Chapter 10
At the Sword King Palace
Shen Wuhai could now use his own hands to eat and could use his own legs to walk.
His acupoints had all been unsealed.
Now, when he slept, no one was standing watch beside him. At the same time, the place he slept was not only spacious, it was also clean.
His bedding was too exquisite to believe.
Besides the straw mat, mattress, quilt, and pillow, there were also two high quality Persian felt blankets that were faintly aromatic, particularly comfortable to cover yourself with.
He could enjoy such freedom thanks the fact he was currently living in a dungeon. Because the dungeon was extremely solid.
Even a fly, if it were smart, would not think of escaping, not to mention an imposing seven-span tall man.
Shen Wuhai had no way to determine just how deep underground the dungeon was, he only knew that when the person came to bring him his meals every day, from the time he first heard their footsteps until they arrived at his cell gate, you had time to spoke a whole pipe.
Hearing the person bringing food’s footsteps was truly exciting. Because he always had a good appetite, and every meal was plentiful, including not just fish and meat, but all sorts of fresh vegetables and a jug of wine. This showed the Sword King’s stubbornness toward him, clearly hadn’t completely lost hope.
He couldn’t remember how long he’d been locked up.
Eight days? Ten? Half a month?
He couldn’t be sure, only roughly estimate.
Based on his estimation, he might have been locked up here more than ten days already, but definitely not longer than half a month.
In this dungeon, where you couldn’t tell day from night, the only way he could keep track of the time was to keep careful count of the number of meals he’d received.
Of course he wasn’t interested in doing that.
What difference did it make how long he’d been locked up?
He knew that whether he confessed or not, he wouldn’t be locked up forever. This was a competition of endurance, and he already knew what the result would be. The one who lost would absolutely not be him.
He’d killed many people, but none of them were Sword King Palace people, so Sword King Palace people capturing him required one thing no matter what, which was they must explain this to the rest of the martial world.
During the time that he was in custody here, they could torture him all they wanted, but they could not secretly kill him.
So, all he had to do now was be patient.
Being locked up in a dungeon like this was unavoidably lonely, but he wasn’t bothered by that. He had his way of diverting himself from loneliness.
His special technique was long out of practice, so now was a good opportunity to review it.
If he had extra time, he used it to contemplate the Sword King’s worried mood at present, and what they might do with him next.
So he wasn’t the least bit lonely.
The day he entered the palace, he remembered clearly, was just like what happened yesterday.
The day he entered the palace was just as he had anticipated.
Though it was the first time he’d me the world-renowned Sword King, he’’d already heard from others what the Sword King looked like.
The Sword King’s appearance was more or less the same as the rumors had it.
Big and tall, a rectangular face, upward-slanting phoenix eyes, slender arched eyebrows, a wide forehead, a tall, straight nose, and a deep-set, keen eyes…
When they first met in the parlor, the Sword King sized him up for the time it takes to drink a cup of hot tea, then asked him two questions.1
The amount of time they talked was less than the time they spent looking at each other.
Because the Sword King’s two questions were very simple, and his response was even simpler.
The Sword King’s two questions were:
Why was he killing people?
What martial arts did he use?
His answer was:
I’m not willing to say right now!
The Sword King then asked him when he would be willing to say, and he said he was waiting till all the sectheads of the major schools had been invited to the Sword King Palace before he would say.
Then, the Sword King stared at him for a while but didn’t ask why he wanted to wait till then. He just nodded and ordered Merciless Gold Sword to put him in the dungeon.
Since then, he hadn’t seen the Sword King again.
During these ten or so days, he hadn’t even seen Merciless Gold Sword once.
At first he found this odd.
But he soon understood.
Because he realized that though the dungeon was deep underground, it was clearly not just one level, and the level he was on now was not the lowest one.
In other words, there was at least one level under the one he was on.
And there was at least one person locked up there.
He didn’t know what the person locked up below was, not even if it was a man or a woman, a young person or old.
He only knew one thing.
It definitely was not a prisoner!
At the same time he was also convinced that the person below had a means of know his every move above.
This was no doubt the reason that he had not seen the Sword King or even Merciless Gold Sword ever since he’d been locked up.
When he realized this he was greatly intrigued.
The dungeon’s four walls were stone, how could the person below him spy on him in secret?
Did the dungeon have a secret door?
And what most roused his curiosity was, what was the person below him eating? And where was the food coming from?
If someone passed by his level to deliver food, there’s no way he wouldn’t know, but all he knew was that ever since he’d been locked up in this dungeon, no one had ever entered the lower level.
Consequently, he came to a conclusion: though the level below him was even farther underground than his level, there was another secret exit!
Once he realized this he had to alter his original plan.
He began to reduce the amount of time he slept.
He used the extra time to pace around the the room, following the wall’s foundation, walking nonstop till he was tired, then cursing and sitting down.
After cursing he sighed, and after he sighed he cursed again.
Till he was tired of cursing, then he lay down and went to sleep. After a few times of this, he discovered it was not only another means of passing the time, it was also good exercise, and after all that back and forth he slept particularly well.
He spent three days this way and in produced the intended effect right away.
First of all, he discovered that the guy who delivered his food too special care to sneak a peek of the expression on his face.
The person who delivered the food was always the same person, always the same burly guy with the dimwitted face.
He knew the dimwitted look was an act. This guy was really if not a Brocade Swordsman, at least a Redclothed Swordsman.
He’d never spoken a word to the guy.
Lately he’d begun to put on a reserved manner toward the guy whenever he inquired about the outside.
Then, his attitude gradually softened and he began to ask him his name and what post he held within the palace.
The guy called himself “Big Ox Yang” and said he was an “odd-job man” within the palace, always working in the main kitchen. Though the guy was spouting bullshit, he pretended to believe him. Shen Wuhai’s next step was to begin nitpicking the food.
Afterward, when it was time for his meal to be delivered, the food was either too hard or there was too little of it.
The result?
The food became more and more hard and the amount less and less.
He never complained about the wine, yet the wine got weaker and weaker, water obviously being purposefully mixed into it.
Three days later and there was no more fish an meat, it being replaced with tofu and dried bamboo shoots.
And the dried bamboo shoots and tofu were not flavorful at all.
Finally, there was no more wine.
Shen Wuhai began to knock his tray over.
Of course the food got worse and worse.
Though the food was getting worse and worse, Big Ox Yang’s attitude got better and better.
Every time he would smile obsequiously and say it wasn’t his fault.
Of course it wasn’t his fault.
Because this was all just a game.
In this game, no one was at fault.
The Sword King’s goal was to make the Killer Star not be able to take it anymore, and that’s just what he wanted them to believe, that he couldn’t take living like this anymore.
After several days, Shen Wuhai had become noticeably thinner.
But his mood gradually evened out.
Because he wanted them to believe that crappy food was not enough to make him surrender completely.
As a result, in less than ten days he got what he wanted. He was moved to a different cell.
※ ※ ※
In a study in the rear of the Sword King Palace.
In the study the sound of flipping pages could be heard.
The pages were being flipped through slowly, after a while hearing the sandy scrape of another page flipping, like a fallen leaf.
Only a person deep into their studies would read this slowly, this closely, this absorbed.
But the person reading right now was not studying.
Because what he held in his hands was not a book.
Outside the sun was high, but the lamp was already lit in the room.
Because there were not only no windows in the study, the door was shut tight. If not for the single lit lamp, you wouldn’t be able to see a thing.
From the outside, the study didn’t look like a study at all.
Looking at it from the outside, it was just a wall of stone overgrown with moss. In the entire Sword King Palace, only two people knew that within this stone wall was a study that contained martial arts manuals from all over the world.
Those two people were now in the study.
One sitting, one standing.
※ ※ ※
The Sword King raised his head slowly.
He knit his brows intensely and closed the booklet with its exquisite binding, and illegible handwriting inside.
He shook his head and sighed softly. “No, I can’t find a single thing about this kind of martial arts here.”
Ma Jinjia stood still, just frowning slightly.
Because the Sword King was just thinking out loud, not asking him anything. He was frowning only out of a subordinate’s courtesy, indicating he had heard what the master had said. The master’s state of mine he understood well.
At the same time it also indicated that he was always ready to receive the master’s dispatch, that his mind had not wandered off somewhere due to standing for a long time.
The Sword King thought, and suddenly asked, “Has Sanlang left yet?”
Ma Jinjia answered respectfully, “He’s already left.”
The Sword King fixed his eyes on him. “In your opinion, do you think Sanlang’s trip to the Good Faith Escort Agency will bear fruit?”
Ma Jinjia pursed his lips, thinking for a moment, then shaking his head. “I’m afraid it probably won’t.”
The Sword King looked a bit surprised. “If the trip is to be in vain, why have him go?”
Ma Jinjia said, “Your subordinate’s meaning is, he doesn’t have anything to do at the moment in the palace anyway, and even though there’s not much benefit to have him go this time, at least we can get a better idea of that kid’s relationship with the Good Faith Escort Agency. If we can’t force a confession out of that kid, this would still be somewhat of a clue.”
The Sword King nodded but said nothing.
He paused for a while, then raised his head. “Have all the invitations to the schools been sent out?”
Ma Jinjia said, “All sent, but your subordinate has told Steward Ai to hint to them that they must not be too urgent in coming here. As long as the outside knows about it, that’s fine. At the very least it will allow us to delay a bit so we can work the kid over some more.”
The Sword King heaved a deep sigh. “I really didn’t expect this kid to be so difficult. I know he has an aim in coming here, but I can’t figure out what sort of damn thing he’s trying to pull on us.”
Ma Jinjia smiled faintly. “Soon.”
The Sword King’s eyes brightened. “You’re sure?”
Ma Jinjia smiled. “This morning Swordsman Yang reported that the kid was so thin he was reduced to as shadow, and when he delivered him a bowl of a thin, tasteless soup, the kid implored him from the cell gate that he could give up three meals of soup, he just wanted a jug of wine to drink…”
The Sword King said, “Was he sent any wine?”
Ma Jinjia laughed. “He was, the palace’s very best Rose Dew. The jar that your subordinate has not been able to bring himself to break the seal of ever since you bestowed it on me.”
The Sword King said, “Why send such excellent wine?”
Ma Jinjia said, “Though our Steward Ai’s liquor tolerance is good, when it comes to appreciating wine, he’s clearly no match for that kid,. For a person who loves wine and knows how to drink, of course only good wine would be enough to sway him.”
The Sword King said, “What was his reaction when he drank the Rose Dew?”
Ma Jinjia smiled, “Nothing at all.”
The Sword King sighed. “Didn’t you say the kid had a good appreciation of wine?”
Ma Jinjia said, “Because the kid didn’t drink the Rose Dew!”
The Sword King was taken aback at this, but soon he showed a knowing look, nodding and smiling. “I understand what you mean.”
Ma Jinjia smiled again. “I instructed Swordsman Yang to put the wine near the kid so that he could smell its fragrance, and once he reached out to grab it, to immediately pull it back and not pay attention to the kid no matter how he pleaded.”
The Sword King nodded. “Jinjia, you’re good. I would never have though of that.”
Ma Jinjia rolled his eyes, then suddenly smiling, asked, “My Lord, what do you think of Swordsman Yang?”
The Sword King didn’t expect this sudden question. His expression changed slightly and he stared and pressed, “Are you talking about—“
Ma Jinjia shook his head. “My Lord, don’t get me wrong, I ask only about his conduct, because these men are always under Steward Ai’s leadership, I don’t know very much about their personal lives.”
The Sword King relaxed and nodded, thinking. “Though this Swordsman Yang’s martial arts is not one of the best among the Redclothed Swordsmen, he’s quite capable and experienced, very loyal to the palace, otherwise…”
Ma Jinjia smiled, “Do you think Swordsman Yang would sneak wine to drink on the sly?”
The Sword King was taken aback again. “Sneak wine? Why would he sneak wine to drink? The palace has wine, as long as he’s not on the job there’s no prohibition against drinking wine, why would he need to sneak wine?”
Ma Jinjia said, “Because though there a lot of wine in the palace, it’s all ordinary strong liquor, not the Rose Dew that not everyone can drink.”
Surprised, the Sword King said, “You mean to say that Swordsman Yang has been secretly drinking the Rose Dew that you had him deliver?”
Ma Jinjia smiled. “Yes, only about half a small cupful.”
The Sword King asked, “When he came back did you smell alcohol on his breath?”
Ma Jinjia said, “I smelled a different kind of alcohol. He said he was hungry and when he returned he went to the kitchen to eat something.”
The Sword King said, “Then how do you know he snuck a drink from the jug of Rose Dew?”
Ma Jinjia said, “I measured the wine out ahead of time into another jug. Not because your subordinate is stingy, but your subordinate can’t but guard against the swordsmen ganging up with that kid. Even if it was just out of sympathy, it could be ruin your subordinate’s entire plan.”
The Sword King nodded. “That’s true.”
He suddenly looked doubtful again and asked, “Just half a small cupful of that Rose Dew is enough to sate someone’s whose craving for wine has flared up. How can you be sure that small cupful of wine was drank by him and not given to the kid to drink out of sympathy?”
Ma Jinjia said, “He doesn’t know that your subordinate measured the wine out beforehand. If he didn’t sneak it himself, he wouldn’t have thought to cover it up with another wine to mask the scent.”
The Sword King said, “This is just a small matter, don’t pursue it.”
Ma Jinjia said, “Your subordinate had no intention of pursuing it, I just wanted to tell you, My Lord. Though it’s a small matter, it’s not hard to see from this small matter that our plan is not far from success. Think about it, even Swordsman Yang, who can have wine every day, still can’t resist sneaking a few drinks of Rose Dew. Let me ask, how could that kid resist the lure of that fine wine?”
The Sword King nodded repeatedly. “Yes, your methods really are something. As long as one can find a person’s weak point, there’s no worry about him not surrendering. Not being able to figure out the origins of that kid’s martial arts really makes it impossible to relax.”
Ma Jinjia smiled again. “In order to get that kid to surrender as soon as possible, your subordinate plans to bestow that jug of Rose Dew on Swordsman Yang and tell him to eat all three of his meals every day outside the cell gates, and to use a little of the Rose Dew at every meal until the kid can’t stand it anymore.”
The Sword King praised this over and over, then stood up. “Put this booklet back in its original place for me. I have business I have to attend to in Tianshui. It’ll be likely half a month before I return. All matters big and small in the palace I turn over to you to manage for the time being. In a bit I will explain things to Steward Ai, have him come to you every day for instructions. I hope when I return that this matter can yield results…”
Notes
- The time it takes to drink a cup of tea, eat a meal, or for a stick of incense to burn, are just approximations. They aren’t meant to be specific amounts of time. Depends on the person, how big the teacup, what the meal consists of, and the length, girth, and composition of the incense stick. So the actual time could vary widely, but that’s not the points. It’s just giving you a rough idea of the time. English has such usage as well, such as “such and such is a stone’s throw away.” It just means over there, not too far off. Cause how far can you throw a stone? Well, depends on the person’s strength and the size and weight of the stone. But that stuff doesn’t matter, listing times for such things is missing the point.