by Lei En Na
She hears a rustling sound and thinking that Feng Jin has returned, she turns around with a smile. But it is not Feng Jin and is someone who appearance is enough to stun her immobility. “Er Shi Ge…”
Bo Lan Zhou smiles and greets her warmly like old times. “Jing! I have searched such a long time for you. A really long time.”
Uncontrollably, her eyes filled with tears even as she breaks into her habitual smile when around him.
“I know I have let you down and hurt you. Even if I were to die nine more times, it would not be enough to atone for my mistake.” He walks up to her and brushes her tears away gently. “Can you follow me back? Even though Da Shi Jie has injured you, she is very remorseful after the incident. Shall we go back and start all over again? We all grew up together and I believe that there is nothing we cannot sort out so long as we put our minds to it.”
“Go back?”
“Yes, back to Yu Ling peak. I know you are very good to me and likewise, I care for you deeply in my heart. Both Shi Jie and you are the nicest person to me on this earth. Won’t it be wonderful if we can all live together, just like how we have always been there for each other?”
Although her face is still smiling, Shang Guan Jing can only feel grief. “What is there to go back to?”
“Back to a live a good life of course.” Seeing more tears, Bo Lan Zhou reaches out to brush them away from her pale face. “You have teacher’s token and if you can hand it over, we will be able to open the cave and access the treasures inside.”
“I don’t want the treasure! I only want Teacher to be well; for Xiao Shi Mei to be well.” Finally getting a grip on herself, she turns her face away to avoid further contact with him. As she moves back a step she notices his sword and pales even more. “That sword… it belongs to Fourth Shi Mei. What have you done to her?!”
“Well, Xue Ying should not have meddled in our business since she has married and settled down in the Western Dessert. But she picked a quarrel with us the moment she came back and kept asking for your whereabouts. She behaved as if we have harmed you.”
He reaches out and catch hold of her hand. “Please come back with us and you will be able to see Fourth Shi Mei. You have always been close to her and you would not want her to worry unnecessarily right? Or suffer?”
Shang Guan Jing feels a chill on her back and shakes free from him. Her hand has already closed over the hilt of her sword when a cold voice rings out from the shadows. “Why are you wasting your breathe on her! Shang Guan Jing, let me see how close you are to him!”
Da Shi Jie!
And Feng Jin is standing right behind her.
Chapter 8
* * *
The moment Li Yun Yi finishes talking, she turns back and thrusts her sword at Feng Jin. Shang Guan Jing quickly leaps into the air and lands between the 2 of them. Her sword is already in her hand, and she blocks the onslaught with all her might. The air vibrates with a sharp ‘clang!’ and Li Yun Yi is forced to back away 3 steps.
Shang Guan Jing grabs Feng Jin’s hand and tries to dash for the path between 2 trees. “Leave with me!”
Before they can however, several men appear and surround them. There are about 20 of them and they are all armed. With a roar, they start attacking and Shang Guan Jing has to focus all her attention on them.
Within a few strokes, Shang Guan Jing already knows that they are not her match in terms of skill, but she is outnumbered and she is also has Feng Jin who doesn’t know martial arts. He is innocent and has nothing to do with her feud with her sect members. If he is hurt or harmed in any way, she will never forgive herself. In fact, her one and only thought now is getting Feng Jin to safety.
Taking a deep breath, she quickens her pace and strikes out like lightening. As if she has eyes at the back of her head, she blocks a sword aimed at her back and in her return swing, her sword has cut cleanly through the attacker at her back. As she moves to block another oncoming sword coming from her left, she spots a shadowy blur to her right. It looks like Yan Ying and…. it is Yan Ying, thank goodness! From the corner of her eyes, she sees him injuring 3 men with one swing of his sword and sends Feng Jin’s attackers sprawling to the ground.
Seeing that she has help, Bo Lan Zhou and Li Yun Yi joins in the fight. Their men can take care of the newcomer but they will need to tackle Shang Guan Jing.
As they start attacking her, Shang Guan Jing strikes out another 49 strokes in rapid succession. When her sharp eyes sees a gap on Bo Lan Zhou’s left, between his arm and waist, she slips her sword nimbly through the opening and cuts his side. He tries to block her upswing but she step-sides his countermove efficiently and nicks him in the neck. As Bo Lan Zhou presses a hand to his bleeding neck, she eyes him coldly. “You have never manage to win me yet in a duel.”
Li Yun Yi is incensed when she sees the blood and thrusts her sword at Shang Guan Jing. Because they are very close, Shang Guan Jing can see the fire and fear in her eyes and silently acknowledges to herself that Da Shi Jie must indeed love Er Shi Ge very much to be so concern over him. The force of her swordplay is testimony of her anger and unbidden, a thought crosses her mind. What about herself? Does she have someone whom she loves and wants to keep safe?
The answer is yes, she does.
With her minds preoccupied with protecting Feng Jin, she is a split second slower in swinging back her sword. Seeing his chance, Bo Lan Zhou swings and cuts her sword arm. His sword is very sharp and Shang Guan Jing almost never feels the sting until the sensation of warm liquid flowing down her arm cues her that she has been injured.
She did not break her rhythm and brings up her sword in the next split second before Bo Lan Zhou has opportunity to injure her. In the same move, she thrusts out her sword at Bo Lan Zhou and adds a second cut on his neck.
Li Yun Yi is furious what she has hurt Bo Lan Zhou a second time and turns around to glare at Feng Jin. Thinking a tit for a tat, she thrusts out her sword at the lanky man.
Since the Yan Ying has appeared, Feng Jin has not moved a muscle and merely observes the fight from beneath a tree. As Li Yun Yi swings her sword at him, he sees Shang Guan Jing leaping in the air towards him once more, hands outstretched to deflect the blow. She manages to block the woman a second time but her stance has left her back unguarded. Feng Jin stares on impassively as Bo Lan Zhou strikes his palm on her back.
Shang Guan Jing is unprepared for the hit and almost simultaneously, Li Yun Yi has moved and skewers her sword cleanly through her shoulder.
Shang Guan Jing is unprepared for the hit and almost simultaneously; Li Yun Yi turns and skewers her through the shoulder. Through a haze of pain, she hears someone shouting “Feng Zhu!”
That should be Yan Ying and through her blurry eyes, she sees that he has subdued the other attackers. With Da Shi Jie’s sword in her shoulder and Er Shi Ge behind her, Yan Ying should have sufficient time to come to Feng Jin’s side given his skill. At least Feng Jin is safe, thank goodness…
She falls forward would have kissed the ground if not for a hand that catches her before her face contacts with the ground. The same hand pushes her to sit down on the floor and as she looks up, she thinks she sees Feng Jin. But it cannot be him. The man in front of her is as remote as an ice sculpture with no emotions whatsoever, except for his eyes that are so cold, that they are like the frozen rocks at the mountain peak.
She smells the stench of iron rising up her throat and coughs out a mouthful of blood. She tries to turn her face away but some of her blood spurts onto his face, just above his nice-looking lips.
“Why are you crying?”
“Leave… quickly.”
“What is going to happen to you once I leave?”
This is nearly an exact repeat of their very first conversation and she fights the urge to smile. But the situation now is much more dire and she uses all her strength to keep herself from losing conscious. In a blur, she sees Bo Lan Zhou aiming his sword at Feng Jin’s back but Yan Ying has indeed reached his sid
e and deflects his blow without much effort.
She thinks she hears Yan Ying shouting “Feng Zhu!” once more and the term sounds vaguely familiar. Where has she heard it before? Why does Yan Ying not call Feng Jin by his name, or Master Feng? Her breathing starts coming in gasps and her head spins like a top in a spinning competition. As much as she likes to, darkness overcomes over her and she falls forward into a dead faint.
*****
Since the appearance of the stranger, Feng Jin has been rooted to the ground.
“Jing! I have searched such a long time for you.”
Tears fell from the woman’s eyes and the man brushed them away from her cheeks.
“You are very good to me and likewise, I care for you deeply in my heart.”
The woman cried harder and the man brushed away more tears.
She could have avoided the man’s touch, just like how he could have put an end to the men who surrounded them. But he wanted to see. He wanted to know.
While she is busy fighting her shi ge and shi jie, he has not intervene as his inner voice tells him to wait and see what develops. So he has look d on as Shang Guan Jing duels with the two while his soul feels as if it has left his body and is watching the scene from beside his body. He shows no emotion when a sword pierces through Shang Guan Jing’s shoulder at the same time she is hit on the back. It is only when he feels the warmth of her blood on his face that he feels that his soul is back in his cold body.
Even if she has let him down, who did these bastards think they are?
Even if they want to beat a dog, shouldn’t they check out first if the dog’s master is someone they can afford to antagonize?
And they have knifed her, hurt her… then none of them deserve to live!
A few steps away, Yan Ying can feel the change I the air. He has been wondering why Feng Jin has not tried to help but at this moment, he has his answer. Or rather, he the rapid chill in the air has given him the answer. Feng Zhu is not uncaring; he is just coldly, ominously, furious.
As wind whips through the forest and temperature drops further, Yan Ying knows that there is no time for him to escape the spell now that it is cast. Quickly, he sits down cross-legged on the ground, closes his eyes, and directs all his qi towards his heart to protect the body’s most vital organ.
Ay, let’s hope he can hang on better this time and not vomit blood….
*****
The last thing that Shang Guan Jing remembered was a warm hand pressing over her heart as a storm breaks out. At the same time, her leader’s token has vibrated hotly against her chest and the combined heat and energy has shielded her heart against the wild energy ripping through the forest. The wild wind howls and static crackles through the forest, and everything seems distorted. Through the slit of her eyes, she sees Er Shi Ge’s sword flying through the air in a haphazard manner, u-turn, and then…
Bang! The clap of thunder sounded as if it has landed just next to her. She sees the sword flying towards Bo Lan Zhou and the force was so great that it cut right through him, leaving a pool of blood in its wake.
Shocked, she opens her eyes and gasps at the sharp pain in her chest.
“Aiya, did you have a nightmare? All is well now; do not fear. Take a slow breathe now, easy and gently. You have a sword wound on your shoulder plus internal injury to your chest so it is doubly hard for you to breathe. My, you are strong; stop struggling!”
Shang Guan Jing blinks and looks around her. It feels surreal but all seems peaceful as she is back at the bamboo house, on the bed which she shares with her husband. And leaning over her is the old granny who lived in the mountains. “Granny…you…you….”
She trails off dazedly, at a loss of what to say.
The old woman nods in understanding. “It is alright. I have warned Feng Jin not to go overboard but does that child listen? And now look at the misery he brought on you. Luckily I am well-informed and came to right all the wrongs. If I allow this to go on, I bet no one in the family is going to listen to me anymore.”
Shang Guan Jing does not comprehend and she is distracted by the sound of the wooden-bead curtain rising and falling. In slip 2, no, 3 skinny servants into the room. Indeed, skinny is an understatement as these servants are so thin that they have no sides! As they busily light the candles, set food and drinks on the table, Shang Guan Jing can see that they are paper cut outs.
These are paper-people!
Before she can come to grasp with the sight, Nineteen dashes into the room next with a candle in one hand and Zhu Yu hot on his heels. “Take this, Master Nineteen!” she yells and throws her basin of water over the young boy. The candle flame was doused immediately, but so did the servant standing next to Nineteen. His paper legs fold under the weight of water and he collapses to the ground.
“Oh no! Xiao San Zi!” Zhu Yu rushes to help him together with the other servants.
Granny turns towards the young boy. “Nineteen! What are you doing! If you continue to be so disobedient, Granny is not going to be bothered with you anymore!”
Nineteen is unfazed by the scolding and turns his round face to Shang Guan Jing’s speechless one. “You have woken up?”
Granny boxes the side of his head. “What do you mean by ‘you’? Listen up, she is your cousin-in-law and you should address her properly as ‘Sao Zi’.”
Hearing that she is awake, Zhu Yu scuttles to the bedside. “Missy, oh missy! I am so glad you are awoke! Let me settle Xiao San Zi – we need to put him under the sun to dry– and I will bring you your tonic soup immediately. Da Yuan, Suang Zi, what are you guys waiting for? Help me with Xiao San Zi so that I can I can get the soup for Mistress!”
Shang Guan Jing watches on in disbelief as 2 paper-men peels the wet Xiao San Zi off the floor and carries him out of the room.
What is going on?
Nineteen looks at her solemnly. “You need not be afraid. If Feng Jin bullies you, just ignore him. I am here and I…. I promise I will be good to you!”
Granny brings down her fist on Nineteen’s head once more at the same time a clap of thunder cracked through the blue sky outside the open window. The curtain of wooden beads rise and fall again as yet another person enters the room. His face is cold with menace as he stares down at Nineteen. Even from the distance, Shang Guan Jing can clearly feel the threat emitting from him.
But Nineteen is unafraid. “Do you think you are the only one who knows how to make thunder? I can do it too!” Nineteen puffs up his cheeks until he looks as if he has stuffed 2 big meat buns into his mouth before puffing out his breath at the same time a faint roll of thunder sounded in the distance.
Feng Jin snorts scornfully and looks down his nose at the child. “Xiao Ren*.”
*Literally, Xiao Ren means ‘little person’. This is a pun on the word child as the term refers to a person who is sneaky and unethical.
Feng Jin snorts scornfully and looks down on Nineteen. “Shorty.”
Little Nineteen is indignant and hops from one plump foot to another. Granny is tickled by their antics and grabs Nineteen by the collar. “Since the star of the show has appeared, let us leave them alone and not cause further trouble.”
Before she drags Nineteen out of the door, the old woman leaves Feng Jin with a parting shot. “Sort out the mess and once everything is settled, do bring great-granddaughter-in-law to meet everyone officially at the ancestral home. And hold another wedding since everyone is present. We have been waiting for the day you get married for ages and ages. Surely, you will not disappoint us right?”
Feng Jin does not answer and waits for them to leave before settling down beside the bed. Shang Guan Jing struggles to sit up but pain from her chest makes this task difficult. She bites down hard on her lips to prevent a sound of pain from escaping and finally manages to prop herself up. Feng Jin wants her to lie down but she ignores his curt command and tries to find a position that is not too painful. Even if he would love to help, he wisely kept his hands by his side.
; When she finally manages to sit upright and gets her breath back, she stares at him for a long time thinking on what to say. “So you have finally decided that I’m fit to see your servants? All this time, I have wondered why I only recall seeing vague shadows when the reality is that they are really mere shadows because they are made from paper. What about Zhu Yu and Niu Da? Are they made of paper too?”
Feng Jin grimaces inwardly at her accusing tone at the same time he is ticked off by her cool attitude. “None of the servants who work in this house are human.”
Although she is mentally prepared, Shang Guan Jing is still surprised by his admission. What kind of magical world has she stepped into? She smiles grimly. “No wonder Zhu Yu is forever worried that you will tear her up and burn her in the furnace if she doesn’t do her job well.”
The jiang hu is full of strange happenings and even though she thought she has seen a lot, it is only at this instant that Shang Guan Jing realized just how lacking her education is. And to be fooled around like a monkey…
“I heard Yan Ying calling you ‘Feng Zhu’. So are you the current leader of the Diao family? Teacher said that the token will lead me to you but I have not expected the token to lead me straight to you when I first arrived.”
Feng Jin listens intently and did not move a muscle. His air of command is unmistakable and Shang Guan Jing senses somehow that he is now revealing his true side to her. Surprisingly, this revelation help dispels some of her unease and fear of the stranger before her.
“Since Nineteen is your cousin and the old woman is your great grandmother, your name should really be ‘Feng Jin’ since that is what they call you. But your full name should be ‘Diao Feng Jin’ is it not? And your whole family already knows about our marriage and I have in fact, met all of them. My god, what a fool I am to be asking everyone about the Diao family when I’m right in their midst all the time…”