by Guo Xiaoting
“Yesterday, after the shop had been open for two months, he came there again on his own horse. He had a golden coronet and a pair of golden bracelets. He asked me to keep them in my shop until he came to pick them up a little later on. ‘What does it matter?’ I thought. He did not come in again yesterday and I put the three pieces in a cabinet in the shop. This morning he came to get the things. I opened the cabinet and they were gone. Nothing else had been touched.
“His manner immediately changed. He said that I had taken them, and he had his men beat me. He took my wife and daughter away as security. ‘Go and buy the things back,’ he ordered. Otherwise, he said that he would not return my wife and daughter. I certainly had no intention of taking his things. I did not dare to provoke him. This is why I decided that death is better than living.”
As the three listened, they became more and more angry. “Do not die,” said Chen Liang. “Take us with you to your home. We have a way to solve your difficulty.”
The artist Yen nodded his head in agreement and went with the three friends to his shop. “Put your things in order here,” said Chen Liang. “Tonight we will go and get your wife and daughter and bring them back to you. We will also give you some money. Would you then be able to run away from here?”
“If you could bring back my wife and daughter, I would be glad to leave this place.”
“You must wait until the third watch,” said Liu Rui, “and then we will see you.”
The three left and went to have a look at the walls surrounding the Wu household property. The estate was very large. Each of the four sides was about four li long. Sharp spikes topped the walls. Outside the walls was a moat with willow trees planted at the edge. The gate in the south wall was open. Inside they could see several evil-looking servants. Outside the gate was a drawbridge. On the north side was another small gate.
Having memorized the approach to the estate, the three returned to their inn and called for food and wine. After dinner they waited until the second watch, when everyone in the inn was asleep. The three then put on their black clothing. Each one carried at his waist a bag tightly packed with a set of ordinary clothing. Then they stealthily left the inn.
Three li away from the village they arrived at the Wu estate. They used a flexible ladder to scale the wall. Once on the rooftops they could see the entire estate. Everything was arranged in the best of taste. Creeping cautiously about, they came at last to a courtyard with buildings on each of its four sides. On the north and south there were buildings with three sections each and matching two-section buildings to the east and west. In the west-end windows of the northern building they could see the light of a lamp and a person’s shadow.
Through small holes made in the paper covering of the lattice windows they could see a woman of about fifty years old seated on a brick platform bed. Beside her was a girl not more than seventeen or eighteen years old and unusually beautiful. Standing about the room were four old women dressed as servants. On a square table, usually called an “eight-immortals” table, there lay, as if ready for the girl to wear, a cap of golden leaves and flowers and two golden bracelets.
One of the old women was talking. “It’s for your own good that I am telling you this. You should not be thinking about the fact that you are not able to escape. If you were back at your home, you would be drinking tea made from the cheapest tea leaves and wearing coarse, cheap clothing. Here you will have both fine food and clothes, but you must tell your daughter to stop crying and put on a little powder. Didn’t our master really scheme to get you here! If you make the Shining Star angry with you, he will fly into a rage and kill you, both mother and daughter. Whenever Shining Star says, ‘Take her!’ his people just take whomever he wants. One that was brought here was very bright and lovely. I think he offered her a good many ounces of silver to submit to him. She said, ‘I would rather die! Then I would become a ghost.’ When she refused him, he became furious and killed her. He buried her in a back courtyard.”
As Lei Ming and Chen Liang heard this and understood what was in store for the young girl, one of them pulled Liu Rui close and said, “Come with us.” Knives drawn, they burst into the room. The four old women trembled with fright.
“Whichever of you screams will be the first to die!” exclaimed Liu Rui.
“We will obey your order and not scream,” said one of the old women.
Liu Rui wrapped the gold jewelry into a bundle. Then the men tied and gagged two of the old women. They ordered the other two to help carry the mother and daughter away. “One scream and I will kill you,” Liu Rui warned them again. The two nodded their heads. “We will first take these two home and then return here.” Lei and Chen agreed, leading the mother and daughter, while Liu carried the bundle.
They went out through the back gate and straight to the picture shop, where the artist Yen was anxiously waiting. At the sound of a knock at the door Yen came out and saw Liu Rui. Liu had the old serving women bring the wife and daughter inside. He said to the old women, “Originally I had thought of killing you, but since you carried the two captives here, I will not kill you but tie you up and gag you instead. Yen Wenhua, take your wife and daughter and flee. Take this bag of gold jewelry with you. I will also give you thirty silver coins. Be off! I am going back to kill that evil old man.”
The artist thanked him, but Liu Rui said, “Do not thank me. While mountains remain and water flows, I shall hope to see you again another year. Until then, the best of luck!” The artist and his family then hurried away.
Liu Rui went back to the Wu estate with Chen Liang and Lei Ming. They looked around for some time until they came to a courtyard containing a large hall of five sections. Inside, lamps were burning. When they looked through the holes in the paper window, they saw in the brightly lit room a man in an embroidered robe sitting beside a table. His oily-looking face had an unusually evil expression. He was holding a fan in his hand.
This was indeed the wicked Shadow-Seizing Shining Star, Wu Kun. He had originally been a native of Four Rivers. His nickname was a term used to describe the North Star on the night when it seemed at its brightest during the year. He had come to this village with his ill-gotten wealth to live a life of ease, and he had not changed his evil ways. Outwardly he made connections with officials and attended the yamen, all the while killing men and carrying off women. There was nothing bad that he would not do.
On this night, while Lei Ming, Chen Liang, and Liu Rui secretly watched and understood the nature of the man, they heard Wu Kun say, “Well, my children,” as he called his ruffians, “How late is it?”
A servant answered, “It is not yet the third watch.”
Just as this was said, the three watchers saw a rough-looking serving man enter and heard him say, “Master, outside is your old friend the Four Rivers rat, Cloud Dragon Hua. He has come to visit you.”
When Wu Kun heard this, he said, “Second Brother Hua? I was just thinking about him. Open the big gate, my children, and lead me forth to meet him.”
On the roof Lei Ming and the two others listened carefully. In a little while they saw Cloud Dragon Hua enter.
After Cloud Dragon Hua had fled from the Veiled Mountain, he could think of no place to stay. He thought of going back to Four Rivers, but he had no nest there. He also thought of going back to Jade Mountain prefecture, but he feared that Yang Ming would not accept him. He regretted that his use of poisoned darts had made him such an object of hatred. He felt foolish and dissatisfied. Whatever he did, he felt as if ants were biting him.
Suddenly he thought of Wu Kun and his estate. He liked the idea of spiked walls around the place and thought he could safely take refuge there. He did not dare to go there in the daylight for fear that someone would see him. Therefore he approached the estate this night seeking Wu Kun, and asked the servant to go and announce him.
Wu Kun asked him to come in and sit down, then asked him, “Second Brother Hua! Where did you come from?”
“I can ha
rdly tell you in one word,” replied Cloud Dragon. “Since we brothers parted at Four Rivers, I have been through many adventures. I was in Jade Mountain prefecture at the invitation of Yang Ming, where I made a number of friends. Then I was strolling about and I got into such a scrape that now I have nowhere I can go.”
“What happened?” asked Wu Kun.
Cloud Dragon then recounted the entire story of how he had stolen the pearl coronet and the jade pendant from the prime minister’s estate, how he killed the restaurant manager, and how he had gone to rape the nun but had killed two nuns instead.
“You must live here at my place,” said Wu Kun. “If anyone comes to take you, I will be here. You also have an intimate friend who has made his fortune. Did you know that?”
“Who is that?” asked Cloud Dragon.
“Mountain Leopard Dian from a little town in Four Rivers—and now he is rich. He is the close friend of officials and is connected with the yamen. He has many men under him. I hear that he is to be linked to Prime Minister Qin’s family by marriage. I know that you were close friends.”
“If you don’t mind,” said Cloud Dragon Hua, “I will trouble Brother Dian with my presence for a while and then I will come back and live with you—but I need some money for expenses.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Wu Kun reassured him. “Children, go to my strong room and get some silver.”
Listening on the roof, Lei Ming was thinking that he might take Cloud Dragon and be avenged for all that he had done to them. At the same time, he knew that this was a matter for Ji Gong. Yet he clutched his knife and wanted to kill this foul criminal.
CHAPTER 84
Three sworn brothers surprise the Wu stronghold; an evil star is extinguished
LEI Ming and Chen Liang both wanted to capture Cloud Dragon, but Liu Rui countered, “What are you thinking of, brothers?”
“Come down with us!” urged Lei Ming. “We will capture Cloud Dragon.”
“Slowly!” exclaimed Liu Rui. “Not this way, I think. First, there are not many of us and a good many of them; second, we are not on official business and we have no warrant. Where would we take him? Now that we have found him, why must we take him at first sight? He is not doing something evil just now. This is a matter for Ji Gong to handle and not a matter of revenge—besides, we might fail.”
Liu Rui’s statements seemed reasonable to Lei and Chen. Chen Liang said, “Never mind now. Let’s see where he goes.” Lei Ming nodded his head in agreement.
They heard Cloud Dragon say, “Brother Wu, you have given me enough. After a few days at Brother Dian’s, I will come back to you. With you two I have nothing to fear.”
One servant went for the sedan chair. The other passed through a gate in the corner of the courtyard, where he knocked at a door. Inside were two men, Wang the Second and the watchman whose job it was to strike the hours. The watchman and Wang came out with a lantern and unlocked the strong room. Suddenly the lantern disappeared. “Wang, why did you take my lantern?” the watchman called.
“No, I’m still in the room,” said Wang. Then, as suddenly as it had disappeared, the lantern was back. In that moment the three men, Lei, Chen, and Liu, had slipped inside and hidden themselves behind a tall chest. The three observed while the watchman was getting the silver, and when the watchman and Wang had gone, helped themselves to some silver as well.
When the watchman went out he locked the door to the strong room. The three men felt about the room and discovered that there were bars on all the windows. “This is bad,” said Chen Liang. “We can’t get out.”
“Never mind,” said Liu Rui and he began to mew like a cat.
“You’ve locked the cat inside,” said Wang.
The watchman heard the sound and came back. “I hate that cat,” he said vehemently as he unlocked the door. “It’s always causing trouble!” He looked about with his lantern in the center of the room, but saw nothing. When he entered the room in the west section, the three men slipped out and went up on the roof. Again Liu made the sound of a cat mewing.
“It went out and now it’s on the roof,” said the watchman, as he came out and again locked the door. Up on the roof, the three watched as the watchman took the silver to the guest hall and gave it to Cloud Dragon.
The outlaw expressed his thanks and said goodbye. Wu Kun accompanied him outside the big south gate, saying, “After a few days have passed, come back to us, Brother Hua.”
Cloud Dragon went on his way and Wu Kun returned. As he stepped through the gate, Liu Rui, who was hiding behind it, suddenly ended the evil man’s life with one stab of his knife.
The place was immediately in an uproar. People were shouting, “Catch the murderer!” But the next day they had to report that the guilty man was nowhere to be found.
The three men, having finished their task, returned to the inn and slept soundly. In the morning they rose early. Liu Rui asked, “Where will you two warriors be going?”
“We must go to Chuzhou prefecture to do something for Ji Gong,” replied Chen Liang.
“I have several friends I still want to see,” said Liu Rui, “so we will part here and meet another day.” The three paid their bill and left the inn.
Lei Ming and Chen Liang hurried along the high road to Chuzhou prefecture. Just outside the east entrance to the village called Wuliupai, they saw a temple on the north side of the road. Standing before the gate was a tall man wearing a dark-blue jacket. He was standing unsteadily and repeating in a trembling voice, “Oh dark, dark heaven! Oh sightless gods! Oh heaven and earth! Blind and deaf! Never would I have thought that I could fall into such a condition!”
The two recognized him at once, and approaching, asked, “Brother! What happened?”
“Are you two the demons with the cow’s head and the horse’s face that have come to take me to hell?” asked the tall man.
“You’re mad,” said Lei Ming. “We are Lei Ming and Chen Liang.”
“Not demons from hell?” asked the man. “Then did you come to take me to the western heaven?”
“Don’t you recognize us, brother?” asked Chen Liang. “We are Lei Ming and Chen Liang.”
As he began to understand, the man said, “All this time you were my brothers Lei Ming and Chen Liang. I am dying from pain.” He turned as he spoke and fell to the ground, motionless.
Chen Liang went to the nearest gate on the village street and knocked. An old man came out and asked, “What do you want?”
“Would you let me have a bowl, old fellow, with a little hot water? I have a Daoist at the temple gate who is very sick. I want to dissolve some medicine and give it to him.”
“So that’s what it is,” said the man. “That big fellow is a friend of yours, sir. He has been there at the village entrance very sick for several days. Up until two days ago we kept giving him some food, but, seeing that he was so much worse in the last two days, we did not dare to continue. If you will wait a moment, sir, I will get the bowl of water.”
When he returned with the bowl of water, Chen Liang dissolved the medicine provided by Ji Gong and gave it to the man. In a short time the medicine began to take effect as the man’s five organs responded.
At last he was able to sit up and speak. “Dear brothers Chen and Lei, where did you come from?”
“Is Brother Guo better now?” asked Chen Liang.
This man was none other than Guo Shun, sometimes called the Night Demon. He was one of the thirty-six friends of the Jade Mountain. Some time before he had decided to leave the fellowship of the Greenwood and become a Daoist monk, simply wandering from one place to another. He had become ill at the entrance of this old village temple. With no money to stay at an inn, he had grown worse until found by his two friends.
“We were sent by Ji Gong from Dianchang prefecture especially to help you,” explained Chen Liang. “We also have a letter to give you which he asks that you read and obey.”
It was only when Guo Shun took the letter and read it tha
t he understood everything clearly. “I must go now and assist Ji Gong in carrying out some business,” he said as he looked northward. “Do you two have any extra money? I will need some on my journey.”
“We have,” said Chen Liang and gave him an envelope with some silver.
“I have been a lot of trouble to you two,” said Guo Shun. “On another day I must thank my dear brothers again.” He then said goodbye and departed.
Lei Ming and Chen Liang hurried on their way to Chuzhou prefecture. Turning north at the first crossroad inside the walls of Wuliupai, they saw a wine shop where a man was raising the bamboo blind at the door. They entered the shop. Noticing a staircase, the two went upstairs. There they could see that it was very light and airy. The two found themselves a table and sat down.
“Will you gentlemen drink?” asked the waiter who approached their table.
“We will,” answered Chen Liang.
“If you wish to drink wine, come downstairs,” said the waiter.
“Why can’t you let us sit upstairs?” asked Lei Ming.
“Today the upstairs table has been reserved for three of our great local gentlemen, whom we call the Honorable Three. Please, sirs, come downstairs to have your wine,” the waiter said.
Lei Ming opened his eyes wide and said, “And we two gentlemen would also like to reserve this table.”
“Don’t become angry, sir,” said the waiter. “This is a case of first come, first served. Of course, if you had reserved the upstairs first, we could not give it to someone else.”
“Let us not be rude, brother,” said Chen Liang. “It’s all the same whether we drink downstairs or up.”
Lei Ming then followed Chen Liang downstairs and into a room to the rear, where they found a vacant table.
