Chapter 2 – Part 2 of 2

"Gentleman Xian Yun.” said an attractive woman dressed in flaming red.  When she saw the person she was pining for, she quickly reined in the tantrum she was throwing and turn all solicitous.  She remembered that this man is very big on civilized conversations.

“Protector Che, it has been a long time.” His glance landed on He Rong Hua. He could only do so much in certain matters and now was the time for the Master of the Manor to take the lead.

He Rong Hua rein in his temper with difficulty and forced out: “I thank Protector Che for crossing thousands of miles in order to pay respects to my late father.”

Che Yan Yan ignored him and smiled prettily at Gong Sun Yun. “Xian Yun, how I wish I could say I am here for you.  Unfortunately, I am here under the orders of my Master to deliver a present.”

He Rong Hua replied: “There is no relation between your sect and Tian He Manor, but we appreciate your Sect Leader’s kind intention in our hearts.”

Che Yan Yan gave a cold laugh. “How can you say that there is no relation?  Is the Eldest Master of Tian He Manor not a Sky Slave of Bai Ming Sect?”

He Rong Hua glanced towards He Zai and bit out: “Protector Che must be joking.  My eldest brother has died of an illness ten years ago.  Are you trying to make trouble by spreading such lies of my brother at my father’s funeral?”

Che Yan Yan continued to smile. “My, just how many young masters from prominent pugilist families have died of illnesses over the past ten over years?”  She pointed a slender finger to the Sky Slaves behind her - all were masked, barefooted, and marked with a Sky Slave bangle on their ankles. “Do you want to make a bet with me that if I get them to remove their masks, how many dead people would suddenly come back to life?”

Among those present, many who were above thirty years of age, paled at her words.

Outside the hall, w.a.n.g Yun sighed.  Besides her someone else sighed as well.

“Fifth Gentleman, are you not going to lend a hand?”  She has walked to the hall at a snail’s speed.  The moment he saw her, Gong Sun Zhi has joined her to enjoy, no, angst over what was happening in the hall.

“There is not much I can do.  Xian Yu’s kungfu is better than mine.  I will only be more hindrance then help if I go in.”

“Oh I see.  Can I ask Fifth Gentleman how do you people handle such situations usually?  What would you do to people who are here to create trouble?”

“Xian Yun does not recommend that we use force.”

This was such a pity, she felt like recommending him to kill whoever that blocked his way, which would be so cool.  Sigh. It was best if she could kill a person using someone else’s sword - too bad someone was not obliging.  She looked towards He Zai, who whether intentionally or no, has chosen to stand at the entrance of the inner hall as if guarding it.

She stroked her jade flute and glanced at the ten over Sky Slaves in the hall.  Che Yan Yan likes to take in Sky Slaves, especially those who are skilled in kungfu.  This woman also likes to make her presence felt and will bring along her Sky Slaves wherever she goes.  The Sky Slaves were controlled by drugs so it was extremely difficult for them to escape and even more difficult for them to seek death.  She chewed her lips and continued her contemplation.

Che Yan Yan looked at everyone in the hall.  She was surprised when she spotted He Zai behind He Rong Hua and spoke before she could hold back the words. “Sect Leader is really clever and knew exactly of her whereabouts. I like to see where she can escape to in her lifetime?” The words fell into the ears of Gong Sun Yun who was the nearest to her.

Che Yan Yan asked with glee: “He Zai, where is your Master?”

She did not press further when he remained silent. “Our Sect Leader is wise and knew that Huang Fu Yun is hiding here.  Both of you have always been like each other’s shadow and where one is, the other will be nearby.  By orders of our Sect Leader, Huang Fu Yun is to present his gift personally to Tian He Manor. Huang Fu Yun, are you not going to show yourself?”

After a long while, no one appeared. “Huang Fu Yun, dare you disobey!?”

“Aren’t I here now?” rang a clear voice from outside the hall.  For a moment, all anyone could see was a swathe of red as young woman in flowing red robes strolled into the hall with her hands folded behind her. The woman was none other than w.a.n.g Yun, the one with a Sky Slave tattoo on her face.

He Rong Hua and Go Shao De were shocked. “You…”

w.a.n.g Yun walked towards Gong Sun Yun – no, on second thoughts, this spot was not so safe – and strolled with pretended nonchalance to stand beside He Zai.  “Protector Che, I have rushed across thousands of miles to Tian He Manor and has beat you to reach here by a day.  Did you perchance stop somewhere to play during your journey?”

Che Yan Yan was not bothered by her accusation. “What rubbish are you sprouting?”

“I am not sprouting rubbish.  Whatever orders Master gave you, he gave the same to me.  He always like to pit us against the other and this time, you have lost.  However, since our emperor is far away, I can let you claim the credit.”   She took the long box from a Sky Slave behind Che Yan Yan and continued. “I have the exact same gift but I have given mine to Tian He Manor yesterday so you can return yours to Master….”  She opened the box and froze.

Che Yan Yan’s lips curved.  “To think I was nearly taken in by you. Huang Fu Yun, the thing in the box is unique and there is only one of its kind in the world.  Sect Leader knows your every move so he also knows about the things you let He Zai bury all those years ago.”

The box contained a set of young man’s clothing, boots, sword, and some equipment used for tattooing.  Although the clothes were old, the mark of Tian He Manor could clearly be seen on the hems.  Although the sword has rusted, it was still recognizable as the custom-made weapon for the former Young Master of Tian He Manor.  The tattoo equipment bore the mark of Sky Slaves from Bai Ming Sect.

A victor will go with the flow and w.a.n.g Yun sighed. “Alright.  It seems I could not outsmart Sect Leader afterall.  I will follow you back.”

Che Yan Yan made a gesture and her Sky Slave presented a white handkerchief to her straightaway.  After she has cleaned her hands carefully, she put on a pair of specially made gloves.

While w.a.n.g Yun’s eyes followed her every move, Che Yan Yan did not bother with her and turned towards Gong Sun Yun. Giving him a brilliant smile, she said: “Xian Yun. Cloud Manor has always maintained a neutral position on wulin matters.  Besides recording what happened, Cloud Manor will not interfere in whatever happens.  Did I remember this rule correctly?"

 “Our rules are indeed so.”

Che Yan Yan smiled. “Once I have settled this matter, I would love to catch up with you.”

“Xian Yun does not have anything to catch up with Protector Che.”

A flash of temper flashed across her eyes.  She curled her lips and decided to vent her anger on w.a.n.g Yun.  “Upon orders from Master, your Sky Slave has left Bai Ming sect without permission.  As the eldest son of the He family, He Zai shall whip the coffin thrice in punishment.  Huang Fu Yun, accept the order!”

w.a.n.g Yun lowered her eyes and stroked her jade flute.

“Huang Fu Yun!”

He Rong Hua could remain silent no longer. “This is Tian He Manor and is not the place for a demoness from the Evil Sect to throw your weight around!”

“He Yue Hua is now a member of the Evil Sect too.  Master He, do you not fear that your position will be replaced if your brother returns to the manor?  Are you not worried of bringing shame to the manor?”

“You…”  He Rong Hua wanted to rebut further, but he held back when he saw the number of avid listeners around him.  It was very shameful when a member of one’s family became a Sky Slave.  If anyone tried to help, he or she would also have to bear the brunt of the wagging tongues when the news got out.  Even if his father was highly regarded when he was alive, he was dead now and what was left for him was only goodwill .  And whoever who lends a hand would also measure his goodwill against the benefit it would bring…

w.a.n.g Yun gave a long-suffering sigh and said listlessly: “Protector Che, you are making things difficult for me.  He Zai is my only Sky Slave.  If I ordered him to whip his father’s coffin, it is akin to making him hate me for the rest of his life.”

“That is the order from Master.  Do you dare to reject?”

“Protector Che.  You are also making an enemy of the Central Plains wulin by doing so.”  w.a.n.g Yun a.n.a.lyzed the situation for her patiently. “Both sides have been co-existing peacefully for many years and there is no need to rock the boat.  Historically, the Master of our sect is always chosen among the Left or Right Protectors.  Based on our capabilities, my guess is that that next sect leader will be you.  But if you acted out today, you will also be the one who would have to pick up after the mess.  Why would you want to bring suffering upon yourself?”

“Huang Fu Yun, you really are a disgrace to Bai Ming Sect!  Men, drag the coffin out!”

Seeing that she refused to listen to reason, w.a.n.g Yun flipped her sleeves in anger: “You know full well the extent of Huang Fu family martial arts.  Both He Zai and myself are gifted learners who has benefitted from the guidance of Huang Fu skills.  Che Yan Yan, are you sure you wanted to go against me?”

“It is not me who is going against you.  Rather, you are the one who is going against Bai Ming Sect.  Huang Fu Yun, you are the one who is seeking trouble for yourself!”

w.a.n.g Yun shouted ”He Zai!” and quickly stepped back.

In the next instant, He Zai has flashed past her with a short sword in hand.  Before anyone could even figure where his weapon came from, He Zai was already weaving among the Sky Slaves, his movements quick as lightning.

w.a.n.g Yun has turned around and did not at the fight.  She fingered her jade flute as if victory is already within grasp.

He Rong Hua stared but could not find the words.  Finally, he could only manage: “That set of skills is not from the He family.”  He remembered that his brother has mastered the family martial arts when he was sixteen and his father had been greatly pleased at that time.

w.a.n.g Yun did not look at him. “I made him got rid of his He family martial arts.”

At his glare, she smiled: “The He family martial arts could not even match ten blows against Huang Fu family’s.  Why should he retain such kungfu?”

“He is but a lowly Sky Slave in Bai Ming Sect, why did you let him learn the kungfu of the Huang Fu family?”

When she did not reply, He Rong Hua continued: “And why are you not helping my brother?  Since both of you trained in the Huang Fu martial arts, will you not have a higher chance to defeat Che Yan Yan if you join forces?”

w.a.n.g Yun shot him a look before she lowered her eyes.  “Protector Che is one of our top fighters. Why should I remove her to make you happy? Besides, given He Zai’s opposition against Protector of Bai Ming Sect today, he would have gained credit for defending his father.  Even if his life is going to be difficult if he chose to stay in the Central Plains in future, at least it would not be a situation where everyone would want to kill him and mutilate his corpse.”

He Rong Hua was silent – how did this woman know he wanted to keep his brother at Tian He Manor?

w.a.n.g Yun twirled her hair and said suddenly: “Mind if I see the coffin?”  and she walked into the inner hall without waiting for his reply.  Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard some footsteps behind her.  Sigh, it is really unlucky to see a coffin.  If she had a choice, she would not have chosen to come in. 

She noticed that the lid of the coffin has been nailed shut.  In other words, it now contained the true body of Old Master He.  She knew this was all for He Zai, or else the person would not have followed her.

As she stood in front of the coffin, she could feel a long whip lashing down in her direction.  She forced herself to remain still and clasp her hand as if in prayer.

The whip did not make contact.

She was saved!  She discreetly wiped her sweaty palms.  After years of practice, she has mastered the ability to keep her face expressionless even when her heart is gripped with fear.  Now, it is not even obvious when she breaks out in cold sweat.  Endurance – she could probably be hailed a master in endurance.

The male voice was cold. “Protector Che! Are you sure you wanted to whip the deceased?”

Che Yan Yan was furious.  “Xian Yun!  Are you protecting the coffin or the person!” 

Of course he is protecting the coffin!  w.a.n.g Yun silently thanked Old Master He for protecting her even in death. It was indeed worth the times that she has helped He Zai. 

She has counted on the fact that today’s coffin would contain the real body, which was why she came in to seek refuge from a coffin.  Given the circ.u.mstances today, even the legendary Gentleman Xian Yun would be forced to interfere in order to stop Che Yan Yan from humiliating the body of a respected pugilist. 

And it worked!

She sighed inwardly and turned around to face Che Yan Yan.  “Protector Che, you have seen with your own eyes.  With so many skilled pugilists around, I need not even draw my sword; just one Gentleman Xian Yun is able to stop you.  It is obvious that he would not allow you to humiliate the deceased and you…. if he is in your heart, you should let him have his way!”  Her eyes drifted to the black whip coiled in Gong Sun Yun’s hands and could not prevent from breaking out into cold sweat.

Judging from the angle of the attack, Che Yan Yan was obviously aiming for her!  Her real intention is probably to get rid of her among all the confusion.

w.a.n.g Yun continued.  “You have already obeyed Master’s orders.  But do you really think he wanted you to whip the coffin?  That is but his way of testing our loyalty and having some fun with the people in Tian He Manor.”

Che Yan Yan gave her a considering look. “Why would Master think that?”

“Because that is just the way he is!”

Chee Yan Yan was silent and a strange expression crossed her face.   “Huang Fu Yun, why are you always able to second guess the Sect Leader?  Master did say that if you can guess his real intentions, I would have to stop making a scene.”

w.a.n.g Yun took a deep breath - life is wonderful; she took another deep breath – even though there is Sect Leader, life is still wonderful.   Her blood was boiling but she managed a wan smile.  “Protector Che, that is because you were too busy seeking fun amongst the flowers while I ponder on his divine orders every day until my hair is turning white.  Unlike me, you only grow more and more alluring.  In fact, if there is a man who is not charmed by you, he is probably not a man to begin with.”

She stared pointedly at Gong Sun Yun, fervently hoping he would smile or say something to placate Che Yan Yan.

He returned her look with an icy glare. 

Ok, she asked for this one.  But what is the use of looks if one does not use it to his advantage?

Che Yan Yan called her Sky Slaves to cease fighting.  She did not attempt to count the number of survivors when He Zai returned to stand beside w.a.n.g Yun.  “You are so nice to your Sky Slave to impart your family skills to him.”

“A person cannot be selfish. Besides He Zai is very loyal to me and I can’t really ill-treat him, is it not?” She flicked her wrist and He Zai sheathed his sword back in her flute.

“Both of us would need to return to the sect.”  Che Yan Yan turned towards Gong Sun Yun and sweetened her tone. “If Xian Yun is escorting me, I will be willing to set off immediately.”

w.a.n.g Yun was floored from the whiplash.  She knew this woman likes to hunt for quality man, but surely this turnabout is too fast?  They were still fighting a moment ago…. she sighed and turned to contemplate the wall.

She will not interfere in affairs of the heart. Deity-of-nine-heavens will never set his heart on someone from the Evil Sect. Besides, she did not believe Che Yan Yan really loves Deity either…. she continued to admire the plain white wall in front of her.

He Zai called to her. “Miss.”

She decided to be gracious. “I am not an unreasonable person.  I will let you go if you wanted to continue staying here.”

She sighed when he did not reply. “Yesterday, you asked me why Old Master has been disguised. The answer is actually very simple - if the body is a guise and yet He Rong Hua and Gong Sun Yun acted unaware, the answer could only be that they were in it together. Can you guess why?”

He Zai looked at the coffin and lowered his eyes.

“I think the Old Master has regretted what he did.”  She focused on a particular spot on the wall.  “The Old Master must have felt extremely sore when you became a Sky Slave, but instead of trying to rescue you from Bai Ming Sect, he let out news of your death. If I am not wrong, he probably regretted his actions when he was near death.”

He Rong Hua entered the inner hall.  “Exactly. Although Miss Huang Fu was not around when my father pa.s.sed away, you have read his mind correctly….  Big Brother!  Father has regretted his decision several years ago.  He could not find you and sought the help of Gentleman Xian Yun to hide his body and delay his burial.  If you still remember your father, you would definitely try to return for his funeral.  If you can recognize that the body is fake, it would prove that you have not forsaken the skills you have learnt to be able to see though the guise. If you tried to pursue the matter further, it would show that the father-son relationship has not been severed and that you are still the same you.  Tian He Manor will be yours and the t.i.tle of Manor Master will be yours. Regardless if you are a Sky Slave or not, you will always be a son of the He family!”

So touching.  She touched her nose to check that she has controlled her tears.  This was why He Zai had chosen to poison her – so that he could stay in Tian He Manor to discover the truth... but can he not be so coldhearted and poison himself instead of her? Thinking that she should give the brothers room to talk, she started to leave the room.

Actually, she is a rather pitiful herself.  Everyone seems to be part of a pair while she is the only being chased around.  Looking around, she was surprised to see Gong Sun Yun still around while there was no trace of Che Yan Yan.  Yet he did not seem to be in a hurry to leave.  On second thoughts, that was reasonable too since he was a historian who was supposed to record what happened today.

She walked to him and said: ”Gentleman Xian Yun, thank you for your help earlier on.”

“I was only protecting the coffin and not protecting the person.  I hope Miss Yun got that clear.”  He emphasized “protecting the person” and she smiled as she pretended not to have heard.  “Of course, of course.  So… will Gentleman Xian Yun be escorting us from the Central Plains?”

Or to put it another way, to keep tabs on them until they were out of the Central Plains.

“To prevent further misunderstandings with Protector Che, I will not be the one doing the sendoff and will instead ask an elder to help.

w.a.n.g Yun digested this news with a frown - this sounded like they were being chased out.  Although their movements were going to be monitored no matter what, how this was to be done have different impact. If he was the one sending them off, at least Che Yan Yan would be leaving willingly.

She disliked being in the same room with Che Yan Yan.  That woman had a bad habit of killing people when she was in a bad mood, and she did not bother to remove the bodies after the deed.  If it was her, she would have at least dug a grave,or get ready some acid to dissolve the body before she strike… of course, this was all theoretical because she would not kill.  Nope, not kill, not kill.

He appeared unconcerned and was contented to continue exchanging stares with her. But from the set of his brows, he seemed to be waiting for something.

She took another deep breath.  Since coming to the Central Plains, she found that there were more instances when she needed to take in more air.  This could be because the word ‘endurance’ (忍) has a knife (刃) on top of the heart (心).  When a knife is hanging in the air above the heart…. one will need more air.

She asked very humbly: “Are you really not going to send us off?  Is there no chance of it happening?”

“Well, there may be a way….”

“I remembered…. Gentleman Xian Yun mentioned before that you have received help from someone before?”  She said this rather unwillingly.

“Yes.”  His top-grade skin was like the ancient mountains - no change whatsoever.

“To repay the person, you have given her a pendant?”  At his nod, she sighed. “Now that you mentioned this, it sounds similar to an incident of my youth. I remembered lending a hand to someone under very casual circ.u.mstance… and he also gave me a jade pendant.”

He continued to look unimpressed. “I hope Miss Yun is not simply building on my story and trying to pull a fast one on me.” 

“Why would I do so?  I remember the pendant looks…”

He interrupted very politely. “Everyone in the pugilist world knew there were three jade pendants in Cloud Manor.  My pendant is shaped like a gourd with a piece of cloud swirling at the top.  Since becoming a “Gentleman” at the age of thirteen, the words “Xian Yun” has been engraved on the jade.  Even a person who has never seen the jade would be able to describe it quite well.” 

She stared at him for a good long while before she slowly took out something from her left sleeve, then the right sleeve.  When she pa.s.sed the items to him, he did not blink but his normally dull eyes have taken on a sparkle.

“If you put these pieces together, would it look like Gentleman Xian Yun’s jade pendant?”

“Yes, this is mine.”

She sighed. “Who would have guessed that I am the benefactor of Gentleman Xian Yun?”

“I have been wanting to repay the great favor bestowed by Miss Yun.”  His appeared rather smug and eyes were shinning.

“Gentleman Xian Yun can take this chance to repay me , and once you have done so, you can put all thoughts of repayment behind you.  Can I trouble you to escort Che Yan Yan and myself out of the Central Plains.  I will be so grateful if you can do that.”

- - - - - - - - -

Gong Sun Yun, twenty-six, reunited with his sweetheart

and was inseparable from her since.

- Wulin Annals

Recorded by Xian Yun -

Moonblossom: That w.i.l.l.y fox! He did this on purpose to force her hand. I hereby declare winner of Round 1 is Gong Sun Yun!