Book 9 Chapter 8 – Meeting Face-to-face On A Narrow Path

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling stood respectfully by the table, unable to take their eyes off beautiful Ranch Master Shang Xiuxun, whose beauty shared the limelight with Wanwan, who, at this moment, was picking up a piece of smoked fish with her fingers, and sent it to her fragrant lips, using her unique school’s eating technique, slightly revealing a perfect row of her snow white teeth, and took a small bite with a charm that was beyond human understanding. Her pretty eyebrows were slightly knitted as she slowly chewed the fish.

Big Sister Fu and Xiao Juan, who were standing on the other side of the table, were also nervous. They were afraid she would be dissatisfied and kick the two boys out of their Ranch.

Shang Xiuxun cast a sidelong glance toward the two boys. Suddenly, with a somewhat childish embarrassment she gobbled up the rest of the fish, and chewed happily. Her table manners and her expression were indescribably moving.

Pretending to be modest, Kou Zhong asked, “Is it acceptable?”

Shang Xiuxun rolled her pretty eyes, but was still unwilling to meet his eyes. “Well,” she said, “Your level of achievement this time is better than those strange cake. Ah! No! It is simply incomparable. After this, I don’t want you to become Pastry Chefs anymore!”

Xu Ziling respectfully said, “How about Changzhu try the sweet and crispy first before making decision?”

Shang Xiuxun cast him a quick glance, making Xu Ziling, a man with very high mental power also felt the unusual force from her pair of vast and deep, limpid-autumn-water eyes that hooked his soul and summoned his spirit. A bit reluctant to put down the smoked fish, she grabbed a piece of sweet and crispy, and quickly put it in her mouth.

Emotionally moved, she asked, “Did you really make these?”

Very pleased with himself, Kou Zhong said, “Hey! Yesterday we were still getting used to the kitchenware and the ingredients in this place, hence we somewhat failed to meet your standard. This time Changzhu is finally able to taste our real skill!”

Like having a full wind behind his sail, Xu Ziling caught on, “Culinary art is just like calligraphy or painting, only by having ideas one would be able to move the brush. We also have to immerse ourselves to study meticulously. If Changzhu can give us more free time to study, our products will be a lot better.”

Regaining her composure, Shang Xiuxun’s beautiful eyes flitted across the two boys. Slowly putting down the crispy cake, she leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes. “Do you know how to paint?” she asked.

Just now Xu Ziling was merely parroting Lu Miaozi, but at that time he did not teach him how to answer this kind of question; without any choice he simply said, “Xiao Ren [little/lowly one] does not know. It was our Shifu who told us when he taught us this skill.”

Shang Xiuxun opened her eyes, nodded and said, “Your Shifu must be an extraordinary person.”

And then she went on, “Looking your as-healthy-as-a-horse physique and your robust body, have you ever learned martial art?”

Xiao Juan hastily signaled them with her eyes, imploring the two boys to be careful in responding to this question.

Sticking out his chest, Kou Zhong said, “A dozen or so ordinary low-class thieves are not our match.”

This was precisely Kou Zhong’s brilliance. It should be noted that although the two boys were able to suppress the natural true qi within their body, and were able to diffuse the gleam in their eyes, but martial art masters are martial art masters; inevitably, there would be enough of spirited vigor showing through. At least due to their qi cultivation, their skin would glow, their muscles firm, which would be hard to conceal from anybody with discerning eyes.

Kou Zhong straightforwardly admitted that he knew martial art, and he did it with such exaggeration that others would be suspicious instead.

Shang Xiuxun spoke indifferently, “So you use a saber?”

Feigning amazement, Kou Zhong asked, “How did Changzhu know?”

Big Sister Fu was obviously Shang Xiuxun’s pet; she interjected, “When your arrived, every body in the Ranch saw a rusty saber hanging on your back. Hee! Did you pick it up on the road?”

Grabbing his head, Kou Zhong said, “Dajie guessed correctly!”

Shang Xiuxun spoke tactfully, “Tomorrow morning, get the saber and show it to me.”

Turning to Xu Ziling, she said, “How about you? What kind of martial art did you learn? Who taught you?”

Xu Ziling replied, “I trained punching and kicking skill; just like Xiao Ning, we have trained under more than a dozen different Shifu, none of them belonged to certain school or sect.”

This moment the Housekeeper, Shang Zhen came in from the main hall to report, “The guests will be here shortly.”

Shang Xiuxun stood up gracefully and said to Big Sister Fu, “Teach these two kids the Mansion’s rules, do not be lacking in manners toward outsiders.”

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling sat in a cloister built around a building behind the Ranch Master’s residence, enjoying the preferential treatment Big Sister Fu was giving them.

Sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, Kou Zhong stretched out and said, “Can you guess who’s coming?”

Xu Ziling was sitting on the lowest wooden step in the middle of the porch leading toward the courtyard, with his feet stepping on the grass. He was listening attentively to the voices intertwined with the sound of cups and plates in the main hall. Hearing the question, he said, “There are a lot of elites in the north, how can I guess which one is it?”

“Being a servant does not seem to be too bad,” Kou Zhong said, “But the worst thing is that we have no freedom; the Ranch is this much big and this much fun, but we are trapped in here.”

“You just want to learn how to raise horses, right?” Xu Ziling asked, “If you are not happy, we can leave anytime.”

“Don’t go yet,” Kou Zhong excitedly said, “If we go, we can’t walk the Heaven’s way.”

Stunned, Xu Ziling asked, “What do these two things have to do with each other?”

Lowering his voice, Kou Zhong told him about the Four Big Bandits forming an alliance.

Emotionally moved, Xu Ziling said, “We can’t just ignore this matter, but what can we do?”

Hearing that, Kou Zhong was greatly delighted, but he was interrupted by Xiao Juan’s footsteps.

Seeing the two boys disregarding the filth, like a dead snake or rotten trash sitting on the floor, the little girl angrily scolded them a moment. She said, “Crawl up quick! Changzhu wants you in the main hall to serve the guests, to explain how you made the smoked fish.

Upright and unafraid, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling stepped into the main hall. From behind the carved-flower screen they peeked into the packed hall, where the banquet was taking place; immediately their countenance changed. With their heads hung low, they turned around to scurry back inside.

Seeing this, Big Sister Fu was startled; quickly spreading out her arms, she blocked the two boys’ escape route and hissed, “What are you doing? Don’t you know Changzhu and the guests are waiting for you?”

Kou Zhong smiled apologetically and spoke in the lowest voice he could muster, “Just now the two of us ate the wrong things, so now we need to go to the latrine to poo. Advancing together retreating together. Fu Dajie, please be kind and make things easy for us.”

Big Sister Fu was angry, amused, and anxious, all at once. Stomping her feet, she said, “Don’t act willfully and make a scene, whatever it is, you just have to bear it for a moment. Humph! Only ghost will believe your nonsense [orig. ghost talk]. Quickly get in! Otherwise, house rules await.”

Xu Ziling also lost his heroic spirit; he pleaded for leniency, “Xiao Ning indeed talked nonsense [again, ‘ghost talk’]; the fact of the matter is that we are not accustomed to grand occasion like this, right now we are so nervous that we feel like going pooping. Would Fu Dajie please tell Changzhu, so that we would not make her lose face?”

Before Big Sister Fu had any chance to reprimand the two boys sternly, Shang Xiuxun’s silver-bell-like voice already called from the inside, “Xiao Ning, Xiao Jing, what are you doing over there? Come here quickly to greet the noble guest. Princess Xiuning enjoys your smoked fish very much; she wants to compliment the Chefs!”

This time, even Kou Zhong regretted that from thousands and tens of thousands names in the world, why would he called himself Xiao Ning? But now it was too late. Just like riding a tiger and cannot get off, plus Big Sister Fu’s push with all her strength, the two boys braced themselves to step away from behind the screen.

Under everybody’s gaze, they felt like they were marching into the marketplace without a single thread of clothes on; totally embarrassing and unbearable.

“Ah!”

Li Xiuning’s sweet and tender voice entered their ears; knowing that they had been recognized by her, the two boys did not have any courage to even raise their heads.

This evening, the Flying Horse Ranch’s six most important people were all present, because the VIP guest was none other than the Tang King Li Yuan’s daughter, Li Shimin’s younger sister, and Kou Zhong’s first love, Li Xiuning.

Chapter 8 - Part 2

Even when facing a magnificent army with thousands of men and horses, Kou Zhong would not be this timid and desperate.

Shang Xiuxun, Shang Zhen, and Liang Zhi, the four Managers’ attention was fixed on Kou and Xu, two boys. Suddenly hearing this tender exclamation, they could not help turning their gaze toward Li Xiuning in shock.

Accompanying Li Xiuning this time was Li Gang and Dou Wei, but neither one knew the two boys. Seeing Li Xiuning, who had always been sweet-tempered, gentle and quiet, unexpectedly cried out involuntarily because of two Pastry Chefs, they were also greatly puzzled.

Li Xiuning’s astonished expression quickly faded; somewhat embarrassed, she said, “Please forgive Xiuning for failing to follow etiquette; it was simply because I have never expected that the two Shifu are so young.”

This moment Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling already came to the banquet table; they stood facing Li Xiuning, with grim expression and hands hanging by their sides.

Li Xiuning recovered her usual calm, poised and elegant demeanor; turning toward Shang Xiuxun on her right, she smiled and said, “How do we address the two Shifu?”

Shang Zhen, who was sitting to her left, replied on Shang Xiuxun’s behalf, “One is Fu Ning, the other Fu Jing; they are fellow brothers from the same village.”

He did not point out which one was Fu Ning and which one was Fu Jing; apparently because he did not have any respect toward the two boys, and simply introducing them perfunctorily.

Li Xiuning repeated the names ‘Fu Jing’ and ‘Fu Ning’ twice in her heart. Her pretty face suddenly turned slightly red; apparently she had just gained a sudden comprehension. Fortunately the change was not too obvious, so that the other people were unaware of it.

Shang Xiuxun laughed and said, “Xiao Ning, Xiao Jing, Princess Xiuning and Li Gang, Dou Wei, two Daren are praising your smoked fish to high heaven; they even thought that it was wirhout equal under the heavens. Why haven’t you thanked them?”

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling forced a smile inwardly; without any choice they bowed down to express their thanks.

Li Gang was astute; seeing the two boys’ outstanding appearance, which was rarely seen in the world, he knew that only Li Shimin could be compared to them. Thereupon he sounded them out, “Based on two Xiao Shifu’s natural endowments and talents, no matter which business you picked, I am sure you will stand out among your peers. How did you select culinary art?”

Kou Zhong replied nonchalantly, “This is called ‘the time dictates the fate’. If it were time of peace and prosperity, we, two brothers, might find a way to seek scholarly honor, to do something good for common people.”

Astounded, Dou Wei said, “Xiao Shifu’s style of conversation is not uncouth, your words carry deep meaning, but was the tone desolate and cold? Was it because of some sad memories?”

Xu Ziling was afraid Kou Zhong might expose some mistake in his speech, plus he noticed that Shang Xiuxun’s beautiful eyes were fixed at them with thoughtful expression in them, thereupon he hurriedly replied, “Just before entering the Hall, we, two brothers were chatting idly, which led us talking about our hometown being ravaged in the fire of war; therefore, our mind was in turmoil. Dou Daren, please do not take offense.”

Li Gang nodded; addressing everybody sitting around the table, he said, “The whole country in rebellion, the first to bear the brunt has always been the common people. Take the private coin minting that is very popular nowadays; it brings the maximum destruction toward common people’s livelihood. Originally one thousand qian is worth two catties. But now in private coin minting, a thousand qian is less than one catty; so much so that iron disk, leather and paper are being used in place of copper coin. If this situation continues, I really don’t know what the end will be.”

Liu Zongdao joined in, “If only the Great Tang can unify the world, corrupt practices will be eliminated, the world will be in peace and security.”

Li Gang chuckled and said, “It will require Changzhu’s full support for this endeavor to succeed.”

Shang Xiuxun declined to comment. Rolling her beautiful eyes, she turned toward Li Xiuning, who was sitting quietly with a blank expression on her face, “Princess, aren’t you going to inquire how they made the smoked fish?”

As if she was just awakened from a dream, Li Xiuning said, “Xiuning is going to! Tomorrow I want to visit the kitchen to get a hands on lesson with two great Shifu; that would be the best approach.”

A jealous look flitted through the Fourth Manager Wu Zhaoru’s eyes; he proposed, “I’m sure Princess Ning is very busy. I could have them write the recipe in details; that would work as well.”

Li Xiuning cast a quick glance toward Kou Zhong, who had his head hung low, and insisted, “It would be better if Xiuning personally ask for two great Shifu’s brilliant guidance!”

Shang Xiuxun laughed indifferently and said, “Just as Princess wishes!”

Turning toward the two boys, she said, “You are dismissed, go get some rest.”

Returning to their room, Kou Zhong dejectedly slumped himself in the chair. He seemed to want to talk, but no words came out.

Xu Ziling sat down opposite him; he said indifferently, “As long as she is not married yet, you still have a chance to get her. Kou Zhong of today is totally different from Kou Zhong of yesterday; nobody will dare to despise you.”

Kou Zhong sighed. After pondering for a moment, he slowly shook his head and said, “I already have no way to turn back. Let’s not speak about she already has a sweetheart, even if she is willing to marry me, I won’t abandon my aspiration of contending for hegemony of the world over wife or family. Ay! I know my own problem, you should also understand me, I, Kou Zhong, am absolutely not a person who will be easy content with my lot in life.”

Xu Ziling had no more to say. He said, “I promised Mr. Lu to visit him tonight. Are you coming?”

Kou Zhong shook his head, “I just want to think by myself quietly.”

After pondering for half a day, finally Xu Ziling rose up and left.

When Xu Ziling arrived at Lu Miaozi’s little two-story house, this number one master craftsman in the world was standing proudly at the edge of the cliff outside his house. He appeared to be contemplating old affairs; there was a melancholy look on his face.

Xu Ziling came behind him, paid his respect and greeted him.

Lu Miaozi did not seem to care that Kou Zhong was not coming at all. He led Xu Ziling to the hall of the lower floor of his house, and after seated properly he said, “Although Jianghu people esteem me as the number one master craftsman in the world, they thought there’s nothing I don’t know, there’s nothing I cannot do; this is definitely a misunderstanding.”

Xu Ziling sincerely said, “Mister is definitely someone with most experience and knowledge this kid has ever encountered in my life. The smoked fish and sweet and crispy that we made according to Mister’s instruction were simply …”

Lu Miaozi cut him off, “Regretfully that is precisely my weak point. I was interested in everything, anything can provoke my curiosity; with limited life I was pursuing infinite knowledge. Supposing I was able to focus on martial art, although I may not necessarily able to overcome that witch, at least I would be able to escape unscathed, and thus would be able to live eight or ten years longer.”

But then he smiled and said, “Then again, were it not for my extensive knowledge of medical science and therapeutic regimens, I would have been dead thirty years ago, and today I wouldn’t be able to meet with you, Ziling, to spend the night chatting and drinking.”

Xu Ziling deeply felt his conflicting emotions, but could not find any word to say.

Lu Miaozi said, “Since leaving my home town at the age of twelve, until I was fifty, not a single moment I spent not living a wandering life; only constant changes and continuous stimulation made me enjoy the beauty of life. It was not until the bitter defeat in Zhu Yuyan’s hands thirty years ago that I finally settled down. Although from time to time I still travel around, my mood is already substantially different. I became more interested in arts, and have spent considerable time and energy to delve into it, until I finally obtained an unexpected discovery.”

Xu Ziling’s interest was greatly piqued; he could not help commenting, “This discovery must be extremely important!”

Lu Miaozi revealed a knowing ‘even you, this kid who have neither greed nor ambition, are also tempted by it’ smile, but he did not respond directly. Instead, he changed the subject by saying, “These past thirty years the things that fascinate me and drive me to study meticulously are: landscape gardening, building construction, mechanism, weaponry, history, geography and botany, the seven subjects of knowledge.”

Xu Ziling sucked in a mouthful of cold air and said, “Any one of those subjects will take an average person a lifetime of effort to master, yet Mister is able to master all of them at the same time. Hey! It is really hard to believe.”

Smiling wryly, Lu Miaozi said, “This is called ‘a leopard can't change its spots’; however, if I wasn’t wearied because of the internal injury, I might have concentrated on the martial art and then gone to find that witch so that both of us would perish together.”

With a wistful look on his eyes, he heaved a deep sigh and said, “Actually, landscape and building architecture was not something Laofu loved dearly. It was because I lost a game of chess against Qingya that I was forced to fulfill my bet, and had to design the courtyards, orchards, buildings and pavilions in this place.”

After a sad sigh, he continued, “However, if I did not devote my heart and mind in this, there is a good chance that the remorse would attack my heart and my injury would flare out and Laofu would have died. Oh, Qingya! This debt of mine, when can I repay it to you?”

Noticing Xu Ziling’s puzzled look as he stared at him, Lu Miaozi explained, “Qingya was Xiuxun’s mother. Ay!”

Intuitively, Xu Ziling understood that there must be an unusual relationship between Lu Miaozi and Shang Xiuxun’s mother.

Lu Miaozi looked as if he suddenly aged several years. After another deep sigh, he went on, “After inflicting injury that time, Zhu Yuyan personally hunted Laofu down. Originally I wanted to go to Ning Daoqi to seek shelter; who would have thought that he was traveling abroad? I could only go to the Flying Horse Ranch to hide. By employing all kinds of ‘deploying troops to mislead the enemy’ schemes, I managed to deceive the witch into thinking that I have also escaped abroad; otherwise, Laofu would have been killed by that witch early on.”

And then, with a serious expression he continued, “This witch’s heretical skill has reached the pinnacle of demonic school proficiency, it involves inscrutable supernatural beings method. Ning Daoqi has subsequently fought hand to hand with her three times, yet he still cannot do anything to her.”

Remembering Wanwan, Xu Ziling remained silent.

Lu Miaozi was deep in thought for half a day. Suddenly his palm, which appeared empty, powerless and floaty, slapped the surface of the table. Although it did not create any sound, an imprint of his palm, at least a cun deep, appeared on the hardwood tabletop. With pained voice he said, “Oh, Qingya! I really owe you so much. If I could go back in time, I would definitely not slip away secretly. All those man’s great undertakings are no more than fleeting smoke; how could it be compared to your glance filled with love?”

A burst of emotion welled up in Xu Ziling’s heart; remembering Kou Zhong, he wondered if someday, just like Lu Miaozi, Kou Zhong would also regret this chance encounter?

Kou Zhong rose up to his full height from the chair. Gnashing his teeth, he picked up the Moon in the Well, and then like a floating smoke he flew out the window, and disappeared into the dark courtyard.