By the time Xing Yan dashed back to his home on Horseshoe Mountain, the night was deep. He hastily ate a little, washed up, then undressed and went to bed.
He did not sleep soundly that night. The more he thought about what had happened that evening, the more frustrated he grew. All he had done was play his flute and remember an old friend, yet someone had branded him a thief. In the end, he had even fled as though he really had done something shameful. The more Xing Yan mulled it over, the more stifled he felt. He tossed and turned for a good while before finally drifting off to sleep.
One thing did cheer him, however: in the days that followed, the girl who had mistaken him for a thief beside Poyang Lake never appeared again. Presumably, he had run too fast for her to catch him, leaving her no way to learn his whereabouts. Once he worked this out, Xing Yan found his own guilty unease over the past few days rather amusing.
With nothing to do during the day, Xing Yan often wandered around Raozhou City. Whenever the fancy struck him, he would sit in on lessons at the Ji Family School, or go chat with old Daoist Qinghe at the Shangqing Palace's Good Karma Office. Since giving him that book, the eccentric old Daoist had never mentioned it again, as though nothing had happened. That suited Xing Yan just fine; after all, the book was so abstruse that even after repeated study, he understood only half of it. Though he claimed to have cultivated the "Great Splendor Dao Power" described within, which refined the spirit of primordial chaos, the passages on refining spirit and transforming it into emptiness were what truly left Xing Yan lost in a primordial muddle!
Though the old Daoist never breathed a word about the Upper Clarity Scripture, he often urged Xing Yan to team up with him again to "purge corruption and defend the Dao." After the Bench Demon incident, however, Xing Yan firmly refused all such righteous-sounding proposals.
After spending some time on tenterhooks without encountering that pestering girl, he did run into someone else several times. This was Hu Shi'an, the favored lover of Lady Rui, one of the Flower Moon House's four beauties, "Jade, Blossom, Rain, and Cloud." To think that Lady Rui, once so composed and demure, had genuinely fallen for this man! Being a curious youngster, Xing Yan naturally paid him considerable attention at the Flower Moon House.
From what Xing Yan observed, it was hardly surprising that this genteel lady of the pleasure quarters had surrendered her heart. Young Master Hu Shi'an had a handsome, fair complexion, clear, graceful features, and a tall, elegant figure. No wonder Lady Rui had fallen for him. Moreover, the little maid Ying'er revealed that he was the son of a wealthy family from Penglai in Shandong, currently traveling in the area. He and Lady Rui had fallen in love at first sight. Not only were they as sweet together as honey blended with oil, he was even planning to buy her freedom from the brothel and marry her!
Whenever Ying'er reached this point, her eyes filled with envy and longing, and even Xing Yan could not help rejoicing at Lady Rui's good fortune. Around Raozhou, one rarely heard of patrons buying courtesans their freedom. For one thing, the price was steep; for another, those who could afford it mostly belonged to respectable gentry families and naturally would not do anything that disgraced their households. Thus, hearing Ying'er's account, Xing Yan felt genuinely happy for Lady Rui. It was rare indeed for her to find such a fine match.
Another thing about Young Master Hu left an impression on Xing Yan: the several times he encountered him in town, it was usually near the Pleasure-Seeking House. It seemed this wealthy young man, young and flush with money, was not merely a seasoned romantic, but also a vanguard warrior in the kingdom of gambling. The Pleasure-Seeking House was Raozhou's largest gambling den. Its standing among its peers was much like that of the Flower Moon House among the brothels of the willow lanes, or the Lingering Music House among the establishments offering music and dance.
Xing Yan gave these observations only a passing thought and paid them little mind.
Those days flowed as placidly as water. Xing Yan spent his time carefree and unhurried, enjoying a pleasant, easy life. Yet these good days did not last long before another troublesome incident came his way.
It happened one evening, when several itinerant men of the martial world came to drink with the ladies at the Flower Moon House and stirred up trouble out of nowhere.
Ordinarily, the Flower Moon House's reputation drew plenty of passing martial men. Though none were easy customers, as the saying went, "Even a mighty dragon cannot overpower the local snake." In this brothel, where people from every creed and walk of life mingled, they were actually less inclined to cause trouble.
Thus, the three fellows dressed as bold men of the martial world stood out all the more that evening when they used a little drunkenness as an excuse to make unreasonable demands. First, they complained about the whole table of food and wine: either the dishes were too salty or the wine too weak. Their performance bore all the familiar marks of diners bent on eating without paying, obvious to anyone with eyes. Crude though their smokescreen was, the Flower Moon House depended on customers from far and wide, and with so many patrons present, it could hardly fly into a temper. It could only let them carry on. One of the senior women with authority there had to approach and apologize meekly over and over, ordering the maids to clear away the food and wine and replace them with a fresh spread in a steady stream.
After all this humble appeasement, everyone thought the disturbance would subside. Yet once the men had stuffed themselves with food and drink, they began finding fault with the looks of the girls keeping them company. After a bout of brazen disparagement, they seized the chance to accuse the Flower Moon House of deceiving its customers-another performance aimed solely at avoiding payment for the girls' company.
These fellows, however, truly seemed to have no sense of propriety. In a place like the Flower Moon House, teasing the girls however one pleased was part of the business; even the most indecent remarks were treated as ordinary talk. But simply belittling a girl's appearance violated a great taboo of the pleasure quarters. They really did not know when to stop.
Even so, none of this should have involved a mere musician like Xing Yan. But whether the fellow had a keen eye or Xing Yan was simply fated for bad luck, one of the martial men making trouble and arguing with the attendants over payment grew impatient. A casual sideways glance happened to catch the beauty of Divine Snow in Xing Yan's hand, with its green jade body and red tassel.
Bolstered by drink, the fellow promptly pointed at the jade flute in Xing Yan's hand and declared that he would certainly pay the bill in full-provided they threw in the young musician's stone flute. He would even add a few copper coins if necessary. Thus, the innocent boy watching the commotion from the sidelines immediately suffered his third unprovoked calamity that month.
By now, however, Divine Snow was Xing Yan's very livelihood, more precious to him than any treasure. Back when he had inexplicably been accused of theft beside Poyang Lake, he had preferred to sprint for over a dozen li rather than let anyone seize his jade flute. Faced today with such an utterly unreasonable attempt to take it by force, he was even less willing to swallow his anger.
After all, Xing Yan was only about sixteen, and already had something of the newborn calf's fearlessness before a tiger. Besides, he had been standing nearby all along and had long since come to despise these fellows' behavior. Now that one of them was coveting the very thing that fed and clothed him, a blaze of anger naturally surged straight to his head! No longer caring how vicious the three men looked, Xing Yan flatly rejected the rude demand and added a few loud words of mockery for good measure...
It was as though he had thrust a stick into a hornets' nest. These three half-crazed fellows were certainly no decent sorts; they had been bullying people for years. Originally, they had only wanted a free meal, but after one of them mentioned the flute, the more all three looked at it, the more convinced they became that it was a treasure, and they wanted nothing more than to claim it for themselves. Seeing this utterly harmless-looking boy speak so insolently now suited them perfectly!
The bold fellow who had offered to "buy" the flute suddenly closed in on Xing Yan and snarled, his face contorted with menace:
"Little brat, do you know who I am?!"
After delivering this line with every ounce of expression and feeling, the fierce-looking martial man watched carefully for everyone's reaction. Unfortunately, the hall was still rather noisy, and the boy before him in the musicians' enclosure did not seem particularly impressed. He immediately felt terribly awkward.
Fortunately, his two brothers noticed his predicament and hurried to play along, crying out in strange voices:
"Big brother! Tell him your name! That'll scare the brat flat on his face!"
"Hmph! I am the man whose fame shakes the Yangtze and Huai regions, the Thunderclap Soul-Shocking Hand-Nangong! Wuyang!"
"Huh?"
At this terrifying title, Xing Yan's heart gave a jolt, and he thought:
Oh no! It looks like I've offended an incredibly powerful martial expert! Why am I so unlucky today? This flute... forget it. It's only a worldly possession, after all. Keeping myself alive matters more. Surely the Lord of the Clouds won't blame me too much once he learns what happened.
Xing Yan was just about to yield and discuss the flute's price properly with this Mr. Nangong of the Soul-Shocking Hand. Who could have expected the great hero Nangong to be so impatient? Seeing Xing Yan stand there meekly without answering, he flew into a towering rage. Besides, judging by the boy's gentle, honest appearance, with his own prowess, snatching away that flute would be like pinching a river snail with three fingers-an effortless catch!
Without another word, Nangong Wuyang lunged forward, his hands moving like lightning as he pounced straight at Xing Yan. His left fist drove fiercely toward Xing Yan's chest to shove him aside, while the five fingers of his right hand curled like an eagle's talons, ready to seize the jade flute. The movement flowed in one unbroken sequence, swift as a falcon swooping on a startled hare, truly as fast as thunder.
Judging by this thunderous assault, the worthy Nangong had certainly not earned his reputation in vain; he really did possess remarkable skill. Everyone present, knowledgeable or not, felt a secret chill at the sight, certain that this stubborn boy was about to suffer badly. Those servants of the Flower Moon House who were friendly with Xing Yan were even more frantic, their hearts burning with anxiety!
Meanwhile, the unlucky fellow under attack was also deeply exasperated. Xing Yan wondered why this worthy was so impatient that he could not even wait for him to speak before striking. With such a ferocious attack, a single blow would probably send him tumbling hard. Not only would medicine cost a good deal, he might even miss work. These thoughts flashed through his mind in the space of a spark, and Xing Yan decided to muster all his strength and block first. Once he weathered the attack, they could talk things over properly.
Intimidated by the title "Thunderclap Soul-Shocking Hand," Xing Yan dared not be careless. He swiftly set his jade flute on a carved stool beside him, then gathered every ounce of strength in his body and clenched both fists, ready to resist this attack with all his might-
Fortunately, the expert before him seemed considerably slower than the elm Bench Demon last time, leaving Xing Yan feeling that he had plenty of time to settle into position. An instant later, a tremendous bang rang out as their fists and palms finally met!
Crash! Clatter!
Sure enough, just as everyone had expected, beneath the glow of lamps and candles, the boy's figure went flying the moment the two clashed!
Only... why had the boy who was struck down flown toward the opposite side instead of falling backward? The two troublemakers who had been cheering loudly could not help staring in astonishment, and their cheers immediately dwindled.
After a brief pause, everyone finally realized with amazement that the figure sent flying backward, knocking aside countless stools, chairs, bowls, and plates along the way, had actually been the previously overbearing Thunderclap Soul-Shocking Hand, Brother Nangong! The boy, meanwhile, had merely retreated two small steps and stood completely unharmed. For a moment, everyone wondered whether their eyes had deceived them, unable to make sense of what had happened.
Xing Yan himself was equally baffled, standing there with a blank expression. Yet in everyone else's eyes, that blankness now seemed extraordinarily unfathomable...
Since the boy was safe and sound, Brother "Nangong Wuyang"-whose name promised freedom from harm-was indeed the one who had come to harm after his tumbling journey. He struggled to his feet with the help of a nearby table leg, his mouth streaming blood, plainly injured. His two brothers, frightened out of their wits, hurried over to support their elder brother and anxiously asked where he was hurt. The worthy Nangong of the Soul-Shocking Hand opened his mouth to show them and spoke with air leaking through his teeth:
"Nothin'... jus' knocked out two teef... ow!"
As it turned out, fortunately for him, his skin was thick and his flesh tough. Through all those perilous collisions, he had lost only two front teeth.
In those days, people took very seriously the belief that their bodies, hair, and skin had been bestowed by their parents. If a tooth fell out, it had to be carefully wrapped in a red cloth pouch, then either hung beside one's couch or carried on one's person; not the slightest carelessness was permissible. Thus, upon hearing that their elder brother had lost two front teeth, the two men immediately grew flustered and split up to search the surrounding area. Yet however they searched, they could find only one. After repeated fruitless efforts, the two good brothers could only apologize for their incompetence. Their elder brother Nangong was very understanding and did not blame them. With air leaking from the corner of his mouth, he said:
"Don't bother looking for the other one. I got flustered and accidentally swallowed it just now..."
"Oh! That's good, then. It isn't lost!"
These two brothers in misfortune, however, did not dare breathe a word about helping their elder brother avenge such a humiliating defeat. At the thought of their recent disgrace, all three became like deflated balls, with not a trace of their initial swagger remaining.
Afterward, negotiations over payment for the two spreads of food and wine enjoyed by Nangong and his two companions, as well as compensation for the furnishings damaged during this unpleasantness, proceeded in an exceedingly friendly atmosphere. Since all the money the three had on them was still insufficient, Brother Nangong of the Thunderclap Soul-Shocking Hand generously volunteered to wash dishes in the Flower Moon House's kitchen for three days. His two good brothers also fully demonstrated the martial world's code of sharing hardship, insisting on sharing their elder brother's bitter and sweet alike by washing dishes with him. Brother Nangong was so moved that his eyes nearly brimmed with tears, and he kept saying, "Good brothers! Good brothers!"
Thus, these three loyal heroes needed to wash dishes for only one day between them to settle every unpleasant matter with the Flower Moon House.
Soon, the Flower Moon House returned to its usual order. The drinking continued, the dancing continued, and the flirting continued. In the blink of an eye, the scene was once again filled with romance and pleasure.
Yet young Xing Yan now felt distinctly ill at ease. He sensed that the familiar people around him were looking at him differently, and their voices had grown much gentler, leaving him rather unaccustomed to it all.
One thing did make Xing Yan happy, however: Aunt Xia, the proprietress of the Flower Moon House, announced on the spot that, in view of his excellent performance that evening, she would also hire him as a guard for the establishment-
Ha! That means I can collect two wages!
Just as Xing Yan was brimming with delight, he suddenly heard someone beside him say coldly:
"Hmph! So you're just another brute who loves fighting!"
Before you continue