Smiling Proud Wanderer Vol 01

by Jin Yong

  “Sure, sure! Come in please, Misses!” the man said.

  Qu Feiyan turned back and motioned to Yilin, who followed her through the doorway. The man had a surprised look on his face upon seeing Yilin, but still hurried ahead to lead the way. After they walked through the courtyard, they arrived at a room in the east side of the building. The man parted the curtain door.

  “Miss, Sister, through here please,” he said.

  The scent of perfume filled the entire room. Yilin walked in and saw a huge bed in the room. Exotic silk quilts and pillows covered the bed. They were decorated with Xiang38 Embroidery, one of the greatest arts of its type in the world. A pair of love birds playing in the water was embroidered on the cover of the red silk quilt. It was made with very bright colors and the ducks seemed very lifelike. Yilin had been cloistered in the White-Cloud Nunnery since she was very little. The quilt she used was very simple, made with gray cloth. She had never seen such a gorgeous bed set in her entire life. She glanced at it, and immediately turned her head away. A big red candle was placed on the small table next to the bed; a mirror and a makeup box sat neatly by the red candle; two pairs of exotic slippers lay on the floor side by side near the bed – a pair for a man and a pair for a woman. Yilin felt a sudden shock when she raised her head and saw a shy face, red with embarrassment, and looking surprised. Then she realized that it was only her own reflection in the mirror.

  The sound of footsteps came from behind them. What appeared to be a maid walked in with a big smile and began serving tea. She wore very tight clothes and she behaved quite coquettishly.

  Yilin felt more and more uneasy. “What is this place?” she whispered to Qu Feiyan.

  Qu Feiyan grinned and then whispered something to the maid.

  “Sure!” The woman covered up the smile on her lips with her hand and walked out slowly.

  “That woman is bumbling! She can’t be very honest!” Yilin thought to herself.

  “Why did you bring me here? What is this place?” she asked Qu Feiyan again.

  “This is a very famous spot in the town of Hengshan. It’s called the Jade House,” Qu Feiyan said with a broad grin.

  “What is this Jade House?”

  “The Jade House is the best brothel in town.”

  When Yilin heard the word “brothel,” her heart skipped a beat, and she almost fainted. When she saw the way the room was decorated, she already had a feeling that something was not quite right, but she did not expect to be in a brothel at all. Although she did not really understand what a brothel was, she had heard from the secular apprentice-sisters that prostitutes were the most lewd of women; they would consort with any man who had enough money.

  “Did Qu Feiyan bring me here to be one of them?” She was so shocked and worried that she almost burst into tears.

  A man’s loud laughter exploded from the room next door. The voice sounded very familiar, and before long, Yilin recognized it as the voice of the villain, “Ten Thousand Miles Loner” Tian Boguang. Yilin’s legs gave out on her; she collapsed into a chair, her face frightened and pale.

  “What’s wrong?” Qu Feiyan was startled and rushed over to check on her.

  “It’s Tian…Tian Boguang!” Yilin whispered.

  “That’s right, I recognized his voice too. It’s your cute little apprentice Tian Boguang.” Qu Feiyan grinned.

  “Who’s saying my name?” Tian Boguang shouted loudly from the next room.

  “Hey, Tian Boguang,” Qu Feiyan yelled, “your Master’s here. Come here quickly and kowtow to your Master!”

  Tian Boguang became enraged. “What Master, you little bitch? You’re just babbling. Keep at it, and I’m going to bust open your stinking mouth.”

  “Isn’t it true that you swore to take little sister Yilin of the Heng-Shan Sword School as your Master at the Huiyan Wine House? She is right here. Hurry up, and get over here!” Qu Feiyan urged.

  “How could she possibly be in a place like this?” Tian Boguang exclaimed. “Huh, how…how did you know? Who are you? I am going to kill you!” A trace of fear could actually be heard in his blustering voice.

  “Come here and kowtow to your Master first,” Qu Feiyan said airily.

  “No, no! Don’t let him come over!” Yilin hurriedly objected.

  Tian Boguang let out a cry in shock, and then came a loud “thump,” as he apparently jumped to the floor from his bed.

  “Sir! What are you doing?” a woman’s voice inquired.

  “Tian Boguang,” Qu Feiyan shouted, “don’t you run away! Your Master’s here to settle a score with you.”

  “What damn master or apprentice?” Tian Boguang retorted. “I was tricked by that Linghu Chong! If that little nun comes one step closer, I’ll kill her in a blink!”

  “Fine! I am not going over. And you don’t come here either!” Yilin said in a trembling voice.

  “Tian Boguang,” Qu Feiyan yelled, “you’re supposed to be a somebody in the Martial World, why don’t you be a man? Are you backing out of your promise? Come over here and kowtow to your Master!”

  Tian Boguang snorted, but did not say another word.

  “I don’t want him to kowtow; I don’t want to see him either. He…he is not my apprentice,” Yilin said.

  Tian Boguang jumped in immediately, “See! The little Sister doesn’t want to see me at all!”

  “Fine,” Qu Feiyan said, “have it your way, but when we came here earlier, we were followed by a couple of little sneaks. You’d better go and get rid of them fast. Your master and I are resting here. You can keep guard outside, and keep people from bothering us. If you do your job well, then maybe I won’t mention your agreeing to be the little Sister’s apprentice to anyone. Otherwise, I’ll just announce it to the entire world!”

  Tian Boguang raised his voice and gave a sudden shout, “You sneaking little punks, you’ve got a lot of nerve!”

  A window opened with a bang, followed by the clang of two weapons falling atop the roof; then someone screamed in pain, while the footsteps of someone else running away could be heard. Again came the sound of a window opening with a bang as Tian Boguang leaped down the roof back to his room.

  “Killed one, a little skulker from the Qingcheng Sword School. The other one ran away,” he declared.

  “You’re hopeless! How could you let one get away?” Qu Feiyan complained.

  “I couldn’t kill that one,” Tian Boguang explained hurriedly. “She…she was a nun of the Heng-Shan Sword School.”

  “So it was your Uncle-Master! Of course you couldn’t kill her.” Qu Feiyan giggled.

  Yilin was astonished. She murmured, “Was that my apprentice sister? What do I do now?”

  “Hey, little girl, what’s your name?” Tian Boguang asked.

  Grinning, Qu Feiyan said, “You shouldn’t ask questions like that. If you keep your mouth shut, your Master will put the business of settling her score on hold for now.”

  Tian Boguang shut up immediately.

  “Qu, let’s leave here quickly!” Yilin said urgently.

  “But you haven’t seen the patient yet,” Qu Feiyan insisted. “Didn’t you have something to ask him? But if you’re afraid of making your Master unhappy, and want to go back, that’s fine with me.”

  “Well, I am already here anyway, let’s…let’s go see him,” Yilin said after thinking for a moment.

  Qu Feiyan smiled and walked toward the side of the bed. She pushed the wall on the east side of the room, and a secret door opened silently. Qu Feiyan waved at Yilin, motioning her to follow, and then walked through the door. Yilin felt that the whole business with the brothel was getting more and more mysterious. Thank Heavens that Tian Boguang was in the room on the west side. She figured the further she was from him the better, so she gathered her strength and followed Qu in. There was another room inside, but no light. With the illumination from outside, she could tell it was a small room. There was also a bed in it, shrouded by a curtain. She could vaguely see that somebody was lying on
the bed behind the curtain. Yilin stopped at the secret door but was afraid to go in.

  “Sis, go ahead, help him with your ‘Heavenly Connecting Glue’!” Qu Feiyan directed.

  “He…he really knows where Big Brother Linghu’s body is?” Yilin asked in hesitation.

  “Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. I don’t know.”

  “But you said earlier that he did know.” Yilin was frustrated.

  “I’m not a gentleman; I don’t have to keep my words. If you want to help him, get to work, otherwise, just turn around and leave. Nobody’s going to stop you,” Qu Feiyan snapped.

  “No matter what the cost is, I need to find Big Brother Linghu’s body even if there is only a slim chance, I can’t let it pass,” Yilin thought to herself. “Alright, I will work on him,” she declared.

  She went back to the main room to get the candle, and then walked back into the small room and stopped beside the bed. She opened the curtain and saw a man lying on the bed. A green handkerchief covered his face. When he breathed in and out, the cloth moved as well. Not being able to see his face actually gave Yilin a bit of comfort.

  “Where is he wounded?” she turned and asked.

  “His chest. The wound is very deep; it barely missed his heart,” Qu Feiyan answered.

  Yilin gently lifted the thin blanket covering his chest. A large wound could be seen right in the middle of his bare chest. It had stopped bleeding, but since the gash was so deep, the man was still in critical condition. Yilin calmed herself a little and thought, “No matter what it takes, I have to save his life.” She passed the candle to Qu Feiyan, and took the wooden box containing the “Heavenly Connecting Glue” out of her pocket. After opening the box, she put it on the table at the side of the bed and then gently pressed down around the edge of the wound.

  “All the acupoints that help to stop bleeding have already been sealed. Otherwise he would be dead by now,” Qu Feiyan said in a low voice.

  Yilin nodded. All the acupoints around the wound had already been properly sealed, and was done much better than what she could have achieved by herself. She slowly removed the cotton padding that covered the wound. Once the padding was removed, blood gushed out. Yilin had learned how to treat wounds from her seniors. She pressed down on the wound with her left hand, and applied the “Heavenly Connecting Glue” to the wound with her right hand. When she finished, she immediately put the cotton padding back onto the wound. “Heavenly Connecting Glue” was the Heng-Shan Sword School’s treasured poultice, prepared from a secret recipe. Once applied to wounds, it would stop the bleeding in short order. Yilin could hear the man breathing heavily. She wasn’t sure if he would survive, so she couldn’t resist but to ask the question.

  “Sir, I have something to ask you, please give me an answer.”

  Suddenly, Qu Feiyan tilted her body to the side. The candlestick tilted to the side as well, and the flame suddenly went out. Darkness swept the entire room.

  “Oops!” Qu Feiyan let out a cry. “The light went out.”

  It was so dark in the room that Yilin could not even see her own fingers. She became quite flustered. “How can a member of the Buddhist order remain in such an unsavory place? I need to leave here as soon as I find out where Big Brother Linghu’s body is,” she thought. With a trembling voice, she asked.

  “Sir, are you feeling a little better now?”

  The man let out a groan but did not answer her question.

  “He’s running a fever. Feel his forehead, it’s burning hot!” Qu Feiyan exclaimed.

  Before Yilin even had a chance to answer, her right hand was already caught by Qu Feiyan and placed on top of the man’s forehead. Apparently, Qu Feiyan had removed the green handkerchief that covered the man’s face earlier. Yilin felt as if her fingers were touching burning coal; she couldn’t help but feel pity for him.

  “I also have medicine to take orally. I’d better administer it,” she said. “Qu, will you please light the candle?”

  “Sure, you wait here. I’ll go find some flints.”

  Hearing that Feiyan was leaving, Yilin became very nervous. She grabbed onto Feiyan’s sleeve.

  “No, no, don’t leave. What am I suppose to do here alone?”

  Qu Feiyan let out a small laugh. “Go ahead and take out the medicine,” she said.

  Yilin took out a bottle from her pocket, opened the bottle and dumped three pills out onto her palm. “I have the pills. You give them to him,” she said.

  “Better not drop the pills in the dark. This concerns somebody’s life; it’s no joke. Sis, if you are afraid to be left here alone, then I’ll stay here, you go find the flints,” Qu Feiyan proposed.

  Yilin was even more frightened about the idea of wandering around the brothel all by herself. “No, no, I am not going,” she cried out immediately.

  “Once you decide to save somebody, you’ve got to follow through. You can just put the pills in his mouth and then give him some tea to help him swallow. In the dark, he can’t see who you are. What are you so afraid of? Here, here’s the tea cup, be careful, don’t drop it,” Qu Feiyan said.

  Slowly reaching out with her hand, Yilin took the tea. Pausing, she thought to herself, “Master has always told us that as Buddhists we should always be merciful to others. Saving a life achieves more than building a seven-story pagoda for Buddha. Even if this man doesn’t know where Big Brother Linghu’s body is, he is on the verge of dying, and I should still try to save his life.” So she slowly extended her right hand. When the back of her hand touched the man’s forehead, she turned her hand over and placed three “White Cloud Bear Gallbladder Pills” into his mouth. He swallowed them with the tea served by Yilin and then murmured something that seemed to be words of gratitude.

  “Sir, I know you are wounded badly, I really should let you rest, but I have one urgent thing to ask you. Hero Linghu Chong was murdered, his body…,” Yilin said.

  “You…you are asking for Linghu Chong…?” the man croaked.

  “Yes! Do you know where hero Linghu Chong’s body is?” Yilin asked anxiously.

  The man mumbled some words, but his voice was too low for Yilin to make anything out of them. Yilin asked one more time, and then moved her ear close to the man’s lips, but all she could hear was his heavy breathing. It seemed that he wanted to say something but could not make the words come out.

  Yilin suddenly remembered. The “Heavenly Connecting Glue” and “White Cloud Bear Gallbladder Pills” were wonderful treatments for wounds, but they were both very strong medicines as well, particularly the “White Cloud Bear Gallbladder Pill.” Anyone would pass out for a half day after taking it. It was just an important step of the healing process. How could she be so self absorbed as to push him to talk at that moment? She sighed gently and moved out from under the curtain and sat down on a chair near the bed.

  “I’ll wait till he feels better and then ask again,” she murmured to herself.

  “Sis, is he going to be alright?” Qu Feiyan asked.

  “I hope he will recover, but the wound on his chest is really deep. Qu, who…who is he?” Yilin asked. But Qu Feiyan did not answer.

  “My grandpa said you couldn’t let a lot of things go,” Qu Feiyan said after a while. “You really shouldn’t be a nun.”

  “Your grandpa knows me?” Yilin asked in surprise. “How does he…he know that I cannot let things go?”

  “Yesterday in the Huiyan Wine House, Grandpa and I were watching your fight with Tian Boguang.”

  “Ah,” Yilin said, “so your grandpa was the one sitting with you?”

  “Yeah.” Qu Feiyan smiled. “Your Big Brother Linghu really had a quick tongue. When he said he was the second best at fighting while sitting down, Grandpa actually believed him and thought he really knew some kind of sword art he created while in the toilet that could defeat Tian Boguang. Ha-ha.”

  Yilin could not see her face in the dark, but she could imagine that the little girl must be giggling quite hard. The more gleeful
Qu Feiyan was the more sorrow Yilin felt.

  Qu Feiyan went on, “Later, after Tian Boguang ran away, Grandpa said he had no guts. He had promised to be your apprentice, and should have kowtowed to you and called you Master. How could he go back on his word?”

  “Big Brother Linghu only tricked him to save my life, he did not really win the fight,” Yilin explained.

  “Sis, you are truly kind. After the way Tian Boguang treated you, you’re still making excuses for him. Anyway, after Big Brother Linghu was killed, you just carried his body and wandered around with no specific destination. Grandpa said, ‘This little nun is really a passionate girl. I am afraid she is going to go insane. Let’s follow her and watch.’ So the two of us followed behind you and watched how you just carried his body and didn’t want to let him go. Grandpa said, ‘Feifei, see how upset this little nun is. If this lad Linghu Chong weren’t dead, the little nun would definitely give up the nunnery and marry him.’”

  Yilin flushed with great embarrassment. She could feel her face and ears burning in the dark.

  “Sis, was my grandpa right?”

  “He died because of me,” Yilin said. “I really wish I was the one who died instead of him. If Buddha pities me, and lets me die in exchange for Big Brother Linghu’s life, I…I…even if I had to fall all the way to the bottom of the eighteenth level of hell and never be reborn again,39 I would not complain.” Her voice was filled with sincerity as she said those words.

  All of a sudden, the man on the bed let out a groan.

  “He…he is awake. Qu, would you please ask him if he feels better?” Yilin said happily.

  “Why do I have to be the one to ask? Don’t you have a tongue of your own?” Qu Feiyan demanded.

  Yilin walked to the bed after a slight hesitation, and with the curtain in between them, asked, “Sir, are you…?” Before she could finish, the man let out several more groans.