Chapter - 304 Starting a Fire to Light the Sky So Brilliantly (9) (1/2)

”Buddhist monks?” Zhang Wuji wondered.

”That's right,” Zhu Yuanzhang replied, ”Those monks hang their heads low, they looked so dejected. But among them there were some unusual looking people, some had their 'tai yang xue' [sun acupoint] bulging out of their temples, some were tall and powerfully built. Brother Xu quietly told me that those monks were all martial art experts. Those fierce people ordered the monks to ride on the carts and then they led us all to the north. Subordinate believed something was wrong, so I quietly told everybody to be on their guards and not to reveal our true identity. Along the way we paid full attention to what those fierce people were saying, but those people were very secretive; they did not say anything in our presence. Afterwards Brother Wu Liang gathered up his courage and eavesdropped outside their window in the middle of the night. He did that for four, five nights in a row before he finally found out that those monks were actually from the Shaolin Temple of Mount Song in Henan.”

”Ah!” Although Zhang Wuji had partly guessed it, he still could not restrain himself from exclaiming.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, ”Brother Wu Liang heard one of those fierce people say, 'Master's strategy is truly divine, worthy of other people's utmost admiration. Shaolin, Wudang, and the rest of the six major sects are in our hand. Who had ever achieved such result since the ancient time?' Another man said, 'I am not surprised. One arrow two eagles [killing two birds with one stone], the Devil Cult leaders will be implicated by this matter.' We seven people pretended going to the bathroom and quietly discussed this matter. We all agreed that since by coincidence this matter concerning our Cult fell into our hands, then we must investigate carefully and submit a report to Jiaozhu.”

”You have done the right thing,” Zhang Wuji commented.

”We continued going north,” Zhu Yuanzhang said, ”All the while we maintained our disguises as simple men. Brother Tang He and Brother Deng Yu pretended to bicker over five coins of silver; they fought awkwardly, like people who do not know martial art at all. Those fierce people clapped their hands and laughed, and afterwards they did not pay us any attention anymore. We called them 'lao ye' [lit. old master] this and 'lao ye' that, flattering them by all kinds of crap. At one time Brother Wu Zhen was thinking of drugging them, diverting their attention and then saving those Shaolin monks; but then we thought it over, we did not know anything about what was going on, these ominous people were well-trained in martial arts. We were afraid we might disturb the grass and scare the snake, and harming an important matter by alerting the enemy; therefore, all along we did not dare to make our move.

When we arrived at the Hejian prefecture we met with six other big carts, also full of prisoners. They dressed as common civilians. During the meal I overheard a Shaolin monk greeted one of the newcomers, 'Song Daxia [great hero], you are here!'”

Zhang Wuji leaped up and hastily asked, ”Did he say 'Song Daxia'? What did he look like?”

Zhu Yuanzhang replied, ”His body was slim-built, he looked about fifty, sixty years of age, wearing a three-branch long beard. His face looked simple yet elegant.”

Zhang Wuji knew it was indeed Song Yuanqiao. He was pleasantly surprised and asked further what the rest of those people looked like. Turned out Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi, Mo Shenggu three people were also among those prisoners. ”Are they injured? Are they shackled?” he asked.

”I did not see any shackle,” Zhu Yuanzhang replied, ”I also did not see any injury. They talked and ate just like any ordinary people, only they looked dispirited; also they walked swaying and staggering. As he was greeted by that Shaolin monk he only smiled bitterly but did not say anything. The Shaolin monk was about to say something else, but one of the fierce people pulled him away. Thereafter our two groups were separated by about ten 'li's; we did not stop and eat together anymore; subordinate has never seen Song Daxia's group ever since. About the third day of the seventh month our group of Shaolin monks arrived at Dadou [lit. grand capital, present day Beijing].”

”Ah,” Zhang Wuji exclaimed, ”You went to Dadou, then they must have fallen into the treacherous hand of the royal government. And then what happened?”

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, ”Those fierce people led us to take the Shaolin monks toward a big temple on the west side of the city. They also told us to spend the night in the temple.”