by Jin Yong
Du DaJin yelled to that monk, "Martial brother. Remember. The murderer is Wu Dang’s Zhang CuiShan. Get away before he kills you too!” As he said this, he quickly shot forward, trying to headbutt Zhang CuiShan.
Zhang CuiShan hurriedly twist around, got out of the way by pushing off on Du DaJin’s arm, only to hear a loud thud, as Du DaJin fell onto the ground, ripping off a piece of Zhang CuiShan’s clothing along the way. Despite his courage, Zhang CuiShan nonetheless felt very uneasy about tonight’s events. Only to see Du DaJin’s heartbeat stopped. Obviously, he was already seriously injured, or that push Zhang CuiShan gave could not have killed him.
That monk yelled in shock, "You. you just killed my martial brother.” He quickly turned around, and began to run away as fast as he can.
Zhang CuiShan shook his head, saw that sub-leaders Zhu and Shi’s feet are in the water, already dead for some time. Looking at the three bodies, Zhang CuiShan felt much sadness. Although he hated them for making a grave mistake regarding Yu DaiYan, he hardly wanted to see them dead like this. Suddenly, he thought, "Du DaJin thought that I killed them because he left three hundred taels of gold for himself. I never knew anything about that. Besides, even if I did, I would hardly make a big deal out of it.”
He reached into Du DaJin’s sack, and indeed found several gold nuggets. At this moment, Zhang CuiShan felt that life really is fleeting. This escort leader spent his whole life traveling around, living under constant threat of death, just for some gold. Yet now, with gold right by his side, Du DaJin would no longer be able to enjoy them. He then thought about his great triumph over those Shaolin monks, but how long can he enjoy this? After all, a hundred years later, he’d be no different from Du DaJin. Zhang CuiShan then sighed deeply.
Suddenly, the sound of zither came from the lake. Zhang CuiShan looked up, only to see a young scholar on a boat, the same one he saw in front of the escort agency earlier. He looked at the three bodies by his side, and at the boat closing in, thought that should the person see him like this, and alert the soldiers, there would be much unnecessary problems. Just as he’s about to leave, that gentleman suddenly said, "If this friend likes to observe the night scenery of the lake, why not do so on my boat?” As he said this, Zhang CuiShan saw the boat rowing to the shore.
Zhang CuiShan thought, "If this person had been here all this time, he might have seen something that I missed. Perhaps I get some information from him.” So he walked over to the shore, waited for the boat to come, and then stepped onto the head of the boat.
The scholar on the boat stood up, smiled, and gestured with his arm for Zhang CuiShan to sit down. Under the lantern light, Zhang CuiShan saw that this scholar’s hands are whiter than snow, his face delicate and slender, eyebrows curly and nose straight, more handsome than any exquisite scholar he had ever seen. Zhang CuiShan immediately realized that this scholar is actually a beautiful young woman in disguise.
Wu Dang is very strict when it comes to women. So when Zhang CuiShan saw a lone lady on the boat, his face started to blush bright red. As he quickly got off the boat, Zhang CuiShan said, "I didn’t know that you are a woman disguising as a man. Sorry to bother you.”
That young woman did not respond. The boat then rowed away, while the young woman kept playing her zither, singing, "Tonight wish for no more excitement, but there will be many more future nights, under the Six United Pagoda*, weeping willows and rowing boats. How those gentlemen, come to have fun on the water.” As the boat disappeared into the darkness, so did the song and the sound of the zither.
*Note: I’m not sure too sure this is the right translation for the particular pagoda. Couldn’t find the reason for its name from the encyclopedia, so I just translated word-by-word. Anyway, it’s a big tourist attraction at the modern day Hang Zhou city.
Hearing such beautiful melody, after all that killing earlier, Zhang CuiShan could not help but just stand there in silence. Only after over an hour of stillness did he make his way back to the inn.
The next day, everyone found out about the mass murder at the Dragon Gate Escort Agency. But with Zhang CuiShan’s scholarly appearance, no one even thought he could be the culprit.
At around noon, he started to search for his brothers in the marketplace and at tourist spots. But there are no signs of them anywhere. At dusk, he suddenly remembered the young woman’s song: "Tonight wish no more for excitement, but there will be many more future nights, under the Six United Pagoda, with weeping willows and rowing boats. How those gentlemen, come to sightsee.” Zhang CuiShan thought, "As long as I act as a gentleman, it would be ok to see her. Sighs, if second and seventh brother were here, we could’ve gone together. Other than her, I really don’t have any other leads.”
After eating lunch, Zhang CuiShan began to walk towards the Six United Pagoda by the QianTang River.
End of Chapter 4.
Chapter 5 - Plum Flower Decoration on the Pure White Arm
(Translated by Meh)
Zhang CuiShan obviously couldn’t stop asking now, yet he’s too far from the boat to jump on it. So he grabbed two thick branches from a nearby willow tree and threw them onto the river. With the branches as his stepping-stones, Zhang CuiShan jumped onto the head of the boat.
By the time Zhang CuiShan reached the river, it’s already dark. Only to see a boat with two bright lanterns on it, the same one he saw last night. Under the lantern lights a young woman sat on the edge, wearing a long, light-green robe, a lady’s outfit.
Zhang CuiShan originally planned on asking her about the events last night, but somehow held back upon seeing her in a lady’s dress. That young woman looked up in the sky and said, "Sitting on the edge of the boat, thinking of meeting a guest, the wind blows by, waking me up.” Zhang CuiShan said, "My name is Zhang CuiShan. I have some questions. I hope you won’t mind.” That young woman said, "Then please come on the boat.” Zhang CuiShan lightly sprung onto the head of the boat.
That young woman said, "Dark clouds hovered over last night’s sky, and covered the moon. The weather’s much nicer today, now that those clouds have dissipated.” Her voice beautiful and clear, spoken while watching the sky, without looking at him even once. Zhang CuiShan said, "May I ask for the young lady’s name?” That young woman suddenly turned her head around, her bright, stunning eyes shinned at him, but did not respond. Zhang CuiShan saw her indescribable beauty looking at him, and felt a bit awkward. Afraid to press further, he jumped back onto the land, and began to walk back.
After ten steps or so, his footsteps stopped. Zhang CuiShan thought to himself, "Zhang CuiShan, oh Zhang CuiShan. What happened to you? How can a man like you, so experienced in the martial world, be afraid of a young girl?” He turned around, only to see that young woman’s boat floated down the river, the jade lanterns lit up the river. Zhang CuiShan couldn’t make up his mind, so he simply followed the boat by the river edge.
One on the river, one on land, traveling in parallel fashion. That young lady remained at the head of the boat, her head aimed towards the moon in the night sky.
After walking a while, Zhang CuiShan unconsciously looked in the direction of her eyes, only to see dark clouds gathering in the distance. These clouds quickly covered the moon. Soon, the wind began to blow, and sleek rain came down. There’s only grassland by the lake, so Zhang CuiShan could not find any place to hide from the rain. Of course, he didn’t care much for the rain anyway. The rainfall was not heavy, but enough to totally soak his body after a while. Only to see that young woman still sitting on the head of the boat, also totally soaked.
Zhang CuiShan yelled, "Young lady, you should enter the cabin to avoid the rain.” That young woman immediately stood up and let out an ‘Oh!’ She quickly gathered herself, and then asked him, "Why are you not afraid of the rain?” As she spoke, she walked into the boat’s cabin. After a while, she came out again, this time holding an umbrella, which she threw to him.
Zhang CuiShan grabbed the umbrella, saw that it was made out of oilpaper, a
nd opened it. He saw rivers in the foreground and mountains in the background, covered with willow trees, obviously a scenery painting. Along with the painting are seven characters, "No need to return simply due light wind and sleek rain1.” It’s not strange to see such paintings and writings on the umbrellas here in HangZhou, as it’s famous for such things. The painting came from a craftsman, so it carried a peculiar craftsman feel to it. What’s amazing is that a craftsman could paint in such an intricate and elegant way. The writing didn’t seem to live up to the standards of the painting, and looked like a rich young lady wrote it, yet at least the style carried a clear, beautiful, unworldly feel.
Zhang CuiShan did not slow down his steps as he examined the writing, and couldn’t see a ditch in his path. As his left foot came down, Zhang CuiShan felt it land in midair. Any normal person would’ve tripped and fell. But he quickly reacted, applied force to his right foot, jumped up, and landed on the other side of the ditch. Only to hear the young lady yell, "Great!” Zhang CuiShan turned around, saw that she has since put on a bamboo hat, and is standing there on the head of the boat. As her dress waved back and forth among the winds, she looked like a goddess from Heaven.
That young woman said, "Are the painting and writing worthy of Mr. Zhang’s eyes?” Zhang CuiShan never cared much for paintings, as he studied mainly on writings in his life. He said, "These words are written in the famous Mrs. Wei’s style. The characters separate but their meanings connect, the lines are short but their meanings are stretched, very charming with its rhyming.” That young woman felt very happy that Zhang CuiShan understood her writing style, and said, "Among the characters, I thought the character ‘No’ was the worst.” Zhang CuiShan examined that character, and said, "This ‘No’ is quite naturally written, but it lacked any deep meaning, unlike the other characters, which leave an aftertaste in the reader’s mind, making them hard to forget.” That young woman said, "I understand now. I’ve always thought that this character somehow didn’t belong, but couldn’t spot the reason. Thank you for enlightening me.”
Her boat continued to travel down the river, while Zhang CuiShan walked alongside it. The two people continued to talk about writing, until the sky became so dark they could not longer see each other. That young woman suddenly said, "Speaking with a scholar for just a short while beats reading books for ten years. Thank you for your help. Now let us part.” She pulled up the sail, and the boat started to move faster with the aid of the wind. Zhang CuiShan stood as he watched the boat travel further and further away, and felt saddened, his mind in a void. Only to hear the young woman yell from far away, "My surname is Yin. should we meet again, I’ll surely ask for more pointers.”
When Zhang CuiShan heard the words ‘My surname is Yin’, he suddenly remembered, "Wait a minute. Didn’t Du DaJin say that a handsome scholar, whose surname is Yin, asked for them to deliver Third Brother Yu? Could he be this young lady in man’s clothing?” Once he realized this, he forgot all about the tradition that man and woman should remain apart, and began to chase after the boat. Although the boat traveled very fast, it still could not beat out his lightness kung fu. Soon, he caught up with the boat and asked loudly, "Ms. Yin, do you know my third brother Yu DaiYan?”
That young woman turned around, but did not respond. Zhang CuiShan seemingly heard a sigh, but wasn’t sure due to their distance.
So Zhang CuiShan added, "I have this suspicion in my mind, which I hope you can help clear up.” That young woman said, "Do you really need to know?” Zhang CuiShan said, "Did you ask the Dragon Gate Escort Agency to take my third brother back to Wu Dang? If so, then I would surely repay your kindness.” That young woman said, "Sometimes, it’s so hard to distinguish generosity and cruelness.” Zhang CuiShan said, "My third brother was gravely wounded at the bottom of Wu Dang Mountain. Do you know about this?” That young woman said, "I was saddened too, and is really sorry.”
As they spoke, the wind picked up, and the boat sailed even faster. But Zhang CuiShan had no problem keeping up with the boat.
As they traveled further, the river became wider, the light wind and sleek rain turned into heavy wind and heavy rainstorm.
Zhang CuiShan asked, "Do you know who killed the people in the Dragon Gate Escort agency?” That young woman said, "I made it clear to Du DaJin for him to take good care of Third Hero Yu. Should there be any problems.” Zhang CuiShan said, "You said you’d kill everyone in his agency.” That young woman said, "That’s correct. He didn’t protect Third Hero Yu, so it’s his fault. You can’t blame others.”
Those words sent a chill down Zhang CuiShan’s spine, and he said, "So you’re saying that everyone. everyone was killed by.” that young woman said, "Killed by me!” Zhang CuiShan’s ears trembled. He couldn’t believe that this incredibly beautiful young woman could be such coldblooded killer. After a while, he said, "What about those two Shaolin monks?” That young woman said, "Also killed by me. I originally didn’t want to bother with them, but they used poisoned darts on me first, so I didn’t have a choice.” Zhang CuiShan said, "Then. then why did they say that I was the killer?” That young woman said, "Oh, I planned that.”
Zhang CuiShan fumed, and yelled, "You planned for them to wrong me like that?” That young woman laughed, and said, "That’s correct.” Zhang CuiShan yelled angrily, "Surely we’re not enemies. So why would you do that to me?”
That young woman waved her hand, and entered the cabin. Zhang CuiShan obviously couldn’t stop asking now, yet he’s too far from the boat to jump on it. So he grabbed two thick branches from a nearby willow tree and threw them onto the river. With the branches as his stepping-stones, Zhang CuiShan jumped onto the head of the boat. He then yelled, "How. how did you plan it?”
No sound came out from the dark cabin, so Zhang CuiShan planned to go in. But at the last moment he changed his mind, thinking, "It’s rude to barge into a young lady’s room like that.” As he pondered about what to do, he saw a light appearing in the cabin, as a candle lit up.
That young woman said, "Please come in.”
Zhang CuiShan organized his robe, closed the umbrella, and walked inside. He immediately froze as he saw a young scholar inside, wearing a green robe, holding a fan, his expression quite colorful. For that young woman had taken this time to change into man’s clothing. At first glance, she looked quite like himself. Zhang CuiShan obviously needed no more words to answer his question. In dim conditions, anyone would mistake them to be the same person. No wonder Monk Hui Feng and Du DaJin were both so certain that he was the killer.
That young woman said, "Please sit, Fifth Hero Zhang.” She then picked up the teapot and poured some tea into a cup. Then she reached out to give him the cup. She said, "Sorry we don’t have wine here. Let me use tea instead of wine to serve my honored guest.”
After hearing such a mannerly speech, Zhang CuiShan could not find a way to release his anger. He finally said, "Thank you.” That young woman saw his whole body soaked wet, and said, "I have some clothing in the cabin here. Do you need one? You can change in the back.” Zhang CuiShan shook his head and said, "No need.” He immediately applied some inner power, and a wave of chi exited his body, releasing much body heat. The water on his robe quickly evaporated. That young woman said, "I forgot that Wu Dang’s inner power is one of the best in the martial world. It really was improper of me to ask you to change clothing.” Zhang CuiShan asked, "Would you mind telling me which sect you belong to?”
That young woman immediately turned towards the window when she heard the question, her face filled with worry.
When Zhang CuiShan saw this, he stopped pressing further. But after a while, he couldn’t help but
ask again, "Who injured my third brother Yu? Can you tell me?” That young woman said, "Not only did they fool Du DaJin, they also fooled me. Actually, I should’ve realized that the seven heroes of Wu Dang would be very elegant and valiant, not crass and unmannerly.”
Zhang CuiShan realized that she didn’t answer the questio
n, but when she said ‘elegant and valiant’, he felt his heart jumped, and his head a bit feverish. But he’s still not sure what her words meant.
That young woman sighed, and then suddenly lifted up her left sleeve, revealing an arm as white as white-jade. Zhang CuiShan quickly turned around to avoid her arm. That young woman said,
"Do you recognize these hidden weapons?”
When Zhang CuiShan heard this, he finally turned around to look at her, only to see three needles on her left arm. Her arm’s white as snow, but the area by the needles are black as ink. The tails of all three needles are shaped like plum flowers. Zhang CuiShan immediately stood up, and yelled in shock, "These are Shaolin’s Plum Flower Darts. Why. why are they dark?” That woman said, "Exactly. These are Shaolin’s Plum Flower Darts. They are poisoned.”
Zhang CuiShan said, "Shaolin’s a very reputable upright sect. Their darts would never have poisons on them. But other than Shaolin disciples, who else can use them? How long have you been poisoned? We need to remedy this immediately.”
When that young woman saw the deep concern in his face, she said, "I’ve been poisoned for over twenty days now, but I have temporarily stopped them from spreading with some medicine. However, I can’t pull them out either, since then the poison would spread.”
Zhang CuiShan said, "But if you don’t pull them out soon, your arm might. your arm might. be much harder to cure. It might leave a nasty mark.” Actually, he wanted to say that the arm might become useless.
That young woman began shed some tears, and said faintly, "But I’ve done all I can. Last night I couldn’t find the antidote from those monks. I can never use this arm again.” As she spoke, she covered up her arm again.
