Soaring Swallows Startle Dragons

Yang Menghuan shivered at hearing this and said plainly, “My mom is the kindest person, she will definitely like you.”

Xialin’s face opened up and she laughed. “I really hope so, I will be very good and won’t make her the least bit angry.”

And with a happy expression she turned and bent over and played with the water, while a chill ran up Yang Menghuan’s spine.

Dongting Lake is over 300 miles long,1 viridescent waves like a mirror, boundless as far as the eye can see. Sail rippling, the boat moved quickly. Shen Xialin was relaxed and happy. Looking far into the distance in all directions she saw fishing boats like shuttles moving in the boundless twilight. Many boats were lighted, twinkling on and off like millions of fireflies dancing in the air. Yang Menghuan, rather, was in no mood to enjoy the twilight scene. He sat hugging his knees in the bow, a tidal surge of emotion in his heart, rising and falling indefinitely.

Suddenly, an enormous dual-masted ship hoisted its sails and came on and before long was close to Yang Menghuan and Xialin’s little boat. At the same time, four shuttle-shaped skiffs sped toward them on the right. Shen Xialin retrieved two precious swords from the cabin and handed one to Menghuan. “Big Brother Huan, they’ve come back again. This time I won’t give them any face. They think we’re so easy to bully?”

As Xialin spoke, the four shuttle skiffs spread out, blocking the little boat at the front. There was a man wearing a short jacket on each skiff. Yang Menghuan was getting worked up. He took the sword Miss Shen offered him and laughed coldly and asked, “You all are total strangers to me, and we aren’t wealthy merchants or traders. Why are you all making things so hard for us?”

A hefty man of about forty on the second skill on the left laughed. “If you two were wealthy merchants or travelers we wouldn’t waste the manpower on you. Let me ask you a question, friend, who are you to Master One Yang, abbot of Mystic Metropolis?”

Yang Menghuan’s face clouded and he answered sternly, “The abbot of Mystic Metropolis is my solicitous sectfather! What of it?”

The big man laughed again. “Senior Master One Yang awes the jianghu. We don’t dare do anything to his disciple. However, our chief helmsman has long heard that Kunlun’s Split Second Swordplay is invincible, so we’d like to take the opportunity to make friends with you two!”

Yang Menghuan’s swordlike brows frowned at the man’s polite manner and he was unable to be angry for the moment. “I’ve just left my teacher and gone out on my own and do not know the jianghu customs. If your honorable chief helmsman wants to make our acquaintance, Yang Menghuan will go and pay his respects.”

The big man nodded. “A great xia has a brilliant disciple, really something. Brother Yang, it seems this is not your first foray into the jianghu. Our chief helmsman doesn’t want to trouble you. He’s already come personally!”

Saying this, the big man pointed to the right. Yang Menghuan looked and saw the large-sailed, dual-masted ship. The cabin doors were open and light glowed from inside making it bright as day. Outside the cabin stood four burly men all dressed in the same blue-green close-buttoned short jackets and white belts, and they held thick-backed thin-bladed demonhead sabres. In the center of the cabin was a tigerskin gold flood dragon chair, on which sat a big and tall man of about fifty with a long white beard. The big ship slowly closed in on the little boat and the old man strolled out of the cabin and cupped a hand over his fist in greeting Yang Menghuan. “I’ve stopped your boat without cause and disturbed you, please come to my cabin and have a cup of my watery wine to make up for my lack of proper etiquette just now!”

Given the circumstances, Yang Menghuan could not very well decline. He looked back and whispered to Xialin, “Wear your sword, we’ll go together.”

With that, he leapt onto the big ship, Miss Shen following close behind and they landed on the bow.

The longbearded old man looked at the men on the four skiffs and said, “You all look after our guests’ vessel. If anything happens to it, you’re forbidden to see me again!” The four men put their left palm on their chest and bowed to the old man and the skiffs dispersed at once. The longbearded old man turned to Yang Menghuan and said, “My subordinates are ignorant. If they offended you in anyway, please don’t mind them. Wine is already prepared in the cabin, please enter and drink a few cups, yes?”

Yang Menghuan bowed with his hands clasped before his chest. “This is this junior’s first time in the jianghu and I don’t know the customs. I’m indebted to you for the invitation, what good fortune. Might I venture to ask Senior’s venerable name and receive your instruction?”

The old man stroked his long beard and laughed loudly. “This old rotter met Master One Yang once twenty years ago and because of his righteous act in helping me I have been able to live a few more decades. Let’s first go inside and have a few cups. I have some things to ask you.” With that he cupped a hand over his fist and received his guest.

~*~

Yang Menghuan walked into the cabin and four big sabre-wielding men bowed respectfully. The cabin was lavishly decorated, incredibly magnificent. The square “eight transcendents” table was carved from red sandalwood and scented tea and refreshments were already laid out. Two lads in blue-green clothes stood by attentively. The longbearded old man offered Menghuan and Xialin seats and he looked at Miss Shen and smiled. “Is the young lady also a Kunlun disciple?”

Xialin shifted her big eyes and replied, “What else? Big Brother Huan and I don’t drink. If you have something to say hurry up and say it. We’re in a hurry to be on our way.”

Yang Menghuan frowned at this, but the longbearded old man just stroked his beard and laughed loudly. “Good! The young lady gets straight to the point, certainly a chivalrous heroine. Where are you two headed? I can take you there no problem, that way it won’t delay you on your journey and we can talk long into the night.”

Yang Menghuan answered, “We’re planning to disembark at Yueyang, but we don’t want to put you to any trouble.”

The longbearded old man shook his head and smiled. “One night of sailing, it’s no trouble.”

He instructed the four sabre-wielding men outside the cabin to set the sails for Yueyang, and he ordered the two blue-clad lads to take away the tea and refreshments and bring on the food and drink, and he and Menghuan and Xialin began drinking.

Yang Menghuan and Shen Xialin didn’t drink, so they drank a few cups and called it quits, and the longbearded old man didn’t force them, he just drank his own, drinking over a hundred cups before setting aside his wine cup. He regaled Menghuan with thrilling jianghu stories, avoiding all mention of the main matter at hand. Yang Menghuan endured and endured but finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked, “When Senior invited Junior aboard he said he had some important matter to discuss. Now that we’re drunk and fed, can we hear what you have to say?”

The longbearded old man sighed. “Your teacher saved my life, and for these past twenty years I am ashamed to have not repaid him. The other day I heard a rumor that your teacher obtained a rare martial world treasure map which has led to all the masterhands of northern Zhejiang to convene. There were not a few people when the rumor was first reported, and probably in the next few days there will be a big to do along the three major waters of Hunan with people trying to vie for the map. All for that map who knows how many martial world masterhand lives out of a hundred will be lost. Jianghu feuds often implicate multiple generations. As a disciple of Kunlun it will be hard for you to avoid being affected. As for the truth of the whole matter, I don’t dare to say. To tell the truth, this old rotter has also come looking for the treasure map. It would be best for the two of you to leave this trouble spot as soon as you can. Your teacher is a legendary sword xia of his generation and can take care of himself, but you two moving forward ought to lay low and not reveal yourselves, or it will just be looking for trouble. The jianghu is treacherous. It’s a long story, but to achieve one’s aims people will stop at nothing no matter how cruel. That’s all I can tell you two, but the next time we meet it’s hard to say if we will be friend or foe. My escorting you this time doesn’t count as repaying your teacher’s kindness, it’s just a small token of my appreciation. If not for this lucky chance that your whereabouts were discovered by my men first and you had fallen under someone else’s notice, then not only would it mean no end of trouble for your teacher, you two also might have suffered.”

The longbearded old man monologue shocked and worried Yang Menghuan. He recalled how his teacher had acted the past half a month and it really was peculiar. Presumably it had something to do with the jade box and white silk found on Senior Brother Cai Bangxiong’s body… Then he thought of how Shifu looked when he and Xialin left Mystic Metropolis. He seemed really in a hurry. Thinking about all this, this matter seemed to be about eight-tenths true. He looked up and saw Xialin staring at him, looking at her wit’s end, as if she was taking all the responsibility for their fortune or misfortune on herself.

Yang Menghuan thought for a spell, then cocked hi swordlike brows, a firm look of determination on his face. He smiled. “I’m indebted to Senior for taking care of us, Yang Menghuan is grateful from the bottom of my heart. Whether or not my teacher has obtained the treasure map, this junior truly doesn’t know, forgive me for not being able to tell you more. As for the masters of various schools convening in northern Zhejiang to deal with my teacher and this junior, that’s someone else’s affair. This junior has received his good teacher’s teachings since he was young and has no intention of offending anyone, but Kunlun disciples are also not ones to cravenly fear death. If things really do come to a head, even if it’s a mountain of sabres and a forest of swords, this junior is not afraid. It’s not convenient for this junior to remain here chatting at night on the same boat when Senior has orders to seek the treasure map, so I will take my leave.” With that, he rose and gave a cupped hand salute, then he and Xialin headed out of the cabin.

When he heard this the longbearded old man laughed loudly. “Master One Yang’s heroic spirit reaches the clouds, Little Brother Yang, you have your teacher’s bearing. The disciples of Kunlun sure are extraordinary, this old rotter really admires you. Such a nighttime chat is hard to come by, why break it off now and leave? The sails are swelling in this fair wind, we’ll be in Yueyang by sunup. After we part tonight, it’s hard to say if we will be friend or foe in the days ahead. If we should happen to run into each other again, perhaps I will ask to see Little Brother’s Split Second Swordplay. Regardless, please allow this old rotter to see you two off as a token of my regards…” With that he suddenly stopped talking, his long beard quivering, his expression disconsolate and unsettled, as if he was filled with immeasurable sadness.

Yang Menghuan knew he was really sad at this moment, and given how much he wanted to repay Shifu for saving his life, he couldn’t just abandon his conduct. When he saw how pained he looked, he couldn’t insist on leaving and instead walked back inside the cabin with a smile and sat down. “Since Senior has sincerely asked his guest to stay, this junior can only trouble you. Extending a helping hand in the martial world is no big deal and nothing unusual, Senior mustn’t be vexed on account of the small favor my teacher did for you back then. Besides, Senior didn’t ask about the treasure map, but if it were someone else they wouldn’t let this junior off. But this junior really never heard his teacher say anything about obtaining a treasure map, so I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

The longbearded old man sighed. “Little Brother Yang, you are really quite experienced. These words are not something just any ordinary person would say. This old rotter is fortunate to have the chance to meet such a remarkable man…”

He paused, then said, “No matter what, this old rotter has always been ashamed to face your teacher. The rules of the Heavenly Dragon Gang are strict, and it’s not just this old rotter who’s come, so you two must take good care of yourselves.” Wit that, he raised his wine cup and drained it.

From then on they didn’t mention the treasure map again but sat by candlelight and talked on and on about strange matters of the jianghu. Shen Xialin sat beside Yang Menghuan, at times listening quietly to the longbearded old man, at times regarding Yang Menghuan with a look of deep affection in her pretty eyes and smiling. She was even more elegant and beautiful under the lamplight. The girl was innocent and candid with a heart like glittering jade. As she watched Big Brother Huan talking and laughing unawares, there was not a trace of worry on her face.

NOTES

A mile 里 should be understood as a “Chinese” mile, which is about 0.5 km or 0.3333 mi.