Chapter 2 – An Important Head (2/2)

The horse continued galloping, and Cleats still ran along behind it. They had gone nearly sixty meters before Sun Tong’s corpse landed on the frozen ground, ground as cold and unfeeling as the blade of the broadsword.

Hundreds of thousands of tiny drops of blood slowly descended along with the snowflakes.

Bright red droplets of blood, shining white snowflakes.

The galloping horse let out a long neigh and reared up. Cleats seemed to float up as well.

Zhu Meng reigned in the horse, spun it around, and galloped back. Cleats flew along behind the horse like a kite.

The two black-clothed men stood on either side of the road, their broadswords drawn. The blades glinted as brightly as Zhu Meng’s, but their eyes and their faces were the color of dead ashes.

Zhu Meng laughed.

“Look closely. I’m Zhu Meng. I’m leaving you with your heads so that you can have a good look at me, then go back and tell Sima and Zhuo Donglai that I was here. I’m going now. It doesn’t matter if I’m in a dragon’s cave or a tiger’s den, if I feel like coming, I’ll come, if I feel like going, I’ll go.” Then he shouted, “Why haven’t you gotten lost yet?”

The black-clothed men were already falling back. As soon as they heard him start to shout, they began running away, running faster than horses.

Zhu Meng was about to laugh, but didn’t, because he suddenly heard someone sigh and say, “I have to say, there really are not very many people in the world like Sun Tong who aren’t afraid to die.”

Part 4

Little Gao had already sat down in the seat moments ago occupied by Sun Ping. He picked up the scabbard Sun Ping had dropped and put it onto the table along with his own cloth-wrapped sword. He didn’t look directly at Zhu Meng, but he could tell that Zhu Meng’s expression had changed.

Then he found that Zhu Meng was in front of him, perched high on the horse, staring at him with his sharp, copper-colored eyes.

Little Gao didn’t look at him.

He took a drink of tea.

But the tea in the cup was cold, so he emptied the cup and poured another. He emptied that one onto the ground too. The tea in the teapot was cold, yet he unexpectedly poured another cup.

Zhu Meng continued to stare at him, and then asked in a loud voice, “What are you doing?!”

“I’m drinking tea,” said Little Gao. “I’m thirsty, so I want to drink tea.”

“But you’re not drinking.”

“Because the tea is cold,” said Little Gao. “I never drink cold tea.” He sighed. “If I’m drinking alcohol I don’t care. I can drink any type of alcohol, but with tea I’m very picky. Cold tea is absolutely undrinkable. I would rather drink poisoned wine.”

“Don’t tell me you think that you’re going to get hot tea from that pot?” asked Zhu Meng.

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“Can’t you tell that the tea in the pot is completely cold?”

“I know. Of course I know.”

Zhu Meng looked at him as if he were some type of freak. “You know that the tea in the pot is cold, but you still think you can pour a cup of hot tea out of it?”

“Not just hot, scalding hot. The more boiling hot it is, the better the tea tastes.”

Zhu Meng suddenly laughed, then turned and looked at Cleats. “At first I wanted to chop this kid’s head off, but now I can’t.” He laughed loudly. “He’s crazy, and I never chop off the heads of crazy people.”

Cleats didn’t laugh, because just now he caught sight of something very strange.

He saw Little Gao pouring a cup of hot tea from the cold teapot. It was so hot that it bubbled and steamed.

Zhu Meng’s laughter suddenly ceased as he saw the same thing.

Not many people could laugh after seeing something like this. And not many people could control their internal force and heat to warm a pot of cold tea.

Zhu Meng looked back at Cleats. “Is this kid crazy or not?”

“Looks like he’s not.”

“It looks like he has some freaking kung fu, after all. At least a little.”

“Looks like he does.”

“Who would ever have thought he was a good kid? I almost missed it.” When he was finished speaking, he did something no one could ever have imagined that he would do.

He suddenly dismounted, stuck his broadsword into the ground, and walked up to Xiao Gao. Cupping one fist in the other, he saluted him in dead earnest and said, “You’re not crazy. You’re a true man. If you’re willing to be brothers, and you’re willing to go back with me to Luoyang and drink for a few days, I will kneel in front of you and kowtow three times.”

Experts filled the “Lion Clan” like clouds filled the sky. Fierce Lion Zhu Meng had won fame throughout the region of Luoyang. Considering his position, how could he kiss the butt of a nameless, down-and-out youth? And yet, it seemed he was not joking at all.

Little Gao looked shocked. He stared for a long time before finally sighing and smiling wryly. “Now I can finally believe that what people say in Jianghu is real. Fierce Lion Zhu Meng really is an extraordinary character. No wonder so many people admire you and are willing to die for you.”

“And you?” asked Zhu Meng. “Are you willing to make friends with Zhu Meng?”

Little Gao slapped the table. “Ah what the hell?” he said loudly. “Let’s be friends. What’s the big deal?” His voice was even louder than Zhu Meng’s. “I’m Gao Jianfei, and in my months of wandering Jianghu, I haven’t met anyone who treats me with respect. Why shouldn’t I make friends with you?”

Zhu Meng turned his head back and laughed. “Great! Very well said!”

“But, as for the kowtowing, let’s scrap that part. If you kneel in front of me, I couldn’t stay standing. If both of us kneel and kowtow, you kowtow to me, I kowtow to you, then doesn’t that make us a pair of click beetles?(11) I don’t want to do that.”

Zhu Meng agreed. “If you say we don’t do it, then we don’t do it.”

“I also can’t go back with you to drink, because I have an appointment with death in Chang’an.”

“Well, let’s drink here, then! Drink it up!”

“Drink here?” Little Gao frowned. “Aren’t you afraid Sima might show up?”

Zhu Meng slapped the table hard.

“Aw hell, even if he does show up, what’s the big deal? At the most I might lose my life in a fight to the death. What else could he do? But as for this round of drinks between us, we have to drink them. Not drinking will be worse than dying!”

“Ok! Let’s drink,” said Little Gao. “If you’re not scared, what the hell do I have to be scared of?”

**

The teahouse not only was devoid of customers, the wait staff had also left.

Thankfully, the wine jugs were still there.

Zhu Meng and Little Gao drank together. Cleats poured the wine. They drank faster than he could pour, and yet before they could finish the jug, the sound of horse hooves drifted in from outside.

The hoofbeats sounded like the beating of drums. There were at least sixty or seventy horses.

Red Flower Bazaar was within Sima Chaoqun’s sphere of influence. If someone received orders from Sima to tear the entire place to the ground, it would happen in an instant, and that was not an exaggeration.

But Zhu Meng didn’t even blink. He had a full bowl of wine in his hand, and not a drop spilled out.

“Let me toast you three more times,” he said to Little Gao. “I wish you health, happiness and longevity!” (12)

“Okay. Drink!”

He drank quickly, but the hoofbeats seemed to sound out ever more urgently. By the third bowl, it was like thunder.

Cleats’ hands, which held the wine jug, seemed to be weakening, but Zhu Meng’s expression hadn’t changed.

“Now it’s time for you to toast me,” he said to Little Gao. “You have to toast me at least three times.”

Cleats suddenly interrupted, “Clan Leader, I’m afraid you won’t be able to finish all three bowls.”

“Why not?” Zhu Meng was furious. “Why can’t we?”

“Clan Leader, if you keep drinking, the life of young master Gao as well as your life will be at risk.”

Zhu Meng’s anger dissipated and he let out a long sigh. “What he said is true. Risking my life isn’t a big deal, but why involve you?”

He made to stand up, but Little Gao grabbed his shoulder and casually said, “My life isn’t worth as much as yours. If you’re willing to risk yours, why can’t I? Besides, who’s to say we might not come out on top?”

Zhu Meng laughed heartily. “True. What you said is even more true.”

“So, let me toast you these three bowls. I also wish you health, happiness and longevity.”

They laughed together, and as they laughed the sound of horses had reached the tea house and completely surrounded it. It sounded like a thunderstorm.

And then the sound of hoofbeats suddenly ceased. There were a few neighs, and then complete silence.

Everything was suddenly as quiet as death. The teahouse seemed like a tomb. Cleats suddenly sat down. With a bitter laugh, he said, “Clan Leader, I’d like to have a little wine.”

Part 5

There was no sound of blades, no sound of swords, no sound of people, no sound of horses.

Because every person and every horse had been through years of rigorous training, and when necessary, could be completely noiseless. Even if their head were chopped off, they wouldn’t utter a sound.

Within the deathlike silence a man walked in, his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a violet crown and a violet, sable cloak.

“Eastern Violet Clouds” Zhuo Donglai had arrived. (13)

**

His bearing was extremely calm and collected. Only a person who knows that they are in complete control and have the upper hand, could display this level of calmness.

The lives of the three people in the teahouse were definitely under his control.

But Little Gao and Zhu Meng didn’t even look at him.

“I have to toast you three more times,” said Little Gao. “For these three, I wish you long life and riches, many sons and grandsons.” Before he had finished pouring the wine, Zhuo Donglai was standing in front of them.

“Shouldn’t these three bowls be mine to toast with?” he said calmly.

“Why?”

“Clan Leader Zhu has traveled from far away. We haven’t fulfilled our duty as a host at all. These three bowls should definitely be mine to toast with.”

Zhu Meng said nothing. He simply downed the three bowls. Zhuo Donglai downed his just as quickly.

“I must toast Clan Leader Zhu three more. These three are an absolute necessity.”

“Why?”

“Because after these three bowls, there’s a matter I need to consult with Clan Leader Zhu about.”

“What matter?”

Zhuo Donglai first drank three bowls. “Clan Leader Zhu’s whereabouts are always uncertain. He comes and goes like a shadow. As far as he’s concerned, this place is completely deserted.” He sighed. “So, if Clan Leader Zhu had left just now, we would have been powerless to stop him.” He lifted his head up and looked at Zhu Meng coldly. “And yet, Clan Leader Zhu didn’t leave just now.”

“You didn’t anticipate that?”

“Not at all!”

“Actually, neither did I. Because before, I hadn’t made this new friend.” Zhu Meng slapped Little Gao’s shoulder. “But now we’re friends. Of course I have to have a few drinks with him. He couldn’t go with me back to Luoyang, the least I could do is stay behind to accompany him.” Zhu Meng laughed. “It’s really very simple. I’m just afraid people like you won’t be able to understand.”

Zhuo Donglai didn’t say anything. He didn’t make a sound, didn’t move, didn’t sigh, didn’t drink.

It suddenly seemed as if he turned into a piece of wood. Even his eyes had no expression in them.

There was no movement from outside. Without orders from Zhuo Donglai, no one would be willing to move.

Time passed.

As the time passed, what were Little Gao and Zhu Meng doing? Zhuo Donglai didn’t seem to know, or care.

**

As the time passed, only Little Gao’s face had any expression on it. It was a very strange expression.

From the expression on his face, it seemed as if a handful of scorpions or bedbugs were wriggling around in his clothes, and that he couldn’t hold back from moving.

Actually, he had caught sight of something no one else could see. Because of the direction his seat was facing, he could look directly at a window in the back of the room. And that window happened to be open.

Outside this window could be seen the horses brought along by Zhuo Donglai. But from Little Gao’s angle, he could see through a small space between the men and horses and blades and arrows. He could see a tree.

It was a dead, withered poplar tree, and standing beneath it was a person.

From his seat, Little Gao could clearly see the person.

It was a quiet, ordinary person, carrying an old-fashioned, ordinary box.

Little Gao felt the urge to charge out the door, felt multiple urges, but he didn’t move.

Because he knew that now was a decisive moment. The lives and fates of all of them would be decided in just a moment, and anything he did could cause harm to his friend.

So he didn’t move.

But he really hoped that the box-carrying man under the tree wouldn’t leave.

A long time passed, and then he saw another very strange thing.

He suddenly saw Zhuo Donglai smile.

And he suddenly realized that Zhuo Donglai’s smile was actually very charming.

He saw Zhuo Donglai smile and stand up, then give an elegant and formal bow to Zhu Meng.

“Clan Leader Zhu, I won’t toast you anymore. It’s a long way back to Luoyang, and it’s not good to drink too much.”

Little Gao was shocked, as was Zhu Meng.

“You’re letting him go?” asked Little Gao. “You’re really letting him go?”

Zhuo Donglai smiled coldly. “If you’re able to make friends with him, why can’t I? He’s willing to risk his life to drink with you, why can’t I let him go?”

And then he personally led Zhu Meng’s horse over by the reigns. “Clan Leader Zhu, we’ll part here. We’ll meet again someday. Please forgive me for not seeing you further along.”

**

Dust roiled. A horse, a horsetail, a pair of cleats, and two people raced away.

Little Gao watched them leave, then turned and asked Zhuo Donglai, “Now I can finally believe that what people say in Jianghu is real. ‘Eastern Violet Clouds’ Zhuo Donglai really is an extraordinary character.”

Zhuo Donglai sighed again. “Unfortunately, you’re not going to make friends with me. Because you want to become famous, you want Sima Chaoqun to die by your sword.”

Little Gao was silent for a long time before saying, “Maybe the person to die won’t be him, but me.”

“Yes. The person to die will very likely be you,” Zhuo Donglai said coldly. “If I was going to place a bet, I would bet ten to one that you’ll die.” He looked at Little Gao. “If you want to place a bet with me, I’m willing.”

“No thanks.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t afford to lose.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he dashed out. All of a sudden, he had noticed that the man standing beneath the tree had disappeared.

This time, Little Gao was determined to pursue him.

**

(1) The “meng” character in Zhu Meng’s name is the character for “fierce, violent, energetic, vigorous.”

(2) A kang is a traditional sleeping bed made of bricks or clay. It has a type of furnace or oven underneath that can be heated up during winter to make the bed and the room warm.http://goo.gl/ad6oSn

(3) Fenjiu is a relatively famous type of bai jiu from Shanxi.

(4) Her name implies that she can drink a lot.

(5) The original text includes the tidbit that the fuel being used is horse manure.

(6) In this part of the story, Zhu Meng consistently refers to himself as 老子 laozi. This literally means “old man” or “daddy,” and it is something that tough guys will often say to their inferiors (or to others, when trying to make themselves sound tough, or to insult people). But it’s not very common to refer to yourself in the third person in English, and even the common translation “daddy,” just doesn’t sound right in my opinion, so I’m going to leave it out. However, throughout the story, I will clarify as necessary whether or not it is being used.

(7) Zhuge Liang is of course the most famous strategist in the history of China.

(8) He literally just says the word “doghouse,” but he’s referring to their organizations base of operations, so I added “headquarters” to make if flow a bit smoother.

(9) This is a play on the two Chinese character 通 tong and 挡 dang. Tong means to pass, or to let pass, and dang means to block or stop.

(10) This type of weapon is a 砍刀 kan dao, which could also be translated as chopper or chopping sword.

(11) The name for click beetle in Chinese is literally “kowtowing bug.”

(12) As I mentioned before, Zhuo Donglai’s given name means “from the east.” So his Jianghu nickname actually contains the same two characters as his given name. “紫气东来” 卓东来 or “ziqi donglai” zhuo donglai. And as I mentioned before I’m going to continue to use violet instead of purple. Even though the Chinese character is the same throughout the story, the things being described are often not purple. Furthermore, I think violet sounds more cool than purple. Haha.

(13) At this point, until further notice, Zhu Meng has stopped referring to himself as “laozi” and is now using the normal word for “I” or “me.”