The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 20

The Crane Startles Kunlun, Chapter 20.
from Wang Dulu's He Jing Kunlun.

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CHAPTER TWENTY

After the jade crumbles and the flower wilts,
          he pursues the carriaged coffin in misery.
The stars turn and the Dipper spins, as lamentations narrate Jianghu.

The autumn winds whooshed by and the light rain falling on their faces chilled them. The three men walked up the mountain step by step, a wall of mist in front of them. They could see nothing and the road was indistinct. They were unable to rush, afraid they would lose their footing and tumble down the mountain. Not only did they not see any other people, but they heard not one bird call. It was extremely quiet all around them, save for the sound of the rainwater pattering against the rocks. Neither Li Fengjie nor the mute had come to Mount Wudang before, so they did not much know the way. Ji Guangjie was now the only one who could be considered a little bit familiar. Ji Guangjie vaguely remembered the mountain road and headed straight for Shedsword Spring.

After crossing over another mountain ridge, they caught sight of a waterfall flowing off from a high cliff. Because of the rain, there was a large volume of water, truly like white silk, pounding against the mountain rocks, sending countless droplets spraying out. These droplets danced about with the rain, and in the distance they could hear the rushing torrent of water. Li Fengjie had never been to Mount Wudang before and found it hard to believe that this mountain, famous for its internal martial arts, could also be so beautiful in its scenery. If they had not rushed here to rescue Jiang Xiaohe, he would certainly choose to linger and compose a poem under the haze of these autumn showers.

Ji Guangjie turned back and urged them on, saying, “Let’s hurry up now. This is the Shedsword Spring, and just past it are the temples.” Now impatient from being soaked by the rain, the Mute Xia also bounded forward and ascended quickly. After traveling a bit longer, they saw a red wall reveal itself before them out of the boundless mist, surrounded by a pine forest. The three of them quickened their pace, and when they drew near they saw that it was not a large temple. When they found the gate, Ji Guangjie knocked against it with his sword and hollered, “Daoist dogs, show yourselves!” But after much cursing, there came no sounds in response.

The Mute Xia and Li Fengjie had already jumped over the wall. The temple was quiet and empty, and under the steps of the side hall laid a leopard covered in spots. Li Fengjie quickly raised his sword in fright, ready to take on the leopard, but after a moment, the leopard didn’t move at all, as if it was sound asleep. When he took a closer look, he saw that the leopard laying on the ground had already had its head smashed in. It had been killed earlier by someone else.

By now, Ji Guangjie had jumped over the wall as well, and the three searched the inside of the temple, hoping to find a Daoist whom they could ask the whereabouts of Jiang Xiaohe and Aluan. However, this temple looked like someone had caused a scene here, not to mention they were unable to find even one Daoist. Even the cats ducked away from them hastily. Ji Guangjie and the others stood in the temple and yelled, but did not come closer to the their goal, so he hacked furiously at the temple altar with his sword and then went outside in search of Daoists.

The three departed from this temple and ran northward. The fog outside remained thick, but it had thinned out quite a bit since before. At the same time the rain had also stopped and they could see vaguely the mountain roads and trees before them. A faint light came from the horizon, and the mountain birds which had previously disappeared to places unknown, were now flitting about the trees. They current terrain went higher and higher and the mountain roads became harder and harder to traverse. The summit was just a bit further, but they couldn’t tell how much higher it was, as the upper portion of it was concealed in the mist. The lower portion looked like it had been hacked out by an ax or saber, its entire face was rugged rocks and strangely shaped stones. The road became rougher the further they went. One misstep could send them tumbling off a cliff, their body ending up in a place never to be found. Thus, the three tread cautiously as they continued upward.

They were now just a short distance from the summit when they heard the droning of a bell coming from the temple they had just visited. Ji Guangjie knew then that the Daoists there had all been hiding from them. Thus, he said to Li Fengjie ruefully, “Let us return to that temple and kill the lot of them!” As he was about to turn around and run back, an urgent bell rang out from the summit. Li Fengjie said impatiently, “The Daoists of the mountain must all know that we are here and have sounded the alarm bells. It’s best for us to hurry to the summit!” Hearing this, Ji Guangjie nodded and pointed ahead, signaling to the Mute Xia to continue up the mountain together. Just as they were about to step foot on the rocks of the summit, they met with a crowd gathered there of about thirty or forty Daoist priests, each in their short Daoist attire. Three of them brandished their swords and ran toward them. One of them was white at his temples, this one Ji Guangjie recognized, for he was the one that had caused Ji Guangjie to fall off a precipice when he had been here last: Chu Jianxiong.

Upon seeing the three, Ji Guangjie, the Mute Xia and Li Fengjie, Chu Jianxiong was taken aback. He glared and waved his sword at Ji Guangjie asking him angrily, “Ji Guangjie! What is your intention, bringing these cohorts of yours here?” Ji Guangjie sniggered arrogantly, saying, “Chu Jianxiong, today is the final day for your Mount Wudang. You Daoist dogs have committed grave crimes, going so far as to hold a woman against her will, harboring bandits, and using your numbers to gang up on others. You best throw down your sword now and quickly bring out Sir Ji’s wife Aluan. Otherwise, my sword will show you no mercy!” Chu Jianxiong’s white sidelocks flung about and he stared wide-eyed in his fury, saying, “Silence! The one named Ji, you were defeated here before. How dare you come back and insult our Wudang School! Last night, Jiang Xiaohe too fell to our old master Yu Xuanqing’s dianxue skill and was captured. What do you suppose a man like you will find here except certain death?”

Hearing that Jiang Xiaohe had been captured, Li Fengjie couldn’t help feeling shock. As the Mute Xia could not hear anything they were saying, he could only stand by and look on. When he saw the color of Ji Guangjie’s face turn, he became confused and hurried over to tug on Li Fengjie sleeve, inquiring with gestures and an “ahh.” Li Fengjie pointed at the Daoists, then waved his arms like a flying bird, and then moved his arms into a pose to express being bound. The Mute Xia saw this and became immediately angry. He advanced on Chu Jianxiong, drew his sword and struck at him. Chu Jianxiong was still speaking to Ji Guangjie when he suddenly saw the Mute Xia coming for him. He swung his sword up to block, and the two other Daoists brandished their swords and stepped up to attack. At this time, Li Fengjie said loudly, “Gentlemen, please stay your hands. Let us talk this over first!” Chu Jianxiong had hopped to the side and was asking, “Who are you?” Li Fengjie said, “I am Li Fengjie of Jiangnan!” So saying, he pointed over at the Mute Xia and said, “And this fellow is Jiang Xiaohe’s brother-disciple…“

When Chu Jianxiong heard that Jiang Xiaohe’s brother-disciple had come with them, he was alarmed and assessed the Mute Xia’s body. He thought this: Oh no! This cannot be! I can’t even beat Jiang Xiaohe, so how am I supposed to face his brother? In addition, he’d heard people mention before that the Mute Xia had spent many a year training with the elderly gentleman of Mount Jiuhua. His martial arts were not far from those of the old man. Thus, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of dread in his heart. He listened to Li Fengjie continue, “We undertook this journey to come to the aid of Jiang Xiaohe. This Mount Wudang of yours is a sacred place of the Three Pure Ones. How could you have let brigands in to muddle in your ranks and hide away a laywoman?”

Hearing this, Chu Jianxiong couldn’t help his face turning red and hastily argued, “We on Mount Wudang have always adhered to the rules of our order, but because the mountain is tall and the area remote, it is impossible for us to always know when a brigand infiltrates our midst. We are investigating this matter right now. If all this turns out to be true, our old master will certainly return Aluan to you and hand over any bandits for you to deal with. However, if we find you have all been false with us and come here for the purpose of causing trouble? Then there is no way our old master will spare you.” Ji Guangjie listened to this and yelled in rage, “More nonsense from you Daoist dogs. If it weren’t for these matters, what do you think we’re doing here on Mount Wudang? Don’t even try mentioning your acursed old master to try to frighten us. I, Ji Guangjie, fear nothing. Bring us to see that damned old man immediately!”

Chu Jianxiong heard these insults from Ji Guangjie and was prepared to charge at Ji Guangjie with a swing of his sword, but he was afraid of the Mute Xia, who was standing beside and glowering at him. And so he suppressed his fury with great effort and nodded to Ji Guangjie and the others, saying, “Fine! I’ll lead you to meet with the old master, but you must behave yourselves!” So saying, Chu Jianxiong turned back and instructed his Daoist subordinates to go to Zhanqi Peak to give notice. Chu Jianxiong then led Ji Guangjie and the others toward Zhanqi Peak.

After walking a while, they arrived at Zhanqi Peak and saw several Daoists dressed neatly in short Daoist garments, each of them carrying a sword and standing in rows in front of the temple at the summit. When they came to the square before the temple, they saw an old Daoist with a youthful face and white hair come out. The two Daoists to either side of him stepped immediately to one side. The Mute Xia knew that this old Daoist must be the master of this mountain. The old Daoist priest was not great or tall in stature, and his white beard was more than two feet long. His hair was entirely white, and under his two long, white eyebrows, he had a pair of bright, shining eyes. He wore a Daoist robe of blue cloth and his appearance was exceptionally odd. He wobbled like an old man when he walked, but the Mute Xia could see he was not to be trifled with, so he quickly walked up to meet him.

Yu Xuanqing came to the three men and bowed at them slightly, asking, “What counsel do the three benefactors offer us after coming to our humble mountain?” With sword in hand, the Mute Xia pointed and slashed it about while crying out, “Ah! Ah!” Li Fengjie saw this and hurried to meet Yu Xuanqing to say, “This here is Jiang Xiaohe’s brother-disciple. He has come to your magnificent mountain to find Jiang Xiaohe.” Upon hearing this, Yu Xuanqing couldn’t help his astonishment, but followed up by saying, “Jiang Xiaohe caused a great scene here on this mountain yesterday. He charged that we had bandits on this mountain, and I am currently in the process of investigating these claims. I will be able to ascertain the truth within three days. If I can verify these facts, I will punish the bandits according to our customs. If we find these claims to be false, I, Yu Xuanqing, cannot allow any of you to carry swords on Mount Wudang and call yourselves heroes!”

Ji Guangjie heard this and cursed with eyes wide, “You old Daoist dog! You still do not know what you are talking about. If you regard yourselves as open and honest, then let us do the investigating! We will not harm you in the slightest. If that were not so, then the sword in Sir Ji’s hand would never have let you go. In three days, you would all already be in the palace of King Yama for a long time!” Yu Xuanqing’s silver sidelocks shook in anger when he heard this and spat, “It is no problem if you want to search the mountain yourselves, but I will only let you do so if you can defeat the sword in my hand! I will not get in your way.” So saying, he furiously took the sword from one of the Daoist priests standing behind him.

Ji Guangjie grew incensed and was about to brandish his sword and charge at the elderly Daoist with killing intent, but the Mute Xia had already met him with sword in hand. It was thus that the most renowned adherent of the internal school’s founder Zhang Sanfeng came head-to-head with the finest disciple of the peerless mysterious xia, the elderly gentleman of Mount Jiuhua. They were each holding stances with swords in their hands, but the two swords never actually touched nor did they dance about very quickly. However, every single posture and every single movement was made with lethal skill. The two of them circled each other a few times in the square without a determination of who would win an who would lose. Ji Guangjie could no longer hold his temper and was about to approach with his sword when Li Fengjie quickly came forward to hold him back.

It was then that an uproar was happening among the Daoists at the summit, as they saw some of the priests coming down from the peak carrying swords. It was because two people were coming up from below, one in front of the other. When the two drew near, the one in front was dressed in Daoist garments and the one in the back was unexpectedly Jiang Xiaohe. Li Fengjie delighted at the sight of him and called out, “Sworn brother Jiang! Come here quickly!” Thus, Jiang Xiaohe hurried his way up to the summit. The Mute Xia and Yu Xuanqing were now locked in what was truly an even match, so after Jiang Xiaohe arrived and clasped Li Fengjie’s hand, he was unable to exchange pleasantries, but first stood and looked on.

At this time, someone with a familiar voice asked him, “The one named Jiang! Did you find the whereabouts of my wife?” Jiang Xiaohe turned to look and saw Ji Guangjie. Jiang Xiaohe cupped his fist and said, “Let’s speak of it in a moment, but you can rest assured!” He turned back forward and saw the two men’s bodies at some distance from each other whenever the two swords were not clashing. But Jiang Xiaohe could tell that all of their swordwork was ruthless. Yu Xuanqing employed the Leap and Lunge Horse-returning Sword a few times, his body leaning left as his two feet leapt forward with a back thrust from the top left, his motion nimble to the extreme. But the Mute Xia immediately employed the Linked Chain Horse-returning Sword to parry his opponent’s sword, and then changed his stance to jump with his two feet, flip and send a reverse chop with his sword. Yu Xuanqing pulled his sword out too for another thrust. The swords of the two men darted about quickly, their bodies like flying birds, their variations so incredibly fast that they could hardly be measured.

Aside from Jiang Xiaohe, none of the others watching the swords could completely perceive everything with their eyes. However, Jiang Xiaohe’s urge to fight had dissipated somewhat. He could tell that the swordwork of the old Daoist Yu Xuanqing was a level above his own. He was even less able to compare to his brother the Mute Xia’s sword skill. Ji Guangjie came over and pressed him on, saying, “Why are you watching them match swords? Go! Help me find my wife! Aluan was saved by you in the Qin Mountains. You cannot abandon her now!” He tugged forcefully on Jiang Xiaohe, but Jiang Xiaohe waved his hand and said, “Do not be hasty! We will be able to find Aluan!” Ji Guangjie held out a fist and said angrily, “If you know where she is, then you best tell me now. I’ll go find her myself. When I do, I’m going to ask her if she is married to you, or if she’s married to me. If she has indeed agreed to marry you, then I, Ji Guangjie, fully offer her to you. As the grandson of the Xia of Longmen, I will pursue her no further!”

Before Jiang Xiaohe could respond, they heard cries of surprise coming from all of those nearby. A victor in the battle between swordsmen had finally been decided. Yu Xuanqing was being held up by several of his disciples. Fresh blood was coming from his left shoulder and had stained red his frost-like beard. The Mute Xia held his sword with a smile, shook his two arms and ran over to his brother-disciple as if flying over the ground.

Ma Xuantao came over and said to Li Fengjie, “As was stated clearly just now, if our old master was defeated, you would be allowed to search the mountain, so you may do so now. We will not stand in your way!” Li Fengjie turned to Jiang Xiaohe and asked him his opinion. Jiang Xiaohe said, “I have already finished Daocheng behind the mountain. She told me that Aluan had already been rescued by my mute brother.” Li Fengjie said, “How do we get that information from him?” Jiang Xiaohe was about to sign to him, but the Mute Xia was already miming blowing trumpets and beating drums, and pretending to be a bashful newlywed woman, and then he pointed west. He pulled at his brother and started off.

But Jiang Xiaohe waved his hand and said to Ma Xuantao, “We know where my wife is now.” Ji Guangjie looked at him fuming. Jiang Xiaohe then continued, “Please go to the people living behind the mountain to look at Daocheng’s body! And you can ask them about Lü Chongyan. If you continue to harbor men of his ilk here on your mountain, I guarantee there will be others arriving at the mountain to stir things up sooner or later!”

Ma Xuantao said, “Lü Chongyan has brought trouble to this mountain. Our old master will surely punish him!” Jiang Xiaohe laughed grimly, “Good, then I rely on your honor. Until we meet again!” The Mute Xia led him urgently down the mountain, and Ji Guangjie and Li Fengjie followed closely behind. When the Mute Xia pressed on too quickly and none of the three were able to keep up with him, Ji Guangjie cursed angrily at the Mute Xia. After traversing across the mountains for a while, they came to the base of the mountain and unhitched the three horses they had tied up to the tree before. The Mute Xia pushed Jiang Xiaohe onto Ji Guangjie’s horse and then hopped onto his own horse, ready to leave. Ji Guangjie quickly caught up with them and took hold of Jiang Xiaohe, saying, “The one named Jiang! We do not have a problem here. I am all right with letting go of Aluan, but let us make things clear first before you depart!”

Jiang Xiaohe quickly waved his hand at the Mute Xia and dismounted the horse. He took a deep breath and then let out a long sigh. Li Fengjie led his white horse over and said, “I encountered Brother Ji at Zhuxi and the two of us turned from enemies to friends. He told me as well that while he and Bao Aluan did have a wedding, they never consummated the marriage, so I urged him. If she would rather be with Brother Jiang, that it would be best for him to stand aside!” Ji Guangjie said, “It will be nothing for me to stand aside, but I would like to see Aluan and hear it from her!” Jiang Xiaohe said, “Then let us borrow the use of Fengjie’s horse and go with my brother together!”

Li Fengjie handed his horse over to Ji Guangjie and said to Jiang Xiaohe, “Sworn brother Jiang, after we parted ways under Mount Song in the spring, I married. Now my humble wife and Hu Erzheng’s esteemed mother are both living in the city of Dengfeng. This time, I brought Hu Erzheng to Chang’an, across the Qin Mountains and through Hanzhong, firstly to track my sworn brother down, and secondly to do some sightseeing in these many places. The three of you should go and see the young lady Bao now. I’m going to go back to Zhuxi to meet Hu Erzheng and return with him back to Dengfeng. Brother Jiang, I hope that on this journey you will face all matters with generosity, and not let emotions cloud your judgment, nor should you allow sorrow to overpower you. And Brother Ji must regard the righteousness of Jianghu as paramount!”

Jiang Xiaohe sighed and cupped his fist, saying, “Rest assured, brother! I, Jiang Xiaohe, am an open and straightforward man, incapable of shameless acts. Aluan was good to me, but she was unambiguous about this. She and Brother Ji were wed, so up until now she will still be Brother Ji’s wife until he declares otherwise!” When he said this, though his words were impassioned, they actually pained him inside. The Mute Xia waved his arms around again and urged them on, “Ah! Ah!” Li Fengjie cupped his fist as well and said, “Please, my two honorable brothers! I invite you visit my place in Dengfeng in future where we can gather again and talk awhile!” Jiang Xiaohe and Ji Guangjie both mounted their horses and held their fists toward Li Fengjie. The Mute Xia had already spurred his horse into a gallop, so Jiang Xiaohe and Ji Guangjie had no choice but to hurry behind. It was thus the three horses kicked up dust past Mount Wudang and headed to the west.

The Mute Xia led them on horseback without stopping for so much as a breath. The Mute Xia had clear intentions to knock Ji Guangjie back and leave him behind. His meaning was, “Why are you coming with us? Do you want to see my brother’s wife as well?” Ji Guangjie fumed with anger and he often wanted to draw his sword, but Jiang Xiaohe would come between them and say to him, “Brother Ji! Please restrain yourself for now. We will sort this out when we see Aluan. I promise that I, Jiang Xiaohe, will be worthy Aluan!”

Ji Guangjie knit his brow tightly in distress. He said, “It is not an issue for me whether I am married to Aluan or not. I just want to ask Bao Kunlun that if he knew that his granddaughter had mixed around with you when you were younger, why didn’t he say anything about this to me earlier? Why did he use a honey trap to trick me into traveling all this distance for him, braving all these dangers, suffering all these wounds, and offending all these friends? I, Ji Guangjie, have been made foolish at his whims. Haven’t I become nothing but a madman?” He continued, “The one named Jiang, I can give you my wife, that’s fine. But I must ask her one thing. When we were trapped in Hu Li’s mountain lair, she told me that we would be husband and wife in the land of shades. I need to ask her, since neither of us are dead, are we still husband and wife? If she is a false and unsentimental woman, then I, Ji Guangjie, will wipe my hands of her and leave, because it was I who was blind, who was the fool. It was I who has disappointed my forebear the Xia of Longmen!”

Jiang Xiaohe knit his brow as well, but could say nothing. He felt that the situation at this point was truly hard to resolve. He was unable to sever the love bond between man and woman, but how could he then also violate the code of Jianghu? He wracked his brains for a solution the entire journey, feeling great anxiety in his heart. Ahead of them, the Mute Xia was impatient. He turned around and “Ahhh!” pressed Jiang Xiaohe to go faster while shaking his whip at Ji Guangjie to shoo him away. He glared a bit unreasonably, as if he was saying, “Go away! Why are you following us? What’s my brother’s wife got to do with you?” There were several times that it almost came to arms between Ji Guangjie and the Mute Xia, but fortunately Jiang Xiaohe was there to break it up before anything really started.

They were on the road for more than two days before finally arriving at Intendent Yan’s farmstead in Chengkou. The Mute Xia was ecstatic. He tugged Jiang Xiaohe down from his horse and rubbed his head. Ji Guangjie dismounted as well, and the Mute Xia walked over to give him a kick. Ji Guangjie swept the ground and drew out his sword, glaring furiously, saying, “Little mute! You’ve mistreated me too much!” He drew a cross on the ground and spit, stamping his feet vigorously. He did this to insult the way the Mute Xia communicated. The Mute Xia was incensed. His eyes widened as he reached to draw his own sword to take on Ji Guangjie.

Jiang Xiaohe hurriedly grabbed hold of the Mute Xia’s shoulder and waved his hand urgently, saying at the same time, “Stand down! What is there to fight about?” The Mute Xia glowered and shouted loudly. A few people came out of the farmstead and someone called out, “Ah, the mute fellow, you’re back! Hurry and go see. You’ll understand when you see. Our old landlord is expecting you!” Someone spoke to him in signs, twisting this way and that and rolling their eyes about.

The Mute Xia saw this and was immediately stunned. “Ah!” he cried out in alarm and ran into the farmstead. Jiang Xiaohe followed him in, while Ji Guangjie walked angrily into the farmstead as well with sword in hand. The old landlord Yan held a cane in his hand and a look of concern on his face. He asked of Jiang Xiaohe and Ji Guangjie, “Which one of you is the brother of this mute xia?” Jiang Xiaohe held his fist and said, “I am his brother, Jiang Xiaohe.” Old landlord Yan then asked, “Is the young lady Bao your lingzheng?” Jiang Xiaohe did not know what lingzheng meant, so he said, “The young lady Bao and I are from the same village. Is she nursing her wounds here right now?” The old landlord sighed, “Her wounds were too severe. On the second evening after the mute xia left from here, the young lady died of her injuries!” Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiaohe stamped his feet vehemently and his tears fell like rain. [Note: Lingzheng is a polite, deferential way to refer to another’s wife.]

Standing next to him, Ji Guangjie had an expression of utter misery. He grit his teeth and asked, “Old landlord, has she been buried yet? The old landlord said, “Not yet, but we have prepared her for the coffin. The three of you can go and see.” Ji Guangjie heaved a long sigh and nodded, “Alright, let’s have a look!” With the old landlord and a few of his servants leading Jiang Xiaohe and Ji Guangjie, they walked slowly with heads down and brows knit under a heavy silence. The Mute Xia was nearby in a daze. He couldn’t hear them, but he knew what they were talking about from their expressions.

When the Mute Xia had left Aluan to look for Jiang Xiaohe on Mount Wudang, old landlord Yan had come himself to Aluan’s room and found her with a deathly pale face, her brows in a knot, and moaning continuously. Old landlord Yan kindheartedly walked to Aluan’s couch and said, “Young woman! What’s happened to you?” Aluan opened her eyes just slightly and saw the kindly old man with frost-like hair and beard and a cane in his hand, much like the old grandfather of hers that had been forced from his home. She couldn’t help the ache in her heart. It was a moment before she groaned softly and said, “Thank you!” Old landlord Yan said, “It looks to me like your injury anything but light. How did this happen to you?” Aluan didn’t tell him much, but said, “I was wounded by a bandit woman before fortune had me encounter the mute xia, who brought me back to life!” Old landlord Yan couldn’t help sighing, “This bandit was too heartless. How about this? Wait and I shall invite a doctor here to heal your wounds. Please believe that everything will be fine!” So saying, the old landlord Yan instructed a servant to find a doctor who specialized in healing lacerations to diagnose and treat Aluan.

But because Aluan’s injuries were very deep, and at Jiuxian Abbey on Cloudperch Ridge, the nun Daocheng had tied her up very roughly, combined with the fact that she had been jostled and jolted while traveling for days on the road, her wounds had already gotten much worse than before and she had lost a great amount of blood. Adding to that her recent anxious thinking, both her body and her spirit were beyond completely exhausted. Thus, though she had been treated with medicine for blade wounds, it was not able to reduce her pain and she became worse with every passing day.

That night, Aluan’s pain gradually intensified. She felt a fever overtake her body and her consciousness had already become a bit muddled. She didn’t want to eat the rice porridge that the servant woman brought to her. She wished only to lay down quietly on her own. And so she couldn’t help the random thoughts in her head. She thought of living in Zhenba ten years ago and the innocent feelings she and Jiang Xiaohe had together. And then she thought of the sincere moment when Jiang Xiaohe, in front of her sickbed at Jiuxian Abbey on Cloudperch Ridge, wanted to hurry to Plaguetown under the starry night to hire a wagon to take her away. She forgot the pain in her chest and wanted more than anything for the Mute Xia to be able to find Jiang Xiaohe and bring him back, to tell him about the bitterness of ten years of yearning and that after she was better, she wanted to go together with Jiang Xiaohe somewhere far away from here and marry.

But then she thought that this might not be altogether possible. She did not hold any feelings for Ji Guangjie, but they had had a wedding ceremony together. Not only was Ji Guangjie nominally my husband, but he had been truly honorable when it came to our Kunlun School. Could I really so easily turn my back on Ji Guangjie to go and marry Jiang Xiaohe? She knew that if she married Jiang Xiaohe, not only would her old grandfather and father never forgive her, but she would also bring shame to their Kunlun School on Jianghu and ridicule to Jiang Xiaohe! She started feeling miserable again. The worse she felt, the harder it became to think up any good outcomes. She didn’t know what path she ought to walk and could do nothing but weep inconsolably. Every time she jerked, her wound would hurt like she had been stabbed anew. Aluan grit her teeth to bear the pain. She made an attempt to drive away her worries, so she could rest peacefully, but there was nothing she tried that worked. It was in this way that Aluan spent the night in the torment of groaning, suffering and misery.

On the next day, when the old landlord Yan came to Aluan’s room, she had fallen into a stupor. Nearly comatose, even her moans had become faint. Seeing Aluan’s pained and pitiful face, old landlord Yan couldn’t keep from shedding old tears. He came to Aluan’s bed and shouted, “Young lady! Young lady! What’s happening to you?” But the Bao Aluan of the present seemed not to have even the energy to open her eyes. He could hear only soft moaning and a quiet calling out, “Xiaohe! …Xiaohe!” She did this for a while until even this bit of whisper became no more.

Old landlord Yan knew then that Aluan had left the mortal world, her soul returned to the heavens. He couldn’t help stamping his feet and giving a long sigh. He stood standing blankly before Aluan’s body for a while but couldn’t think of what to do. Then he thought, Since we have now fallen to this outcome, there is nothing more to do. We can only prepare Aluan’s body for burial and wait for the mute xia and her husband to arrive before making any further plans! Thus, he instructed his servants to prepare a coffin and change Aluan into proper funereal garb. She and her coffin were placed inside an earthen hut as they dared not bury her.

Now with the Mute Xia and Jiang Xiaohe both returned, the old landlord brought them to the eastern side of the courtyard wall, where there were two earthen huts. Inside was set up a sacrificial table upon which there was a censer and candle holders, as well as a couple plates of cold food, and set flat behind the table was a coffin. The old landlord directed his servants to uncover the coffin, and they saw Aluan’s body laying inside. She had been changed into a new, embroidered dress of red satin. She was even wearing new shoes and her hair had been combed neatly. Her eyes were open a sliver though her eyes were frozen in place. Her eyebrows were faintly knitted, carrying the feeling of worry. Her lips were almost closed, her teeth were closed tightly. Her appearance maintained the beautiful profile of her youth. Jiang Xiaohe’s heart twisted itself in distress. His two legs went soft and he could stand no longer. He fell onto his knees before the coffin and convulsed with cries of bitterness.

The servants standing nearby had all lowered their despairing faces. The Mute Xia stood in a daze while tears fell endlessly from his eyes. Old landlord Yan used his sleeve to wipe eyes that laid under his frost white eyebrows, shaking his head and sighing, “This poor young lady! She had cuts in three or four places, the one in her chest the deepest. The night she died, her growns grew weaker and weaker, but she called out faintly Xiaohe’s name!” Hearing this, Jiang Xiaohe began wailing loudly.

During all of this, Ji Guangjie had a pained look on his face, but he did not shed any tears. He simply clenched his hands tightly, his eyes wide in anger, as he watched the grief and tears of the others. After a long time, he suddenly wept loudly, saying, “The one named Jiang, why is a great hero like you crying? I, Ji Guangjie, have always admired you. You are truly worthy of being a brilliant disciple, taught by the elderly gentleman of Mount Jiuhua or wherever. You were actually able to scatter the Kunlun School and even driven a twenty-some year old woman to her death. We can say that Jiang Zhisheng has a good son, how capable he was in taking vengeance. The vengeance was utterly complete! Everything really does fall into place for you! …Great! Ha, ha, ha!” Jiang Xiaohe stood up suddenly and turned around to question Ji Guangjie sternly, “Brother Ji! With matters as they are, how do you still have the heart to insult me?”

Ji Guangjie raised his face as before and laughed loudly, “What purpose would I have to insult you! I am just letting you know how much I respect you! Before Aluan died, she did not mention me at all. It’s obvious there was absolutely no kindness or loyalty between her and Ji Guangjie. Well then, I’ll leave the funeral rites for you to handle! While she was living, I was like an actor on a stage. During this time, we were husband and wife in name only. Now, it’s your turn, Jiang, to perform as the Bao family’s damned son-in-law! May we meet again!” Ji Guangjie spat out these words ferociously, cupped his fist and stormed off, never looking back.

Here, Jiang Xiaohe wiped his tears and then gestured towards his mute brother, drawing a route on his palm, telling him to head to Zhenba to find one or two members of the Kunlun School. At that point, the Mute Xia also departed in a hurry. The coffin was still open now and Jiang Xiaohe stared wordlessly at Aluan’s dead body, his brow knit tightly. It was a while before old landlord Yan finally directed his servants to replace the coffin’s cover. He invited Jiang Xiaohe into the drawing room inside the farmstead to rest. Old landlord Yan asked about how Aluan came to be injured and Jiang Xiaohe’s relationship to the deceased. Jiang Xiaohe sighed and wept as he recounted everything in detail, starting from how his father had crossed the Kunlun School and was murdered, to the mutual admiration he and Aluan had had when they were children, and then finished with all the various things that have happened since.

The old landlord Yan listened both with astonishment and sighing, and at the end, he said, “You two were an ill-fated connection. Your lives were fixed when created and it was unavoidable that they led to this moment. However, the correct path is that of Jianghu righteousness and sacrificing oneself to aid others. This sort of vengeance will continue without end, never to stop if you let it. Noble Jiang is young and full of promise. You must not lose yourself in your grief. If you were to devote yourself to your calling hereafter, you will have the life of a worthy man!” Jiang Xiaohe sighed at this. He stayed here for a couple days and the Mute Xia returned with Lu Zhizhong.

Upon seeing Lu Zhizhong, Jiang Xiaohe felt great shame. He bowed deeply and addressed him, “Uncle Lu!” A look of grave concern covered Lu Zhizhong’s face as he inquired of Jiang Xiaohe the cause of Aluan’s death, and then he sighed and said, “No one can really understand these matters, but we can place the blame on two people: one is the old master Bao, and the other is your father who died ten years ago, Jiang Zhisheng!” Jiang Xiaohe lowered his head and sighed. Lu Zhizhong wiped his tears and told the men he brought with him to nail the coffin shut. He then hired porters who specialized in transporting coffins, who placed Aluan’s coffin on two wooden poles tied between two mules. Lu Zhizhong offered the old landlord Yan his gratitude and then instructed Jiang Xiaohe, “You should get back to your own matters. There is no need to be sad over this!” Lu Zhizhong took his men and followed the coffin mules out.

Here, the Mute Xia slapped Jiang Xiaohe across the face, puzzling Jiang Xiaohe with this strike. He pointed up toward the east. stroked his beard, stamped his foot hard, and then tugged at Jiang Xiaohe to leave. Jiang Xiaohe planted his feet on the ground and gestured, his meaning was to tell the Mute Xia, “You head back to Mount Jiuhua first. I’m going to go back to Zhenba for a visit, and then I’ll return to Mount Jiuhua to see master. I promise never again to misuse the dianxue skill!” The Mute Xia nodded, then mimed blowing on a trumpet and beating a drum, and then waved his hand, expressing, “Your wife’s death is not an urgent matter, so do not worry too much about it!”

After Jiang Xiaohe watched his brother ride his horse east, back to Mount Jiuhua, he went back insdie the farmstead to thank the old landlord Yan, and then he also mounted his horse and rode west. Before riding a distance of thirty files, he caught up with Aluan’s coffin. Atop his horse, he couldn’t help his endless tears. He did not have the face to ride alongside Aluan’s coffin, so he stayed behind and followed in secret. But because the mules in front were so slow, it took them three days before they arrived in Zhenba. The coffin made its way into Bao Village.

Jiang Xiaohe could not countenance entering the village. He stopped his horse, and stared into space on the roadside south of the village. He creased his brow and looked up into the sky. The clouds in the sky appeared to form into countless worried souls. He then turned his gaze downward and saw the ground covered with autumn grass. A distant mountain had been dyed red by the autumn leaves. Water flowed lazily through a small creek. Several girls came running across a plank bridge and pointed a him, saying, “Horse rider, the Bao girl used to ride a horse too.” Jiang Xiaohe quickly urged his horse on a few paces to get away from those girls who brought him sorrow. But he unexpectedly caught sight of a willow tree whose trunk seemed to have been scarred by a blade. He could tell that the person who’d chopped at the tree, did not only harbor hatred in their heart, but also repressed a bit of warm affection. Now, this tree had a number of branches hanging decrepitly from it that could be counted, resembling a person lowering their heads and weeping. Jiang Xiaohe became dizzy and almost fell from his horse. He quickly recomposed himself, and spurred his horse to slowly walk around Bao Village. He couldn’t bear even to look back. He continued all the way to Zhenba city, but when he arrived, he did not seek out his uncle Ma Zhixian. He simply found an inn, checked himself in and slept. He laid there for two days, as if he had come down with a serious illness, never taking any food.

It wasn’t until the third day that the sorrow in his heart began to lessen just gradually, but even after he ate, his body still felt lethargic. He forced himself to rouse his spirit and he went to the Ma Smithy to see Ma Zhixian. Upon seeing him, mxz said, “So you’ve come back? Oh! If you and Aluan had felt that way about each other back then, why didn’t you say anything? Now look at things, people have died and families torn apart. In the end, what is called hatred? What is called love? You might as well consider all of us in Jianghu scoundrels. We all fail to understand what’s going on and make complete mess of our own affairs!”

Jiang Xiaohe frowned and waved his hand, saying, “Uncle, let us stop bringing it up! No matter what, we are subject to our destinies. I just want to see my mother once again and then I’ll go!” Ma Zhixian was taken aback, saying, “Don’t you know?” And then seemed to remember, saying, “That’s right, we’d not met again since that time we parted. Your mother died a month ago. She’d had consumption, and Eldest Dong’s business was not doing well, so they fought constantly, blaming her for remarrying and being a hindrance of a wife. She never stopped missing you and was never able to recover, and so she died. She left Eldest Dong with two children, but both of them are also in poor health!”

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaohe wiped away several more tears, and then inquired of Ma Zhixian the location of his mother’s grave. He first returned to the inn and grieved for another day. On the following day, he resolved to leave Zhenba, this place of sorrow. He took out his money and had the innkeeper go out and buy a good amount of gold and silver paper and paper for burning. Once his horse was prepared, he hung all these things on the horse. He settled his bill and left the city, driving the horse to first enter the northern mountains where he burned a lot of sacrificial paper money and prayed to himself, Father! Your son has taken revenge on those who killed you. That is all I can do. Long Zhiqi cut you with a saber, and I’ve ended his life. Anything else, I am unable to do! In avenging you, I have had to do many heartless things, and in this life I have lost the will to do more! I hope you are content now in death!

He then peeled his horse away from the mountain and located his mother’s grave. Again he burned some paper and prayed to himself, Mother, please rest easy! Find the peace in death you weren’t able to have in life. I can stand on my own now and I have finished my quest for vengeance. I still have yet to go and see my brother who’s learning business in Shanxi. He’s better than me. He’s content in learning commerce, but I’m unable to. In this life, I am to forever disappear deep into the mountains. I no longer wish to even traverse Jianghu! Lastly, he rode his horse south and came back to the withered willow where he’d started. He dismounted his horse and piled the rest of his burning papers below the willow tree. He produced a flame and lit them. The firelight roiled and ash flew up like fluttering butterflies. He couldn’t help but choke on his grief, saying, “Good Aluan! You must not be buried far from here, and perhaps your spirit is here by my side, but what can we say? …I must go now, but I will come here every three years to burn paper for you, so please rest in peace! The grudge between the two houses Jiang and Bao has ended. Both your body and my heart have died with much pain! …I am going now! Farewell!”

The uneasy clouds on the horizon pressed very low and a cold rain was about to fall. The colors of autumn were endless in all directions and a chilly wind blew urgently. All the boys and girls who were playing outside the village were returning home, shouting, “It’s going to rain!” Jiang Xiaohe drew his sword and cut off a piece of bark and put it at his side, and then he promptly mounted his horse and shook his whip, winding his way north. Before he was far from Zhenba, the rain started to fall. Braving the rain and shedding tears, he traveled and lodged by turns, crossing the Qin Mountains and arriving in Chang’an.

He did not want to enter the city, so he found a small tavern by the southern gate to take lunch and planned to continue east from there. However, before he led his horse out of the southern gate, he suddenly heard someone calling to him, “Jiang Xiaohe.” Jiang Xiaohe was startled and looked over, seeing that it was Liu Zhiyuan of the Kunlun School, who was wearing all white mourning garments. Jiang Xiaohe cupped his fist and Liu Zhiyuan said, “Jiang Xiaohe, did you just come here from Zhenba? Look how tragic is the end of the Bao family! I’ve already received notice of Aluan. And now, my master has died as well. His coffin is resting at the Wolong Temple in town. We found him hanged yesterday. In another couple days, there’ll be another coffin on its way to Zhenba!”

Jiang Xiaohe stared into space and said, “You master’s death has nothing to do with me. I let him go on Cloudperch Ridge.” Liu Zhiyuan said, “It’s not to do with you. What’s befallen the Bao family is my master reaping all of what he’s sown! He treated some of his disciples too harshly and sheltered the Long brothers too deeply! When you were first taken into the Bao household, if my master had been an understanding man, he ought to have stopped his two sons from mistreating you and even more so, paired you with Aluan. In making you family, the enmity would naturally have undone itself. But he didn’t, stubbornly making an enemy of you and even going so far as to bring Ji Guangjie into all of this!”

At the mention of Ji Guangjie, Liu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but curse, “What a piece of work he was! He told us to go through the Tong Pass to face you in battle, and then wrote “Capture Jiang Xiaohe” all over every wall, but you wrote those words on his person and he felt nothing. Later on, when he met you on Mount Wudang, he didn’t recognize you and suffered a trick you played on him, which then made him hate us. In Gucheng, when officers from Zhengyang caught up with us, he abandoned us and ran. Jiang Zhiyao and I were locked away in place of him for two or three months in Zhengyang in place of him for burglary. Fortunately the guardsman of the Gu farmstead Yang Gongjiu the Xia of Ruzhou was a just and honest man. He helped us clear our names and get us released from prison. Jiang Zhiyao and I talked it over and agreed not to return and get ourselves caught up in your business any longer to avoid trouble. Jiang Zhiyao knows how to make medicinal salves, so the two of us shadowboxed and sold salves on the road and when we arrived in Lushi in Henan, we saved up some money and went into business together, opening up a small medicinal salve shop there, about half a month ago. Our master Bao Kunlun suddenly appeared in Lushi, covered head-to-toe in wounds, having lost both his saber and his horse. He said there was a woman pursuing him, telling him to give his life in exchange for the life of a child. If he hadn’t encountered us then, that old man would have died on the street there from a combination of his injuries and hunger. Jiang Zhiyao and I invited him back to our shop and used our salves on his wounds, but the old man had gone completely mad. He didn’t eat a thing, he just wept. One day, when Jiang Zhiyao and I were attending to business and had left him alone, the old man hanged himself from a beam in the front room of the shop, and by the time we cut him down, the old man had already breathed his last!” Liu Zhiyuan couldn’t help shaking his head and sighing when he said this.

On the day that Bao Zhenfei encountered Jiang Xiaohe on Cloudperch Ridge, he was in the midst of hurrying his way back to Jiuxian Abbey. Later, when his granddaughter Aluan had opened the gate to Jiang Xiaohe, Bao Zhenfei had run to get his Kunlun saber and sped back to the gate to help his granddaughter fight against Jiang Xiaohe. But when he got there, he saw that actually his granddaughter Aluan and Jiang Xiaohe had had feelings for each other from before. He felt an intense rage well up in his heart. Bao Zhenfei had never thought that he would find his loyal granddaughter in the arms of his enemy. He was so angry his silver sidelocks trembled and immediately jumped in for the kill, taking this opportunity to end both Jiang Xiaohe and the granddaughter Aluan who had betrayed him. However, Aluan was now already covered in fresh blood and sobbing balefully. He felt bad for her. Jiang Xiaohe’s face was also covered in tears. His heroic frame and face were a perfect match for his granddaughter, and he looked very much like Jiang Zhisheng, whom he had killed ten years prior. He felt that he had acted too rashly back then, and so the killing intent Bao Zhenfei had just felt dissipated immediately! He couldn’t help but clench his jaw, stamp his feet and sigh, as he turned back around and departed.

Originally, old master Bao thought to find Ji Guangjie and explain the exact situation to him. Since there was no affection between Aluan and Ji Guangjie, with where things have landed, wouldn’t it be better to simply break the engagement? We can say that I, Bao Zhenfei, had been confused for a time, not even knowing that my granddaughter and Jiang Xiaohe had secret feelings for each other. Even if I had gotten things wrong, we had had no choice then! Thinking this, the old master Bao took large strides down the mountain, all the while fuming. However, after traveling for a while, he thought it a bit inappropriate, With things how they are now, what nerve have I to face Ji Guangjie?

Old master Bao gave a long sigh and thought angrily, This will be the end for Bao Kunlun. Perhaps this is the fruit of disaster that my time traversing Jianghu has borne me, reaching the miserable retribution of today. I cannot involve myself in anything that happens from this day forward. I will no longer walk upon Jianghu. There was only one thing in his mind to do: he must return to Bao Village in Zhenba to see his crippled second son Bao Zhilin, because old master Bao knew that Jiang Xiaohe will go back to Zhenba in search of him. There was a old grudge between his crippled son Bao Zhilin and Jiang Xiaohe, and while he himself had avoided Jiang Xiaohe, Bao Zhilin was still there in Bao Village. When Jiang Xiaohe does not find him there, he will not show Bao Zhilin any mercy. Zhang Zhicai was there to protect him, but even he himself had been no match for Jiang Xiaohe, so how would one of his disciples and a crippled son be able to hold up against Jiang Xiaohe!

Thinking this, old master Bao couldn’t help feeling a wave of sorrow, so he quickened his pace, and headed urgently toward Zhenba. He was afraid that Jiang Xiaohe would chase him down the mountain, so he dared not stop, following along the mountain road hastily. Who knows how long he ran until he finally felt as if Jiang Xiaohe was not right behind him and some calmness had gradually returned to his heart.

Before traveling long, he came closer to the base of the mountain. Old master Bao’s imagination ran wild as he walked along the road. In the blink of an eye, he turned through another mountain bend when he suddenly spotted an extremely thick iron staff laying at the side of the mountain road. The iron staff was likely several hundred catties, and not far from the staff there lay a corpse. The face of the corpse was indistinct, but the body was clothed in a monk’s robes that had been stained full of fresh blood. He gave it a careful look and realized it was the chan master who had rescued him some time ago, the Iron Staff Monk.

Seeing this, Bao Zhenfei knew that the Iron Staff Monk must have done battle with Jiang Xiaohe and fallen under his hand. This made him feel sadness. He thought to himself, If it wasn’t for the Iron Staff Monk saving me, he would not have crossed paths with Jiang Xiaohe, and if that had not happened, he would not have died so tragically! Misery coursed through his heart. However, fearing that Jiang Xiaohe might catch up to him, he dared not linger here. He made plans to take an alternate route down this mountain. After traveling for most of the day, it began to grow dark. The sunset clouds were reflecting all about when he entered a small town that was called Plaguetown.

By now, Bao Zhenfei was starving, so he found an inn and ordered some food. He ate it hastily and hid in his room, not daring to come out. He was afraid of Jiang Xiaohe finding him, so once he entered his room, he laid down on his bed, but he was unable to sleep. His thoughts unconsciously turned again to his misfortunes and to the persecution he now felt from Jiang Xiaohe. He felt distress and sorrow in his heart. But then he thought again of his crippled son in Zhenba, Bao Zhilin. He didn’t know if Jiang Xiaohe might have already gone to Zhenba and harmed his son. When he thought of this, he became worried anew and reckoned that there was no way he would not return to Zhenba to see his son. But as it was already too late, so even if he wanted to hurry there wasn’t much to do. At the same time, his body was exhausted and lacked the energy to speed on, so he could do nothing but heave a long sigh and go to sleep.

Bao Zhenfei arose very early the next day, hastily washed his face, took up his Kunlun saber and rushed back toward Zhenba. He was full of anxiety, so his pace grew faster and faster, and by noon, he arrived at the city of Zhenba. When he saw this place that he had left so many days ago, he thought back to when he had been somewhat of a wealthy gallant, a hero who was the big figure in town. But now, he’s been pushed to a place with nowhere to go, a desperate and destitute, sad old man who’s fallen onto hard times. How times have truly changed. Bao Zhenfei felt too shamed to see his old friends, so he clentched his jaw, heaved a deep sigh and walked along the main road into the city. He dared not walk with his head up, however, as he was afraid of people recognizing him as Bao Zhenfei in the sorry state he was in.

Bao Zhenfei walked to the door of the Ma Smithy and saw that it had become delapilated. He couldn’t help feeling another wave of sadness. He spotted an apprentice sitting dispirited in the corner. Bao Zhenfei walked up and asked, “Is shopkeeper Ma in? Go and get him for me, quickly!” The skinny apprentice saw old master Bao, an elderly man whose hair and beard were completely white, walking in looking disheveled and haggard and immediately ceased up. When old master Bao asked him the question, he replied lazily, “Shopkeeper Ma isn’t home. Who are you? Why have you come to our shop?” Old master Bao was about to state his name, but then he thought, It wouldn’t do with how I am now. It would be best if I didn’t. Thus, he asked another question, “Where did shopkeeper Ma go?” The young apprentice said, “He’s gone to keep watch at the juren Gong’s house at the Gong farmstead!” Hearing the young apprentice mentioning Ma Zhixian’s current situation, old master Bao at least knew that Ma Zhixian had found employment and felt a bit of comfort. However, inside he still felt a little guilty. Why hadn’t I helped him find a profession? Then he would not have as hard a life as he did now. When he thought this, he heaved another deep sigh. He felt there was no point in staying here any longer, so he turned around and walked away from the smithy.

He kept walking and eventually made his way to the Bao Village. Old master Bao was extremely anxious now and a little grim. He didn’t know how the son, Bao Zhilin, that he missed was faring at home. He reflexively walked into Bao Village. The houses here were mostly falling down, exhibiting a level of destitution that was difficult to repair. Seeing these conditions, old master Bao became a bit more depressed. When he came to his own gateway, he saw a scene that was slightly different than it had been before. The training square in front of the gate, after so many days of neglect from rainwater eroding the mortar, was now bumpy and full of holes. The two doors of the gate were closed shut.

Old master Bao was now extremely mournful and lacked the courage to even knock on the door. After a while, he grit his teeth and finally gave the door a couple knocks with his fist. It was a moment before a man inside asked, “Who is it?” Old master Bao answered, “It’s me!” The person inside asked, “Who are you? What’s your name?” Old master Bao replied, “It is I, Bao Zhenfei!” Upon hearing that it was old master Bao, the person inside seemed astonished and shouted, “Ah! It’s the master!”

The front doors opened, revealing a man of thirty-four or five years with a yellow face, wearing white cloth garments and holding a Kunlun saber in his hand. Upon seeing old master Bao, he bowed deferentially to him and said, “Master, are you well? Why have you come back? Did you encounter Jiang Xiaohe? Jiang Xiaohe had come here before and caused trouble.” Old master Bao was startled and asked quickly, “Zhicai! Why did Jiang Xiaohe come here?” The man who had come out was none other than old master Bao’s eighteenth disciple Zhang Zhicai. His leg suffered a stab when he’d fought against Jiang Xiaohe previously, but it was now healed up.

Zhang Zhicai welcomed old master Bao inside and shouted into the interior, “Old master Bao has returned! Old master Bao has returned!” Several women came out from the inner yard immediately and bowed to old master Bao. Old master Bao saw that everyone was in good health and took an ounce of comfort from this. Old master Bao returned their bows one by one and went inside, asking hurriedly, “How is Bao Zhilin now?” Bao Zhilin had been dozing in bed and upon hearing old master Bao’s voice and seeing his father enter, was hastily getting out of the bed to kneel. However, old master Bao had already came near to the bed, and was comforted by the sight of his still-living camel-like son.

Bao Zhilin immediately asked old master Bao, “Father! Why have you come back? Were you able to kill Jiang Xiaohe? Jiang Xiaohe came here before and gave me quite the fright.” Thus, Bao Zhilin recounted the events where Jiang Xiaohe had come the last time in search of him. He told of how Zhang Zhicai protected the house with all his strength and was cut down by Jiang Xiaohe. And then how Ma Zhixian had rushed here to talk him down, but Jiang Xiaohe still charged his way in. When he told of how Jiang Xiaohe had come inside and pulled him from under the bed, Bao Zhilin’s face drained of color and his hairs stood up on end. It was truly fear just at the thought of it. Then Bzo Zhilin said, “When Jiang Xiaohe couldn’t find you, father, he was seething with hatred. He became furious and was about to kill me with his sword. But then I admitted to him all my past wrongs and Ma Zhixian appealed to his emotions before he finally let me go. Father, Jiang Xiaohe’s martial arts were so powerful. Did you encounter him?”

Old master Bao couldn’t help but heave a long sigh and told of what happened after he left home. He headed to Lu Zhizhong’s place in Hanzhong, received Jiang Xiaohe’s letter, and used Ji Guangjie to try to capture Jiang Xiaohe before hiding at his friend’s house. He then left this friend’s house and traveled to Northern Sichuan where he ran into Long Zhiqi. Long Zhiqi was falsely accused of being a thief and he helped his disciple right an injustice, and in the process became enemies with the Xia of Langzhong’s daughter-in-law Qin Xiaoxian, accidentally killing her brother Qin Xiaoxiong, which led to a showdown outside the home of the Xia of Langzhong. Eighth Cheng mediated an agreement between the two parties and they went to a restaurant for a banquet. Who could have known that Jiang Xiaohe had caught wind of them and rushed over, so the two of them battled at the restaurant. After he fought against Jiang Xiaohe for a while, he suffered defeat at Jiang Xiaohe’s hand. He was in the custody of Jiang Xiaohe and Wu Jinbiao heading to Zhenba when they encountered the Iron Staff Monk on the road back, who rescued him from Jiang Xiaohe’s grasp. They escaped to Jiuxian Abbey on Cloudperch Ridge and found that Aluan was there as well. Later, Jiang Xiaohe found them and Aluan went outside to face him in battle. That was when he returned here.

The people listening nearby kept making sounds of surprise, anxiety and fear as he spoke. After the old master Bao finished, he asked impatiently, “What is the situation in Hanzhong and Ziyang?” Zhang Zhicai answered, “Hanzhong is alright. Jiang Xiaohe went to Ziyang from here in search of Long Zhiqi. When he arrived at the Jingyuan Security Firm, he found only Jia Zhiming and Long Zhiteng. Long Zhiteng came out to face Jiang Xiaohe, but after a few exchanges he was felled by Jiang Xiaohe. It was then that Jia Zhiming told Jiang Xiaohe that the one who had killed his father Jiang Zhisheng was no one else but Long Zhiqi. He should be looking only for Long Zhiqi. Long Zhiqi had fled into Northern Sichuan, so that’s where Jiang Xiaohe went in search of him.”

This was when old master Bao found out that Jiang Xiaohe had gone to Ziyang. He thought, The Kunlun School is nearly finished. I traversed Jianghu for a lifetime and this here is the result. I don’t believe there’s any way for the Kunlun School to revive. The more he thought about it, the sadder he became, and he sighed to himself once more.

Old master Bao dared not stay in Bao Village a moment longer. He couldn’t face any more of his disciples, afraid that they would find out that he had returned to Zhenba and come to see him. At the same time the scene in front of him caused him sadness. Early on the second morning, when all was silent and before the dawn broke, everything was still quite dark, save for a few stars and thin drifting clouds in the sky. Old master Bao quietly departed from Bao Village by himself. The dim starlight shone upon old master Bao’s face. That snow white beard of his looked gray, and his two weary, old eyes were already hidden full of tears. The dewy morning wind blew by. He heard only the sound of his own footsteps and two or three roosters’ crows from the distance. Old master Bao harbored his painful emotions as he walked from near to far.

From here, old master Bao wandered from place to place aimlessly. He did not have the will to return to Zhenba or to go to Hanzhong, because his sons and disciples were all in Zhenba and Hanzhong. The Xia of Langzhong’s daughter-in-law Qin Xiaoxian was in Northern Sichuan. Old master Bao had no desire to see any of the people he once knew and was afraid of encountering Qin Xiaoxian. The old master Bao knew that if he did run into Qin Xiaoxian, she will not have let go of the hatred she bore over the death of her brother and would certainly fight him, so he roamed in and around Chang’an. From then on, the people of Jianghu knew not of Bao Kunlun’s whereabouts. Those who knew him figured that the old master Bao had been hounded to death by Jiang Xiaohe somewhere in the desolate mountains.

There was one instance when old master Bao felt his funds dwindling and he was afraid he would starve to death far from home, so he came to a small town, found a place where there were more people and put on a martial arts performance for money. Seeing an elderly man with white brow and beard at such an advanced age performing with a saber in hand stirred the curiosity of some bypassers and compelled them to surround him and watch.

Old master Bao used his Kunlun saber to run through a sequence of this blade techniques. The saber in his hand danced, suddenly high and then low, suddenly rising and then falling, so fast was it that people could hardly see it. His silver hair danced along with his saber, and the crowd of spectators on either side couldn’t help but shout, “Old man! What amazing bladework!” Hearing this, old master Bao reflexively recovered the determination of his youth and thought, I, Bao Kunlun, am not yet old and am not to be counted out. As long as I have a Kunlun saber in my hand, there is nothing I am afraid of. In the Jianghu of the present, there is only one Jiang Xiaohe who has surpassed me, Bao Kunlun. All others will fall under my blade.

As old master Bao thought this, he became so excited he forgot himself. It was then that a mule suddenly pushed its way through the crowd. Atop the mule was riding a woman holding a sword. Upon seeing the woman, old master Bao was taken aback, for it was the wife of the Xia of Langzhong’s son, sister of the child that he had killed that night in Yilong, Qin Xiaoxian. She had already gotten off the mule and now stood before the old master Bao. With sword in hand and an angry glare, she barred the way for old master Bao. She sneered at the old master and said, “Old man Bao! I would never have thought that I would meet you here. Now pay for my brother’s life with your own!” So saying, she swung her sword and thrust it at old master Bao. Old master Bao dodged it at once and hurriedly parried it with his Kunlun saber. His face had turned an ashen white.

Old master Bao knew that killing Qin Xiaoxiong had been unwarranted, and he also recognized now that Long Zhiqi had impersonated Jiang Xiaohe, so he felt great sorrow in his heart. Meeting Qin Xiaoxian again today, he knew that she would never let him go, so the old master Bao said nothing and put the Kunlun saber in his hand to full use. The crowd that surrounded them became more lively and shuffled away to watch from afar. The old man and the woman clashed here with a saber going this way and a sword going that, battling through twenty-some exchanges. Because old master Bao had long suffered anxiety and hardship and was advanced in his age, his spirit and vigor was diminishing gradually. Qin Xiaoxian, however, was growing bolder as they fought, because it was imperative that she avenge the long internalized the enmity of her brother’s murder. Thus, after another dozen exchanges or so, when she saw that old master Bao was having difficulty keeping up, Qin Xiaoxian took advantage of an opening in old master Bao’s saberwork and srabbed the old master in his left arm. The old master grit his teeth to endure the pain, and continued sparring with Qin Xiaoxian with his Kunlun saber. Seeing that she had cut the old master, Qin Xiaoxian worked viciously to give him another. In that critical moment, someone in the crowd of spectators surrounding them shouted, “Officers are coming! Officers are coming!” Thus, old master Bao and Qin Xiaoxian both stayed their hands. Old master Bao used this opportunity to dodge into the crowd and flee. Qin Xiaoxian dared not chase the old master down, so she quickly mounted her mule and left.

From then on, the injured and hungry old master Bao wandered from place to place as an impoverished vagrant. After suffering this setback, he gradually lost the will to survive. Later on, he came to Lushi and encountered Jiang Zhiyao and Lu Zhiyuan. Old master Bao was disheartened and lacked the desire to continue on, and on that day, he took advantage of a moment when both Liu Zhiyuan and Jiang Zhiyao were occupied with their business and quietly hanged himself off of a rafter.

At this point in his telling, Liu Zhiyuan shook his head with boundless regret and heaved a deep sigh, using his sleeve to wipe the tears forming at his eyes. Jiang Xiaohe listened to this and felt old master Bao’s death too tragic, feeling great remorse in his heart. Liu Zhiyuan said, “We’ve prepared his body for burial and just had him sent to Chang’an the day before yesterday. Yesterday, we had a service for him at the Wolong Temple. After another couple days, Ge Zhiqiang will bring men from Hanzhong to take the old man’s coffin back to his ancestral home, and then I’ll go back to Lushi and continue selling medicine. I lack the heart to continue eating this bowl of Jianghu rice! Even if I am starving, I refuse to eat of it! Brother Xiaohe, which way are you heading? With Aluan passed, I can help you make another match. In Lushi there’s a rich man looking to marry off his daughter. They’re looking for a strong and capable man. I encourage you to hurry and change your line of work!” Jiang Xiaohe shook his head and cupped his fist, saying, “Farewell!” He mounted his horse, shook his whip and left.

With a brow of worry unyielding the entire way, the dust of travel rolled on as he headed to Yishi to see his brother Jiang Xiaolu. Jiang Xiaolu was now grown and looked not dissimilar to Jiang Xiaohe, just a little bit younger. He was experienced in business, and when the two of them saw each other, everyone was extremely happy and Jiang Xiaolu kept asking about things that had passed. Jiang Xiaolu had been very young when Jiang Zhisheng was killed, and he was later sold over to Yishi, so he wanted to know all about what had happened. However, Jiang Xiaohe was unwilling to tell of these affairs to his brother, simply encouraging him to put his heart into his work and to always strive to be a good person. That was the best way to honor their parents in the Nine Springs. Jiang Xiaolu agreed, and thereafter, every time that Jiang Xiaohe went to Yishi, he would always stay a few days. He bid his brother farewell, and then turned south, intending to return to Mount Jiuhua to see his master.

One day, Jiang Xiaohe was in a cheerful mood, as he traveled along a road that was very near to Mount Jiuhua. But when he caught sight of willow trees by the side of the road, worry clouded his thoughts once more. It was as if he saw a pretty girl under the willows, stamping her foot and shouting, “Xiaohe! Xiaohe! My kite’s caught in the tree and I can’t get it down. Climb up and get it for me.” Suddenly, he seemed to hear the sound of baleful weeping. The girl under the tree had grown up, her thick hair unkempt and her body covered in blood. She called out, “Xiaohe! Hold me! Let me die in your arms!” Jiang Xiaohe’s heart became twisted with sorrow and he drove his horse to hurry on. But in a flash, he saw nothing but the soft willows, bending under the wind as if sobbing in the draft.

Jiang Xiaohe couldn’t help his face of misery, letting out a long sigh of bottomless regret as he sat atop his horse. He hated himself for acting excessively, driving Aluan to suffer from her love and hatred until she died of wounds from his own sword. Jiang Xiaohe involuntarily shed tears once again. He was about to fish out the piece of bark he’d cut from the willow tree at Bao Village when all of a sudden, a man dressed as a Daoist priest came charging furiously right at him from a bend just in front of a forest. Just as he was feeling surprise, he watched as the man dressed as a Daoist pulled a glimmering sword from his roll and stood in Jiang Xiaohe’s path.

When Jiang Xiaohe’s horse came within several feet of this man, Jiang Xiaohe stopped. Jiang Xiaohe took a closer look from atop his horse and felt the man familiar, as if he had met this man somewhere before. During this hesitation, the Daoist sneered and said, “Jiang Xiaohe, do you still remember me? We must settle an old debt from Mount Wudang. You killed my good friend, the nun Daocheng, and caused me to be punished by the old master Yu Xuanqing. It is essential that I kill you today, Jiang Xiaohe, so you can pay for what you have done to me!” So saying, he brandished his sword and slashed savagely at Jiang Xiaohe. Jiang Xiaohe jumped off his horse and drew the sword from his horse and met him move for move. A fight erupted between the two on this road, neither allowing the other quarter.

This was none other than the one Jiang Xiaohe had met on Mount Wudang, Lü Chongyan of the Seven Great Sword Sages. Lü Chongyan had despised that Jiang Xiaohe had discovered his relationship to the Daoist nun Daocheng, and thus had tried to give him a convincing yet false location for her whereabouts that time on Mount Wudang, hoping to trick Jiang Xiaohe into going far, far away. Who could have known he would arouse Jiang Xiaohe’s suspicion? He had then lured Jiang Xiaohe to Taixuan Temple on Zixiao Peak, hoping to rely on the old master Yu Xuanqing’s martial arts to kill Jiang Xiaohe. Instead, Jiang Xiaohe revealed Lü Chongyan’s secret in the presence of Yu Xuanqing.

Lü Chongyan had wanted to kill Jiang Xiaohe then, but due to Yu Xuanqing’s interference, he could not, and then later the Mute Xia, Ji Guangjie and Li Fengjie had hurried to Mount Wudang and decided to fight Yu Xuanqing, agreeing that if the Mute Xia triumphed over Yu Xuanqing, he would release Jiang Xiaohe and allow the Mute Xia and the others to search the mountain. Who could have thought that Jiang Xiaohe would’ve escaped that night and unintentionally come upon the nun Daocheng, killing her? Yu Xuanqing was then defeated by the Mute Xia and agreed to punish Lü Chongyan. How could they have expected that Lü Chongyan would take advantage of the fight on the mountain between Yu Xuanqing and the Mute Xia, to slip away quietly before anyone would notice and escape? However, he had himself in a cave on the mountain, daring not to flee down the mountain, because Lü Chongyan was afraid of encountering the Daoists of the mountain. If he was detected by one of them, leaving would no longer be an easy task.

Two nights had passed before he fled Mount Wudang. He headed directly south in search of Jiang Xiaohe. Because he was certain that Jiang Xiaohe would return to Mount Jiuhua to see his master the elderly gentleman, if he did not kill him now and waited until he went back to Mount Jiuhua, then it would be much more difficult to do so. Jiang Xiaohe’s martial arts were already this powerful. If he were to study another year, he would be even harder to face. Lü Chongyan had become more and more impatient as he considered this. He thought of Daocheng and intensified his hatred of Jiang Xiaohe. He hated that he couldn’t immediately see Jiang Xiaohe and battle him, and take revenge for Daocheng!

He traveled all day and lodged at night, constantly asking those on the road about Jiang Xiaohe’s whereabouts, but Jiang Xiaohe was nowhere to be found. This caused Lü Chongyan a great deal of anxiety. In fact, at this time Jiang Xiaohe and Ji Guangjie were following this brother the Mute Xia to the home of Intendant Yan in Chengkou to see Aluan. Because of Aluan’s death, Jiang Xiaohe had delayed in returning to Mount Jiuhua. In addition, he had also wanted to return to Zhenba to see his mother and pay his respects to his late father Jiang Zhisheng. It was thus that Lü Chongyan was unable to encounter him.

Lü Chongyan headed directly south, his intention to pursue Jiang Xiaohe on his way to Mount Jiuhua. Later on, he’d discovered that Jiang Xiaohe had gone to see his brother Jiang Xiaolu and it wouldn’t be long before he returned to Mount Jiuhua, so he doubled his pace southward and drew close to Mount Jiuhua before he knew it. Lü Chongyan dared not be too close to Mount Jiuhua, for fear that he would encounter the Mute Xia or the elderly gentleman. He could only lie in wait at the side of a nearby road, hoping to run into Jiang Xiaohe.

At midday one particular day, Lü Chongyan was walking slowly in front of the mountain when he heard the sound of hooves coming from the distance. Before long, he could see a gallant figure riding atop a horse with a dark, valiant, young face. He squinted to look and it was none other than the enemy he was searching for, Jiang Xiaohe. When he saw his nemesis, his eyes went red with fury, as he pulled out his sword and stood in Jiang Xiaohe’s way, thrusting at him viciously with his sword. Jiang Xiaohe saw that his sword technique was powerful and dared not take him lightly, so he drew his sword and went to meet him, yelling angrily, “I see it is the Daoist brigand, Lü Chongyan. I’d thought the old master Yu Xuanqing would have executed you by now, so what are you doing all the way over here? Who could have thought that one such as you who have violated the rules of the Three Pure Ones’ disciples would dare to threaten me? I will assist master Sanfeng in educating a savage Daoist like you!” After Jiang Xiaohe finished, he revealed more and more of his sword moves, while Lü Chongyan’s swordwork became more and more ruthless with every attack. The two swords flipped upwards and downwards, like a pair of dancing dragons.

Jiang Xiaohe saw that Lü Chongyan was going all out in his attacks and knew that his intention was to send Jiang Xiaohe to his death, so he dared not underestimate him, unleashing all the martial arts that he had ever learned. They fought bitterly for twenty-some exchanges, but still no one came out on top. The glint of the swords became tighter and tighter and the moves grew more and more vicious. At this time, Jiang Xiaohe hastily changed his tactics and revealed techniques he’d learned from the Mute Xia when he’d come down the mountain. It slowly became harder for Lü Chongyan to keep up until his swordwork was in disarray and he wanted to retreat into the forest. Lü Chongyan was soon to be cut down by Jiang Xiaohe when suddenly someone sprinted down the road toward them, shouting as he ran, “Benefactor Jiang, I ask for your mercy!”

When this person approached, Jiang Xiaohe looked and saw that he was a man just over fifty years, wearing Daoist robes. It was another of the Seven Great Sword Sages of Mount Wudang, Ma Xuantao. Jiang Xiaohe stayed his hand and stepped to one side. Ma Xuantao came near and bowed to Jiang Xiaohe. At the sight of Ma Xuantao coming, Lü Chongyan’s face drained of color and he immediately took off for the forest. Seeing Lü Chongyan trying to get away, he sprung forward and bounded after Lü Chongyan, hollering, “Lü Chongyan, do not even think of fleeing! Your retribution comes today. If I let you escape, then my name is not Ma!” As he said this, he caught up with him. Ma Xuantao raised his right hand and pressed on the pressure points on Lü Chongyan’s back. Lü Chongyan let out a yelp and fell over onto the ground. Jiang Xiaohe had also run over.

Ma Xuantao said to Jiang Xiaohe, “Benefactor Jiang, we truly apologize. I am here at the command of the old Daoist master to capture Lü Chongyan. Lü Chongyan took advantage of the moment master Yu Xuanqing was locked in combat to escape. When we realized this had happened, he had vanished without a trace. When master Yu Xuanqing discovered this, he was furious, as he believed that the recent troubles that befell Mount Wudang were all brought on by this man. Thus, he sent me and Zhang Xuanhai to descend the mountain and capture Lü Chongyan at any cost and bring him back. This was the only way to redeem Mount Wudang’s honor. It is my hope that benefactor Jiang will accept our entreaty and allow me to take Lü Chongyan back with me.”

After listening to Ma Xuantao, Jiang Xiaohe thought, That’s fine. I have grown weary of Jianghu. I do not wish to kill anymore. At the same time, I need to hurry back to Mount Jiuhua to see my master the elderly gentleman. Since Ma Xuantao has come to take care of this, it will spare me the trouble. Thus, he smiled at Ma Xuantao and said, “Daoist Ma, I never had the intention to kill him, but I did want to punish his wantonness. As Daoist Ma now wants to take Lü Chongyan back to Mount Wudang for the sake of your honor, then I cannot stand in your way. I leave him for you to deal with!”

Ma Xuantao bowed to Jiang Xiaohe once more, saying, “My gratitude! May we meet again!” So saying, he got up immediately and undid his belt. He bound Lü Chongyan with it and released his pressure points. Lü Chongyan remained silent with his head down. Defeated and dispirited, he was at the mercy of Ma Xuantao. Before they left, Lü Chongyan turned back to send a ferocious glare at Jiang Xiaohe. Jiang Xiaohe simply smiled as he walked to his horse. He put his sword back in its scabbard, hopped onto his horse and swung his whip, galloping forward. He hurried back to see his elderly master.

The entire journey was wearying and full of worry, but before long he returned to Mount Jiuhua. When his master saw him, he did not say much, only encouraging him not to descend the mountain any longer and to focus on his martial arts study here. Thus, Jiang Xiaohe lived on the mountain. His master had a dozen or so secret manuals on swordwork, fist technique and dianxue, all of which were compiled from his own research and study. He told Jiang Xiaohe to train using them and to illustrate them book by book for the Mute Xia to look at. The yearly income from the hundreds of tea bushes planted on the mountain was enough to support the lives of the three of them, master and disciples. Other than spending all day reading, illustrating, shadow boxing, performing sword drills, climbing the mountain and crossing mountain streams, Jiang Xiaohe also cared for the tea bushes alongside the Mute Xia. Besides picking tea leaves and selling them every spring, he never descended the mountain. After five years had passed, the elderly gentleman passed away from illness on the mountain. Jiang Xiaohe and the Mute Xia buried their master. Jiang Xiaohe left the mountain once to go to Yishi to see his brother and then to the Bao homestead to burn paper money for Aluan under the big willow tree. Futhermore, he went to Langzhong to see the Xia of Langzhong and then followed the Great River east until he returned to Mount Jiuhua. From then on, he left the mountain once every third year to trace this same path every time. He was now no longer called Jiang Xiaohe, having changed his name to the “Southern Crane.”

The renowned heroes of Jianghu at this time: there was Ji Guangjie in the north; across Henan and Anhui, it was Yang Gongjiu the Xia of Ruzhou, who had once been a guard at the Gu household in Zhengyang; there was Lu Zhizhong in Shaanxi, and Xu Yanyun in Northern Sichuan; and across Jiangnan, Li Fengjie’s name rang loudest. Since Li Fengjie had been a disciple of the famed Dragon of Shu, his sword skill was only a mite inferior to that of Ji Guangjie. But because he was an aide to some general in Anqing over the past several years and lived somewhat close to Mount Jiuhua, he often ascended the mountain to ask his sworn brother the Southern Crane to train him in the martial arts and thus he became even more proficient in swordwork. It was inevitable then that he left his aide’s post and brought righteousness to Jiangnan, coming to the assistance of all those in trouble. All the injustice that the Southern Crane witnessed, he asked Li Fengjie to take care of in his stead, and through this he won much exhaltation. No one dared to provoke him. He roamed across Jianghu, never staying anywhere long, just like his master had done before him.

After another decade, the Mute Xia once descended the mountain for a journey, but did not return after a year had passed. The Southern Crane descended the mountain as well and traveled everywhere in search of his brother-disciple. Deep in the mountains and over famous peaks, across long rivers and aside great lakes, he searched for years but did not find the whereabouts of the Mute Xia. By this time, Ji Guangjie had already faded away in the north, and Yang Gongjiu had become an invalid after being injured in a fight and also withdrawn from the world. Lu Zhizhong had passed away and one of the new members of the Kunlun School was Lu Zhizhong’s son Lu Zhenfei. In Northern Sichuan, Xu Jianhao, grandson of the Xia of Langzhong and son of Xu Yanyun, was quite worthy to succeed the fame of his grandfather. Li Fengjie had now settled on the banks of Poyang Lake and took pleasure in tilling the earth and reading books. The only one left winding his way through Jianghu was the Southern Crane’s old friend, once called Yuan Jingyuan from the Yuan farmstead, but later becoming the chan master Jingxuan.

Days became months, and the Southern Crane became ever more adept in the martial arts, though he never used them frivolously. Because of the trauma of his childhood and the grief of his middle age, by the time he was sixty the hair on his temples was white as snow. Those who recognized him in Jianghu were already calling him an “aged xia.” He was old enough now that his tragic love history from thirty years past had long been forgotten by most people, but every third year, he would still go to Zhenba to burn paper money. By this time, the roads through Zhenba city and the surrounding countryside had changed. The big willow tree had already withered up and died and become firewood for people, but the Southern Crane would forever keep his antique piece of bark tucked close to his heart. His brother who did business in Yishi county, Shanxi had passed away and his brother’s children were all grown. He would often go to pay them visits. He would also sometimes go to Li Fengjie’s house by Poyang Lake to speak of matters past, swing their swords about, or drift on the lake with Li Fengjie and his son.

Li Fengjie’s wife Chen-shi was the wild vegetable-foraging woman that Li Fengjie had saved once upon a time on Mount Song. She had been married to Li Fengjie for thirty years and given birth to three children, none of whom survived to adulthood because life had been hard when their father spent all his time roaming Jianghu. It wasn’t until her later years that she bore another child, a son called Mubai. When Li Fengjie named his child, he had intended for him to become a scholar, never to engage in martial skill, so after his birth, Li Fengjie withdrew completely from Jianghu.

One year an unexpected plague struck Jiangnan and Li Fengjie and his wife both caught a severe illness. The Southern Crane had come by happenstance and invited a doctor in to treat them, but it had no effect. Li Fengjie entrusted his son to his sworn brother. Li Mubai had but eight years. Li Fengjie told him, “Brother, it looks as though my wife and I have a sickness we may not recover from. It is my intention to give my child over for you to foster. Or else, I ask that you take him to my brother Li Fengqing’s place. My brother works the land in our hometown of Nangong. One could say that he is moderately rich.” Sure enough, Li Fengjie and his wife were not able to escape this calamity. After the Southern Crane buried the husband and wife by the lake, he thought to himself, I spend all my time roaming about. I cannot properly look after this child, so I’ll bring Li Mubai to be raised by his uncle. At that time, the Southern Crane had no intention for Li Mubai to eventually learn martial arts.

After another several years had passed, the chan master Jingxuan was now living in seclusion at Jiangxin Temple in Dangtu. Robbers and bandits had arisen en masse in Jianghu, who knew a few fists and kicks and relied on them to mistreat people. The Southern Crane used his renown to suppress the petty crowds everywhere, but in the end, he thought that he was getting too old. If he didn’t find a successor, he would be letting these robbers run wild, and who knows how many people would suffer because of it. One day, he found himself in the Qin Mountains once more, when a white horse galloped his way. The man on the horse looked to be around the same age as he, but he was clean-shaven and short yet lively, as if he was still in the prime of his years. It turned out to be Ji Guangjie.

Ji Guangjie’s sword clacked against his metal stirrups as his horse galloped over across rocks and stones. He said, “Jiang Xiaohe, it’s been many years since we’ve met! Are you still alive? Do you want to give it a go? It’s a pity that Aluan isn’t here to fight over!” The Southern Crane fluttered his white whiskers and sighed ruefully, “Why do you still bring up the matters of our youth now? What has happened to you these last few decades?” Ji Guangjie said, “I’m doing better than you! I’m not still a bachelor to this day. I got married and my sons are now older than you were when you stormed Mount Wudang. I gave them all farms to tend and then left them alone. I’ve been roaming the world these past several years. I went to Mongolia, Tibet, Guangdong, and now I’m on my way back from Yunnan.”

The Southern Crane said, “Where are you headed now? Are you returning home?” Ji Guangjie narrowed his eyes and said, “Return home for what? Do you think men like us can be old geezers at home? I’m out here because all of my sons or grandsons are inept. None of them can continue the Longmen School of my ancestors, so I want to find a young disciple in Jianghu. I want to instruct him in martial arts so he’ll become even more powerful than you.” The Southern Crane said, “It just so happens that I have the son of a late friend who’s currently in Nangong. You can find him and take him as your disciple.” Ji Guangjie said, “Whose son? I refuse to teach the son of the Mute Xia. I still hate that mute bastard.” The Southern Crane said, “It’s been long since my mute brother disappeared without a trace. He was older than me, so he may not be of this world anymore. The young man I speak of is from the Li family, named Mubai. He is Li Fengjie’s son. Right now he’s in the care of his uncle Li Fengqing.”

Ji Guangjie stared into the distance for a good moment and suddenly recalled that time so many decades ago in Chang’an when the two xia challenged each other for supremacy. He couldn’t help but sigh wistfully before smiling and nodding, “Alright! As long as I accept disciples, I will not disappoint him. Until we meet again!” Thus the two of them cupped their fists at each other, and Ji Guangjie raised his whip and rode off. The Southern Crane continued to roam Jianghu.

After a few more years, it was said that Ji Guangjie died from illness in Nangong, though Li Mubai had studied the martial arts and his reputation rang throughout the capital. Thereupon the Southern Crane traveled to Beijing several times. It was also known that at that time, Yang Gongjiu was living outside of the capital’s Yongding Gate, working as a flower vendor, and in his household, he was raising a grandson and two granddaughters.

The saga continues in Treasured Sword, Golden Hairpin.

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