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And thus with that question Kou Zhong knew for sure that there was some mole in Jing Nian Chanyuan that sent information back to Wang Shichong. Because he knew that the Jade Annulus of He Clan has been stolen, hence he was surprised that the one stole the jade treasure was not Kou Zhong.

This morning, after the three washed all the traces from last night’s heist at a clear stream, they buried all evidence, including masks, clothing, and pomegranate wooden sword, in a secure place before swaggering back into the city.

The guards at the gate were all Wang Shichong’s men; they immediately stopped Kou Zhong and ‘invited’ him to see Wang Shichong.

And this Xu Ziling and Ba Fenghan parted ways as well. The former went out on some fictitious errand, the latter went to Princess Dong Ming to fish for information.

Inside the secret chamber.

Kou Zhong put an act by smiling wryly as he sat down; with a sigh he said, “I don’t want to talk about it! We did touch the bell tower of the Monastery, who would have thought that baldhead Liao Kong detected our presence and mobilized several hundred to chant salvation prayers for us? Without any choice we had to sound out the difficulties and retreat to avoid defeat.”

Wang Shichong’s eyes flashed with cold rays. After glaring at him for a moment, he asked in astonishment, “Let’s not talk about the Jade Annulus of He Clan first, how come your countenance and your eyes look a bit different than before?”

Kou Zhong stretched out his limbs and said, “This is called ‘mastery of study lies in diligence’, also ‘amusement in desolation’. Last night after escaping the Jing Nian Chanyuan, we had nothing to do, so we went to a mountaintop nearby and used our true qi to open up each other’s meridians. Since Wanggong [king and duke] is able to see it, it shows that our training method is really effective.”

This was the alibi that the three fabricated. Lies hidden within the truth, and truth contained within the lies. Even someone as cunning as Wang Shichong would find it hard to differentiate true or bogus.

Kou Zhong then frowned and said, “Listening to the tone of Wanggong’s voice, it looks like the Jade Annulus of He Clan has been stolen. This is not possible. First, Jing Nian Chanyuan is like the Imperial City, to find a tiny precious jade is like fishing a needle from the sea. Second, everybody in the Monastery has superior martial art skill, Liao Kong is even more deep and immeasurable; unless you, Wanggong deploy a large army to storm in, all we could do is just standing at the bottom of that eight-hundred plus stone step leading into the front gate of the Temple, heaving a sigh.”

Wang Shichong was slient for half a day. Finally he sighed and spoke dejectedly, “It’s useless even if I believed you. Just now Jing Nian Chanyuan sent a messenger to me, asking me to inform you that tonight before the Zi hour [11pm – 1am] you are to return the Jade Annulus of He Clan to the Monastery. Otherwise they won’t spare any effort to get the Jade Annulus of He Clan back from you. Under this circumstance, even I will be helpless to protect you.”

Kou Zhong suddenly flew into a rage, “This is preposterous! Even if they killed me I could not hand over that pain-in-the-butt ghost jade annulus to them.”

The last sentence was an absolute truth.

But by saying that, Wang Shichong overthrew Kou Zhong’s conjecture earlier that he had a mole in the Monastery sending him secret information.

Frowning, Wang Shichong said, “Liao Kong has never paid any attention to the affairs of the world, but this time due to the lost treasure is ‘true fire’ has been ignited. As chance has it, just before the treasure is stolen, you happened to come over there, hence even if you jump into the Yellow River, it will be difficult to wash the suspicion from you. It would be best if the three of you lie low until the intensity of the fire dies down. I really do not wish to stand face to face with Jing Nian Chanyuan, Ci Hang Jing Zhai, so much so Ning Daoqi, as the enemy.”

Inwardly Kou Zhong cursed Wang Shichong as not having enough yiqi [spirit of loyalty and self-sacrifice/code of brotherhood], but on the surface he put on an understanding expression as he said, “Wanggong, set your heart at ease. I will definitely not put you on the spot. Hey! Am I free to go?”

Wang Shichong sighed and said, “I know you must be blaming me for not having enough friendship, but under current situation, I really cannot divide my attention to deal with such a formidable foe. However, if you indeed have something to do with the Jade Annulus of He Clan theft, naturally I will have the ‘as the water receded, the rocks appear’ opportunity.”

Kou Zhong knew he did not believe the story concocted by the three of them; smiling, he said, “Whom do I, Kou Zhong, fear? Even his mother’s Shi Feixuan, baldhead Liao Kong, Old Demon Ning, if they insist on accusing me wrongly, let them ‘come with their horses’.”

Stretching out his hand, Wang Shichong pressed it down on Kou Zhong’s shoulders.

Kou Zhong thought he wanted to plot against him or perhaps take this opportunity to do a body search. Startled, the true qi within his body reacted naturally, in an instant his entire body was filled with true qi, in term of speed, it was at least double the previous speed, one of which bore through the jianjing acupoint on his shoulder and went straight into Wang Shichong’s palm.

‘Pow!’ As soon as Wang Shichong’s palm touched Kou Zhong’s shoulder, it was jolted out. “What are you doing?” he cried out in fear.

Fortunately Wang Shichong’s internal energy cultivation was quite deep, otherwise he would have been hurt.

It was only then did Kou Zhong realize that he had misunderstood him.

Quickly thinking of an excuse, he said, “Reporting to Wanggong: the skill I learned from the ‘Secret to Long Life’ oftentimes is out of my control.”

Wang Shichong circulated his inner power to neutralize the vortex of qi invading his body. With a strange expression on his face, he said, “Your power is a lot more superior than my original estimate. No wonder Shangguan Long was defeated under your hands. I forgot to ask you: after you caught him, how did you deal with him?”

Kou Zhong dejectedly said, “Empress Yin, Zhu Yuyan personally made her move; she intercepted us and snatched that fellow away from us.”

Shaken, Wang Shichong asked, “Zhu Yuyan?”

This time Kou Zhong’s rueful smile was real; he said, “If not her, who else? Who else would be able to snatch the fatty meat at the edge of our mouth? Ah yes, about last night: in the duel between Qu Ao and Fu Qian, who won and who lost?”

After staring wide-eyed at him for half a day, Wang Shichong revealed a hard-to-believe expression as he shook his head and said, “Since Zhu Yuyan already made her move, how could she only take the person without taking lives?”

Letting out a cold snort, Kou Zhong’s eyes flashed spirited light, which was several times more intense than previously. He spoke heavily, “It all depends on the contest of true ability. I admit that fighting one-on-one, I definitely am not her match, but with the combined power of all tree of us, she is helpless against us. Wanggong still has not replied my question.”

Wang Shichong exhaled and said, “Do you know that when you got angry just now your eyes lit up with strange rays of light like the flickering stars in the sky? That is the innate true qi of the ‘Man and Heaven touching each other’ realm; the Daoists call it ‘empty space creating lightning’. Although I have met countless capable people, but those whose eyes can emit golden rays like that can’t be more than five people. No wonder Zhu Yuyan is unable to deal with you.”

Inwardly Kou Zhong was delighted, but he was also afraid to raise his suspicion again, hence he giggled and said, “Wanggong praised me too much! How could I be that formidable? It’s just that the ‘Secret to Long Life’ is unusual; the beginning is indeed ‘Man and Heaven touching each other’, but I have not really reached the level of martial art accomplishment Wanggong just said. Almost forget to ask you: is there any movement of the Dugu Clan on the other side? Didn’t you say you have the Palace City heavily besieged? How come last night I saw Dugu Feng walking to and fro freely in Man Qing Yuan?”

Wang Shichong said, “Do you remember the ‘Beautiful Barbarian Lady’ Linglong Jiao? Not only she is beautiful and her martial art skill high, she is also intelligent and cunning, an expert in reconnaissance and intelligence about the enemy. Indeed she is a rare talent.”

The image of her cold-as-ice-and-frost, aloof and thousand-li-distant, yet brimming with strong feminine charm, moving appearance immediately floated in Kou Zhong’s heart. Nodding, he said, “My memory on beautiful women has always been good.”

Wang Shichong laughed and said, “Men should be like that. There’s no harm in telling you! She went into the Palace City last night to scout information. When she got back, she said that the Dugu Clan, from top to bottom, everybody was in high-spirit, full in confidence. As soon as I heard it, I knew something was amiss. Dugu Feng [summit, not phoenix] must have something up his sleeve, hence he could be this calm and composed, not afraid that I besiege the Palace City. After some deliberation, Xiyi Xiong, Kefeng Daoren [Taoist Priest] and Chen Zhanglin unanimously agreed: Our battle line has been stretched too thin. If the enemy attack, it would be hard for us to look after both the head and the tail. Therefore, we will concentrate our forces inside the Imperial City, while spread out secret agents inside the Palace City. In this way, we can advance to attack and retreat to defend; in terms of military tactic, this is a lot more brilliant. What do you think?”

Kou Zhong inwardly thought that this ‘Beautiful Barbarian Lady’ was indeed a rare talent; unexpectedly she was able to deduce the situation based on the other side’s demeanor. Nodding his head, he said, “Linglong Jiao’s insight is very accurate. In my opinion, Dugu Feng is waiting for someone from Nanhai Pai. I heard that the Nanhai Xianweng [old immortal of the Southern Sea] Huang Gongcuo is rushing here.”

Wang Shichong’s countenance changed, “When did you obtain that information? How did Dugu Feng persuade him to come?”

Remaining calm and unruffled in the midst of chaos, Kou Zhong said, “Naturally Dugu Feng does not have that ability. But Li Mi has a close relationship with Huang Gongcuo. It is also possible that the Nanhai Pai wants to expand their influence to the north. The lad’s passion meets the lass’ desire, they are together from the first beat. Old man Huang and old woman You, the two combined equal to nearly two hundred years of power, they are really not easy to deal with.”

Wang Shichong rose up to his full height. He said, “This is no small matter, I must deal with it immediately, otherwise we will die without knowing what’s going on.”

Kou Zhong already understood his selfish personality. Leaving aside his question earlier about the outcome of Fu Qian vs. Qu Ao’s decisive battle, he immediately took his leave.

Stepping out of the strictly guarded Shangshu Mansion, Dong Shuni’s cute voice called out from behind, “Kou Zhong! Where the hell have you been these past two days?”

※ ※ ※

By the time Xu Ziling stepped into the Dongjia Restraurant at the head of the Tianjin Bridge, more than a dozen pairs of eyes were immediately fixed on him.

The restaurant was crowded as usual, the atmosphere was very lively, with more than half of the patrons were traveling merchants and Jianghu people from all over the country.

Those who stared at him looked surprised, and then they whispered to each other. There were even some girls who threw amorous glances at him.

Xu Ziling knew that it must be because at Man Qing Yuan last night he revealed his skill, so that he became an instant ‘celebrity’.

Especially since they dared to stand up openly against Li Mi, Yin Gui Pai, Qu Ao, and other major powers, hence nobody dared to belittle them.

Moreover, last night they uncovered Luoyang Bang’s Shangguan Long’s real identity, and even captured him using their real skill. This matter was related to the rise and fall of the Wulin world of Luoyang; it would be strange indeed if it did not create quite a sensation all over the city.

All these factors added together, overnight, the three men became Luoyang’s most attractive figures.

“Turns out it is Xu Ye; is Kou Ye going to come later on? Shall Xiaoren take you to the VIP room upstairs?” Turned out it was the same waiter who greeted them yesterday. It was unclear whether he had heard the rumor, but his manner was a lot more reverent and respectful, almost with trepidation, compared to the previous day.

Xu Ziling actually wanted to find a quiet place where he could spend time with himself. The purpose of his fictitious errand this time was to find himself. Sighing inwardly, he said, “I am coming alone, and I think the main hall will be a bit more lively.”

The waiter busily replied, “Everything will be as Xu Ye wishes; I’ll find a table for Xu Ye right away.”

Receiving such a grand and serious reception like this, Xu Ziling felt uncomfortable instead. Smiling indifferently, he said, “Just call me when you find an empty table! I am going to enjoy the scenery of Tianjian Bridge outside.”

Without waiting for an answer, he simply walked out of the door.

Chapter 4 - Part 2

Ysabel, HPC, Jaya, Sky, DongBin, you are welcome. Ari, welcome back! How’s baby? Almost one, I reckoned? Akolaw, thanks for sharing. Xu Xiong, Xiaohu ... I was just wondering because it is unusual; don’t you think so?

Under the sunny sky, people and vehicles were coming and going on the Tianjian Bridge, boats and vessels were traveling back and forth on the Luo River flowing under the Bridge. It was a bustling scene of the water and land transport hub of a metropolis.

This moment, someone was stepping out of the restaurant. When Xu Ziling was stepping aside to let him through, the man suddenly stuffed a ball of paper into his hand. Xu Ziling recognized the man was Xu Xingzhi; his anxiety vanished, he quickly put the crumpled piece of paper into his sleeve pocket.

Xu Xingzhi walked up the Tianjin Bridge, and disappeared into the stream of people.

Xu Ziling was about to return to tell the waiter not to bother finding him a table when a carriage halted right in front of him.

The curtain lifted, revealing Shen Luoyan’s flowery jade countenance.

This pretty military strategist, whose intelligence and planning and scheming skill was well-known throughout the world, laughed sweetly and said, “Ziling! Would you get in the carriage to chat with me for a while?”

A feeling of disgust welled up in Xu Ziling’s heart; he coldly replied, “We are treading different paths, we are not scheming against each other, what is there to talk about?”

Shen Luoyan did not pay him the slightest bit of attention; she said, “Xu Gongzi is obviously unaware. Currently rumors are flying around the Eastern Capital like crazy, they all said that the Jade Annulus of He Clan has fallen into one of you and your two friends’ hands. This moment nobody do not rub their fists and wipe their palms in eagerness, vowing to wrest the treasure out of your hands. Don’t you want to know a bit more news?”

Inwardly Xu Ziling was shivering in fear.

Jing Nian Chanyuan lost the treasure just happened the previous night. If the Monastery people did not deliberately leak the news, how could ‘the streets know and the alleys hear’? But when Shen Luoyan spoke, it has always been difficult to tell the truth from the lies; perhaps she was exaggerating on purpose.

Xu Ziling nonchalantly laughed and said, “No need to chat and laugh! Although I know one possible location where the treasure might be stored, but upon self-examination, I know I do not have the qualification to steal it. And I don’t believe someone really stole the ruler’ seal from there; you don’t have to sound me out.”

Shen Luoyan stared at him for half a day, as if she was trying to tell whether he was telling the truth or was just lying to her. Finally she sighed grimly and said, “If you are telling the truth, then you are in a really big trouble. Ci Hang Jing Zhai occupies paramount position in Jianghu; nobody dares to mess with them!”

Xu Ziling pretended to be surprised, “What are you talking about?” he asked, “You talk like the Jade Annulus of He Clan is really lost. Where did you hear it from?”

Shen Luoyan swept her gaze around, the passerby’s eyes were on them, sizing them up. Slightly angry, she said, “Just get in the cart and talk, all right? The big street and big alley, where people are coming and going, is not the place to talk about confidential matter.”

Xu Ziling smiled slightly and said, “We have nothing to talk about, they want to think that I stole it, then let them think that I stole it!”

No longer paying attention to her, he turned left toward the Tianjin Bridge.

He had only walked for a dozen paces when Shen Luoyan got off hear carriage and ran after him. Very angrily she said, “What is your head made of? Such a stubborn and obstinate man. You were at the Jing Nian Chanyuan just before the treasure was lost; if I don’t look for you, who should I look for? Although you put on a mask, but someone recognized your build.”

Xu Ziling groaned inwardly; fortunately the opposite side still had no conclusive evidence. It’s just that all he could do currently was to keep denying insistently.

Shen Luoyan was wearing light yellow tight warrior outfit, her beauty was comparable to the glorious splendor of Luoyang City under the brilliant sun, which Xu Ziling was not in the mood to enjoy.

Sighing, Xu Ziling said, “Where exactly did you hear that from?”

Shen Luoyan replied indifferently, “Do you know that Wang Bo and Liao Kong have close to fifty years of friendship? This morning he issued Wulin notice to men and horses of all sides, announcing the circumstances surrounding the theft of the Jade Annulus of He Clan. Furthermore, he said clearly that if by zi hour [11pm-1am] tonight you have not returned the treasure, he will stop at nothing to have the three of you killed. You still think this is a joke?”

Xu Ziling smiled and said, “If I really the one who stole the treasure, I would have flown far away last night; how could I stay here, waiting for others to give me bad luck? I don’t care what would happen, if they have the ability, let them come to me!”

By this time the two have reached the Tianjian Bridge. The man was like deep and clear wine, elegant like an immortal amongst the mortals; the woman beautiful and alluring, lucid and elegant, just like a fairy descended to the world. Naturally they attracted the passer-bye’s glances and envious and admiring gaze.

Who would have thought that they had the appearance of unity, but divided at heart? To talk further, there was this kind of intense murderous air in the radiance of spring between them.

Shen Luoyan roused her spirit to walk with him for a short time; lightly stomping her tiny foot, she said, “Since when did you become arrogant and wild like Kou Zhong? Do you know that after the zi hour tonight you will be Wulin world’s public enemy? Shi Feixuan and Ning Daoqi will be among those who will look for you. Top martial art masters from the most powerful schools and sects, both orthodox and heretical, will be your enemy.”

Smiling ruefully, Xu Ziling said, “What can I do? I have no choice but to resist the incoming troops, to build earth embankment when the flood comes.”

Lowering her voice, Shen Luoyan said, “If that thing is really in your hands, we can make a deal.”

Sneering, Xu Ziling said, “Even if it were in my hands, I would never make any deal with anybody related to Li Mi. Shen Junshi, do you understand?”

Shen Luoyan hung her head in silence. She quietly came closer and spoke in tender voice, “If I had nothing with Li Mi anymore, then what?”

Stunned, Xu Ziling cast her a quick glance; shaking his head in disbelief, he said, “I can only think that you must be joking.”

Shen Luoyan heaved a deep sigh; she nodded and said, “I know you won’t believe me, but this time it is really for your own good. Perhaps the biggest problem is that practically there is not a single man who can ascertain who the big treasure thief is? The only possibility is one of you three in disguise, since the body type matches yours. A real man dares to do dares to admit; why should he be afraid of admitting what he had done? Won’t he be afraid to be the laughingstock of all men under the heavens?”

Her speech was very formidable, even Xu Ziling was nearly unable to withstand. Smiling bitterly, he said, “That being the case, we have to take advantage before the zi hour to escape from Luoyang, because no matter how we plead our innocence, nobody is going to believe us.”

Shen Luoyan pulled him into a side lane; turning to the left and winding to the right, they finally arrived at a quiet place. Lowering her voice, she said, “This is precisely the deal I wanted to make with you, and it was Mi Gong [Duke Mi] himself who gave me instructions. As long as you admit that the Jade Annulus of He Clan is in your hands, not only we do not want you to hand it over to us, all old debts will be struck in one stroke. Furthermore, we will utilize all manpower and physical resources to bring you out of Luoyang. What do you think?”

Listening to this, even Xu Ziling had his heart slightly moved. Frowning, he said, “Stop lying to me. Is Junshi saying that your boss does not wish to take the Jade Annulus of He Clan for his own?”

Shen Luoyan crossly said, “Both you and Kou Zhong can be called smart, but can be also called stupid. Who didn’t know that nobody does not want to have the Jade Annulus of He Clan? But definitely nobody is stupid enough to make his move to steal that thing. Itself, although the Jade Annulus of He Clan is the most famous precious jade since times immemorial, its true worth is actually on its historic significance and what it stands for. Moreover, originally this jade was held in safekeeping of the world’s most revered Ning Daoqi, and then from him, it was handed over to the representative of the White Way Wulin, Shi Feixuan. Only madman who does not wish to live would try to steal it. Do you really get it? Only when Shi Feixuan personally hands it over to you would this Jade Annulus of He Clan be able to play its intended role.”

Xu Ziling was puzzled, “So your Mi Gong is already positive that Shi Feixuan won’t pick him as the Jade Annulus of He Clan’s true owner, and thus he would rather have the Jade Annulus of He Clan disappear forever?” he asked.

Smiling wryly, Shen Luoyan replied, “If I denied that, then I would be lying to you. But under the circumstances, I am sure you would understand if I can’t reveal anything more to you.”

After a short pause, she went on, “Never, ever, underestimate Shi Feixuan. There is a very strong possibility that she would be Ning Daoqi’s successor as the most outstanding grand master of the Wulin world of the Central Plains. Just by looking at the swift and decisive way [orig. ‘sound of thunder technique’] she handled the missing treasure this time, we know that the method she is using is in profound congruence of the swordsmanship. Very soon you will be forced to a dead end!”

Xu Ziling cut her off with a cold snort, “Therefore, if we really run away, it would be tantamount to admitting that we did steal the Jade Annulus of He Clan. Ha! Shen Junshi, your scheme this time is really brilliant, no wonder you are willing to write off our former hatred at one stroke! It’s because later on, Shi Feixuan and Ning Daoqi will look for us to give us bad luck. Am I right?”

As if she was hurt, Shen Luoyan took a step back; her pretty face turned white. With ashen countenance, she furiously said, “You really don’t know others’ kind intention. That being the case, you will take responsibility of the aftermath yourselves! I have nothing more to say, just do your best.”

Stomping her feet in anger, she turned around and left.

Xu Ziling remained standing still. A long while later, he chuckled and said, “Since friend already honored me with your presence, why don’t you show up?”

From both ends of the alley cold snorts were heard simultaneously, followed by the Changbai Twin-Malevolent Fu Zhen and Fu Yan jumped down from the top of the wall.

The former carried a long-handled ax made of pure steel, only he added a sharp-pointy awl on the ax head, making the weapon effective to chop, hack, as well as pierce, like a spear. The latter’s weapon was even weirder; it looked like a sword, but was curved, the blade and tip looked like a beak. In just a glance it was obvious that the style he used must be dangerous and odd.

Xu Ziling was very well aware that he had fallen into Shen Luoyan’s carefully laid-out trap. This time the opponent must have spared no effort and was doing everything they could to have him either killed or captured alive.

But remaining calm and without any fear he suddenly raised a mouthful of true qi, and took the initiative to charge the enemy.

※ ※ ※

Dong Shuni pulled Kou Zhong asie to evade a platoon of guards; pouting playfully she said, “How messed up are you? Yesterday, for the whole day, I did not even see your shadow. You are just like heartless rat that as soon as your tummy is full, you ran away as far as you could.”

Seeing that the more than a dozen guards in front of Shangshu Mansion’s door were staring at them with eyes wide open, Kou Zhong was embarrassed. “Can’t you talk with a bit lower voice?” he said.

Dong Shuni broke out in an extremely charming smile; with an air of innocent, she nodded and said, “As long as you are willing to accompany me, nujia will naturally listen to you!”

Today she was wearing a tight-fitting warrior outfit, white skirt with red trimming, so that the curves of her beautiful body was shown in full light: what’s supposed to be protruding was protruding, what’s supposed to be small was small, brimming with youthful and fiery seductive charm. However, Kou Zhong was not in the mood to enjoy all of these; he said in astonishment, “Didn’t you say you don’t like to see me anymore? Why this sudden change of heart?”

Pulling his sleeve, Dong Shuni walked alongside Kou Zhong along the main street of the Imperial City toward the South Gate of the Imperial City. With a child-like excitement, she said, “Because, after thinking about it back and forth, I realized that among all these people, you are the best, unlike those people who crowd around me like houseflies swarm around honey. Much less Shangshu Daren basically has no intention of letting me to marry you; he even forbids me to have any relationship with you.”

Kou Zhong cursed in his heart. Indeed Wang Shichong was up to no good.

Perhaps the theft of the Jade Annulus of He Clan was no more than a trap. It’s just that he never expected that Kou Zhong would be successful, and now he was trying to shirk from responsibility and push this matter aside and wipe his hands clean.

Putting her lips at his ear, Dong Shuni softly said, “I want you to accompany me in taking part in a dinner party. We’ll talk about plans for eloping then.”

“What did you say?” Kou Zhong blurted out.