The residence was pitch black because there wasn’t any light, they could only borrow the brightness from the moon to see. Wang Zhi’s wife, Wang Yangshi, was sitting quietly on a chair. Upon seeing Lu Yi walking in, she was not one bit surprised. At this point, it didn’t seem like anything could move her out of her seat.
“Taoist Lan is a good person, he helped me buy a coffin for my mother, so she can rest peacefully. I’m very grateful, he mentioned someone wanted to ask me some questions, is that you?” Wang Yangshi said.
Lu Yi nodded his head. “It’s me.”
“What do you want to know? Just go ahead, I will be heading home tomorrow.”
He gently stroked the arm of the chair, there was a layer of dust on it, then he pondered for a moment and said, “This house was given to you by Hu Zongxian. Look at this place and the furniture, he was very kind.”
Wang Yangshi’s tone remained unchanged, “He was very nice at that time. He helped me get my mother in-law out of prison and even found a physician to help treat her eyes… On top of it, he provided ginseng and cinnamon to help nourish her body. At that time, I even thought, did the Emperor finally lift the sea ban? Can my husband finally come home?”
“He hasn’t come back for many years?”
“Several years. The government officials had been sticking up wanted posters with a price on his head, so he couldn’t even set his foot on land. Before he was beheaded and up until now, we hadn’t seen each other for 20 years.” Wang Yangshi looked up at him, her eyes wandering while her mind started to recall the incident. “Hu Zongxian continued to deceive my mother-in-law, he said my husband would have come home soon, we’d soon have a family reunion… we were getting excited. Her eyes were bad but because of this news, she started to sew a new pair of shoes for him, everyday, hoping he would come home soon.”
“Did your husband write any letter?”
“Yes, after moving to this house, letters started coming in a lot. In the letters, he would talk about how he would be coming back soon and spend New Year with us.” Wang Yangshi pointed in the air, “My mother prepared all the food, even making salted meat for him, waiting for the upcoming New Year to eat it with him.”
“Those letters, do you think Hu Zongxian hired someone to imitate your husband’s handwriting, deliberately trying to trick you?”
“That’s impossible, there were a lot of words he avoided writing. If someone had not understood the purpose of those avoidances, they would’ve surely made a mistake and we would’ve noticed right away. Those letters were real but my husband was definitely deceived by Hu Zongxian.” Wang Yangshi continued to talk. At this time, sorrow no longer existed in her eyes.
“Why did you leave the house?”
“Last fall, I heard that my husband was arrested but I didn’t believe it. At that time, Hu Zongxian was still sending herbal medicines, he told us not to pay attention to the rumours. Until Xiao Feng wrote us a letter, only then did I find out Hu Zongxian was lying. Xiao Feng was afraid Hu Zongxian would do something to us, so he decided to pick us up by boat but my mother refused to leave, then he arranged for us to live in Niujia Village.”
“Xiao Feng….” Lu Yi thought for a moment, then realized, “Is it Mao Haifeng?”
[All translations belong to Syublush. If you are reading it anywhere else, then it’s stolen]
Wang Yangshi was stunned for a while before replying, “Xiao Feng, he’s in Cengang now and it seems like Hu Zongxian wants him dead… Young Master, you’re an official, is it possible for you to meet Hu Zongxian?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then can you pass on a few words to him?” Wang Yangshi paused for a moment, then said each word slowly and clearly, “Heaven have eyes, there will be retribution.”
Lan Daoxing had been standing outside the courtyard. Upon hearing those words, he turned around and looked straight at Wang Yangshi.
After a while, Lu Yi nodded his head, “Very well, I will definitely convey it.”
A sudden smile appeared on Wang Yangshi’s face. She stood up and said, “Taoist Lan, I am tired now. Can I return to my room?”
Lan Daoxing looked at Lu Yi and, seeing him gave a nod, knew he meant he didn’t have anything else to ask, “I will help you return to your room.”
“No need, just escort this Young Master out.”
Wang Yangshi staggered into the room, even though there was no light she was very familiar with the house. In the dark, the sound of her footsteps could be heard slowly fading away.
The air was cold that night. Lu Yi slowly walked to the courtyard and let out a long sigh.
“What are you going to do?” Lao Daoxing asked.
“Although, she is Wang Zhi’s wife, but….” Lu Yi shook his head, “If she really wants to go home, you should arrange for someone to escort her back to Huizhou.”
Lan Daoxing replied, “That won’t be difficult, just don’t know whether Hu Zongxian’s people will let her go or not. Today, two unknown men wanted to kill them. If I’m not mistaken, they are definitely Hu Zongxian’s people.”
“He also sent people to spy on me. Perhaps, he’s afraid I would learn too much.” In his heart, Lu Yi wondered, “Why did he suddenly want to kill them now?”
“Maybe because Mao Haifeng hid them so well that he couldn’t find them all this time. If I didn’t guard the place for two days and one night, I would not have met them.”
“Something is still not right….”
[All translations belong to Syublush. If you are reading it anywhere else, then it’s stolen]
Lu Yi furrowed his eyebrows. ‘According to Wang Yangshi’s statement, Hu Zongxian had intended to deceive them from the start, then after arresting Wang Zhi, he should have killed them both. Not only did he let go of the opportunity but he continued to send them gifts to appease them. What if….’
“What?” Lan Daoxing asked.
“Even though Wang Yangshi’s statement is true, judging from her understanding, she probably missed a few clues.” Lu Yi said, “Her husband and children died at Hu Zongxian’s hands, now her mother-in-law is also dead and her adopted son is being wanted. Surely, she should be hating Hu Zongxian to the bone, thinking he is a despicable person, that’s why she wanted me to pass on those words….”
“You don’t think this is Hu Zongxian’s fault?”
“Don’t forget, he also lost a son.” Lu Yi sighed for a moment, “Xia Zheng’s body was delivered to his home. If you had witnessed Hu Zongxian at that time, you’d know it was a tragedy for him.” When he went to visit, he saw Hu Zongxian continuously hit his head against the coffin, his hands constantly shaking as he touched the body.
“Are they competing to see whose child died first?” Lan Daoxing said, “If Hu Zongxian is a cunning person like what Wang Yangshi said, then that means he has nothing to do with the pirates. Except, he has an unusual relationship with Wang Zhi, if this news gets to the ears of the Emperor, his family will surely be granted severe punishment, their property will be confiscated. Take care, he and the involved official won’t get away with it.”
Lu Yi laughed. “You also be careful.” As soon as he finished speaking, he jumped onto the roof, then swiftly ran away.
Lan Daoxing stood alone in the courtyard for a long time. When he returned inside, he passed by Wang Yangshi’s room. He carefully tilted his head and leaned in to listen if there were any sounds. No sounds could be heard, not even her breathing. He paused for a moment, then pushed the bedroom’s door open. Lan Daoxing slowly walked inside the room, noticed Wang Yangshi lying on the bed, with one hand she was holding a knife with blood dripping from it… then he noticed the blood soaked robe on her.
It turned out, this is what she meant by going home….
Lan Daoxing stood up straight, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
***
In the midst of the silence, drums were drumming, gongs were banging. The shadow of the moon leaned against the trees. Mrs. Shen lovingly placed a blanket on Jinxia’s body; the beggar uncle with an annoyed face kicked YangYue’s leg; A’Rui’s expressionless face looked up at the roof of the room, no one knew what he was thinking but he remained motionless.
***
The stars were scattered in the sky. Like earlier, Lu Yi quietly jumped in through the window, as soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately felt something was wrong. On his left and also on his right, a gust of wind came in. His reaction was fast, he quickly slid his leg forward, turned around and as he bent his waist, the two long swords passed near the tip of his eyebrows.
He didn’t have any weapons, so he could only rely on his bare hands. As the two swords slashed against each other, he quickly dodged and bent down. After several moves, noticing the empty gap, he moved his hand upward, grabbing the handle and capturing the sword.
Lu Yi spun around and then landed steadily but he wasn’t in a rush to point the sword at them; instead he was borrowing the light from the moonlight to take a look at their faces.
Cen Shou heard the sound of the fight from outside and ran immediately inside the room, “Young Master, is there a problem?”
“Uninvited guests.”
As he was talking, Lu Yi’s arm trembled and the long sword in his hand shot forward, piercing through the shoulder of one of the men, pinning him onto the grille of the window. The man screamed in pain.
Looking at the situation, the other man wanted to take his sword and run away but Cen Shou was quick to notice his intention and blocked his way. The two swords met each other, slashing, and flashes of sparks spur up.
With Cen Shou fighting him, Lu Yi didn’t bother too much.
Outside the door, Cen Fu also arrived. Next to him was Jinxia jumping up and down on one foot, “Young Master, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Lu Yi turned to look at Jinxia, who was still jumping up and down on one foot, quickly stepping forward to help her. He put on an annoyed look, “You really like crowded places, huh?”
Seeing that Lu Yi was fine, Jinxia let out a sigh of relief and quickly glanced at the person being nailed to the window, “Who are they?”
“Who do you think?” Lu Yi removed the person’s veil and turned to ask her.
Jinxia happily lit up the lamp, rubbed his hands and said, “Although we’ve already seen his face, it’s still best to search him.”
With the help of Cen Fu, in an instant, Cen Shou managed to subdue the man in black, forcefully taking off his veil.
“I know him, he’s Hu Zongxian’s subordinate.” Cen Fu quickly recognized him.
Lu Yi glanced at them, his face was completely unhappy. “Haven’t you guys been watching me from the rooftop? Why did you suddenly want to attack today?”
The two of them remained silent, not answering. After looking at each other for a while, suddenly with all their might they bitted the tip of their tongue.
Luckily, Cen Shou and Cen Fu had some knowledge, having dealt with people in prison, and they were quick to notice their intentions, therefore with careful eyes and quick hands, in an instant, they reached out and pressed the men’s necks, so they wouldn’t be able to move.
“You just want to end your life, just like that? It’s a pity their kung fu isn’t good.” Jinxia said with a chuckle.
“Their kung fu is still better than yours.” Lu Yi pressed her down onto a chair, then turned to face one of the men in black, “You two are very loyal to General Hu, I am impressed. No need to be in a rush to die because I have a few words to pass to General Hu. Where the hills and rivers end, a glimmer of hope arises.”
After saying that, he signaled for Cen Fu to release them.
[All translations belong to Syublush. If you are reading it anywhere else, then it’s stolen]
The two of them looked at Lu Yi, then picked up their sword and jumped out of the window.
“You’re just letting them go like that? That’s too easy!” Cen Shou said irritably, “They dared to attack Young Master, of course they’re tired of living. This Hu Zongxian has the gut of a lion, how dare he not to be afraid of the Old Master?”
Jinxia kindly explained to him, “If they died here, Hu Zongxian would report to your Old Master that those people were pirates, he would give a grand title to your Young Master, saying he had sacrificed for the country, he’s heroic and then compensation money would be given.”
“You really think I’m that great?”
Lu Yi stretched out his hands to tie her hair because it seemed like she rushed there right away after getting out of bed, so her hair had fallen loose. Cen Shou looked at his Young Master’s natural gesture and he couldn’t help but froze. Cen Fu could only use his hand to help him turn his head.
The residence was pitch black because there wasn’t any light, they could only borrow the brightness from the moon to see. Wang Zhi’s wife, Wang Yangshi, was sitting quietly on a chair. Upon seeing Lu Yi walking in, she was not one bit surprised. At this point, it didn’t seem like anything could move her out of her seat.
“Taoist Lan is a good person, he helped me buy a coffin for my mother, so she can rest peacefully. I’m very grateful, he mentioned someone wanted to ask me some questions, is that you?” Wang Yangshi said.
Lu Yi nodded his head. “It’s me.”
“What do you want to know? Just go ahead, I will be heading home tomorrow.”
He gently stroked the arm of the chair, there was a layer of dust on it, then he pondered for a moment and said, “This house was given to you by Hu Zongxian. Look at this place and the furniture, he was very kind.”
Wang Yangshi’s tone remained unchanged, “He was very nice at that time. He helped me get my mother in-law out of prison and even found a physician to help treat her eyes… On top of it, he provided ginseng and cinnamon to help nourish her body. At that time, I even thought, did the Emperor finally lift the sea ban? Can my husband finally come home?”
“He hasn’t come back for many years?”
“Several years. The government officials had been sticking up wanted posters with a price on his head, so he couldn’t even set his foot on land. Before he was beheaded and up until now, we hadn’t seen each other for 20 years.” Wang Yangshi looked up at him, her eyes wandering while her mind started to recall the incident. “Hu Zongxian continued to deceive my mother-in-law, he said my husband would have come home soon, we’d soon have a family reunion… we were getting excited. Her eyes were bad but because of this news, she started to sew a new pair of shoes for him, everyday, hoping he would come home soon.”
“Did your husband write any letter?”
“Yes, after moving to this house, letters started coming in a lot. In the letters, he would talk about how he would be coming back soon and spend New Year with us.” Wang Yangshi pointed in the air, “My mother prepared all the food, even making salted meat for him, waiting for the upcoming New Year to eat it with him.”
“Those letters, do you think Hu Zongxian hired someone to imitate your husband’s handwriting, deliberately trying to trick you?”
“That’s impossible, there were a lot of words he avoided writing. If someone had not understood the purpose of those avoidances, they would’ve surely made a mistake and we would’ve noticed right away. Those letters were real but my husband was definitely deceived by Hu Zongxian.” Wang Yangshi continued to talk. At this time, sorrow no longer existed in her eyes.
“Why did you leave the house?”
“Last fall, I heard that my husband was arrested but I didn’t believe it. At that time, Hu Zongxian was still sending herbal medicines, he told us not to pay attention to the rumours. Until Xiao Feng wrote us a letter, only then did I find out Hu Zongxian was lying. Xiao Feng was afraid Hu Zongxian would do something to us, so he decided to pick us up by boat but my mother refused to leave, then he arranged for us to live in Niujia Village.”
“Xiao Feng….” Lu Yi thought for a moment, then realized, “Is it Mao Haifeng?”
[All translations belong to Syublush. If you are reading it anywhere else, then it’s stolen]
Wang Yangshi was stunned for a while before replying, “Xiao Feng, he’s in Cengang now and it seems like Hu Zongxian wants him dead… Young Master, you’re an official, is it possible for you to meet Hu Zongxian?”
“Yes.”
“Good, then can you pass on a few words to him?” Wang Yangshi paused for a moment, then said each word slowly and clearly, “Heaven have eyes, there will be retribution.”
Lan Daoxing had been standing outside the courtyard. Upon hearing those words, he turned around and looked straight at Wang Yangshi.
After a while, Lu Yi nodded his head, “Very well, I will definitely convey it.”
A sudden smile appeared on Wang Yangshi’s face. She stood up and said, “Taoist Lan, I am tired now. Can I return to my room?”
Lan Daoxing looked at Lu Yi and, seeing him gave a nod, knew he meant he didn’t have anything else to ask, “I will help you return to your room.”
“No need, just escort this Young Master out.”
Wang Yangshi staggered into the room, even though there was no light she was very familiar with the house. In the dark, the sound of her footsteps could be heard slowly fading away.
The air was cold that night. Lu Yi slowly walked to the courtyard and let out a long sigh.
“What are you going to do?” Lao Daoxing asked.
“Although, she is Wang Zhi’s wife, but….” Lu Yi shook his head, “If she really wants to go home, you should arrange for someone to escort her back to Huizhou.”
Lan Daoxing replied, “That won’t be difficult, just don’t know whether Hu Zongxian’s people will let her go or not. Today, two unknown men wanted to kill them. If I’m not mistaken, they are definitely Hu Zongxian’s people.”
“He also sent people to spy on me. Perhaps, he’s afraid I would learn too much.” In his heart, Lu Yi wondered, “Why did he suddenly want to kill them now?”
“Maybe because Mao Haifeng hid them so well that he couldn’t find them all this time. If I didn’t guard the place for two days and one night, I would not have met them.”
“Something is still not right….”
[All translations belong to Syublush. If you are reading it anywhere else, then it’s stolen]
Lu Yi furrowed his eyebrows. ‘According to Wang Yangshi’s statement, Hu Zongxian had intended to deceive them from the start, then after arresting Wang Zhi, he should have killed them both. Not only did he let go of the opportunity but he continued to send them gifts to appease them. What if….’
“What?” Lan Daoxing asked.
“Even though Wang Yangshi’s statement is true, judging from her understanding, she probably missed a few clues.” Lu Yi said, “Her husband and children died at Hu Zongxian’s hands, now her mother-in-law is also dead and her adopted son is being wanted. Surely, she should be hating Hu Zongxian to the bone, thinking he is a despicable person, that’s why she wanted me to pass on those words….”
“You don’t think this is Hu Zongxian’s fault?”
“Don’t forget, he also lost a son.” Lu Yi sighed for a moment, “Xia Zheng’s body was delivered to his home. If you had witnessed Hu Zongxian at that time, you’d know it was a tragedy for him.” When he went to visit, he saw Hu Zongxian continuously hit his head against the coffin, his hands constantly shaking as he touched the body.
“Are they competing to see whose child died first?” Lan Daoxing said, “If Hu Zongxian is a cunning person like what Wang Yangshi said, then that means he has nothing to do with the pirates. Except, he has an unusual relationship with Wang Zhi, if this news gets to the ears of the Emperor, his family will surely be granted severe punishment, their property will be confiscated. Take care, he and the involved official won’t get away with it.”
Lu Yi laughed. “You also be careful.” As soon as he finished speaking, he jumped onto the roof, then swiftly ran away.
Lan Daoxing stood alone in the courtyard for a long time. When he returned inside, he passed by Wang Yangshi’s room. He carefully tilted his head and leaned in to listen if there were any sounds. No sounds could be heard, not even her breathing. He paused for a moment, then pushed the bedroom’s door open. Lan Daoxing slowly walked inside the room, noticed Wang Yangshi lying on the bed, with one hand she was holding a knife with blood dripping from it… then he noticed the blood soaked robe on her.
It turned out, this is what she meant by going home….
Lan Daoxing stood up straight, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
***
In the midst of the silence, drums were drumming, gongs were banging. The shadow of the moon leaned against the trees. Mrs. Shen lovingly placed a blanket on Jinxia’s body; the beggar uncle with an annoyed face kicked YangYue’s leg; A’Rui’s expressionless face looked up at the roof of the room, no one knew what he was thinking but he remained motionless.
***
The stars were scattered in the sky. Like earlier, Lu Yi quietly jumped in through the window, as soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately felt something was wrong. On his left and also on his right, a gust of wind came in. His reaction was fast, he quickly slid his leg forward, turned around and as he bent his waist, the two long swords passed near the tip of his eyebrows.
He didn’t have any weapons, so he could only rely on his bare hands. As the two swords slashed against each other, he quickly dodged and bent down. After several moves, noticing the empty gap, he moved his hand upward, grabbing the handle and capturing the sword.
Lu Yi spun around and then landed steadily but he wasn’t in a rush to point the sword at them; instead he was borrowing the light from the moonlight to take a look at their faces.
Cen Shou heard the sound of the fight from outside and ran immediately inside the room, “Young Master, is there a problem?”
“Uninvited guests.”
As he was talking, Lu Yi’s arm trembled and the long sword in his hand shot forward, piercing through the shoulder of one of the men, pinning him onto the grille of the window. The man screamed in pain.
Looking at the situation, the other man wanted to take his sword and run away but Cen Shou was quick to notice his intention and blocked his way. The two swords met each other, slashing, and flashes of sparks spur up.
With Cen Shou fighting him, Lu Yi didn’t bother too much.
Outside the door, Cen Fu also arrived. Next to him was Jinxia jumping up and down on one foot, “Young Master, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Lu Yi turned to look at Jinxia, who was still jumping up and down on one foot, quickly stepping forward to help her. He put on an annoyed look, “You really like crowded places, huh?”
Seeing that Lu Yi was fine, Jinxia let out a sigh of relief and quickly glanced at the person being nailed to the window, “Who are they?”
“Who do you think?” Lu Yi removed the person’s veil and turned to ask her.
Jinxia happily lit up the lamp, rubbed his hands and said, “Although we’ve already seen his face, it’s still best to search him.”
With the help of Cen Fu, in an instant, Cen Shou managed to subdue the man in black, forcefully taking off his veil.
“I know him, he’s Hu Zongxian’s subordinate.” Cen Fu quickly recognized him.
Lu Yi glanced at them, his face was completely unhappy. “Haven’t you guys been watching me from the rooftop? Why did you suddenly want to attack today?”
The two of them remained silent, not answering. After looking at each other for a while, suddenly with all their might they bitted the tip of their tongue.
Luckily, Cen Shou and Cen Fu had some knowledge, having dealt with people in prison, and they were quick to notice their intentions, therefore with careful eyes and quick hands, in an instant, they reached out and pressed the men’s necks, so they wouldn’t be able to move.
“You just want to end your life, just like that? It’s a pity their kung fu isn’t good.” Jinxia said with a chuckle.
“Their kung fu is still better than yours.” Lu Yi pressed her down onto a chair, then turned to face one of the men in black, “You two are very loyal to General Hu, I am impressed. No need to be in a rush to die because I have a few words to pass to General Hu. Where the hills and rivers end, a glimmer of hope arises.”
After saying that, he signaled for Cen Fu to release them.
[All translations belong to Syublush. If you are reading it anywhere else, then it’s stolen]
The two of them looked at Lu Yi, then picked up their sword and jumped out of the window.
“You’re just letting them go like that? That’s too easy!” Cen Shou said irritably, “They dared to attack Young Master, of course they’re tired of living. This Hu Zongxian has the gut of a lion, how dare he not to be afraid of the Old Master?”
Jinxia kindly explained to him, “If they died here, Hu Zongxian would report to your Old Master that those people were pirates, he would give a grand title to your Young Master, saying he had sacrificed for the country, he’s heroic and then compensation money would be given.”
“You really think I’m that great?”
Lu Yi stretched out his hands to tie her hair because it seemed like she rushed there right away after getting out of bed, so her hair had fallen loose. Cen Shou looked at his Young Master’s natural gesture and he couldn’t help but froze. Cen Fu could only use his hand to help him turn his head.
