully sipping the tea. In the eyes of Minnan people, those who drank tea using large bowls are practically like a cow.

Chu Liuxiang also ordered a pot of fragrant and bitter tea, the bitter and astringent Tieguanyin [a variety of oolong tea]. Although upon entering the mouth the tea tasted bitter, upon drinking it, it actually left fragrant taste on the teeth and cheeks, and filled the mouth with sweet taste.

After two cups of tea, Chu Liuxiang's restless mood gradually quieted down. It was only then did he find out that Minnan people had so many rules in drinking tea; first and foremost being the people's mind must be tranquil. Their skill in cultivating the heart and nurturing the character was trained precisely via one cup after another of this strong tea beverage.

Although the teahouse was full of people, everybody was speaking softly, a far cry from the noisy and boisterous teahouses of the north.

This moment, two big men in brocade clothes walked in, while loudly talking and joking. One man had pockmarked face, carrying a yellow bundle strapped diagonally across his back. While walking and laughing, he said, "Meeting an old friend in a foreign place is indeed one of the joy in life. Xiaodi simply must drink two cups with Feng Xiong today."

The other man had a face full of dragon beard; laughing heartily, he said, "Qian Xiong has been living in Minnan for a long time, could it be that you also like to drink only tea and don't want to drink wine anymore?"

The pockmarked man laughed and said, "Wine! Feng Xiong, you drink wine every day, but what Xiaodi wants to invite Feng Xiong to taste today is the immortal-grade tea. Not that Xiaodi is bragging, but such tea, I am afraid Feng Xiong has never tasted it in all your life."

All eyes in the teahouse were turning toward the pockmarked man, but he acted as though there were n.o.body else present. He took out a long bamboo tube from the yellow bundle on his back.

When he opened the bamboo tube, a whiff of sweet smelling aroma permeated the air, intoxicating everybody's mind.

The dragon-bearded man laughed and said, "What a fragrant tea! Long time no see, unexpectedly Qian Xiong has become so sophisticated."

The pockmarked man carefully took a pinch of tea, and ordered the teahouse attendant to brew a pot using first-rate spring water. Only then did he turn his head around and said with a laugh, "To be honest, although Xiaodi has the tea on me, were it not for meeting such an old friend like Feng Xiong, ordinarily Xiaodi is a bit reluctant to drink it."

The dragon-bearded man laughed and said, "If Qian Xiong is reluctant to drink it, why do you carry it around like that?"

The pockmarked man smiled and said, "Just because this tea is the thing that a certain Wulin qianbei [senior] take pleasure in the most. Xiaodi has received his, the Senior's, big kindness in the past, nothing can repay that kindness. Only every year, using a thousand ways, a hundred plans, I searched for this tea, and deliver it to him, the Senior, just to show a bit of my grat.i.tude. Other things, he, the Senior, absolutely refused to accept."

"I wonder who this Wulin qianbei is," the dragon-bearded man said, "Unexpectedly he could make Qian Xiong admires him this greatly?"

The pockmarked man's smile became even prouder; he slowly said, "Feng Xiong should have heard the name Tian Feng Das.h.i.+?" [Translator's note: Tian Feng means heavenly peak, different characters from the 'tian feng' of Tianfeng s.h.i.+si Lang. Reminder: das.h.i.+ - great master, a term of respect to address Buddhist monk.]

The dragon-bearded man blurted out, "Tian Feng Das.h.i.+ …? Could he be the Zhangmen [head/chief of a school] of Shaolin's southern branch, the Fangzhang [Abbot] Das.h.i.+ of Putian Shaolin Temple?"

The pockmarked man laughed and said, "Precisely he, the Senior."

Chu Liuxiang's heart suddenly moved; he could not help walking over and said with a laugh, "Mantianxing [lit. sky full of stars, Baby's Breath flower (Gypsophila paniculate)], I am your old friend, how come you did not invite me to drink tea?"

The pockmarked man cast him a glance. His countenance sank, he said, "Friend, who are you? You seem unfamiliar to Zaixia."

Chu Liuxiang smiled and said, "Seven years ago, Ties.h.i.+zi [iron lion] Alley in Beijing, have Qian Xiong forgotten about it?"

He had not finished speaking, the pockmarked man quickly rose to his full height; emotionally moved, he said, "Could it be that Sire is …"

Chu Liuxiang laughed aloud and cut him off, "It's good that you remember; there is no need to mention my name."

Unexpectedly the pockmarked man dropped down to his knees and spoke respectfully, "Seven years ago, were it not for … Gongzi came to my rescue, I, Qian Mazi [pockmarked surnamed Ma] would have fallen head first under 'Meihua Jian' Fang Huan and 'Shuang Zhang Fan Tian' Qiaozi He's hands [See Chapter 1 on these two]. Even though I, Qian Mazi for a period of time was trying to repay Gongzi's great kindness, I regret to say that I lost Gongzi's brave and chivalrous tracks. I never thought that I can finally see Gongzi today; it is indeed a providential good fortune."

Noticing that the famous and hard-to-impress Qian Mazi was so deferential toward this young man, the dragon-bearded man could not help feeling emotionally moved as well. But he was a Jianghu veteran as well; by weighing up his words and observing his facial expression, since he knew that this young man was unwilling to divulge his ident.i.ty, naturally he was not going to ask either. He simply cupped his fist and said with a smile on his face, "Zaixia Feng Tianhe, hoping that in the future Gongzi would bestow instructions to increase my knowledge."

Chu Liuxiang smiled and said, "Ye You Shen's [lit. nightwalker immortal/deity] great name, Zaixia has already heard it like a thunder in my ears."

The three of them drank two pots of tea, while chatting over some inconsequential matters. Finally Chu Liuxiang slowly steered the conversation by looking at Qian Mazi and spoke in heavy voice, "Just now Qian Xiong mentioned Tian Feng Das.h.i.+. Could he be the one who, forty years ago annihilated the Eight Evils with his palms, fought Tianmen's Four Elders single-handedly, the Shaolin's Monk Ku, whose name shook the heavens?"

Clapping his hands, Qian Mazi said, "Precisely he, the Senior!"