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ONE
Wuji was stiff and numb all over. He had lost it, was on the verge of collapse.
The weird thing was, his mind was clear and lucid, his reactions much sharper than usual. Every sound, be it loud or soft, resounded in his ears like thunder!
He heard everyone’s voice like they were right next to his ear, even if they were far away from him.
Maybe this was because he was now hollow, as fragile as porcelain.
But he had not lost his judgment.
——Why was a person’s thinking so keen when he was at his physically weakest?
He had figured out who the killer was!
He jumped up and ran out. No one tried to stop him except Sikong Xiaofeng.
Sikong Xiaofeng merely stretched his arm out and he fell down.
The surge of hate within him had used up his last ounce of strength.
Now, even a child could knock him down easily!
Sikong Xiaofeng said, “I know where you want to go. I didn’t want to stop you because I want to go there myself.”
Wuji’s eyes were bloodshot, like a wounded wild animal.
Sikong Xiaofeng said, “But you can’t under any circumstances go right now. I can’t let you go throw your life away.”
Qianqia’s eyes were red. “But we must go,” she yelled. “We have to go, don’t we?”
Sikong Xiaofeng said, “Shangguan Ren is sinister and ruthless, and his underlings would sacrifice themselves at any moment and die for him. Then there’s the Tang Sect of Shu’s signature concealed weapons to consider. Even though we want to go, we can’t just rush in like that.”
Qianqian said, “Then how will we go about it?”
“We must wait until we are sure we can defeat him in one blow!” Sikong Xiaofeng said.
He sighed. “If we don’t fell him in one blow and allow him to retreat intact, then we might not ever get a second chance.”
× × ×
What he said was true.
But the people of Gentle Breeze Villa refused to accept it.
In a short while Old Jiang had assembled 136 top retainers before the mourning hall. They were all prepared——with strong bows, rigid crossbows, long spears, and swift sabres.
of those 136 people, at least half of them had studied martial arts for more than ten years.
Old Jiang prostrated himself before Sikong Xiaofeng and knocked his head against the floor until he was bleeding.
Face covered with blood, he implored over and over, begging for Sikong Xiaofeng to let them go get revenge.
Sikong Xiaofeng of course could tell there was no one would be able to change their minds.
He had never approved of the use of violence.
But trading violence for violence, blood for blood, not even he could object.
He could only agree. “Alright. Go. I will go with you. But Wuji——”
Old Jiang jumped in, “Little Young Master must go as well. We’ve already prepared a pot of ginseng soup for him, and a large carriage. I’m sure he will regain his strength before he gets to Shangguan Fortress.
Wuji always refused to drink ginseng soup, but now he would have to force himself to drink it.
He had to recover his strength. He had to kill his father’s killer with his own hands.
Too bad he forgot one thing——even if his strength was at its highest, there was still no way he was a match for Shangguan Ren.
× × ×
Sikong Xiaofeng, though, had not forgotten this.
When it came to Shangguan Ren’s swordplay, martial arts, the viciousness of his attacks, the accuracy of his judgment, no one knew better than he.
They had fought side by side when they were younger, an average of thirty times a year.
Before Gale Lodge was established, they had fought around 200 battles together.
Countless times he had witnessed Shangguan Ren’s sword pierce and enemy’s throat. Every time it was a fatal blow. He pretty much never fumbled.
One time, when they were dealing with the Seven Swords of Guandong, Shangguan Ren faced off against “Lightning-fast Sword” Cao Xun, who was exceedingly famous throughout the wulin at the time. In the beginning, Shangguan Ren was wounded in seven places, one stroke even stabbing him in the shoulder blade.
But in the end, Cao Xun died at his hand, even stabbing Cao Xun in the throat before he fell. That was the most frightening thing about him.
He could endure pain and suffering like a lizard in the desert. He had the endurance of a camel.
One time he had six of his ribs broken and someone helped bandage him up. He soaked the bedsheets with cold sweat from the pain, but he never uttered a single groan.
Yun Feiyang was there at the time, reading a book. He said something that everyone had to agree with:
“Anyone who has an enemy like Shangguan Ren will not be able to sleep at night.”
Sikong Xiaofeng had never forgotten that.
And he ought not to forget Yun Feiyang’s appraisal of himself.
“If Sikong Xiaofeng comes some day to fight me, I will run away fast as I can.”
Someone asked, “Why?”
“Because he would never pick a fight he wasn’t sure he would win,” Yun Feiyang said. “If he comes, that means he is sure he will win!”
× × ×
Yun Feiyang was an incredible talent, a great hero of his time, so of course he was quite capable of judging a person’s qualities.
He would never misjudge a friend.
Sikong Xiaofeng never did a thing in his life he wasn’t sure of.
Was he sure this time?
TWO
Old Jiang was inside the carriage.
This arthritis he’d had for years had left him unable to walk long distances or ride a horse.
The carriage was big, plenty of room for the four of them to sit comfortably.
But he was not sitting comfortably. In fact, he was nearly standing.
He always knew what his position was. Even though the young master already considered him family, he never overstepped the customs and practices he had carefully practiced for many years.
Sikong Xiaofeng always admired him for that. All his life, what he detested the most were people who didn’t follow protocol.
So they didn’t tell him to have a seat and get comfortable, Instead they asked, “How are we going to get into Shangguan Fortress? How will we deal with Shangguan Ren? So you have a plan?”
“Yes,” Old Jiang said.
“Then why don’t you say it?” Sikong Xiaofeng said.
Old Jiang said, “Because Master has not yet asked.”
Sikong Xiaofeng said, “I just asked now. Are you going to say it?”
“Yes,” Old Jiang said.
He was silent for a long time, thinking over carefully the plan he had already gone over carefully in his head, making sure there were no big holes in it.
Then he was ready to say it.
Shangguan Ren was severely unsociable and eccentric, so his Shangguan Fortress was certainly strictly and heavily guarded. No outsiders would be allowed to get one foot inside.
Fortunately, Sikong Xiaofeng was not an outsider.
Old Jiang said, “So if we want to get in safely, it has to be through you, Master. Right now, Shangguan Ren doesn’t yet know if his secret has been exposed. Not only will he not dare stop you from coming in, he will open the doors wide for you and come out to greet you personally.”
He had already calculated that there were more than 300 male retainers at Shangguan Fortress, nearly all of them trained in martial arts. That 300 hundred included the group of staunch followers who would lay down their lives in an instant for Shangguan Ren.
Old Jiang said, “We’ve only brought 136 with us, so we’re outnumbered. We’re likely no match for them.”
Sikong Xiaofeng agreed.
Old Jiang said, “But if Shangguan Ren greets you himself, there won’t be many people with him.”
Sikong Xiaofeng said, “You intend to strike then.”
“To catch bandits you first capture their chief. If we can first subdue Shangguan Ren, his subordinates won’t dare act recklessly!”
Sikong Xiaofeng said, “Who is confident enough they can subdue him?”
Old Jiang said, “With Little Young Master facing him head on and yourself and Second Miss attacking from the sides, plus my men keeping his men away from him, it shouldn’t be difficult to get him on one fell swoop, right?”
“And if he doesn’t come out, what then?” Sikong Xiaofeng said.
“Then we’ll just have to charge in. Go all out against them.”
Sikong Xiaofeng said, “Go out against them with what?”
“With our lives.” Old Jiang said.
He clenched his fists. “They outnumber us, but they might not all be willing to fight us to the death.”
No matter when, no matter what place, a “fight to the death” was the most frightening strategy, and it was usually effective.
Sikong Xiaofeng sighed. “It’s already come to this, looks like this is all we can do.”
× × ×
But they couldn’t employ this method, because they never got a chance to.”
Just then, in the distance, they saw a pile of flames, flames that glowed red from burning for so long.
The flames in the distance looked to be Shangguan Fortress.
By the time they reach it, Shangguan Fortress had burned to the ground. There was not a single soul in sight.
There were no skeletal remains at the scene of the fire, and no clues left behind. Shangguan Ren and his subordinates, over 400 men and women, young and old, vanished just like that, like they had completely disappeared from the earth.
It was such a thoroughly vicious incident. In all the world there was simply no comparison.
× × ×
“This guy’s despicable, shameless sinister ruthlessness is enough you have to admire him, and have to fear him!”
That was Sikong Xiaofeng’s final verdict on Shangguan Ren.
It was a sentence Wuji would never forget.
THREE
Aside from possessing the virtues of a dutiful wife and loving mother, Wei Fengniang had a good habit.
Every night before she went to bed, she recorded the day’s important events and her thoughts on them in a diary so she could learn from the events later.
She’d had this habit since she was a small child. Even at her most sorrowful moments she never missed a day.
Naturally she recored the recent events. Even though her memory was a bit jumbled, she had some insights into Wuji and some of the recent events that no one else had.
× × ×
The fourth day of the fourth month, a clear day.
The killer who murdered Old Master turned out to be Shangguan Ren. It’s truly unbelievable.
I always thought he got on really well with Old Master. I thought that all the way until that afternoon when they were drinking in the flower garden.
It was just there was something that seemed off that day.
From my bedroom window I just happened to be able to see the pavilion where they were drinking.
That, with my own eyes, I saw Shangguan Ren kneel down and try to kowtow to Old Master, but Old Master grabbed him and didn’t let him go through with it.
They always followed strictly the customs between brothers, so Third Brother kowtowing to Second Brother was nothing special.
Besides, that day I was constantly worrying about Wuji, then that awful tragedy occurred, so I forgot all about that incident.
But now I think there must be some special reason behind that kowtow.
Did Shangguan Ren have some shameful secret that Old Master discovered, so he was kowtowing to Old Master in apology?
And even though Old Master forgave him, he was stil uneasy about it, so he simply killed Old Master to eliminate a witness.
Wuji and Qianqian have gone with Uncle Sikong and have not yet returned.
When he left he didn’t even look at me, but I don’t blame him.
I know the state of mind he’s in. My mind, too, is all out of sorts.
I know I won’t be able to sleep tonight.
× × ×
The fifth day of the fourth month, a clear day.
Wuji and them came back this morning. They all looked really fretful. Their faces were awful.
Later I learned that when they got there, Shangguan Fortress was burned to the ground, and Shangguan Ren fled.
He was always thoroughly cautious, so naturally he would have supposed that his secret had been discovered and had been prepared. But even though he could escape, there’s no way he could take all of his subordinates with him.
So many people on the road would draw attention for sure, and at least some kind of trace would be left behind.
Uncle Sikong had thought of this and sent men in pursuit in all directions.
But I don’t think anything will come of this pursuit, because Shangguan Ren would surely be expecting it and would surely have scattered his people all over and had them disguise themselves.
Today Wuji still said not a word to me, but I still don’t blame him.
In any case, I am already in the Zhao household, and already a member of the Zhao family. No matter how long he wants me to wait, I won’t complain.
I really hope I can cook a pot of his favorite shredded chicken and roasted pork feet and serve it to him myself.
But I know I won’t be able to.
This is a big family. I have to be careful about my every move. I can’t give anyone reason to say anything.
I only hope he takes good care of himself.
× × ×
The sixth day of the fourth month, cloudy.
Still not a bit of news about Shangguan Ren. Everyone is even more restless and anxious.
Strange thing is, Wuji seems much calmer than the past few days. In fact, every day he eats a big meal.
I’ve had my eye on him since I was little, so of course I understand his temper. The reason he’s suddenly like this is because he has already made up his mind to do something.
Even though he didn’t say it, I am sure he intends to go find Shangguan Ren himself and get revenge for Old Master.
It’s much too dangerous for him to go get revenge by himself, and little hope in it.
But with his temper, once he’s made up his mind to do something, who could persuade him otherwise?
I only hope he can come in and see me just once, and tell me when he plans to leave, and allow me to tell him that no matter where he goes, no matter how long he’s gone, I will wait for him.
Even if I have to wait the rest of my life, I am willing.
× × ×
The seventh day of the fourth month, cloudy.
Two of the four search parties returned. No result at all.
Just where is Shangguan Ren hiding? Where could they hide?
I thought of a place, but I don’t dare say.
The relation to this incident is too great, I don’t dare speak out of turn.
I just hope that Wuji doesn’t think of that place. Because if he goes there I fear he will never return.
After dark it began to rain. Making my mind even more messed up.
Wuji, why won’t you come see me? Don’t you know how much I want to talk to you? Just once sentence would be enough.
× × ×
Yesterday when I got here in my writing, someone suddenly knocked on my door and I stopped writing.
This part I am filling in today, because yesterday after Wuji left I was unable to hold a writing brush.
The one who came last night, of course was Wuji.
When I saw him I was indescribably happy, and indescribably pained.
I was happy because he finally he came to see me. Pained because I guessed he had come to bid me farewell.
I did not guess wrong.
He said he had to go, had to go find Shangguan Ren. Even if he had to search every corner of the earth he would find Shangguan Ren and get revenge for Old Master.
He said he was leaving as soon as he was done seeing me, and that he didn’t tell anyone else, not even Qianqian knew.
I didn’t want to cry in front of him, but when I heard him say that tears streamed down my face.
For him to tell me alone, to bid farewell to only me right before he left, showed that I was still in his heart. But why would he not take me with him?
In fact I know why he couldn’t take me with him. Once he left, his future was uncertain. I couldn’t be a burden on him.
But I couldn’t but feel pained.
I was loath to let him leave, yet I couldn’t stop him from leaving.
If I stopped him from getting revenge for his father wouldn’t I be blamed by the Zhaos? In the future, how could I face Old Master in the netherworld?
He saw my crying and tried to comfort me, saying he had been training hard for years and he was confident in his martial arts ability, and plus, wasn’t he prepared this time?
He really was prepared. He had plenty of money on him for traveling expenses, and he had written down the names of all of Old Master’s friends from every region.
And he had familiarized himself with every branch of Gale Lodge, so he wanted me to relax, he would be taken care of out there.
I really wanted to tell him how much I wanted to go with him, let me look after him myself.
But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want him to go out there and be worried and sad about me.
I would rather stay here by myself and cry.
Today is the seventh day of the fourth month. It’s stopped raining and it’s quote hot. Feels like summer.
This morning I learned that Sikong Xiaofeng left last night. After he left, Wuji left.
At daybreak, several teams went out looking for Wuji. I hope they can find him and bring him back, yet I also hope they can’t find him so he can go do what he has to do.
No matter what, I’ve decided not to stay cooped up in this room crying. I will pull myself together and help Qianqian manage the house. Because this is my home too.
I want to let Old Master up there in heaven know that I am a good daughter-in-law of the Zhao family.