Da Tang Shuang Long Zhuan Volume 9 Chapter 7 part1

Side note: I am going back to Germany first week of January, updates will be a bit splotchy until I settle down a bit; will be there like last time, i.e. around 8 weeks.

Book 9 Chapter 7 - Strange Encounter At The Back of The Mountain

An elegant room does not need to be big, fragrance does not require a lot of flowers.

As the two boys stepped over the main gate, where a sign board carved with the characters ‘An Le Wo' [Comfort Zone; lit. still/calm happy nest] was hanging over it, a feeling of serene, peaceful harmony welled up in their hearts.

Opposite the entrance, on the beam supported by two pillars, there was another wooden board with this couplet written on it: ‘Mornings are suitable to make qin [zither] music, evenings are suitable to strike the se [standing harp with 5-25 strings]; old friends have arrived, new rains are starting to fall'. The calligraphic style was elegant yet simple, bold and powerful.

This hall was shaped in a four-sided living room style, with all four sides have ‘wooden pot'-style windows. On the far end the plant in the pot drooped down, covering the view of the dangerous precipice beyond. The gentle sound of the bamboo grove dancing in the wind faintly penetrating the inner hall, adding a more relaxed, natural feeling to the simple, plain, rustic mahogany furnishing of the room. On the corner, there was a cedar wood stairs leading to the upper floor.

The old-sounding voice came again, "Gentlemen, please come upstairs!”

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged a glance, then walked slowly up the flight of stairs.

The room upstairs was divided into two sections by a standing screen. The front section had a round table and several chairs; presumably the rear section was where the host slept.

This moment a man was standing at the window, facing out. He spoke in soft voice, "Two Xiao Xiongdi, please sit down, try the Six-fruit Brew Laofu personally made.”

It was only then did the two boys notice the wine bottle and wine cups on the table. The aroma of the wine permeated the whole place.

Under the illumination of two palace-style lanterns hanging from the beam, they saw that other than the table and chairs, there was only a few necessary furniture, all made of rosewood, displaying its stylish, quaint grandeur.

The old man dressed in formal intellectual attire. Although because his back was facing the two boys that they were unable to see his face, he looked slightly taller than Xu Ziling. Furthermore, because of the oversized long robe he was wearing, he exuded some kind of loftiness that commanded other people to look up in respect.

Recalling their own low rank, the two boys looked at the wine on the table, but were unsure of what to do.

The old man sighed and said, "Drink! There's wine to enjoy, life is short!”

His voice carried a profound helplessness, giving the impression that he must have a sad past.

Kou Zhong pushed Xu Ziling and sat down first.

They were both moving very cautiously, not willing to make any noise to disturb the sacred quietness of the small room upstairs.

They could still hear the faint sound of waterfall from the distance.

Kou Zhong lifted up the wine bottle and poured three cups. Seeing the old man has not made any movement, he picked one cup, and handed the other one to Xu Ziling.

The fruit brew entered his throat. The aroma was mellow and rich, soft and fresh. The most amazing thing was that the fragrance was thick, but in congruence, so that the aftertaste lingered long.

Tranquil and calm, the old man said, "This wine is brewed from a collection of pomegranate, grape, tangerine, crabapple, green plum, and pineapple, six types of fresh fruits. The manufacturing method involves picking the fruits, washing in water, bleaching in water, crushing, pits removal, soaking, juice extraction, fermentation, blending, filtering, and aging process, before loading it in barrels and burying it for three whole years. And it tastes good!”

Kou Zhong praised wholeheartedly, "Laozhang [Sir/gentleman] is adept in wine brewing, and is very creative.”

The old man was silent for half a day before speaking softly, "Laofu has lived here for nearly thirty years. Other than Xiuxun, nobody ever dared to barge in here. You must be newcomers.”

Hearing that, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling knew that they had violated a taboo; the latter apologetically said, "Liang Fu Guanjia [deputy housekeeper] has never mentioned this place to us, and thus we have disturbed Qianbei's [senior/older generation] peace. I …”

The old man interrupted him, "You have Yangzhou accent; this is strange, since the Ranch very seldom hires outsiders. What do you do?”

Thereupon Xu Ziling narrated their story again.

Up to this point the two boys were still unclear of the old man's identity, or his relationship with the Ranch, but they were quite sure that he was an unfathomable senior martial art expert.

Kou Zhong could not help asking, "Has Qianbei really never left this place in thirty years?”

The old man laughed aloud, "Of course not,” he said, "Although these past thirty years I have lived peacefully in this ‘An Le Wo', but I spent quite a bit of time outside, more than the time I spent in this place. This time I came across you, it can be said it is predestined affinity; it's not easy for us to be here.”

Finished speaking he slowly turned around to face the two boys.

It was a very particular face; plain, simple, inelegant, amazingly old. His long, thick black eyebrows extended almost to the edge of his temples, while the other ends nearly met above the bridge of his nose, in stark contrast with his deep, elegant hawk eyes. There were wrinkles at the corners of his mouth and under his eyes, making him appear to have a rather cold, tired and sad look of the affairs of life.

The bridge of his nose was straight and powerful, just like his waist. With the addition of his lips, which displayed natural air of arrogance, his slender and clean face, he ought to be someone who enjoyed the riches and honor, the glory and splendor of the world to the fullest; yet now he looked more like a dejected nobleman whose heart had died.

His gaze slowly swept the two boys. Smiling slightly, he said, "Do you know why as someone who take no notice of the things of the world I asked you to come up here?”

The two boys shook their head with blank expression on their face.

Revealing an exhausted look, both physically and mentally, the old man sat down slowly, took the six-fruit brew cup and drained it in one gulp, and said with a wry smile, "Were it not for this thing suspending my life, there's a good chance I would not see gentlemen today.”

Hearing that, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at each other in dismay. "Is Qianbei injured?” the latter asked.

The old man nodded, "The injury I received thirty years ago,” he said, "Although that witch's demonic power was lauded as the crown jewel of the heretical schools, it still failed to take my life; by taking advantage of the mountain's topography and utilizing my knowledge of geography, I managed to escape a thousand li and finally hid in this place.”

He sighed and went on, "In thirty years, with my heart and soul I built the landscape garden. Were it not for this sustenance, I am afraid I have already succumbed to my injury and died. But these days I occasionally remember the old enmity, thereupon my injury flared out. I am afraid the old man's days are numbered.”

Breathing out a mouthful of cold air, Kou Zhong asked, "Who was that witch?”

The old man stared hard at him for half a day; he also cast a glance toward Xu Ziling. Instead of answering the question, he said, "Actually, I have seen you a while back; I even eavesdropped your conversation. You two are very interesting kids indeed.”

The two boys were stunned. "Where did Qianbei see us?” Xu Ziling asked.

The old man spoke indifferently, "Do you remember that abandoned village? The one where Zhai Rang fell into a sinister plot, so much so that his full works fell apart.”

The two boys remembered the smoke from kitchen chimneys; their countenance changed instantly. "It was you!” they said.

Although the old man has exposed their true identity, his demeanor was still as amiable as before. He smiled and said, "That was the reason I invited you to come up; just by looking at your ability to suppress your divine qi, so much so that you can conceal it from Xiuxun, I know that your skill has advanced tremendously. Kou Xiao Xiong and Xu Xiao Xiong, can you tell me what enmity has brought you here to be pastry chefs?”

The two boys were greatly embarrassed; however, seeing his friendly manner, they did not conceal anything, and told him about how they acted before thinking. Naturally they did not tell him about Kou Zhong's intention to utilize the Ranch in his effort to vie over the world; they only told him about trying to evade the enemy's tracking.

The old man did not reveal whether he believed their story or not; after pondering for half a day, he said, "Among the four managers of the Flying Horse Ranch, in terms of intelligence and martial art skill, Liu Zongdao ranks first. Logically speaking, under normal situation, he can't possibly meddle in the kitchen's personnel affairs. His high regard on you may be due to something else; perhaps your outward appearance and your aptitudes!”

Xu Ziling respectfully asked, "Qianbei must be a greatly well-known character of the Jianghu; would it be possible for you to reveal it to us?”

A glimmer of proud smile appeared on the corners of the old man's mouth; he replied nonchalantly, "Even if Ning Daoqi sees me, he would respectfully greet me ‘Lu Laoshi [teacher]'. Ay! What does it mean anyway? Ultimately I still nurse a grievance under that witch' hands, and the illustrious name I built my entire life hereby lost forever.”

Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong racked their brains trying to remember a Jianghu senior character with the surname Lu.

Feeling it would be embarrassing to ask directly, Kou Zhong tried a roundabout way, "Who was that witch anyway?”

The old man straightened up his back, his eyebrows rose, his sharp eyes shone with murderous aura as he said hatefully, "Have you heard about Yin Gui Pai?”

The two boys blurted out in chorus, "Empress Yin, Zhu Yuyan!”

It was the old man's turn to be stunned. "You are indeed not simpletons! Unexpectedly you knew about this witch. Ay! There are two things that I regret doing in all my life, and one of them is to fall in love with this woman. To think that I, Lu Miaozi [his given name's literal translation is ‘clever kid'] has always been conceited all my life, unexpectedly I made continuous mistakes; other than blaming it to my luck, what else can I say?”

Chapter end