It was already the third day when Wang Gang received news of Duan Zhengchun. He was using a charcoal pencil to draw the twelve primary meridians and eight extraordinary meridians he had wheedled out of Murong Fu.
"So Duan Zhengchun is a cripple now?" Wang Gang put down the charcoal pencil, wiped his hands on a towel, and looked at the Wang family servant who had brought the news.
"Yes!" Suppressing a laugh, the servant said, "Hu Santie slapped a medicinal plaster on him, and that fellow Duan passed out with a howl. When he woke up, his hands and feet were weak. His retainers examined him and said his cultivation had dispersed!"
"But they also said his Qi Sea wasn't damaged, so he could cultivate it back!" the servant added.
Wang Gang waved a hand, unconcerned. Given Duan Zhengchun's fondness for chasing women, who knew what year of the monkey it would be before he cultivated it back! He would give him another thorough thrashing the next time they met!
"Hu Santie truly is a divine physician!" Wang Gang praised. "Reward him with ten taels of silver later!"
"Uncle Zhong has already rewarded him!"
"Oh, good. Has anything happened at home lately?"
"Everything's peaceful!" The servant hesitated, then added, "Only, your elder sister visited yesterday. I heard she had a fierce argument with your wife!"
Wang Gang froze. Yesterday, he had been coaxing knowledge of meridians and acupoints out of Murong Fu and really had not paid attention to his sister. He had not expected her to visit the Wang residence and even quarrel with Li Qingluo. Had she discovered something?
Taking Uncle Zhong's advice, he had not breathed a word about that night! First, he wanted to save face; second, he did not want his sister to worry. He had not expected her to pick up on it anyway!
While he was pondering this, another servant came to announce that Murong Bo had returned and invited him to Canhe Manor for a talk.
Wang Gang nodded in agreement. For Murong Bo to return so quickly, he clearly had not hidden very far away. Presumably, he wanted to ask him about what had happened.
Putting away the meridian diagram, Wang Gang rose and followed the servant. He met Murong Fu along the way, so he took out the drawing to test whether he could spot any errors or omissions in it.
Murong Fu's eyes lit up. He took the drawing and began examining it carefully.
Inside Canhe Manor, Murong Bo was consoling Madam Wang.
"That temper of yours really is a little too fierce. Even if the young couple had a quarrel, a few words of advice would have sufficed. But you made such a scene..."
"You call that a quarrel? What married couple reaches for blades and swords when they quarrel?" Madam Wang cut Murong Bo off before he could finish.
"You didn't see the wound on Gang'er's neck, how big that cut was! When he came that day, I already thought something was strange. Then I saw that cut, and my heart went cold. If he hadn't suffered some tremendous injustice, why would he come to me on the second day of his marriage?"
Tears fell from Madam Wang's eyes. "He was considerate enough not to say anything, afraid I would worry! But as his elder sister, could I pretend not to know?"
"He has no luck, either! Back then, so many people came to propose matches for him that they nearly wore through the threshold, but he insisted on marrying someone like her! Apart from being somewhat pretty, what else does she have?"
"It's understandable for a young man to enjoy beauty..." Murong Bo remarked casually. Seeing Madam Wang's arched brows shoot up, he hastily changed his tune and declared firmly, "But a wife should be chosen for her virtue. That's age-old wisdom!"
Just then, Wang Gang walked in. Seeing them, he teased, "Oh, are you two lovebirds flirting? I'll come back later, then!" With that, he turned to leave.
"Get back here!" Madam Wang snapped. "You little rascal, you even dare tease me!"
Murong Bo looked at Wang Gang with a smile, his gaze sweeping over his neck. He, too, wanted to see the large cut Madam Wang had described.
One look, and-well, well! It was nothing but a thin white mark, so small he would have missed it without looking closely, and it had already healed!
He turned to glance at Madam Wang, unable to keep a sour pang from his heart. How many wounds had he suffered over the years? Never mind the external wounds that split his skin and tore his flesh-several times, he had nearly lost his life! Yet he had never seen her cry so bitterly!
A brother by blood was different, after all!
Remembering the matter at hand, Murong Bo straightened up and asked with apparent casualness, "What did you discuss with Master Xuantong a few days ago? He left without even waiting for me to return."
Wang Gang laughed inwardly. Wait for you to return? Would you have returned if he hadn't left?
He showed none of it on his face, however. Finding a chair, he sat down and said nonchalantly, "Nothing much. We just discussed Buddhist teachings, and I offered some suggestions for the development of their Shaolin Temple."
"Oh? He didn't ask anything about me?"
"He did! He asked where you'd gone. I told him you'd gone to Great Liao!"
An unreadable light flashed through Murong Bo's eyes. "Why did you say that?"
"Just to have some fun with him!" Wang Gang casually picked up a crisp pear and bit into it, juice spilling out as he said indistinctly:
"That monk had come with ill intent and refused to leave, so it certainly wasn't anything good. Even while meditating, he kept glancing north. I mentioned the Liao Kingdom to test him, and he reacted quite strongly, so I made up some other things. He was quite pleased, though."
"What did you make up?" Murong Bo gave Wang Gang a strange look.
"I just said people from the Liao Kingdom had deceived you back then, and you felt you'd let your good friend down. Anyway, it was all that jumble of stuff from plays and storybooks!"
Wang Gang laughed. "That monk definitely hasn't seen many plays!"
Murong Bo and Madam Wang exchanged a look, both speechless. Just like that, this lad had explained away a problem that had troubled them for years. They felt the frustration of being crushed in a contest of wits!
Wang Gang finished his pear, wiped his hands, and added, "That monk went to your estate and discovered your estate hands drilling in martial arts. I explained that away for you, too!"
Wang Gang then recounted his fabricated explanation, finishing with, "You'll need to tie up the loose ends of what I said!"
Murong Bo sighed. "The Huai River flooded a while ago and caused a disaster. I was worried it might affect our home, so I had the estate hands drill for a time."
"I don't know anything about that!" Wang Gang said with a laugh. "Anyway, after I finished, that monk even flattered you for your peerless chivalry!"
"Now, how can you call it flattery?" Murong Bo said solemnly. "It's all true!"
"Pah!" Madam Wang spat. "Wasn't it my brother who built up your reputation for you?"
"Quite right, quite right! Your brother is the best in the world!" Murong Bo smiled appeasingly, then turned to Wang Gang. "Don't worry. I'll take care of those loose ends!"
"Good, then that settles it!" Wang Gang thought for a moment, then added, "Brother-in-law, there's something you must help me with!"
Seeing their questioning gazes, Wang Gang told them about Li Qingluo's letter to Ding Chunqiu.
"What! She has the nerve to write and complain!" Madam Wang flew into a rage on the spot. "She wounded you, yet she dares turn around and blame you! Prepare a boat at once. I'm going to have a proper word with her!"
Murong Bo hurriedly stopped her and frowned. "This is rather troublesome! I know Old Freak Ding. He's cruel and perverse, his moods change without warning, and he treats human lives like weeds. Worse still, his martial arts are exceptionally powerful. His sinister, poisonous arts can dissolve all of a person's cultivation into nothing!"
"Ah! What are we to do, then? I only have one younger brother. I can't stand by and let anything happen to him!" Madam Wang was somewhat frightened!
Murong Bo gently patted her back to soothe her and said proudly, "Old Freak Ding may be formidable, but I have no fear of him. If he comes willing to listen to reason, I'll treat him as a relative. If he refuses to be reasonable, then however sinister his Skill-Dissolving Great Technique may be, my Star Shifting is not incapable of dealing with it!"
"Excellent! Brother-in-law, how mighty and commanding!" Wang Gang clapped in praise.
Murong Bo nodded slightly, giving this obliging young brother-in-law an approving look.
Seeing that the mood was good, Wang Gang pressed his advantage. "Brother-in-law, I want to learn martial arts, too! Teach me!"
"Martial arts?" Murong Bo looked in surprise at his young brother-in-law, dressed from head to toe as a scholar. After a moment's thought, he understood. Li Qingluo had probably used Ding Chunqiu to pressure him and made him lose face, so he earnestly advised:
"Don't worry about Ding Chunqiu. Your brother-in-law will handle everything. Besides, even if you start cultivating now, who knows how many years it would take before you could defeat Ding Chunqiu!"
"I'm not learning martial arts to deal with Ding Chunqiu!" Wang Gang shook his head. "Once I learn martial arts, I'll excel in both letters and arms! Then, when I meet someone with powerful martial arts, I'll reason with him. When I meet a scholar who won't stop prattling, I'll give him a few punches!"
Wang Gang rose to his full height and declared with an arrogant gaze, "Then I'll be invincible beneath heaven!"
The corners of Murong Bo's eyes twitched violently! He really wanted to hit someone!