Chapter 7 – Wisp of Smoke (2/2)
“In Ye Laoyan’s experience, food will remain in the digestive system for nearly two hours before becoming excrement. Walnuts, pine nuts and the like require even more time to digest.”
Without pausing, he spoke forth the conclusion of the matter: “That corpse’s stomach contained no chicken and abalone shark’s fin soup, nor any walnuts, pine nuts or dried fruit. On the contrary, it contained food that Sun Jicheng would never eat: dried fish strips.”
***
How exactly did they determine that?
Old Master Tian didn’t explain the details, but everyone could imagine how.
Even though everyone could imagine, no one seemed willing to actually question.
As of now, Zheng Nanyuan’s face was no longer as calm and mild as it had been before. “So,” he asked coldly, “the Old Master suspected from the very beginning that the person who died was not Sun Jicheng.”
“Correct.”
“How did that come to be?” asked Zheng Nanyuan, his eyes flashing sharply. “Our Boss and the Old Master were not close. Why were you so interested in the details of his death?”
Old Master Tian’s facial expression changed.
Frogboy noticed that this change was similar to the change he’d observed when he brought up the matter of Liu Jin’niang earlier. Old Master Tian looked angry.
And yet, he answered the question.
“Of course I was interested, and of course I had my suspicions. Because,” he said loudly, “I knew that Sun Jicheng was none other than Laughing Li. 10 Qiu Budaos couldn’t stand up against a single of the Laughing General’s finger. How could he possibly be killed by Qiu Budao?”
***
This was a very reasonable explanation. Who could refute it? Even should one know that it was merely an excuse, one still could not refute it.
But Zheng Nanyuan had yet another question to ask.
“I’ve heard that the local government and the Old Master are currently searching for someone named ‘Wu Tao.’ According to the secret reports, he might be the formerly infamous ‘Fear-inspiring Three Laughs’ General Li.”
“I assumed you would have heard.”
“So, the Old Master’s meaning is that Wu Tao is Sun Ji Cheng, Sun Ji Cheng is General Li, and General Li is Wu Tao?”
Zheng Nanyuan once again used his overly detailed method of communication, utilizing three methods to ask a single question.
Old Master Tian’s responce was incredibly simple: “Yes.”
“That is really hard to believe.” Zheng Nanyuan sighed. “Even though Sun Jicheng didn’t live an ordinary life, he did live a very regimented life, out in the open, never hiding his actions. No one leveled any suspicions against him in all these years. I really don’t understand how the Old Master would suddenly come to the conclusion that he is the Laughing General.”
Old Master Tian let out a cold laugh. “You think I’m the only person who knows this secret? Why do you think Chamber Lord Xiao is here?”
With this deft statement, he shifted the responsibility of answering the question to Xiao Jun.
And of course, Zheng Nanyuan instantly said, “Chamber Lord Xiao, how did you come to this conclusion?”
“Our Sect’s disciples are everywhere,” he said coolly. “Every matter in Jianghu, large or small, comes to our attention sooner or later.”
This answer didn’t really count as an answer, but didn’t count as a refusal to answer either.
Everyone in Jianghu knows that the Beggar Sect gets information quickly. As for the source of that information, who knew?
So even though his answer did not quite satisfy Zheng Nanyuan, he couldn’t really ask for more information.
But he could ask another question. “How can the two of you be certain that Wu Tao is Big Boss Sun?”
“Sun Jicheng killed his body double with one fatal palm strike that inflicted severe internal injuries. He perfectly imitated ‘As Stable as Mount Tai’ Qiu Budao’s technique, as if he had actually practiced it for thirty or forty years. The only difference is that the inner force contained in that palm strike contained some soft Yin elements.” With complete confidence, Master Tian continued, “Divine Shaolin Palm power is completely Yang based. There is no way that a disciple of Shaolin would produce such refined Yin force.”
Old Master Tian possessed deep knowledge and experience as well as profound understanding of martial arts. As far as martial abilities, weapons, fist and palm techniques, hidden weapons of the various schools and sects in Jianghu, he knew something about all of them.
Zheng Nanyuan could only listen.
“Condor King Wang, one of the Huainan Three Kings, was killed by Wu Tao,” continued Old Master Tian. “The attack he used to kill Wang was from none other than the Huainan Sect’s Eagle Claw kung fu, and his technique was just as good as Wang’s own. Except, his Eagle Claw technique also contained Yin force.”
Eagle Claw uses Yang force, and Huainan Sect disciples did not train in Yin force.
That point did not need to be stated out loud, everyone knew it.
“I examined both bodies personally. I may be an old man, but my eyesight has not grown dim. When I see something, no one can say I saw wrong.”
No one could say, nor would anyone dare to say.
Finally, Old Master Tian asked Zheng Nanyuan: “How many people in the world can defeat an opponent by using the opponent’s own kung fu, something they practiced for decades. And who can also mix Yin power with Yang power martial arts?”
“Not many, I would say.”
“Other than the Laughing General, who claims to be surnamed Li, can you name another?”
Zheng Nanyuan said nothing.
He couldn’t say a single name.
“You can’t think of a single one. So therefore, I must dare to say, Wu Tao is Sun Jicheng, Sun Jicheng is General Li, and General Li is Wu Tao.”
This was his conclusion.
Zheng Nanyuan had no more questions. However, Xiao Jun did.
This kind of question would normally be unanswerable.
“As of now, Wu Tao knows that we have uncovered his secret, and are looking for him,” he said. “So, what is his next step?”
Frogboy suddenly laughed. “You shouldn’t be asking us. Why don’t you go ask him yourself?”
Part 3
April 17th. Afternoon.
It was a clear day, and the sun illuminated everything. Even though it couldn’t directly shine onto the cramped, moldy and incredibly stinky cell block, some of its rays somehow found their way inside.
Ingot had awoken already and sat staring with his two large eyes.
No one could possibly imagine what he stared at.
He stared at something that he had never before seen in his entire life. Something he never would have wanted to see, and even now, upon seeing, could scarcely believe.
***
Ingot was currently looking at hundreds of spiders, rats, cockroaches, lizards, snakes, centipedes, mosquitos and bedbugs.
Dead spiders, dead rats, dead cockroaches, dead lizards, dead snakes, dead centipedes, dead mosquitos, dead bedbugs.
He had never imagined that a stone jail cell could possibly contain so many things like this.
Yet, there they were. And they had originally been jumping with life.
But as soon as they touched Wu Tao, who remained fast asleep, they would instantly die.
Regardless of spider, rat, cockroach, lizard, snake, centipede, mosquito or bedbug, as soon as they touched his body, they would stiffen and fall, never to move again.
***
Ingot not only stared, he counted.
Every one that died, he counted. He currently was up to one hundred eighty-nine.
That number itself was nothing frightening, but having counted so high, the hairs on his whole body stood on end.
Wu Tao was still fast asleep, sleeping like a corpse.
Who knew how many more vile pests would appear in the prison? From outside could be heard the sound of iron shackles clanking on the stone floor, piteous wails and weeping, and the cursing of jailers as they whipped and beat inmates.
If you heard those sounds and saw what Ingot saw, you too would be disgusted.
He couldn’t take it any more.
At what point would Wu Tao wake up?
Ingot decided to wake him up. He didn’t call out to him, he just went over and pushed him. But as soon as his hand touched Wu Tao’s body, he felt it pushed away. And then nearly half of his body went numb.
—This guy really was weird. He himself wasn’t too scary, but his martial arts were terrifying.
Ingot didn’t fear him in the least. He grabbed a dead rat and then threw it toward Wu Tao’s nose.
A slapping sound rang out as the rat hit the nose.
Not Wu Tao’s nose. Ingot’s nose.
The dead rat had rebounded, and struck Ingot directly in the nose.
Ingot, furious, was about to start yelling. But Wu Tao had already woken and started stretching. Glaring at him, Ingot said, “What the hell?”
“What the hell what?”
“What the hell are you hitting me in the nose with a dead rat for?”
“Was it me who hit you in the nose with a dead rat? Or the other way around?”
“I can hit you, but you can’t hit me,” said Ingot, bold and assured.
Wu Tao sat up. “Why can you hit me but I can’t hit you?”
“Because you’re an adult, but I’m just a kid.” The more he spoke, the more reasonable his arguments sounded. “Also, you were pretending to sleep, so of course I should try to make you get up. You weren’t sleeping, so why the hell did you hit me?”
Wu Tao looked like he wanted to laugh, but he didn’t.
“Why did you need to wake me up? Why not sleep a little bit more?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why couldn’t you sleep? Is there something wrong with this place?”
“Everything.”
“Do you want to leave?”
“Yes. Very much so.”
“You want to leave and never come back?”
“Call me a bastard if I ever come back,” said Ingot, sounding more and more angry. “This is not a place for people. Even bastards shouldn’t stay here.”
Wu Tao suddenly stood up. “Okay!” he cried.
“Okay?” said Ingot. “What does that mean?”
As soon as he said it, he knew what Wu Tao meant. He saw Wu Tao stretch out his arms, and then heard a sound like fireworks coming from his body.
And then a bang sounded out.
The cramped, moldy cell block, constructed of thick slabs of stone, suddenly exploded out in every direction.
Dust flew out, and Ingot felt as if he were were flying in the air. Then the only thing he could hear was Wu Tao’s voice: “If this place isn’t fit for bastards, why leave it standing?”
**
[1] Guizhou Maotai is one of China’s most famous baijius.
[2] These texts are the books about Confucianism.