The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 7

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 7.
from Wang Dulu's He Jing Kunlun.

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There was a man holding a horse in the courtyard, tall, with a distinguished silver beard. It was his master Bao Zhenfei. Long Zhiqi was elated at seeing him, thinking, With the master here, I fear no one. But then he became afraid because he thought about his actions lately, all of which violated the rules of the Kunlun School. His master must have heard about his conduct while traveling and came to find him to lop his head off! Thus, Long Zhiqi was terrified and dared not make a single sound. He laid down on the bed, closed his eyes, and stiffly pretended to be asleep.

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 6

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 6.
from Wang Dulu's He Jing Kunlun.

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He hid up on the mountain for three days, robbing only melon pickers and greengrocers. After seizing a bit of money, he found a small hamlet and bought a bowl of rice to eat and a pot of wine to drink, and then he returned to the mountain and slept. It wasn't until the fourth day that he spotted a scholar traveling with a servant on the mountain road. There were a total of two horses upon which were packed bundles and books. Long Zhiqi ran down the mountain and blocked their way. The scholar and his servant were like sheep. Upon seeing this devilish bandit, they panicked and lay prostrate on the ground, begging for mercy. Long Zhiqi jabbed both of them with his saber, not caring whether they lived or died, took one of the horses and left. When he came out of the mountain, he dismounted the horse, tore the books away and opened the bundle for a look. Other than two changes of clothes, there were only a dozen or so taels of silver. After cursing his bad luck, Long Zhiqi took off his dirty, tattered clothing and changed into the stolen garments. However, they were both slender and short, too tight for him to pull on. He could only wear the outer spring silk robe with its buttons undone, exposing his dirty, hairy chest. He inserted his saber through the bundle and rode the horse away. He still did not know the way, nor was he clear on his direction, but he avoided large cities, opting to go from village to village.

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 5

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 5.
from Wang Dulu's He Jing Kunlun.

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Upon seeing a city up ahead, Long Zhiqi hollered loudly for the carriage to stop. He swung his horsewhip at the driver, giving him another lash, and yelled, "What are you looking so relieved for? Why are you going towards that city? Are you going to report me to the authorities?" The driver trembled with fear, nearly to the point of tears, and said, "Good sir! Did you not tell me to keep on this way? This road will take us straight to the town of Jiangkou!" Long Zhiqi heard the rumbling of wagons' wheels and turned around to look. Three more wagons were coming up behind him. He glowered and clenched his teeth, saying to the driver, "Quiet! Quiet! Go now!" The driver could only shake his whip and drive the carriage south. Before traveling for long, they arrived at Jiangkou. This was not a small town. Its streets were bustling, just like a small city.

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 4

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 4.
from Wang Dulu's He Jing Kunlun.

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It was the end of summer and the beginning of autumn now in the wide expanse of Northern Sichuan. The weather was still very hot, but the lush trees in the mountains were already starting to turn yellow. Ever since Xu Lin the Xia of Langzhong was defeated ten years ago in his fight with Bao Kunlun in Zhenba, he vanished from Jianghu. This being the case, Northern Sichuan no longer had any men who were powerful in the martial arts, and it was as if the place lacked stewardship. The robbers in the mountains increased in number and those who knew a bit of martial arts relied on their strength to bully those weaker in Jianghu, the worst of whom was one named Black Tiger Zhang, who resided in Bazhong. Early on he had learned martial arts from the famed xia in Southern Sichuan, Gao Long the Tiger of Fuzhou, and then later he had encountered the strange xia called the Iron Staff Monk upon Jianghu and learned several days of the iron staff from him. Thereafter he ran unchecked over Jianghu, stopping at nothing, and befriended the bandits of every mountain and the thugs of Jianghu. Thus in six or seven years, he became the "Tyrant of Northern Sichuan." At this moment, however, Northern Sichuan increased its number of brutes by one. It was one of the Three Exemplars of Ziyang: Long Zhiqi the Mountain-moving Tiger.

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 3

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 15, Part 3.
from Wang Dulu's He Jing Kunlun.

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On the following day, when he awoke first thing in the morning, Jiang Xiaohe was radiating with energy, and the hatred in his chest surged. He ate a bit of breakfast, packed his baggage, and readied his horse. Then he paid for his lodging, led his horse out and rode along the Chaoyang Roadway. He had previously traveled to Ziyang with the Xia of Langzhong, and so this road was familiar to him. His horse was very swift, and after riding less than three hours, he arrived in Ziyang. He knew that the Long household's Jingyuan Security Office was on the western edge of the city. He went to the southern edge first, found an inn there and went inside. He instructed the innkeeper not to remove the saddle and blanket, just to give it some water. He himself was going to take care of some matters before returning. The innkeeper agreed, and Jiang Xiaohe took out his sword and walked out of the inn. The innkeeper kept a very close eye on him, but Jiang Xiaohe was calm and collected, not at all like he was under any urgency. He left the southern part of town for the western.