Chapter - 15 (15) (2/2)

Mu Jianping opened wide her pair of beautiful eyes; she looked at him in a daze while thinking, ”Why not?”

The four of them rested for a while, then they took their leave from Gao Yanchao. Wei Xiaobao said, ”Let me send you off for a while.” A happy expression appeared on Fang and Mu, two women's faces.

The two women rode on a large carriage, Wei Xiaobao and Xu Tianchuan separately took the other two carriages. The three carriages left from the Eastern Gate. After traveling eastwards for several li, they turned south. Seven or eight li later, they arrived in a small town at the outskirt of Beijing. Xu Tianchuan ordered the carriages to stop, he said, ”Sending off the lord for a thousand li, in the end we must part. The day is no longer early, we will drink some tea in here and then take our separate way!”

They entered a roadside teahouse, the shop attendants promptly served them tea. The three carriage drivers sat on another table.

Xu Tianchuan assumed Wei Xiangzhu and his two companions would certainly have some personal matters they need to discuss; with hands behind his back he strolled out to enjoy the scenery.

Mu Jianping said, ”Gui ... Gui Dage, you are actually surnamed Wei, aren't you? And what is a Xiangzhu?”

Wei Xiaobao laughed. ”I am surnamed Wei,” he said, ”Given name Xiaobao; I am the Xiangzhu of Green Wood Hall of Tian Di Hui. This moment I can't no longer conceal it from the two of you.”

”Ay!” Mu Jianping sighed.

”Why did you sigh?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

”You are the Xiangzhu of Green Wood Hall of Tian Di Hui,” Mu Jianping said, ”How did ... how did you become a court eunuch in the Palace? Isn't that ... isn't that ...”

Fang Yi knew that she was going to say 'such a pity', but first, it was rather improper for her to say it out loud, second, she did not want to arouse Wei Xiaobao's downheartedness; and thus she interrupted, ”For the sake of our country's great cause, a hero and warrior does not hesitate to humiliate himself, indeed he is worthy of our complete admiration.” She presumed Wei Xiaobao must have received Tian Di Hui's order to mutilate his own body and entered the Palace to be an undercover agent; he was definitely worthy of other people's admiration.

Wei Xiaobao showed a faint smile; ”Shall I tell them that I am not a eunuch?” he mused.

Suddenly they heard Xu Tianchuan shouted, ”Good friend, you still don't want to reveal your true colors until now?” He stretched out his hand to strike the shoulder of a carriage driver on the right.

Xu Tianchuan's right palm was just about to land on the carriage driver's shoulder, the carriage driver leaned sideways, Xu Tianchuan's right palm hit an empty air, but his left fist had already reached the carriage driver's right waist. The carriage driver flipped his hand to pull and push, and thus redirected the fist outwards. Xu Tianchuan then brought his right elbow to strike the back of the driver's neck. The carriage driver raised his right hand to feign a strike on the crown of Xu Tianchuan's head. If Xu Tianchuan continued his elbow strike toward the driver's neck, then it was as if he was delivering the top of his own head toward the man's palm. Immediately he exerted his strength on his feet and leaped backward. Altogether he had launched three moves: a palm strike, a punch and an elbow strike, all were delivered using a very swift and fierce technique, but unexpectedly the carriage driver was able to neutralize each move without too much trouble.

Xu Tianchuan was startled and angered at the same time; he expected this man to be a martial art expert from the Imperial Palace, who was acting under orders to arrest them. Immediately he waved his left hand to signal Wei Xiaobao, three people, to run away quickly, while he himself entangled the enemy to give the three people an opportunity to get away. But how could those three forego yi qi? Fang Yi was injured, it would be difficult for her to fight. Wei Xiaobao and Mu Jianping drew their weapons and rushed forward in a converging attack.

The carriage driver turned around and said with a laugh, ”The Eight-armed Ape has good eyesight!” His voice was rather sharp. The four of them saw that his face was yellow and swollen, his clothes were filthy, his overall appearance was ugly; momentarily they could not tell his age.

Hearing him calling his nickname, Xu Tianchuan was even more shocked; he cupped his fist and said, ”Who are you, honored sir? Why do you impersonate a carriage driver and play tricks on Zaixia?”

The carriage driver said with a laugh, ”I would never dare to play tricks. Zaixia and Wei Xiangzhu are good friends, knowing that he is leaving the Capital, I have come to send him off.”

Wei Xiaobao scratched his head, ”I … I can't remember seeing you,” he said.

The carriage driver laughed and said, ”Last night the two of us joined hands to fight a powerful enemy, how can you forget?”

Wei Xiaobao suddenly saw the light, ”Ah,” he exclaimed, ”You … you are Tao … Tao …” He inserted the dagger back into his boot, and rushed forward to pull her hand; only now did he know that the carriage driver was Tao Gong'e in disguise.

Tao Gong'e applied paste of butter, water and starch on her face, so it was difficult for others to know whether she was happy or angry, but her eyes were shining with delight as she said, ”I was afraid the Tatars would send people to stop you, and thus I disguise myself to escort you for a while, unexpectedly Xu Laoyezi has a keen vision, I can't deceive his eyes.”

Looking at Wei Xiangzhu's expression, Xu Tianchuan knew this person was a friend and not a foe; he was delighted, but also ashamed. He cupped his fist and said, ”Honored Sir's martial art is superb, my admiration, my admiration! Wei Xiangzhu karma's is good, he always makes friends with martial art experts everywhere.”

Tao Gong'e laughed and said, ”I don't dare! May I ask Xu Dage, in my disguise, which part has revealed the flaw?”

”There was no flaw,” Xu Tianchuan replied, ”It's just that along the way I noticed the way honored sir waving the whip and urging the mule was unlike ordinary carriage driver. Honored sir did not move your wrist but the whip was extended very straight; you did not raise your elbow but the whip was pulled back immediately. I am afraid not too many friends among the carriage drivers in Beijing possess this kind of brilliant martial art.” The five of them laughed heartily.

Xu Tianchuan continued with a laugh, ”If Zaixia was more sensitive, seeing honored sir's martial art skill, I would not have dared to put out a hand to offend, it's just that this old man did not know what's good for me. I can't help it.”

”Xu Dage has spoken discreetly,” Tao Gong'e said, ”I do not blame you at all.”

Xu Tianchuan cupped his fist again. ”I don't dare,” he said, ”May I know your honored surname and great given name?”

”This friend is surnamed Tao,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”With Xiongdi he has a ... a life and death friendship.”

Tao Gong'e seriously said, ”That's right, it's a life and death friendship. Wei Xiangzhu has saved my life.”

Wei Xiaobao hurriedly said, ”Why did Senior say that? We were cooperating to kill a scoundrel, that's all.”

Tao Gong'e smiled. ”Wei Xiongdi, Xu Dage, Fang and Mu, two ladies,” she said, ”I bid you farewell.” Cupping her fist, she leaped onto the driver seat of a large carriage.

”Tao ... Tao Dage,” Wei Xiaobao called, ”Where are you going?”

Tao Gong'e laughed and said, ”From the place I come, to that place I will return.”

Wei Xiaobao nodded. ”Very well,” he said, ”I hope to see you again later.” Straight away she drove the large carriage without saying anything else.

”Xu Laoyezi,” Mu Jianping asked, ”Is that man's martial art skill really high?”

”Superb martial art!” Xu Tianchuan said, ”What's more amazing is that she is a woman.”

”She is a woman?” Mu Jianping asked in surprise.

Xu Tianchuan said, ”When she leaped onto the carriage, she swayed her waist from side to side, no doubt the style looked good, but unavoidably it looked sissy; she is definitely a woman.”

”Her voice is too high,” Mu Jianping said, ”It did not sound like a man's voice. Wei Dage, is her ... her original appearance attractive?”

”Forty years ago, perhaps she was attractive,” Wei Xiaobao replied, ”But forty years later, you will still be much more attractive than she is now.”

Mu Jianping laughed and said, ”How can you compare me to her? Turns out she is a granny.”

Recalling that very soon he would have to leave them, Wei Xiaobao could not help but feeling sad. Thinking that he was about to embark on a journey alone, he could not help but was somewhat afraid. From Yangzhou to Beijing he was travelling together with Mao Shiba, a Jianghu veteran. In the Palace, although repeatedly running into danger, he knew almost everybody. In desperate moments, he often turned danger into safety by relying on his quick-wit. This time going to Mount Wutai in Shanxi, while admittedly he had never travelled this road before, what bothered him more was that he did not even know what the outcome of his mission would be. He had never travelled long distance alone; he was, after all, only a child, so it was hard for him to avoid feeling timid. For an instant he thought about going back to Beijing to ask Gao Yanchao to accompany him to Mount Wutai, but he remembered that this matter concerned Xiao Xuanzi's lot in life, if he let someone else know, he would be unfair to a good friend.

Xu Tianchuan only knew that Wei Xiaobao was going back to Beijing. ”Wei Xiangzhu,” he said, ”It's getting late, please hurry back. If you are too late, I am afraid the city gate would have been closed.”

”Yes,” Wei Xiaobao replied.

Fang Yi and Mu Jianping said, ”We hope after your business is done you would come to Shijiazhuang to see us. We will be waiting for you.” Wei Xiaobao nodded, his heart was bitter-sweet, he could not say anything.

Xu Tianchuan invited the two women to get into the carriage, while he himself sat by the driver's side. The carriage started to move southwards. Wei Xiaobao saw Fang and Mu, two girls leaned out of the carriage and waved goodbye. The carriage travelled for about thirty zhang, then made a turn, and disappeared behind a row of red willow trees.

Wei Xiaobao mounted the remaining carriage. He ordered the driver to turn westward, not returning to Beijing. The carriage driver was somewhat hesitant, Wei Xiaobao took out ten taels of silver and said, ”Ten taels to hire you three days, is it enough?”

The carriage driver was delighted; he busily said, ”Ten taels is enough for even a month. Xiaode [the humble one, referring to self] will serve Master well; Master wants to go we'll go, Master wants to stop we'll stop.”

That evening they stopped at a small town about twenty li southwest of Beijing, to rest and lodge for the night at a small family inn. Wei Xiaobao wiped his body and washed his feet; without waiting for dinner he lay down on the kang[55] and fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he felt his head was about to crack, his eyes were heavy, he was not able to open it for a long time, his four limbs were even more limp and painful that he could move only with difficulty; it was as if he was in a nightmare. He wanted to shout, but nothing came out of his mouth. When he was finally able to open his eyes, he saw three men lying down on the floor. He was shocked and was only able to stare blankly for half a day. Calming himself down, he struggled to sit up, only to see someone was sitting in front of the kang, looking at him, smiling.

”Ah!” Wei Xiaobao exclaimed in surprise.

The person laughed and said, ”Are you awake only now?” It was none other than Tao Gong'e.

Finally Wei Xiaobao was relieved. ”Tao Jiejie, Tao Gugu

[56], what … what happened?”

Tao Gong'e laughed and said, ”Look, who are these three people?”

Wei Xiaobao crawled down from the kang, but his legs were soft, he fell kneeling down, but quickly sat up, then reaching out his hand for support, he managed to stand up. He saw the three people had already died for a while, but he did not recognize any of them. ”Tao Gugu, did you save my life?”

Tao Gong'e laughed. ”In the end, are you going to call me Jiejie, or Gugu?” she asked, ”Just don't call randomly, thus showing no respect for your elder.”

Wei Xiaobao also laughed. ”You are Gugu, Tao Gugu!”

Tao Gong'e smiled and said, ”You are traveling alone, next time you must be a bit more careful with what you eat and drink. If you were together with that eight-armed old monkey, you would not have fallen into these people's trick.”

”Someone drugged me with knockout drug last night?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

”More or less,” Tao Gong'e replied.

Wei Xiaobao thought for a moment, then he said, ”Most likely it was the tea, when I drank it, there was a bit of sour taste, and a bit of sweetness too.” He thought, ”I myself have a big bundle of knockout drug on me, but I ate other people's knockout drug. Damn it, if I did not have a taste of knockout drug this time, how would I know it tastes bitter-sweet?” He then asked, ”Is this a 'black inn[57]'?”

”This is actually a white inn,” Tao Gong'e replied, ”But when you came in, it turned black.”

Wei Xiaobao was still having a splitting headache, he put out a hand to hold his forehead and said, ”I don't understand that one.”

Tao Gong'e said, ”Not long after you entered the inn, there were other people came in, they tied up the shop owners, husband and wife, and the inn attendant, and turned this white inn into a black inn. One of the men took the attendant's clothes and put some medicine powder into the teapot and delivered it to you. I saw you were changing clothes; I thought I would wait until you finished changing before giving you a warning. Unexpectedly, other than changing clothes, you were also wiping your body. I waited for a moment before coming back, but you already drank the tea. Fortunately it was only knockout drug, not a poison.”

Instantly Wei Xiaobao blushed from ear to ear; when he was wiping himself last night, he was fantasizing what would it feel like if Fang Yi really became his wife and he was embracing her tightly? At that time his emotion was surging, the situation was beyond his control. Although Tao Gong'e was not young anymore, she was, after all, a woman; looking at this kind of disgraceful situation from outside the window, naturally she could not bear to look too much.

Tao Gong'e said, ”When we parted yesterday, I went back to the Palace, but I noticed inside and outside were peaceful without any commotion, there was no announcement about the death of the Empress Dowager, I felt very strange. After hurriedly changing my clothes, I went to the Palace of Compassionate and Peaceful to look. I saw everything was as usual, turned out the Empress Dowager did not die. I know something was wrong. At first I thought the Empress Dowager had died, so the two of us can continue living in the Palace. But since last night we failed to kill her with a blade, we have no choice but must leave the Palace immediately. I wanted to rush over to tell you, so that you won't rush into the Palace and thus delivering your own life.”

Wei Xiaobao pretended to be surprised. ”Ah!” he exclaimed loudly, ”Turns out the old wh0re did not die, it's very bad!” While in his heart he was ashamed, ”In my haste yesterday, I forgot to mention this, I thought you already knew.”

”I was just turning around to leave,” Tao Gong'e continued, ”I saw three Imperial Bodyguards walked out of the Palace of Compassionate and Peaceful. Their action was sneaky, I thought the Empress Dowager must have sent them out to arrest me, but I noticed they were not heading toward my residence. I did not have time to pay them any more attention, I returned to my dwelling and packed up, I also changed clothes again, and slipped out of the Palace via the Catering Department's side door.”

Tao Gong'e said, ”As soon as I left the Palace, I saw those three Imperial Bodyguards again. They have changed clothes, they carried a bundle on their backs and rode on horses, obviously they were on a long journey.”

”Ah,” Wei Xiaobao exclaimed, he stretched out his left foot to kick a corpse, saying, ”They must be these three friends who opened the black inn?”

Tao Gong'e smiled and said, ”Actually, I should thank these three friends. If they did not lead the way, how could I find you? Who could have thought that you detoured westward? They left the city via the western gate and asked around along the way, if anybody had seen a thirteen, fourteen years old boy traveling alone. They really did receive the Empress Dowager's order to get you. By the evening, they found this place, so I followed them here.”

Wei Xiaobao was very grateful in his heart; he said, ”If Gugu did not save me, by this time I can't even answer Yanluo Wang's [Yama, King of Hell] question. He would ask, 'Wei Xiaobao, how did you die?' I would have to answer, 'Reporting to the Great King: I am muddleheaded, and can't make head or tail of it!'”

Tao Gong'e had lived deep inside the Palace for decades, normally very seldom did she had a chance to talk to someone else. She found Wei Xiaobao's talk very amusing talk. ”This kid!” she said with a laugh, ”Yanluo Wang would surely say, 'Drag him down and beat him up!'”

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, ”But isn't it true? Lord Yanluo's beard would stick up, and he would shout, 'Being muddleheaded and can't make head or tail of it when you were alive is alright, how come after you die you are still muddleheaded? If all I have here are muddleheaded ghosts, won't I turn into muddleheaded Yanluo Wang?'” They both burst into loud laughter. ”Gugu,” Wei Xiaobao asked, ”What happened next?”

Tao Gong'e said, ”I heard them talking among themselves in low voice in the kitchen, one man said, 'The Empress Dowager's imperial order, it is best to capture this little demon alive, otherwise we can kill him with a slash of the saber; but the thing he has in his possession, we must bring it back at all cost, not a single one must be missed.' Another man said, 'This little demon dares to steal the Buddhist scripture the Empress Dowager reads every day, truly he is bored of living. No wonder the Empress Dowager is so angry. Empress Dowager instructed us that those several copies of scripture are the most important.' Xiao Xiongdi, did you really steal the Empress Dowager's Buddhist scripture? Your Zongduozhu ordered you to steal it, didn't he?” Saying that, she fixed her gaze on him without blinking.

Although Tao Gong'e's martial art skill was high, but since childhood she had lived in the Palace, toward the ways of the world she knew very little. Although both of them were of the same Palace, day in and day out Wei Xiaobao intermingled with the Emperor, Empress Dowager, princes and dukes, high-ranking ministers, Imperial Bodyguards and court eunuchs, he was always swaying back and forth among treacherous plots, so he had enough practice to be quick-witted; practically his entire body was his weapon. Tao Gong'e, on the other hand, only worked together with a couple of old palace maids, she did not even talk more than a couple of dozen sentences in a year, and she barely saw anybody else. In term of craftiness and resourcefulness, the difference between these two people was simply too far, it was even greater than the disparity between their respective martial art skill levels.

Seeing Wei Xiaobao's innocent expression, Tao Gong'e thought, ”I have just saved his life, he must be very grateful to me, how can a little child like him tell a lie? Much less I have personally searched his belongings?” She nodded and said, ”I saw them opening up your bundle and searched through it. They found a lot of jewels and several hundred thousand taels of banknotes, and were green with envy, so they talked it over how to share the booty. Upon hearing it, I was angry, so I came in and took care of them.”

”Damn it,” Wei Xiaobao cursed, ”The old wh0re Empress Dowager knew about my wealth and sent some Imperial Bodyguards to murder me for my money, using the knockout drug and opening a black inn. That old wh0re is doing some lowly shady business, she not a good thing.”

”I don't think it was her idea,” Tao Gong'e said, ”What the Empress Dowager wants is Buddhist scripture, not jewels or money. Those several copies of Buddhist scripture concern a matter of great importance. I was thinking, could it be possible that you gave those books to Xu Tianchuan and the two ladies to be brought to Shijiazhuang? Since the enemy has been eliminated, I thought I would let you rest for a while, so I rushed on horseback to the south to catch them up. I found their carriage outside an inn. I was thinking of searching quietly, but that man Eight-Armed Ape was very vigilant. As soon as I set my feet on the roof, he had already detected my presence. I can't tell him anything, so without any better option I fought him one more time.”

”He is not your match,” Wei Xiaobao said.

”I really did not want to offend your Tian Di Hui,” Tao Gong'e said, ”But I had no choice. After sealing his acupoint, I apologize to him profusely, I asked him not to be angry with me. Xiao Xiongdi, next time you see him, please tell him again that I am really sorry and had no choice. I went through those three people's luggage, I even searched through their carriage, but did not find anything, so I unsealed their acupoints and riding a horse, I rushed back here.”

”Turns out while I was muddleheaded and did not know anything, you have done these many matters,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”Tao Gugu, how did you know I belong to Tian Di Hui?”

Tao Gong'e smiled and said, ”I drove the carriage with you for half a day, how could I not hear what you were talking about? You are this young, yet have become the Green Wood Hall's Xiangzhu, in Tian Di Hui you are in charge of a very big responsibility, aren't you?”

Wei Xiaobao was very proud of himself. He laughed and said, ”Indeed, it can't be considered small.”

Tao Gong'e was lost in thought for half a day, then she asked, ”You have been with the Emperor for a long time, have you ever heard him mentioning some Buddhist scripture?”

”He did,” Wei Xiaobao replied, ”The Emperor and Empress Dowager seem to hold this annoying Buddhist scripture in a very high regard. Actually, damn it, what's the use? The Empress Dowager is so bad that even if she chanted 'Amitabha Buddha' ten thousand times a day, Bodhisattva won't possibly bless her ...”

Without waiting for him to finish, Tao Gong'e busily asked, ”What did they say, exactly?”

Wei Xiaobao said, ”The Emperor sent me and Songgotu Daren to Oboi's mansion to take inventory of that criminal's confiscated property, he told me repeatedly that I must find two copies of some 'four' sutra. I think there is a 'two' character and perhaps a 'ten' character.”

”Don't burn, don't burn!” Tao Gong'e hastily said.

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, ”I know I must not burn it; if the Emperor ask Songgotu Daren, my trickery would be exposed immediately.”

”Perhaps she has four,” Wei Xiaobao said.

”She has four?” Tao Gong'e said, ”How ... how do you know?”

Wei Xiaobao said, ”When I was hiding under her bed the other night, I overheard she mentioned to that man who was disguised as a woman that originally she had one copy, from Oboi's residence she got two copies, and then she sent the Deputy Chief of the Imperial Bodyguards Rui Dong to get another copy from some banner commander's office.”

Wei Xiaobao hesitated; he said, ”In the event that the old wh0re's injury is heavy, eventually she won't live. I am afraid she might bring those sutra along in her coffin.”

”That is unlikely to happen,” Tao Gong'e said, ”I am worried that the Jiaozhu [Cult Leader] of the Shen Long Jiao [Divine Dragon Cult] would make a move by acting swiftly and get there first, then it would be really bad.”

It was the first time Wei Xiaobao had ever heard about the Cult Leader of the Divine Dragon Cult. ”Who is that?” he asked.

Tao Gong'e did not answer. She was pacing around the room several times. The window paper gradually turned bright, soon the sun would shine. She turned around and said, ”It's not convenient to talk in here, I am afraid the walls have ears. Let us go!” She carried the three dead bodies outside the inn and dumped them onto the carriage.

She killed those three men with a jolt of her heavy hand, they did not shed any blood at all, the corpses were clean. She said, ”They tied the innkeeper and your cart driver, let them struggle free on their own.” Sitting together with Wei Xiaobao on the driver seat, she drove the carriage westward.

Seven or eight li later, the sky had already brightened. Tao Gong'e tossed the corpses on a graveyard and piled large piece of rocks to cover them. Returning to the carriage, she said, ”Riding on the carriage, we can talk while hastening on our journey, no need to fear someone is listening.”

Wei Xiaobao laughed and said, ”I wonder if someone is listening under the carriage.”

Tao Gong'e was startled. ”Right,” she said, ”Your thought is more thorough than mine.” Brandishing the whip, she coiled the whip, 'Shua!' and struck the bottom of the carriage. Repeatedly she struck three times before she was convinced nobody was hiding underneath the carriage. She laughed and said, ”I don't know anything about guarding against the bad act of the Jianghu people.”

”Then I am worse than you are,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”You are always a step ahead of me, otherwise you wouldn't be able to save me last night.”

By this time the carriage was traveling along a main road, all around them were quiet open space. Tao Gong'e slowly said, ”You have saved my life, I have also saved your life. The two of us can be considered friends in times of tribulation, in life and death. Xiao Xiongdi, based on our age, I can be your mother, I can look after you and won't abandon you, just call me your Gugu. Are you willing to consider me as your Gugu, you be my nephew?”

Wei Xiaobao thought, ”I won't lose anything by being a nephew, besides, I have already called her Gugu anyway.” Thereupon he hurriedly said, ”That's wonderful, but I have something really bad I need to tell you. I am afraid after you find out, you won't want me to be your nephew anymore.”

”What is it?” Tao Gong'e asked.

Wei Xiaobao said, ”I don't have a dad, my mom is a wh0re in a pleasure house.”

Tao Gong'e was startled, but instantly a happy smile appeared across her face as she said delightedly, ”Good nephew, a hero is not worried over low family background. Our Taizu Huangdi was a monk, was a hoodlum riff-raff, yet it was irrelevant. You do not even conceal this kind of fact from me, it goes to show that you are being sincere to your Gugu, naturally I won't conceal anything from you either.”

Wei Xiaobao thought, ”My mom is a wh0re, Mao Shiba Dage is already aware, eventually I cannot conceal it from anybody. If you want to swindle someone else, the most hidden secret in your heart must be shaken out first.” He jumped down at once and kneeled and kowtowed, saying, ”Nephew Wei Xiaobao pays his respect to Gugu.”

For decades Tao Gong'e lived deep within the Palace, she had no relatives no family members, she had even less friendship and heard less friendly talk; hearing how affectionate Wei Xiaobao called her, she could not help but was very touched. Hastily she also got down from the carriage and said, ”Good nephew, from now on I have a close relative in the world …” Speaking to this point, she could not refrain from shedding some tears. She was smiling and wiping her tears at the same time, saying, ”Look at me, this is a very happy occasion, yet your Gugu is crying.”

The two of them climbed back onto the carriage. Tao Gong'e held the reins with her right hand, and held Wei Xiaobao's right hand with her left, letting the mule walked step by step slowly. She said, ”Good nephew, my surname is Tao, it's my real surname, my humble given name is Hongying; I entered the Palace when I was twelve. By my second year I was already serving the Princess.”

”Princess?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

”Yes, Princess,” Tao Hongying replied, ”Our Great Ming's His Majesty Emperor Chongzhen's own princess.”

”Ah,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”So Gugu entered the Palace during our Great Ming's Emperor Chongzhen.”

”Exactly,” Tao Hongying replied, ”When the Emperor Chongzhen left the Palace, he swung his sword to cut off the Princess' arm. When I heard that Princess had run into misfortune, I rushed out, thinking to save her. In my panic, I fell heavily and my forehead hit the stone steps and I fainted. By the time I came to, His Majesty and the Princess had already gone, the Palace was in total chaos, nobody cared about me. Not too long afterwards, that Chuang [lit. rushing] thief[59] entered the Palace, and then the Manchurian Qing Tatars drove away the Chuang thief and took possession of the Imperial Palace. Ay, that was many, many years ago.”

”Wasn't the Princess the Emperor Chongzhen's own daughter?” Wei Xiaobao asked, ”Why did he want to hack her to death?”

Tao Hongying sighed and said, ”Princess was the Emperor Chongzhen's own daughter, she was the daughter he most doted on. By that time the Capital had already fallen, the evil troops had already entered the city, His Majesty was determined to sacrifice himself, he was afraid the Princess would be disgraced by the traitors; therefore, he wanted to kill the Princess first.”

”So that's what happened,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”To kill one's own daughter is really not easy. I heard Emperor Chongzhen later hung himself on the Coal Hill, is that right?”

”Afterwards I heard people say so,” Tao Hongying replied, ”The Manchurian Qing Tatars were led through the pass by Wu Sangui, they defeated the Chuang thief and occupied our Great Ming's rivers and mountains. From all the eunuchs and palace maids in the Palace, eight or nine out of ten were let go, they said they were afraid those people would be unreliable. At that time I was still very young, plus my injury from the fall was quite heavy so that I was lying down in a dark room, nobody cared about me. It was more than three years later that I met my Shifu.”

”Gugu,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”Your martial art skill is this high, your Shifu, the Senior's martial art skill was naturally even more amazing.”

”Altogether there are eight?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

”Altogether there are eight,” Tao Hongying replied, ”The Manchus have eight banners: yellow, white, red, and blue, four plain banners, and four bordered banners. Each banner's commander has one copy, altogether there are eight copies.”

”That's exactly right,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”The two copies of sutra we got from Oboi's house have different colored envelopes, one has yellow envelope with red border, the other has plain white envelope.”

Tao Hongying said, ”Turns out the color of the eight sutra envelopes are identical to the eight banners' color; I have never seen any copy.”

Wei Xiaobao pondered in his heart, ”I have five copies in my possession, that means there are three more. In the end, what is so strange about these eight sutras? I am sure Gugu knows. I must find a way to sound her out.” Feigning ignorance, he said, ”Turns out your Tai Shifu, the Senior, was also a devout worshipper of Bodhisattva. The Buddhist scriptures of the Palace are naturally precious; some people said that those scriptures are written using golden ink.”

”That's not it,” Tao Hongying said, ”Good nephew, what I am going to tell you today, you must never divulge it to anybody else. Please make an oath.”

Tao Hongying laughed. ”This oath is actually very fresh and weird,” she said. ”Let me tell you: When the Manchurian Qing Tatars entered the pass, they did not expect to obtain our Great Ming's rivers and mountains. Manchu people are very few, their soldiers are not many; they would be perfectly contented if they could occupy the area outside the pass for a long time. Therefore, when they entered the pass, whenever the eight banners' soldiers saw gold, silver and jewels, they would immediately snatch it away. They moved all these money and valuables to outside the pass. At that time the one wielding power was Emperor Shunzi's father's younger brother the Regent Prince, but each of the Manchu's Eight Banners also have some power. That time the Eight Banners' commanders got together to draw the secret location where the treasure was collected, and each commander of the Eight Banners held one piece of the map …”

Tao Hongying said, ”It appears that it's not entirely like that, but only those Eight Banners' commanders knew clearly. Forget that no one among us, Han people, knows; I am afraid even among Manchu princes and dukes, and high-level ministers, only a few know about it. My Shifu said that the mountain on which the Manchu hid those jewels is the location of their dragon's vein[61]. That the Tatars can occupy our Great Ming's rivers and mountains, ascend the throne and become the Emperor, it is entirely dependent upon this mountain's dragon vein.”

”What is a dragon's vein?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

”Gugu,” Wei Xiaobao asked, ”How did your Tai Shifu know this Manchu people's matter?”

”This matter is complicated and not easy to express succinctly,” Tao Hongying replied, ”My Tai Shifu was originally a Han woman of Jinzhou [prefecture level city in Liaoning province], who was captured by the Tatars. That Tatar was the Bordered Blue Banner Commander. My Tai Shifu said that after the Tatars entered the pass, they saw how big our China is, how many people we have, they were both delighted and afraid. The commanders of the Eight Banners successively held several meetings for many days, there were heated arguments during the meetings, they could not settle on any single idea.”

”What were they arguing for?” Wei Xiaobao asked.

Tao Hongying said, ”Some banner commanders wanted to occupy the whole China, some others said that Han people were this many, if they rose in rebellion, a hundred Han people could fight one banner man, how could the banner man live? It would be better if they loot the whole place and return to outside the pass; it would be much safer. Finally the Regent Prince made a decision; he said that while plundering and transporting the gold, silver and jewels outside the pass, they would establish an emperor in China. If the Han people rebelled and the situation became critical, the banner men would withdraw to the Shanhai Pass.”

”Turns out the Manchurian Qing Tatars at that time were really afraid of us, Han people,” Wei Xiaobao said.

”Why not?” Tao Hongying said, ”Even now they are still afraid. It's just that we are not of one mind. Good nephew, the Tatar young emperor is very fond of you, if you can search out the location of those eight sutras, we could steal those sutras and break the Tatars' dragon's vein, then those gold, silver and jewels could be used to cover the expense of raising a militia [orig. 'righteous army' – volunteer army]. So long as we raise arms, the Qing troops would be frightened and flee outside the pass.”

Wei Xiaobao did not have any zeal to breaking the dragon's vein or raising militia, but thinking about that mountain hid an innumerable wealth, he could not help but palpitating with eagerness. ”Gugu,” he asked, ”Is the secret of this treasured mountain really hidden inside those eight sutras?”

Tao Hongying replied, ”My Tai Shifu told my Shifu that one day the Bordered Blue Banner Commander got drunk and told his young Manchurian wife that when he died, he wanted to pass on a copy of sutra to the young wife's son, and not giving it to his first wife's son. The young wife was really not happy, saying what's so rare about a Buddhist scripture. The Banner Commander said that it was their Eight Banners' lifeblood; it was more important than anything, and roughly mentioned the origin of the Buddhist scripture. Tai Shifu was eavesdropping outside the window, only then did she understand the fact. Afterwards Tai Shifu trained martial arts, my Shifu also learned from her, Senior, for many years. Tai Shifu attempted to steal the sutra, as a result, she was beaten and was seriously hurt. Before her death, she told Shifu to infiltrate the Palace and become a palace maid, to find a way to steal the scripture. There were martial art experts in the Bordered Blue Banner Commander's mansion, she thought her effort of stealing the scripture in the Palace would likely go smoothly. Who would have known that not long after Shifu entered the Palace, she found out that the imperial ground was even more strictly guarded, palace maids cannot carelessly wander around, so stealing the scripture became extremely difficult. When she was talking to me, she found out about the Great Ming's Princess, her heart remembered her old ruler with fondness, and thus she accepted me as her disciple.”

Wei Xiaobao said, ”No wonder with thousand ways, a hundred plans the old wh0re is trying to get hold of the scripture. She is a Manchurian, she can't possibly want to break the dragon's vein, presumably she wants to obtain the treasured mountain's gold, silver and jewels. But she is the Empress Dowager, she could have anything she wants, what does she needs the treasure for?” He also thought, ”Then why did the old turtle Hai kept this matter constantly in his mind? Why did he always want me to go to the Upper Study Room to steal the book? Hmm, perhaps he did not really want the scripture, he only wanted to trick me into revealing who was the mastermind who sent me to poison blind his eyes, or perhaps to investigate who the real assassin who murdered Empress Duan Jing. He must be thinking that the mastermind and the assassin was the same person. I am afraid I do not have the ability to deceive the old turtle Hai into revealing his mind; perhaps even Yan Luo Wang do not have that ability.”

How could Tao Hongying guess that Wei Xiaobao's thought had turned toward Hai Dafu? She said, ”Perhaps there is something else, something strange in the treasured mountain, which even Tai Shifu did not know. Not long after Shifu entered the Palace, she fell ill and died. At the death's door, the Senior imploring me over and over again, telling me to find a way to steal the scripture. She warned me that stealing the scripture is extremely difficult, based on my own strength, I might not succeed, so she wanted me to take a reliable disciple inside the Palace and pass the secret of the sutra onto her. This generation failed, the next generation would try again, never to let this secret to be buried and forgotten.”

”Yes, yes!” Wei Xiaobao said, ”If this great secret is lost in transmission, those countless gold, silver and jewels would be … it would be a great pity.”

”The gold, silver and treasure is not important,” Tao Hongying said, ”But to let generation after generation of the Tatars occupying our Han people's rivers and mountains would be the greatest regret.”

”Gugu is right,” Wei Xiaobao said. But in his heart he was thinking, ”It would be the greatest regret indeed if those gold, silver and jewels by the thousands and tens of thousands are not taken out and being spent.” He was still very young; about the massacre of Han people by Manchu soldiers, he only heard it from others, he had never personally experienced it. Among the Manchu people in the Palace at that time, only the Empress Dowager was hateful to him. Although Hai Dafu also conspired against him, in the end he did more harm to Hai Dafu than Hai Dafu did harm to him. The rest of the people, from the Emperor down, all had treated him very well, so he had never thought the Manchus were fiendish, bloody and cruel people. He was also aware however, that if he did not receive the Emperor's favor, those Manchurian nobilities and ministers could not possibly show that kind of warmth or flatter him like that. But when all is said and done, he saw more kindness and less brutality from those Manchus; therefore, the enmity between the races, the hatred of his nation, was rather dull in his heart.

”These past few years,” Tao Hongying continued, ”I haven't received any disciple. The number of palace maids I saw is not many, the ones I met were either stupid and muddleheaded, or flirtatious and narrow-minded, all they think about daily was how to be lucky to have the Emperor's visit so that they could rise from the palace maid to imperial concubine. How can we tell this great secret of ours to this kind of people? In recent years I often worried that if this situation continues, not only I could not obtain the slightest clue of the scriptures' whereabouts, I could not get a good disciple either. When I die later, I would bring this secret to my grave, then the Manchu Tatars would sit steadily on our rivers and mountains. The fact that I would wrong Tai Shifu and Shifu needs not be mentioned, worse yet, I would become great sinner toward our Han people. Good nephew, I came across you inadvertently and could tell you all about this matter, in my heart I am really happy.”

”I am also very happy,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”But not because of the sutra or whatever, I don't even think about it in my heart.”

”Then what makes you happy?” Tao Hongying asked.

”I don't have any relative,” Wei Xiaobao replied, ”My mama is like that, I seldom see my Shifu, but now I have an aunt, a good aunt. Naturally I am very happy.” His mouth was sweet, he knew how to coax Tao Hongying and made her happy.

Indeed she was very happy; she smiled and said, ”And I get a good nephew, so I am also very happy.” After a short pause, she asked, ”Who is your Shifu?”

Wei Xiaobao replied, ”My Shifu is the Zongduozhu of Tian Di Hui, surnamed Chen, given name Jin at the top and Nan at the bottom.”

Even such a famous personality like Chen Jinnan, Tao Hongying seemed to hear it only for the first time. She simply nodded and said, ”So your Shifu is Tian Di Hui's Zongduozhu, his martial art must be superb.”

”It's just that the time I follow my Shifu is too short,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”I haven't learned any skill. Good Gugu, how about you teach me some?”

Tao Hongying hesitated before saying, ”If you have never learned any martial art, naturally I would be happy to pass on everything I learned to you. But most likely your Shifu's martial art is completely different to my martial art school, I am afraid it would be harmful if you learned it. In your opinion, your Shifu and I, whose martial art skill is stronger?”

When Wei Xiaobao asked Tao Hongying to teach him martial art, his intention was only to make her happy. Supposing that Tao Hongying really agreed to teach him, he would have tried to make other excuses instead. Once he started martial art training, he would not be able to go to Wutai Mountain, much less his natural character was that he only loved to loaf around and play, without any patience to learn martial art. Hearing her saying that, he seized the chance by saying, ”Gugu, in front of you, I can't tell a lie.”

”Naturally it is better for a little child to be honest,” Tao Hongying said.

Wei Xiaobao said, ”I have seen Shifu fought with someone with very good martial art, in only three moves he managed to subdue him; that man lost miserably. Gugu, I am afraid you are still inferior to Shifu.”

Tao Hongying smiled and said, ”That's right. I also believe I am inferior to him by far. When I struggled against that man disguised as a palace maid, if you did not stab him in the back, I would have been finished early on. I am sure your Shifu can't be that useless.”

Wei Xiaobao said, ”But that fake palace maid was really formidable; even now, when I remember him, I am still afraid.”

Suddenly the muscles on Tao Hongying's face were twitching, her eyes revealed a frightened look, she stared straight ahead with blank expression on her face. ”Gugu,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”Are you feeling ill?”

Tao Hongying did not reply, as if she did not hear him. Wei Xiaobao asked her again. Tao Hongying's body shivered, she said, ”No ... I am not.” 'Splat!' suddenly the whip in her hand fell to the ground. Wei Xiaobao leaped down the carriage to pick it up, and then he jumped back onto the carriage; his movement was very neat and nimble. He was feeling very proud of himself, hoping that Tao Hongying would utter some words of praise. But he saw she shook her head and said, ”Child, after you made a decision, you should painstakingly train before you can succeed. With your martial art level right now, to deal with the eunuchs in the Palace, it is too good; but if you want to roam the Jianghu, it is too bad, you are actually inferior to people who do not know martial art at all.”

Wei Xiaobao's face blushed deep red, ”Yes!” he replied. But in his heart he wondered, ”Although my martial art is not that good, why am I inferior to people who do not know martial art at all?”

Tao Hongying said, ”If you do not know martial art at all, people would not easily kill you. But since you know martial art, your opponent will guard against your counterattack, when they make their move, they won't easily spare you; won't it be bad instead?”

Wei Xiaobao said, ”What if I meet small bandits who beat randomly with some stick?”

Tao Hongying was taken aback, momentarily she was at a loss of what to say. A moment later she said, ”That's true, perhaps there are more small bandits in Jianghu than martial art experts.” She looked disturbed; pointing to a large tree on the right ahead of them, she said, ”Let us take a rest before continuing our journey, let the mule eat some grass.” She drove toward the tree. The two of them jumped down the carriage and sat side by side on the tree root.

Tao Hongying was lost in thought again. Suddenly she mumbled, ”Did he say it? Did he say something?”

Wei Xiaobao did not know whom she was asking, he raised his head to look at her, not knowing how to answer her question. The two of them looked at each other, one was waiting the other to answer, the other did not know what she was talking about.

After a while, Tao Hongying asked again, ”Did you hear him saying anything? Did you see his lips moving?”

Seeing her strange expression, Wei Xiaobao was rather scared. ”Gugu must be under a spell. Or did she see a ghost?” he mused. ”Gugu,” he asked, ”Whom did you see?”

”Who?” Tao Hongying said, ”It's that ... that man who dressed as a fake palace maid!”

Wei Xiaobao was even more afraid. With a trembling voice he asked, ”You saw that fake palace maid? Where ... where is he?”

As if she had just awakened from a dream Tao Hongying said, ”That night in the Empress Dowager's room, when I fought that fake palace maid, did you hear him or see he opened his mouth to speak?”

Wei Xiaobao let out a breath; he said, ”Um, so you are asking about that night. Did he say anything? I did not hear it.”

Tao Hongying pondered for a moment, and then she shook her head and said, ”My martial art skill is far too inferior to his, he did not need to use any incantations.”

Wei Xiaobao was completely at a loss. ”Gugu,” he said consolingly, ”No need to think about him anymore, we have killed him early on, he won't come back to life.”

”We have killed that man, he won't come back to life,” Tao Hongying echoed. She seemed to be consoling herself, but when she said those words, her expression showed that deep in her heart she was extremely terrified.

Wei Xiaobao thought, ”Although your martial art is good, you are afraid of ghosts. Just killing one person you are this anxious, much less it was me who killed that fake palace maid, it wasn't you. You killed the old wh0re, actually you killed a tactless and impulsive person; you killed her half dead, half alive, in the end she still came back to live. How disappointing!”

Tao Hongying said, ”Since he is dead, naturally we can forget about him, right?”

”That's right,” Wei Xiaobao replied, ”Even if he turned into a ghost, we don't need to fear him.”

”What ghost?” Tao Hongying asked, ”I am worried because he was the disciple of Divine Dragon Cult's Jiaozhu. That ... that ... um, Empress Dowager called him Shixiong, it's impossible, it's definitely impossible. Looking at his martial art, it was totally different that hers, right? You really did not see him moving his lips when he was fighting, right?” She seemed to be talking to herself, her voice trembled, as if she was hoping Wei Xiaobao would confirm her speculation.

But how could Wei Xiaobao distinguish the fake palace maid's martial art? He said loudly, ”Don't worry, you are right, that fake palace maid's martial art was different. When he was fighting, his lips were shut tight, he did not utter a single word. Gugu, what kind of fellow is that Divine Dragon Cult's Jiaozhu?”

Tao Hongying hurriedly said, ”Hong Jiaozhu of Shen Long Jiao's [if you don't mind too much, I'd like to use Shen Long Jiao from now on, in my mind 'Divine Dragon Cult' is just too clumsy] magical power is extensive, his martial art is deep and immeasurable, how can you casually call him a 'fellow'? Child, even behind his back, your speech must not offend him. Da Jiaozhu [Great Cult Leader] Hong's disciples and grand disciples are numerous and very well-informed, as soon as you utter a sentence or half a phrase disrespectful word toward him, it will be transmitted to his ear, you ... just consider your life is over.” While saying that, she looked left and right, as if she was afraid a Shen Long Jiao Jiaozhu's follower was around.

”Shen Long Jiao Jiaozhu is that powerful?” Wei Xiaobao said, ”Could it be that his power exceeds that of the Emperor?”

”Naturally his power is not as great as the Emperor's,” Tao Hongying replied, ”But if you offend the Emperor, you can run and hide, the Emperor may not necessarily able to find and seize you; but if you offend Shen Long Jiao Jiaozhu, even if you run to the ends of the earth, you won't find a hiding place.”

”If that's the case,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”Shen Long Jiao has more men and greater force than our Tian Di Hui?”

Tao Hongying shook her head, ”It's not the same, it's not the same,” she said, ”Your Tian Di Hui is fighting the Qing, restoring the Ming; your deeds are just and honorable, all hero and warriors in Jianghu respect you deeply. Shen Long Jiao on the other hand, is substantially different.”

Wei Xiaobao said, ”Are you saying that all hero and warriors in Jianghu are afraid of Shen Long Jiao?”

Tao Hongying had to think for a moment before responding, ”What I understand about the Jianghu matters is very, very little; I only heard Shifu mentioning it a little bit. My Tai Shifu had such a superb martial art skill, yet she still perished under the hands of Shen Long Jiao disciple.”

Wei Xiaobao swore without any restrain, ”Damn it, if that's the case, Shen Long Jiao is our sworn enemy, why should we fear him?”

Tao Hongying shook her head, then slowly said, ”My Shifu said that the martial art taught by Shen Long Jiao has countless changes, admittedly, it is very formidable; but even more difficult to resist is the many incantation practiced by their Cult, which they read as they are facing the enemy, which can make the opponent's heart alarmed and trembling with fear, while the more they fight, the braver they become. When Tai Shifu was trying to steal the sutra from the Bordered Blue Banner Commander's mansion, she was involved in a fierce battle against several disciples of the Shen Long Jiao. One of them started to read the spell, Tai Shifu's fist wind and palm strength became weaker and weaker, until finally her lower abdomen was hit by a palm and she suffered a heavy injury. At that time my Shifu was watching from the side, she said that she mustered up her courage to rush forward to help, but after hearing the incantation, her whole body turned limp and painful, and she had a strong desire to kneel down and surrender, unexpectedly her fighting spirit was gone. When Tai Shifu was wounded, that person no longer read the spell, my Shifu immediately felt her courage surged back, she rushed toward Tai Shifu and took her away. When she recalled this event afterward, she always felt ashamed but was also scared, thus she repeatedly warned me that among the most dangerous things in the world, nothing surpasses fighting with Shen Long Jiao's people.”

Wei Xiaobao thought, ”Your Shifu was a woman, her courage was small, seeing the strength of the opponent, she was frightened and thinking about surrendering.” He asked, ”Gugu, did you hear what kind of spell that man was reading?”

”I ... I did not hear it,” Tao Hongying replied, ”I was afraid that fake palace maid was a Shen Long Jiao disciple, that's why I asked you if you hear him saying anything or see his lips moving during the fight.”

”Oh, so that's the reason,” Wei Xiaobao said. He tried to think if he saw or heard anything from under the bed. ”No, I did not. But did you hear it?”

Tao Hongying said, ”That fake palace maid's martial art was a lot stronger than mine, I fought him with everything I have, I neither hear nor see anything that happened around me. I just felt that after I fought him for a while, my heart suddenly became afraid, I wanted to run away. When I think about it, I feel very strange.”

”Gugu,” Wei Xiaobao asked, ”After you learned martial art, how many people have you fought? How many people have you killed?”

Tao Hongying shook her head and said, ”I have never fought anybody, I have never killed even one person.”

”That's the reason,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”After killing several more people, you won't feel afraid when you fight again.”

”Gugu,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”What do you say about joining our Tian Di Hui?” He was thinking, ”You are very scared! Our Tian Di Hui has many men and great force, we don't have to be afraid of Shen Long Jiao.”

Tao Hongying was startled; she asked, ”Why do you want me to join Tian Di Hui?”

Wei Xiaobao said, ”Tian Di Hui's main objective is to fight the Qing and restore the Ming, the same idea your Tai Shifu and your Shifu had.”

”That is actually a very good idea,” Tao Hongying said, ”But let's talk about it later. I must return to the Palace now. Where are you going?”

”You are returning to the Palace?” Wei Xiaobao asked in amazement, ”Aren't you afraid of the Empress Dowager?”

Tao Hongying sighed and said, ”Since I was a child I grew up in the Palace. After thinking it over, only in the Palace I can live without fear, I don't understand anything about the matter of the outside world. Originally I was afraid this great secret would follow me to my grave, but now that I have told it to you, even if the Empress Dowager kills me, it's nothing. Besides, the Palace is very big, I will find a place where I can hide, where the Empress Dowager won't find me.”

”Alright,” Wei Xiaobao said, ”You return to the Palace, someday I will definitely come to see you. Right now Shifu has something for me to do.”

Tao Hongying knew it was inappropriate to ask about Tian Di Hui's business, so she said, ”When you are back to the Palace later, how are you and I going to meet?”

Wei Xiaobao replied, ”When I am back at the Palace, I will pile up rocks at the burning ground, and will stick a piece of wood on the pile of rocks, with a picture of a bird on the piece of wood, then you'll know that I am back. That same night, we can meet at the burning ground.”

Tao Hongying nodded, ”Very good,” she said, ”Let's do it this way. Good child, the wind and waves in Jianghu are dangerous, in everything you must be careful.”

Wei Xiaobao nodded, ”Yes,” he said, ”Gugu, you must be careful yourself, the Empress Dowager, that old wh0re's heart is vicious, you must never, ever fall into her plot.”

The two of them arrived at a town, Wei Xiaobao hired another carriage, they parted ways to the east and to the west. Wei Xiaobao saw Tao Hongying drove her carriage eastwards, he was unable not to turn his head to look at her back as he thought, ”Although she is not my real Gugu, she treats me very well.”