Da Tang Shuang Long Zhuan Book 12 - Chapter 4 – Eastern and Western Tujue

Book 12 Chapter 4 – Eastern and Western Tujue

Xu Ziling sat cross-legged on a large flat and smooth rock by the pond. His gaze was fixed on the crystal clear water reflecting the blue sky and white clouds above; his mind was clear and bright.

To him, on this earth, other than Kou Zhong, Susu was the only person who could worry him, other people were like a far away, fuzzy impression.

Both Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan had their separate goal in their lives, but Xu Ziling only wanted to live an unconstrained, free and easy life, where he could be at home wherever he was.

It did not mean that he was a man without any desire to make progress; it just meant that he did not set for himself a certain goal he had to achieve. In terms of martial art way of pursuit of knowledge, he already derived pleasure in the process; it was a significant part of who he was.

This moment Kou Zhong came over and sat by his side. He spoke seriously, “It’s not that I want to conceal anything from you, but I do not wish Old Ba to know too many secrets. All along I always feel that he is not too reliable; he could turn his face against us and show no mercy anytime.”

Without showing the slightest bit of care, Xu Ziling said, “You don’t have to tell me either, I will never blame you.”

Kou Zhong was upset, “Can you not talk to me like that?” he said, “One lifetime two brothers. You are the only one I can completely trust, plus I do need your help very much.”

“Where is Old Ba?” Xu Ziling grudgingly asked.

After answering his question, Kou Zhong spoke heavily, “If I am not here, w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong would definitely lose this battle, because he practically is not Li Mi’s match. If Li Mi captured Luoyang, those Li Yuan, Li s.h.i.+min, Dou Jiande, Ol’ Die Du, or what have you, would all have to return to their hometown to till the fields; but even then they would have to rely on their family mountain’s blessing. Otherwise, they would be lucky if they could remain alive.”

Xu Ziling was emotionally moved, “What exactly the information that you heard?” he asked.

After briefly recounting what he knew, Kou Zhong gave him his a.n.a.lysis, “Li Mi’s biggest strength is actually ‘self restrain’. He obviously hurt Zhai Rang that day, but since he was unclear of the degree of his injuries, he restrained himself until Zhai Rang exposed the cards in his hand before launching the offensive and taking over Zhai Rang’s Da Longtou [big boss] throne.”

Xu Ziling nodded in agreement.

If Li Mi rose in rebellion too early, even if he managed to seize total victory, but because Zhai Rang still had his prestige, plus he still had solid relations.h.i.+p with the leaders of Wagang Army, he might make the Wagang Army to split up and disintegrate. Such a tragic victory would not be worth mentioning.

Lowering his voice, Kou Zhong said, “After obtaining the authority over the military, he actually had the opportunity to launch a direct attack to Guanzhong and thus occupying the Western Capital. If that happened, wouldn’t he have the Eastern Capital inside his bag as well? But he was afraid that after entering the Pa.s.s, Zhai Rang’s former loyal subordinate would claim independence and declare himself king, and refuse to obey his command. Thereupon he strongly defended his position in Henan, and replaced the Wagang Army leaders.h.i.+ps with the generals loyal to himself. In terms of strategy, it was a wise one.”

After a short pause, he went on, “Time and again Li Mi opened the storehouse to provide relief to the people, so that he won the popular sentiment, and his prestige enjoyed a great boost, plus all the heroes of various region came to pledge their allegiance to him. If he were a reckless man, he would denounce the ca.n.a.l construction early on, and deployed his troops south to attack Jiangdu. But Li Mi restrained himself by not doing it; he waited for Yuwen Huagu to rise in rebellion and killed Emperor Yang like a chicken in a basket, and then when he led his troops north to return to his base, Li Mi raised his troops to meet the enemy. Yuwen Huagu is not a lay pract.i.tioner of Buddhism at all, plus he still had the most elite imperial guards under his command, yet he still lost to Li Mi’s ‘self-restrain’. Do you still want to listen more?”

Hearing Yuwen Huagu’s name, Xu Ziling’s tiger-eyes flashed a chilling murderous intent. “Of course,” he said simply.

Kou Zhong sighed in admiration, “Even self-restrain needs to be particular about tactics, be particular about deceit. And Li Mi is a master in these. In order to escape w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong and Yuwen Huagu’s left and right pincer attack, unexpectedly Li Mi shamelessly expressed goodwill toward the puppet emperor at the Eastern Capital supported by w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong. He even expressed to Yuwen Huagu his willingness to atone for his crime, so that he would not have to worry of trouble in the rear.”

Knitting his brows, Xu Ziling said, “But by doing that, wouldn’t his reputation take serious. .h.i.t?”

Kou Zhong continued, “In time where rumors are flying everywhere, who would care if that kind of information is true, or whether this kind of information is false? However, w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong is afraid Li Mi would join hands with Yuwen Huagu to attack the Eastern Capital, so for the time being he simply hold back his troops without moving, just contend to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. It would be best if Li Mi and Yuwen Huagu fight until both sides suffer, or perhaps they would be locked in perpetual hostility against each other. Nothing could be more ideal than that for him.”

“How did you know everything so clearly?” Xu Ziling asked in amazement.

“Half by listening to others, half by guessing!” Kou Zhong replied, “Ha! You ought to know that my cognitive ability is quite strong!”

And then, slapping his thigh he said, “Yuwen Huagu set his military supply wagon on a slippery stage when he led his troops to attack Liyang. Li Mi exercised self-restrain against him by ordering Xu s.h.i.+ji, who was guarding Liyang, to avoid direct confrontation, but to guard the storehouse city to the west. Needless to say, not the least bit army provision would be left for Yuwen Huagu!”

Listening to him, Xu Ziling’s interest was piqued; he asked further, “Can’t Yuwen Huaji seize the opportunity to pursue and attack? How could the storehouse city defend themselves against the pressure of a large army at their border?”

“On this,” Kou Zhong said, “You have to hand it to Li Mi. He personally led twenty-thousand cavalry marching to Qingqi. Coordinating with Xu s.h.i.+ji, they excavated deep trenches and built high wall, but refuse to have direct confrontation with Yuwen Huagu. If Yuwen Huagu attacked the storehouse, he would pull his rear leg to form non-confrontational deadlock. Problem was Yuwen Huagu lacked provisions; that old fox still deceive him by negotiating peace, making that idiot Yuwen Huagu think that they were in cease-fire, and no longer limit the soldier’s ration. Li Mi picked this time to pick war with him at Tong Shan [Mt. Tong], Yuwen Huagu’s grain was depleted, he ran away in defeat to Wei Jun [Wei County], his power took a serious beating. The reason Li Mi achieved victory was not because Yuwen Huagu’s knowledge is inferior to him, or because his military power and strategy and tactics could not match the opponent’s. Rather, he lost to Li Mi’s self-restrain.”

And then his eyes shone as he went on, “Therefore, as long as I can break Li Mi’s resolves in exercising self-restrain, I would be able to make the invincible Li Mi to suffer the first major defeat in his entire life, a defeat so bad that he would not be able to recover from. The opportunity is here. I only need to see w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong, and then I will have a way to make him listen to me. Otherwise, the world will belong to Li Mi.”

Xu Ziling’s heart was severely shaken.

Kou Zhong was correct. And he did understand Li Mi’s strengths and advantages. As long this strength could be used against him, Li Mi’s advantage would become his weakness. And Kou Zhong did have enough ability and wisdom to lay a trap and lure Li Mi to enter it.

Even with Li Mi’s wisdom as deep as the sea, he would never have expected that a terrifying adversary such as Kou Zhong was watching in the dark, had a good grasp of his strategy, and waiting for an opportunity to deal him a heavy blow.

Question is: how would Kou Zhong make w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong to listen to him?

In the present case, it was out of the question.

This moment Ba Fenghan returned, carrying a small roebuck, cutting the two boys’ discussion.

※ ※ ※

By dusk that day, the tree left the mountain area. By the time they reach a jungle by the south bank of River Ru, the night already fell.

The moon had yet to appear in the night sky, the specks of stars filled the firmament, so magnificent and moving.

Ba Fenghan drew his sword to cut a tree trunk. Paring its branches and leafs, he said, “I am going to toss this tree trunk into the middle of the river, we’ll use it as a stepping stone to reach the opposite bank. Who’s first?”

Kou Zhong laughed and said, “Xiao Ling should be first! Actually, who’s first who’s last shouldn’t make any difference.”

Xu Ziling suddenly lowered his voice, “Something is not quite right. I don’t know what it is, but ever since we left the mountain area, I have a ‘heart alarmed, body leaping’ feeling, a bit like that time when we were outside the city of Baling.”

Ba Fenghan was aghast, “Actually, I am also good at tracking and anti-tracking technique,” he said, “Just now, I have used all kinds of methods to test whether anybody was tracking us. If Ziling’s feeling is unmistaken, then the enemy lying in the dark must be at least Qu Ao’s level.”

Sucking in a mouthful of cold air, Kou Zhong said, “Why hasn’t he made his move then? Perhaps he does not have enough confidence to deal with us all at the same time, hence he is waiting for reinforcement. But then again, it is very likely that he is Qu Ao himself; perhaps he is planning on launching a sudden attack when we are crossing the river, to kill one of us first, and then leisurely clean up the other two.”

Ba Fenghan said, “I don’t care who he is; even if he is Qu Ao himself, so what? We will find a way to lure him out, and then with ten-thousand catty thunderbolt strike we kill him, and get rid of the root of trouble.”

Xu Ziling shook his head and said, “This is not the time to show off your bravado; since our whereabouts is already detected by the enemy, our route will be full of thistles and thorns all the way to Luoyang. If we simply fight our way through, we would eventually fall into bitter battle and die of exhaustion. It’s really not worth it.”

Frowning, Kou Zhong asked, “Do you have any suggestion?”

“Whose territory is Xiangcheng anyway?” Xu Ziling asked back.

“w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong’s, of course,” Ba Fenghan replied, “Otherwise the Eastern Capital would be done for long ago.”

Lowering his voice, Kou Zhong said, “If anybody is watching us right now, they would think that we were going to cross the river. If we suddenly run along the River toward Xiangcheng, other than tucking their tail in wild pursuit, the opponents practically don’t have any other choice.”

Ba Fenghan was delighted, “The wilderness outside the city of Xiangcheng is a wide open s.p.a.ce; it does not give anybody any shelter. If anybody is following us, we will know who it is!”

After further discussion about the details, as well as deciding any contingency measures, the three of them walked over to the river.

Ba Fenghan transferred his strength to his arm and flung the tree trunk to the middle of the river.

‘Splas.h.!.+’

Water burst everywhere.

With a loud shout the three men dashed along the river toward Xiangcheng.

Chapter 4 - Part 2

Xiangcheng was located on the north bank of River Ru, connecting the vast area of mountains with the upstream and downstream river traffic. Due to its geographic location, it was a very strong and inaccessible fortress. Whoever had any control of it would have a significant role in determining the Eastern Capital Luoyang’s safety and danger.

The Xiangyang city walls were surrounded by chain, the wall was solid and grand, the gate and the city watchtower was spectacular, arrow tower stood tall; in short, it was an austere scene to behold.

About a li away from the city, they crossed the River Ru and reached the section where the river was diverted to make up the moat surrounding the city, and crouched low among the tall gra.s.s.

Looking back, the vast wilderness was completely empty, not even half a ghost was to be seen.

The tall and lofty, reaching up to fifteen zhang high, city wall was brightly lit, so that the moat was as bright as daytime. Even a fly would not be able to escape the city guards’ eyes.

Other than charging in from the outside, there was no other way to enter the city.

Ba Fenghan sighed and said, “If someone’s really trailing us, this person must be so brilliant that he will make our hearts tremble.”

Kou Zhong spoke heavily, “Zi Ling’s intuition is well-tested; he can’t be wrong.”

Xu Ziling’s gaze fell on a small hill in the distance; he spoke with complete confidence, “The enemy is on top of that hill.”

With a deep frown on his forehead, Ba Fenghan asked, “Shall we make a detour to go to Luoyang immediately? It would be better than staying here, where we can neither advance nor retreat. If the enemy set up an inescapable net, we would be in big trouble. Hey! I heard hoof beats!”

Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong immediately focused their power on their ears and sure enough, they heard from about three li on the north there was a large number of cavalry rus.h.i.+ng toward Xiangcheng.

Greatly delighted, Kou Zhong said, “This is called the Heaven is in our side! We have the opportunity to sneak into the city.”

※ ※ ※

‘Ding!’

Three cups clinked against each other. Ba Fenghan laughed and said, “Tonight the bright moon is high up in the sky, if there is any major enemy coming here, let me, the Old Ba, be the host. Zhong Shao, Ziling, you must promise to give me the honor.”

Kou Zhong raised the wine cup in his right hand, and like an arrow the wine shot into his throat. The most amazing thing was that he took it all, not a single drop of wine was spilled. Laughing to his heart’s content, he said, “This is the first time you call yourself Old Ba, and with unprecedented politeness too! I wonder what’s the reason?”

Ba Fenghan also drained the wine in his cup in one gulp. His lightning-like eyes swept the other patrons of the restaurant first, scaring some people who were staring at them because of the three men’s unrestrained words and actions, so that they quickly lowered their heads to avoid his gaze. Only then did he smile and said, “The purpose of my, Ba Fenghan’s visit to the Central Earth is to meet as many as possible martial art masters of this place. Now that someone voluntarily drops in, naturally my mood is getting better, my att.i.tude automatically becomes different. Will Zhong Shao be satisfied with this explanation?”

Xu Ziling only sipped his wine before setting down the wine cup. Laughing involuntarily, he said, “I am afraid the enemy won’t be able to enter the city until tomorrow morning. Old Ba, I think you are rejoicing too soon!”

With a faraway look on his face, Kou Zhong said, “Tomorrow will be a very interesting day. The best thing is that we practically do not know who is going to come looking for us.”

This moment their dishes arrived. Kou Zhong refilled the three men’s cups and then said, “Old Ba, you are a Tujue, I was wondering if I could ask you some Tujue-related matters?”

“Speak up!” Ba Fenghan replied.

Kou Zhong thought for a moment, and then lowering his voice he said, “Which side are you guys really supporting? The other day Tujue’s s.h.i.+bi Khan dispatched the ‘Double-Spear General’ Yan Lihui and ‘Dauntless Lion’ Mu Tiexiong to collude with Li Mi, with the aim of killing Zhai Rang. But …”

Ba Fenghan cut him off, “First of all, you need to know that Tujue is divided into eastern and western parts. s.h.i.+bi is Eastern Tujue’s Khan. For the last decade or so, there are wars on all sides; on the east from Khitan, s.h.i.+ Wei, on the west from Tuyuhun, Gao Chang, both were officials in the Eastern Tujue’s feudal court. As for the Western Tujue, their base of operations is at the river basin of Ili River; all the land west of Altai Mountain Range is their domain, a vast territory that in no way is inferior to the Eastern Tujue.”

Ba Fenghan continued, “Whether it is the Eastern Tujue or Western Tujue, the structure of the line of command is different from the dynastic imperial court system of the Central Earth; they are more tribal-centered. For instance, Eastern Tujue’s s.h.i.+bi is just a tribal chief, but he has the strongest power, hence he was elected as the supreme leader. In such place where the strongest became king, no one can guarantee that tomorrow he can keep his power and status.”

“So what about Bi Xuan?” Xu Ziling asked out of curiosity, “Is he from the Eastern Tujue or Western Tujue?”

Hearing Bi Xuan’s name, Ba Fenghan let out a cold snort first before replying, “Our Tujue people attach most importance to courage and strength. Bi Xuan is the number one martial art master of the Eastern Tujue, hence among the locals he holds a G.o.d-like status. If s.h.i.+bi Khan did not have his support, he could forget about having a stable position as the Khan. Therefore, when I offended Bi Xuan, it was tantamount to offending the entire Eastern Tujue. Ha! But why should I, Ba Fenghan, be afraid? Aren’t still alive like a lively dragon and animated tiger?”

From Ba Fenghan, the two boys could clearly feel the valiant style of the Tujue people.

At the corner of the restaurant, there was a table on which sat several people, men and women. They all wore warrior outfit, and everybody was armed; they seemed to be the disciples of the same school or sect. The two women among them were young, charming, and quite pretty.

These two women noticed the outstanding build and appearance of the three men, and seemed to be unable to restrain their emotions; they could not keep their eyes from drifting toward them.

The fact was that the three were indeed extraordinary characters, which might not be found one in ten thousand, and were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with masculine charms. Forget about the young girls at their first-awakening-of-love stage, even the rest of the party, which were men just like the three, could not help staring at them with respect.

This moment the two women happened to look their direction, and Ba Fenghan met their gaze, and gave them a very gracious smile. His neat rows of snow white teeth were dazzling, and were extremely captivating. The two young women were surprised and delighted at the same time; hastily they hung their head low to avoid his eyes; even their ears turned red.

Upon seeing this, their three male table companions revealed an unpleasant look of jealousy and anger.

Ba Fenghan ignored them and remarked, “At our place, a woman’s worth is measured by the number of horses, cattle and sheep; they are considered as men’s property.”

Kou Zhong had no interest in this aspect; he said, “You have not answered my question.”

For some unknown reason, Ba Fenghan’s mood was very good this evening, “Let’s talk while we eat,” he said.

The three men raised their wine cups and their chopsticks; the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.

After staring quietly at Xu Ziling for a moment, Ba Fenghan asked in surprised, “Does Ziling have a load in his mind?”

Xu Ziling nodded and said, “I suddenly remembered Yu Yi; I wonder what happened to her?”

Ba Fenghan sighed and said, “To be honest with you, I am worried about her as well. Hence I really want to catch one of Yin Gui Pai people to interrogate him; it’s just that I did not say it out loud!”

Upon hearing this, the two boys’ good impression on him rose up several notches; at least he was not as cold and heartless as he appeared to be.

Tonight they gained further understanding of Ba Fenghan, but they still had a profound, unfathomable feeling toward him, because they were well aware that Ba Fenghan kept his innermost feeling deep within, and also because his way of thinking and his working style were different from ordinary people’s, making it hard for other people to pin down.

Like he was expressing his true feeling right now; to him it was a rare occurrence.

Kou Zhong said, “Yu Yi’s qinggong is very superior; if she could not take it, she could have just gotten away.”

Ba Fenghan nodded and said, “Junyu once told me that her s.h.i.+fu taught her the ‘Ni Tian Dun Shu’, which enable her to get away far and wide under any circ.u.mstances. Huh? How come your countenances become so unsightly?” [Translator’s note: I have difficulty finding a concise, yet accurate translation for this: ‘nitian’ – defiance of the natural order, ‘dun’ – escape/flee, ‘shu’ – method/technique. So the long version would be ‘escape method in defiance of the natural order’, or ‘supernatural escape technique’, but I thought ‘supernatural’ is not accurate.]

Smiling bitterly, Kou Zhong said, “Speaking of which, our Niang actually had a chance to escape alive, but because she wanted to protect us, she was forced to stake it all against Yuwen Huagu that in the end both sides suffered. Ay!”

Ba Fenghan was stunned, “Who’s Yuwen Huagu?” he asked, “Oh! I understand.”

Xu Ziling spoke heavily, “I will definitely kill him.”

Ba Fenghan understood their grief; he deliberately changed the subject, “Nearing the end of the Sui Dynasty, the Central Earth was a big mess. Worse yet, due to Emperor Yang’s three military expeditions to Gaoli [Korea], in the north the people had no way to make a living. Due to many reasons, for example unbearably harsh taxation, or perhaps to evade military conscription, or to escape from corrupt government officials, many people, military personnel and civilians alike, crossed over the Great Wall to take refuge in the Eastern Tujue. Not only this had given great boost to s.h.i.+bi Khan’s power, it has also enabled him to have a clear grasp of your distinguished country’s situation. Have you ever heard the name Zhao Deyan?”

Kou Zhong shook his head, “Never heard of him,” he replied, “Sounds like a Han name.”

Be Fenghan said, “In terms of martial art skill, intelligence and strategy, this man is superior. But his origin is mysterious. His martial art style and mental cultivation [xin fa] seem to come from his own development, so different from the others. If you want to know the extent of his brilliance, it’s very easy, owing to the fact that when Bi Xuan saw him, his interest was aroused that he wanted to have a compet.i.tion with him, until in the end he was forced to use the ‘Hua Yang Da Fa’ [Great Method of Transforming the Sun], a skill he kept at the bottom of his chest, before finally able to defeat him. From this you can tell how formidable he really is.”

The two boys could not help being tongue-tied.

Ba Fenghan went on, “This battle has propelled Zhao Deyan’s fame within the Wulin circle outside the Wall, and has earned him the position as s.h.i.+bi’s most trusted aide. The year before last s.h.i.+bi fell ill and died, and Chuluo Khan took his place. Strange thing was that without any illness Chuluo Khan suddenly pa.s.sed away, and Xieli Khan replaced him. But Xieli Khan has a very good relations.h.i.+p with Zhao Deyan. If anybody said that Chuluo Khan’s death had nothing to do with Zhao Deyan, I will be the first to disbelieve it, because all along Chuluo’s relations.h.i.+p with Xieli and Zhao Deyan was like fire and water.”

Amazed, Kou Zhong asked, “So the power nowadays is in Xieli’s hands; what kind of man is he?”

With a cold laugh, Ba Fenghan replied, “Just by looking at how he is using Zhao Deyan, we know that he is a very ambitious person. To him, the more chaotic the Central Earth is the better, it would be best if it all split up and in pieces, and always in perpetual conflict; this way he would have an opportunity he could exploit. According to Zhao Deyan’s grand plan, anybody who’s coming to ask for help, they would help indiscriminately, while as much as possible preventing any single party to grow. Therefore, they both supported Liu Wuzhou and Liang s.h.i.+du attacking the Li Clan, and also supporting the Li Clan to rebel against the Sui Dynasty by attacking Guanzhong; themselves constantly invade the border and looting, while using war to incite war, waiting for fortunate timing.”

Xu Ziling spoke heavily, “At most this Zhao Deyan has to be killed; why would they have to swap the spearheads against their own people?”

Ba Fenghan replied, “His style is a bit like Yin Gui Pai, full of hatred against the world, and will only be satisfied if the whole country is in rebellion. Eastern Tujue has another person we need to watch, the ‘Cyclone’ Tu Li. This man is Xielie’s [paternal] nephew. Not only his martial art skill outstanding, he is able to move the troops like a deity. The other day the one Xieli sent out to help Li Yuan capturing Guanzhong was precisely this person. It is said that he had an excellent relations.h.i.+p with Li Yuan’s second son; they called each other ‘Xiong’ and ‘Di’ [older and younger brother, respectively].”

Li Yuan’s second son was none other than Li s.h.i.+min.

Kou Zhong was listening with keen interest; laughing, he said, “Old Ba, you really enlightened me today; in the future, would you like me to bestow you the t.i.tle of some Fenghan Khan?

Ba Fenghan smiled in amus.e.m.e.nt; he said, “I almost said ‘go to your Niang’. If I, Ba Fenghan, want to strive for high official position in Tujue, the effort I need to spend is like the exertion of lifting my hand. But I must say the same thing to you: if you want to ascend to the most venerable throne in the world, you must make this position comparatively more pleasing to the eye than if other people are sitting on it, because after all, we have been through trials and tribulations together!”

Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “That is the most fitting remark bare none!”

While the three were bursting out in laughter, the men and women on the other table paid their bill and left. The two women were still reluctant to part; they had their eyes on the three before finally leaving in disappointment.

Meanwhile the food on the table had been thoroughly wiped clean. Ba Fenghan said, “Western Tujue’s people are powerful their horses strong, not inferior to the Eastern Tujue by any means. If both countries unite, great catastrophe will befall the Central Earth. Fortunately Xieli and Western Tujue’s Khan Tong Xiehu have never been in good terms with each other that they are incapable to form an alliance powerful enough to invade to the east.”

Xu Ziling said in wonder, “Fenghan Xiong is very considerate to us, Han people.”

Ba Fenghan smiled and said, “Countries and peoples are just a source of confusion. As far as I’m concerned, border between countries are nothing more than man-made game, it can’t exist in perpetuity. The only thing really worth our consideration is the culture we inherited from the previous generations.”

Deep contemplation look came to Xu Ziling; if they did not chat with Ba Fenghan, they would never know that he had such thought that transcend worldliness.

But Kou Zhong did not give it further thought; he asked, “Eastern Tujue has Bi Xuan and Zhao Deyan. Does Western Tujue’s Tong Xiehu have any capable person under his command?”

Ba Fenghan replied, “Western Tujue’s Guos.h.i.+ [teacher of the state] is a Persian martial art master Yun Shuai [lit. Commander Cloud; not sure if it was his name or his t.i.tle]. This man uses a crescent-shaped saber, and his mastery has reached perfection, no one in Western Tujue can match him. More than that, he is a master in deceit and scheming, in strategy and tactics. Were it not for him, Western Tujue would have been wiped out by other tribes early on.”

After a short pause, he went on, “Yun Shuai has a daughter named Lian Rou. I heard that not only she is highly intelligent, her cunning and martial art skill were handed-down directly from her father. Moreover, her beauty is the kind that is capable of causing the downfall of a nation. Tong Xiehu regards her as his own daughter; he loves and dotes on her in every possible way.”

Kou Zhong was about to speak when suddenly the alarm went off in his heart. Together with Ba Fenghan and Xu Ziling they turned their heads to look at the entrance.

In fact, this moment all the diners over a dozen or so tables inside the restaurant had their eyes on a woman in white standing in front of the door. Just as if they had their acupoints sealed, they all stared with big, s.h.i.+ny eyes, dumbstruck, and in daze.

If anybody were able to read what was in their mind, they all had the same thing, ‘Unexpectedly there is such a beautiful woman like her in the world’.

Like an apparition Wanwan, in clothes as white as the snow, stood at the door. Her beautiful but hazy eyes, as if she was dreaming, were fixed on the three men, but her beautiful face was as tranquil as a still water. Her bare feet were sticking out under her skirt. Even the pickiest person would not be able to say that he found any flaw in her.