Book 5 Chapter 12: The Battle of Two Clans

Book 5 Chapter 12 - The Battle of Two Clans

Xiang Yushan made arrangement that the three stayed in the cabins on the second level just below the top deck; the other three cabins across the hall, two belonged to Big Sister Xiao and Xiang Yushan. As for the last cabin, Xiang Yushan did not reveal the occupant's identity to them.

For the last few days, Susu has been tossed from side to side, she was already exhausted. After the banquet, her qi bubbled up, she immediately went back to her room to sleep.

Kou Zhong went to Xu Ziling's room to chat. "This time we are doomed," he said, "Looks like Su Jie has some interest toward that Xiang fellow. I don't understand it, even toward someone like Liu Heita she did not show any regards, but toward this fellow, whose face green and whose lips white all year long, who looks like he never have enough to eat, she could have good impression."

Xu Ziling was certain, "I have no doubt that Su Jie's real sweetheart is still Li Dage. I just don't know what had actually happened between the two of them that made Su Jie's heart seems to be dead to him. No way! We must not let Su Jie fall in love with this fellow with dirty past."

Kou Zhong said, "Unless we leave right away, it is very difficult for us to get involved in this kind of matter. But if we avoid the problem by walking away, we must think first whether Su Jie will be willing to, also not only it does not make sense, we will even lose the opportunity for revenge. Could it be that we can take the account book on our own and stop the sedan chair to cry out our grievances? [Translator's note: the picture here is stopping government official on the street (who was usually traveling by riding sedan chair) to lodge a complain.] With one chop Yuwen Huaji would be able to kill us."

"Do you trust that Xiang kid?" Xu Ziling asked, "If we dare to believe his words, simply hand over the account book to him, let him deal with it. And then we can go to Luoyang to look for Li Dage. That would be better than watching Su Jie with worried frown all day long."

"What do you mean worried frown?" Kou Zhong countered, "Didn't you see that Xiang kid managed to coax happiness from her just now? But your proposal worth considering; if we came across Yuwen Huagu in Jiangdu, our little lives would be difficult to protect!"

Xu Ziling shook his head and said, "Still won't work. Niang's enmity must be avenged by us personally, if just because of little difficulty we then use someone else to achieve it, we are practically letting our own conscience down."

Kou Zhang was cross, "Crooked, it was you who said it; straight, it was also you who said it, but now you seem to blame me?"

Xu Ziling smiled apologetically, "Just consider I am in the wrong! Hai! That loose Dajie [big sister] seems to be very interested in you; perhaps tonight she is going to grope your bed!"

Kou Zhong jumped in fright, "Don't talk nonsense," he said, "If she found out that I am a green-head kid [i.e. a rookie], and afterwards she revealed my sealed red-packet, will I still a face to live my life? Ha! When we return to our hometown in brocade gown later, we must visit the biggest brothel, that Tianxian Lou [tianxian - fairy, lou - storied building], to look for that place's most popular Miss Yuling to accompany us for a drink. Who knows? Based on our status, we may be able to get intimate with her."

Xu Ziling was not the least bit interested; he said, "If you want to go, then you can go alone! Just make sure you won't bump into Yuwen Huagu."

Kou Zhong was astounded, "Since when did you change your nature? Previously, didn't you want to hang around in the brothel more than I do?"

As if he still had some lingering fears, Xu Ziling said, "Every time we went to the brothel, which one did we have good ending? If you don't have the guts to look for a woman to accompany you for a drink, just ask that Xiang kid to come with you. Perhaps Tianxian Lou also belongs to his family."

Kou Zhong's eyes grew big. "Ha! I get it," he said, "Your interest is on that Zhen Sao who sells steamed buns [see Book 1, Chapter 1 & 2]. Kid, you are really bad!"

Xu Ziling was so angry he nearly punched Kou Zhong to teach him a lesson. "Am I that kind of person?" he furiously asked, "Zhen Sao is Old Feng's concubine. If you keep speaking nonsense, I won't talk to you anymore."

Kou Zhong laughed and said, "Daye, please calm down. I just saw that you are too uptight, so I deliberately provoked you. You knew so well that brothels are very dangerous, yet you still want me to go alone to take risks? Can you be considered my brother?"

Unable to argue with him, Xu Ziling helplessly said, "Just do whatever you want to do! But you must never let Su Jie know."

Kou Zhong was greatly delighted, "We have learned a little bit of disguising skill anyway, we could disguise ourselves as a bit older men, Yuwen Huagu has not seen us for many years, even if he came face-to-face with us, I guarantee that he would not have any idea."

Right this moment suddenly there was a knock on their door, Xiang Yushan's voice said, "Are two Dage still awake? May Xiaodi come in to chat for a moment or two?"

The two boys frowned, but they really had no reason to refuse; without any better option, they had to let him in.

Xiang Yushan sat comfortably in front of them; he said with a laugh, "I am accustomed to sleep late, I can't sleep before the third watch [between 11pm - 1am]. I am really jealous of people who have the good fortune of falling asleep as soon as they lie down like Miss Susu."

Kou Zhong stood up; he left the bed and walked over to sit in one of the chairs by the window. Giving Xiang Yushan a sidelong glance, he said, "No wonder your face is green your lips white all day long, like people who are drowsy."

Xiang Yushan let out a wry smile and said, "My countenance is unsightly, but it's definitely not because of lack of sleep, but two years ago, when I was training internal energy, I suffered fire deviation. Kou Xiong misunderstood!"

Xu Ziling was astounded, "So that's how it is. What exactly was the martial art that created a problem?"

Xiang Yushan seriously said, "Have you heard about the 'Yin Hou' [Empress Yin] Zhu Yuyan?"

The two boys shook their head with blank expression.

Xiang Yushan said, "I am not surprised that you have not heard about her. 'Yin Hou' Zhu Yuyan is the Sect Leader of Yin Gui Pai [not sure if it means anything or perhaps a place name: yin - negative/feminine (from yin-yang), gui - tenth in order, pai -sect/school]. It is said that this Sect is the most mysterious gang or sect [bang pai] in Jianghu, extremely heretical. They are the mortal enemy of the equally mysterious, unfathomable Ci Hang Jing Zhai [again, not sure how to translate this: ci - compassionate, hang - boat/to sail, jing - calm/not moving, zhai - building/fort]. Every once in a while, both factions would send out their prominent disciples to have a life or death decisive battle against each other. It is said that whichever faction lost, for the next twenty years no one from that faction is allowed to take even half a step in Jianghu. Fortunately, for the last hundred years or so, Ci Hang Jing Zhai has always been the winner, otherwise, if Yin Gui Pai appeared and do evil, I really don't know what kind of disaster would befall the Jianghu."

Listening to his narration, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were 'you look at me, I glance at you', thinking that anything that happened in Jianghu, nothing could be considered too bizarre.

"So this Zhu Yuyan is very formidable?" Xu Ziling asked.

Xiang Yushan breathed out a mouthful of cold air, "Do I need to tell you that? Our previous generation considered her to be the number one martial art master of the heretical world. According to our intelligence, after nearly a hundred years, the most outstanding masters Yin Gui Pai sent out are extremely confident that they would defeat Ci Hang Jing Zhai's representatives in the next battle. If that were the real case, the ups and downs in the Jianghu would have another variable that is a lot more difficult to predict."

"Is this person a man or a woman? Young or old?" Kou Zhong wondered. [Translator's note: in Chinese 'he' and 'she' sounds the same, although Xiang Yushan used female radical.]

"That, I do not know!" Xiang Yushan replied, "My father has a bit of relationship with one of Yin Gui Pai elders, the information we have actually came from him, but it is limited to that much. Those who want to enter Yin Gui Pai, every single one of them must make heavy oath never to divulge any Sect matters to outsiders. That elder was drunk and had a slip of the tongue; afterwards he was extremely remorseful and implored my father not to tell others what he had just said."

Kou Zhong was baffled, "If that's the case, why is it that you have no scruples in telling us about this matter now?"

Xiang Yushan angrily said, "Because it was because of him that I trained and damaged my body. Before leaving, he wrote a secret instruction on how to train martial art, telling my father to practice it. Realizing that he himself is not a good material to train upper-class martial art skill, my father handed over the secret manual to me. Who would have thought that it was something harmful? If the practitioner cannot refrain from sexual desire, his meridians and qi will deviate and he will perish. Not only that, once one started, one will be addicted and will practice endlessly until fire deviation occurs. Fortunately I have always been lazy, plus I don't like to sleep around with women. After suffering fire deviation, Jing Xian [sic, I think previously it was Xiao Xian] Bangzhu [gang leader] wasted considerable energy to save me, so that I did not become a handicapped person. Tell me, should I keep a secret for someone like him?"

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling stared blankly; it was only then did they realize that such a vicious, despicable man existed in the world. They could not help sympathizing with this Xiang Yushan fellow.

Kou Zhong cleared his throat and said, "I can't believe you don't like sleeping with women."

Xiang Yushan embarrassedly said, "It's not that I don't like sleeping with women, it's just that I don't like to frequent brothels [orig. to pick the flowers and trample the grass], unless it's with the woman that I really like. After fire deviation, my power diminished considerably, otherwise, why would I stop if I achieved any success?"

"Are you completely recovered now?" Xu Ziling asked.

Xiang Yushan dejectedly replied, "If I am fully recovered, my countenance would not be so unsightly. Every time there's a wind or a rain, extreme cold or extreme heat, I am aching all over and the pain is so unbearable that I wanted to commit suicide. That old thief indeed inflicted much suffering to me."

"It can't be treated?" Kou Zhong asked.

Xiang Yushan sighed. "I lost track how many people have examined me, final verdict was unless someone with both extreme heat and extreme cold innate qi helping me unblocking my eight extraordinary channels, it would be difficult for me to recover."

Kou Zhong's heart was moved, "Can two people do it?" he asked.

"Not impossible," Xiang Yushan replied, "But to succeed, both cold and heat must be of common origin. Ay! Ordinarily, when people cultivate internal energy, they would lean to either hot or cold. The most appalling thing is that these two aspects must be innate qi. Martial art master who has this kind of innate qi, to find one is already very difficult, much less someone who simultaneously has both hot and cold qi? I have already given up early on!"

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at each other; and then both of them burst out laughing at the same time, "Kid!" they said, "You are saved!"

By daybreak the next morning, the ship sailed past Chen Liu. Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Susu and Xiang Yushan, four people were having breakfast inside the cabin. Susu said in amazement, "Xiang Gongzi must have had a very good sleep last night, you look a lot more spirited!"

Xiang Yushan excitedly said, "It has nothing to do with me sleeping well, but the chronic ailment that has been plaguing me for the last two years has been cured half by the two Dage last night. One more night and then I will be completely recovered. Kou Xiong and Xu Xiong have become like my second parents."

Kou Zhong was still alive, but he had no spirit, "Not only I am not your parents, I am not your, this old kid's Dage. You are merely counting your chicken before they are hatched, just one night and I am so exhausted that I feel like I am dying, and you want me to do it again tonight?"

Xu Ziling still had lingering fears as well, "Turns out Xiang Xiong's injury is so severe; I will need at least two days of rest before I could continue."

After asking what had happened, Susu said, "If you want to save someone, you have to save him to the end! Today you ought to sit in meditation to cultivate your internal energy, once your spirit is restored, you ought to send streams of qi to cure Xiang Gongzi's injury."

Xiang Yushan was both grateful and apologetic; he said, "You should take two-day rest."

Kou Zhong was unhappy, "We'll see about that!" he snapped, "Right! Last night I forgot to ask you why the battle between Dugu Clan and Yuwen Clan is so fierce. Logically, since Yang Guang's birth mother was from the Dugu Clan, compared to the Yuwen Clan, they have a lot closer relationship with the imperial household, why would they let Yuwen Clan gain an upper hand?"

"It's a long story [orig. as long as a bolt of cloth]," Xiang Yushan respectfully replied, "All Yang Jian's [first emperor of Sui (541-604), reigned 581-604] five sons were born of the Empress from Dugu Clan. At that time Yang Jian was immeasurably content, thinking that since they were blood brothers who shared the same mother, there would not be any strive over power or battle over the throne. Who would have thought that Lao'er [second son] Yang Guang would murder his father and brothers in cold blood? Not only that, he also raped Yang Jian's beloved imperial concubine Madame Chen, and promiscuously slept around women's apartment at the palace. Dugu Clan people have the most detailed knowledge about these matters; therefore, Yang Guang is extremely wary of them. For that reason he turned to the Yuwen Clan and trained them to control the Dugu Clan. Naturally there are a lot of others details in this matter that outsiders are not supposed to know, and thus I am not clear on it myself!"

Chapter 12, Part 2

Xu Ziling asked, "Right now, who is from the Dugu Clan serving as a government official in the imperial court?"

Xiang Yushan replied, "The one most trusted by Yang Guang is actually the second figure of the Dugu Clan, Dugu Sheng. He is Yang Guang's personal bodyguard; wherever Yang Guang is, he will also be there."

Kou Zhong seized this opportunity to ask, "How's this person's martial art skill compared to Dugu Ba?"

"Speaking about martial art skill," Xiang Yushan replied, "Naturally You Chuhong ranks first. Compared to her Clan Leader son Dugu Feng, she is still far more superior. After these two are Dugu Sheng and Dugu Ba. In my opinion, Dugu Sheng is a bit more experienced and careful than Dugu Ba."

"Nowadays, are there other people who are close to Yang Guang?" Xu Ziling asked.

Xiang Yushan replied, "These days, the most popular two people by Yang Guang's side are the Interior Minister Yu Shiji and Imperial Censor Fei Yun, two crafty and fawning vile characters. What Yang Guang likes the most about them is that they report only the good news, not the bad news, by blocking all documents and reports of urgent matters and emergencies from reaching him."

Xiang Yushan sighed and went on, "This time Yang Guang flees to Jiangdu. From the up to 150,000 soldiers and generals who came with him, other than handing down imperial edict to indict people to get their money as their only morale booster, they cannot do anything. It's a pity that he is still as licentious as before, becoming someone who refuses to face reality, which is really hard for us to understand."

"Yu Shiji and Fei Yun must be civil officials," Kou Zhong said, "What about other people? Is there anybody with strong martial art skill?"

Xiang Yushan replied, "Dugu Clan has Dugu Sheng, which I have just mentioned. Yuwen Clan has Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Shiji, two brothers. And then there is the Imperial Guard Commanding Officer Sima Dekan, a martial art master who is equally famous to Wang Shiyun, who, for the time being, is stationed in Luoyang. Were it not for these four men, that muddleheaded ruler Yang Guang would have been assassinated early on."

"There is one thing we don't understand," Xu Ziling said, "On the surface, they still maintain a good relationship with Baling Bang; why did as a member of the royal household the 'Shadow Assassin' Yang Xuyan obey Yuwen Clan's order to assassinate your precious gang's Bangzhu?"

Xiang Yushan sighed. He said, "Not to conceal anything from you, but in the struggle between the Dugu and Yuwen Clans, our late Bangzhu was leaning toward the Dugu Clan, hence he earned the hatred of the Yuwen Clan and was thus eradicated."

Kou Zhong was even more confused; frowning, he asked, "But how did Yang Xuyan involve himself in this struggle?"

"Until today, the reason Yang Xuyan aligned himself with the Yuwen Clan remains a mystery," Xiang Yushan explained, "But according to our secret information, Yang Guang was kept in the dark concerning Yang Xuyan's assassination of our late Bangzhu; which is definitely thought-provoking."

Susu said, "When we get to Yangzhou, what exactly can Xiao Zhong and Xiao Ling do to help you to deal with the Yuwen Clan?"

Xiang Yushan's spirit rose. "Good question," he said, "I will make arrangement for Kou Xiong and Xu Xiong to see that muddleheaded ruler."

The three were shocked. "What?!?" their voice cracked.

Big Sister Xiao's laughter came from the cabin's door, "That is the most brilliant deployment," she said.

Like a wisp of smoke, this charming beauty whose looseness penetrated the bones, sauntered lithely into the cabin, carrying with her a whiff of fragrance. Stopping behind Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, she intimately reached out and put her hands on the two boys' shoulders. Bending over, she laughed next to the two boys' ears and said, "Right now Yuwen Huaji put the blame on the 'Secret to Long Life' affair entirely on the two gentlemen. We might as well beat them at their own game by the two gentlemen personally present a memorial to that muddleheaded ruler that Yuwen Huaji had hidden the 'Secret to Long Life' for personal gain. With the account book on top of that, it would be strange indeed if the muddleheaded ruler did not suspect the Yuwen Clan."

Kou Zhong exhaled a mouthful of cold air, "Yang Guang is well-known for committing murder without blinking an eye; what if something goes wrong and he get rid of the two of us immediately?"

Xu Ziling added, "We must never let that fatuous ruler to see Su Jie; otherwise the outcome will be difficult to predict."

Xiang Yushan hastily said, "Gentlemen, please be assured that we have prepared a meticulous plan; from the two imperial concubines Yang Guang most doted on, Zhu Fei [fei means imperial concubine] is our people. She has already sweet talk Yang Guang [orig. pouring confusing soup], indicating that there is another story within the 'Secret to Long Life' matter; as a result, now the muddleheaded ruler has issued an imperial decree to summon the two of you, because he wants to find out the facts. Nothing ventured, nothing gain [orig. how do you catch the tiger cub without entering the tiger's lair?], the risk is worth it."

Big Sister Shaw took her hands off the two boys and sat on Kou Zhong's left; she cheerfully said, "With Dugu Sheng speaking up by your side, how could Yang Guang not believe you? I can guarantee that there won't be any surprise and danger to the two Gongzi."

"But our relationship with the Dugu Clan is not so good," Kou Zhong stammered, "Just a few days ago Xiao Ling injured Dugu Ba due to ambush."

Xiang Yushan and Big Sister Xiao stared at Xu Ziling with that 'hard to believe' expression on their faces, so Xu Ziling told them what happened.

"That should be no problem," Big Sister Xiao said, "Besides, Dugu Ba won't be in Yangzhou very soon. Even if he were, with them facing a powerful enemy, who would be foolish enough to bother about personal gratitude and grudges?"

Xu Ziling's scalp went numb as he said, "After we enter the Palace, won't we lose our freedom?"

Xiang Yushan said, "Gentlemen are not thinking of going everywhere, are you?"

Big Sister Xiao said, "It depends on the development of the situation. We have had a discussion with Dugu Sheng before, in the future he might pretend that he loves talent and takes you as his disciples in Yang Guang's present. After two Gongzi obtain some status, the situation will be utterly different!"

Kou Zhong nodded; he said, "Turns out this mission is rather fascinating. This time we will definitely have Yuwen Huaji bag his food and leave before he finish eating."

Susu anxiously said, "But that muddleheaded ruler is so temperamental; are you sure it's going to be okay?"

"Nobody knows that muddleheaded ruler's character better than Zhu Guifei [imperial consort]," Xiang Yushan said, "That's why she has prepared a bunch of arguments that Kou Xiong and Xu Xiong could deliver to the muddleheaded ruler. As long as you could cajole him that he is in a good mood, he might even bestow you official position to do part-time job. Miss Susu please set your heart at ease."

Kou Zhong glowered at him for a moment and said, "No wonder you, this fellow, are so insistent in cooperating with us; turns out you already prepared this scheme."

Xiang Yushan protested for the injustice, "Gentlemen are my great benefactors who are like a second parent to me; how could I harm you? If any calamity befalls you, I, Xiang Yushan, will commit suicide to apologize to you. Let the Heaven be my witness in this matter, if I ever renege my promise, let me not have a good end."

By this time Big Sister Xiao has already noticed the vast improvement in Xiang Yushan's countenance. After some inquiries she found out what happened; she was astonished. "Secret to Long Life is indeed a rare martial art manual, this is really unbelievable."

Kou Zhong was wary. "Is Dajie being tempted by the 'Secret to Long Life'?" he asked.

Big Sister Xiao was cross, "Unless I am willing to discard the martial art I already trained, even if I obtain the 'Secret to Long Life', what good will it bring? Training randomly will only cause fire deviation. You look down on me like that, I demand an apology."

Kou Zhong giggled and said, "I was just blurting out without thinking, why would Dajie take it seriously? You want apology, then I apologize."

Big Sister Xiao cast him a sidelong glance filled with ten thousand amorous feelings; she cursed in low voice, "Truly without half a shred of conscience; I wonder how many poor girls will be swindled by you in the future."

After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Xu Ziling stood up to excuse himself, "Just continue your chat! Last night I did not sleep a wink, I want to go back to bed and sleep."

Kou Zhong seized this opportunity to leave the banquet table. After excusing himself, he followed Xu Ziling going back to their room.

Along the way, Kou Zhong said, "One mistake from us, we will become the chess piece of Baling Bang and the Dugu Clan's effort to frame the Yuwen Clan. Even though we will also benefit from it, but whether it will be a blessing or a curse, it is still difficult to predict."

Xu Ziling said, "How are we going to take Su Jie with us? Particularly that muddleheaded ruler must not see her; otherwise, if something went wrong, we can't even slip away. Baling Bang people must agree to this first."

Kou Zhong said, "Right now it's they who came to ask for our help, how could they not agree? After Xiang kid's countenance improves, he appears a lot healthier. Yin Gui Pai's martial art is really heretical, unexpectedly it could make people appear to be completely under evil influence."

By this time they were stepping into the corridor leading to their rooms; suddenly they heard creaking noise, as if someone was opening and closing the door to one of the sleeping compartments, and slipped inside.

The two boys exchanged glances; they both felt something was amiss.

Kou Zhong whispered, "Let's see who it is."

Xu Ziling quickly walked over to the door, raised his hand to knock and said, "We saw you! Quickly open the door!"

Actually, he did not see anybody, but since that person hid like that, he must be someone that they knew, so Xu Ziling was bluffing to swindle the opponent.

The room was quiet. Only after a long time did the cabin door finally creaking open.

Both parties were coming face-to-face, and the two boys cried out in surprise.

The person inside the room was surprisingly the Beautiful Shifu who taught them the Bird Crossing Technique, Yun Yuzhen.

This beauty looked a bit thinner, but her smile was still coy, her attractive bearing was even better than ever. This moment, with a smile that was as beautiful as a flower, she looked at the two boys up and down; her beautiful eyes lit up as she said, "My two good disciples finally grew up to be adults. Looking at your imposing, formidable appearance, your master is very pleased."

Suddenly the two boys realized that they were at a loss.

Kou Zhong was the first to recover; giggling, he said, "Where in the world would you find a master who is afraid to see his disciples? Even rarer, where could you find a Shifu who harms his disciples?"

And then, craning out his neck to look inside the room, he pretended to be astonished as he said, "Why can't I see Shifu's boyfriend Dugu Ce?"

Yun Yuzhen sighed and said, "Just consider your Shifu is wrong! Afterwards I regretted it so much that I wanted to kill myself, plus because I thought that you were buried at the bottom of the cliff, I cried for so many days; can you not settle old scores with me?"

Xu Ziling said, "Then why were you being evasive just now?"

Yun Yuzhen reached out to grab the two boys' hands and dragged them inside. After shutting the door, she leaned against the door and closed her eyes. "Because of guilty conscience, naturally I did not dare to face you!" she said softly, "But now that we are good, there is no need to hide anymore."

The two boys had no way of pressing her. Kou Zhong said, "Let bygone be bygone. What kind of game are you playing now?"

Xu Ziling angrily said, "That Xiang kid has the cheek to hide you from us, I am going to break our partnership right away!"

Yun Yuzhen opened her beautiful eyes; she said with a wry smile, "Don't blame Xiang Gongzi, it was me who asked him to keep this matter a secret. Just now I wanted to slip out to see you, but when I heard your footsteps, for some reason I sneaked back into my room."

Kou Zhong spread out his arms and said, "All right! You are our Beautiful Shifu after all, past events can be disregarded, just one kiss and we'll call it even."

Yun Yuzhen's almond eyes grew big. "What did you say?" she angrily said, "How can a disciple kiss his master?"

Kou Zhong put an act by pulling up his sleeves; striding over, he said, "You think you are our real Shifu? It was just a nickname we, two brothers, gave you."

Yun Yuzhen recovered her countenance; smiling coquettishly, she said, "You want a kiss, then so be it! Good disciple, you think your Shifu is afraid of you?" Spreading her jade arms wide, she was ready to take Kou Zhong into her fragrant embrace.

Now it was Kou Zhong's turn to be so scared that he took several steps back. With a charming laugh Yun Yuzhen opened the door and slipped out.

The two boys looked at each other, and then they both roared in laughter together.

Unexpectedly life could be so much fun.