Purple River Chapter 02 Part 08 - Despicable Bastard

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“ZiChuan Xiu, today is your last!”

“ZiChuan Xiu, let’s settle all our grievances here and now!”

“ZiChuan Xiu, you didn’t see this one coming, did you? Hahaha, God is just. Your time has come!”

While Di Lin was shouting in the door’s direction, ZiChuan Xiu casually ate the chocolate cookies from the jar. Di Lin, clearly unsatisfied, turned towards him and whispered: “Stop sitting on your ass! My throat is hurting; it is your turn! And why are you eating?!”

Stuffing the last piece of cookie in his mouth, ZiChuan Xiu shouted inaudible words: “Di Lin, only one of us will leave this room alive!” Then he whispered to Di Lin: “I spent my entire morning listening to their boring speeches; how will I have the energy to put up an act if I don’t eat something? Anyways, how is Xiu Jia?”

“ZiChuan Xiu, you bloody pervert! I will rid the world of your filth!” Di Lin whispered again: “She is fine! But can you stop asking about someone else’s wife whenever you meet them? And since when are you on a first name basis with her? You should call her Mrs. Di or Sister-in-Law! Or I might just beat you up for real!”

“Tch, I'd like to see you try!” ZiChuan Xiu whispered: “Don’t be paranoid… If we didn’t lose that dice game back then, did you really think Lin Xiu Jia would want to marry you?”

Di Lin responded in a whisper: “That just means that it was God’s will. Lin Xiu Jia was destined to be my wife. Don’t be a sore loser!”

ZiChuan Xiu lowered his voice: “God’s will? Bullshit! When I cut open the dice later, it was filled with mercury and magnets… No wonder Stirling and I kept throwing ones and twos while you were getting triple sixes! Before the dice even came to a halt, you were already racing towards Lin Jia Xiu to propose! Even though everyone knew that she liked me!”

Di Lin whispered back: “All lies! Even if we fought for it fair and square, she wouldn’t have chosen you. You weren’t even sixteen years old at the time; you were still wearing diapers. Why would my wife have fancied you?

The two of them stared at each other, and suddenly, the mood changed.

“Vile lowlife!”

“Stupid shit!”

“Shameless turd!”

“F*ck you… son of a bitch!”

“Go to hell!”

“You first!”

…

Di Lin continued: “Yang Ming Hua is planning a coup!” With that, he sent the table flying with a kick, splashing the furniture all over the wall.

ZiChuan Xiu replied: “That's nothing new. I heard that same shit ten times a day back in the Far East, and now I’m hearing it two dozen times a day.” He quickly moved his own chair aside, afraid that Di Lin would kick his chair down as well. He didn’t want to sit on the table.

Di Lin: “You are ranked number three on Yang Ming Hua’s must kill list… Is that news enough for you?”

“Ha! Ha! Ha!” ZiChuan Xiu roared loudly, sending shockwaves throughout the entire building, as if a fierce battle was actually taking place… Then whispered: “Hmm. Who else is on the list?”

Di Lin answered: “Ge Ying Xing is number one, Stirling is number two, and the Headmaster ZiChuan Shen Xing who couldn’t get into the top three, is number four.”

“What about Lady Ning?”

“Don’t worry, Lady Ning is fine. Yang Ming Hua is planning to make her into a puppet after killing the Headmaster!”

“Should we try to inform Commander Ge Ying Xing? Perhaps he doesn’t know yet…”

“How could he not?! There is nothing that the old fox doesn’t know! Don’t be fooled by his sickly appearance… Let me tell you, Yang Ming Hua has tried four times and sent over seventeen assassins after him!”

“And?”

“Nothing. Those seventeen assassins never showed up again, as though they never existed in the first place! The next day when the sun rises, you will still see Ge Ying Xing with one foot in the grave, as if he will drop dead any moment. Who knows, perhaps when we are all dead, he will still be around for another hundred years! He is insanely crafty; the entire Far Eastern Region is his territory. Yang Ming Hua’s men couldn’t get near him at all.”

“But now that he is here in Di Du, doesn’t that make him an easy target?”

“Yang Ming Hua wouldn’t even dream of it. Ge Ying Xing brought with him six thousand personal guards. Every one of them is brave and loyal only to him. Unless you attacked with a whole army, you wouldn't even get within two miles of his mansion!”

“What about the number two, Stirling…”

“Stirling is currently the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard; he doesn’t leave the House of Headmaster except for emergencies… Besides, there is no one under Yang Ming Hua’s command capable of silencing Stirling without anyone noticing… I mean except me, of course! Deliver a message from me when you see him, the Deputy Banner Master Yun He and Fang Ge under his command have been bought by Yang Ming Hua.”

ZiChuan Xiu shattered a precious vase on the ground, showing the ones standing outside that the duel was still taking place!

Di Lin watched him curiously: “I don’t understand why a certain someone isn’t worried. He is not the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, nor has he the protection of six thousand personal guards. He is however unfortunately listed in the must kill list, an unimportant person whom no one would care about even if he was killed, the insignificant Deputy Commander of the army reserve. I suggest you leave Lady Ning’s house while you still can. It is bad enough that you may get killed any moment, but it will be worse if you give Lady Ning a scare, not to mention that she will have to clean up your corpse as well.”

ZiChuan Xiu asked: “How much army does Yang Ming Hua currently control?”

“A lot! Lei Xun’s seventeen hundred thousand-soldier Central Army is under his direct command. If a battle really does break out, Stirling’s Imperial Guards will be wiped out in under an hour!”

“Any strong fighters?”

“Central Army has historically always been House ZiChuan’s most elite force. There are many capable fighters amongst the Central Army. Even though their commander Lei Xun is notorious for his greediness and lust for grandeur, his technique of wind and thunder is not a joke. Every time someone calls him the number one fighter he would always crack a wide smile. Chief of Staff, Luo Ming Hai has always kept a low profile… Even now I do not know what he is capable of. And lastly, Yang Ming Hua himself is no slouch either; his inner wave technique is very scary…"

Holding his chin, ZiChuan Xiu considered the possibilities and asked Di Lin again in all seriousness: “So, do you think I can just talk to Yang Ming Hua and work out our differences, you know, like friends…”

…

“If Yang Ming Hua has so many forces at his beck and call, what is he waiting for?”

“He is afraid of Ge Ying Xing, Ming Hui, Fang Jing and the other Commanders who command large armies in other regions… If Ge Ying Xing raises the banner and calls for support in response to his open rebellion, a million soldiers of the Far Eastern Army would arrive at his doorstep. Even with the Central Army’s support, Yang Ming Hua would not be able to fight against that.” Di Lin exercised the swift slash of his sword, and the sound of his blade carving through the air echoed throughout the room.

“What is he planning now?” ZiChuan Xiu asked, while breaking another antique folding screen.

“He has a two-step plan. Step one, rope Fang Jing and Ming Hui into his scheme… Once he manages to bribe either one of them, Black Banner Army and Border Army will have to contend with each other, and will be thus unable to respond to any disturbance in the Capital. Step two, he is sending me to the Far Eastern Army, to take over your former position. He wants me to destroy the Far Eastern Army from within.”

“Should I tell Commander Ge Ying Xing of your true allegiance? The Far East is his territory. If you don’t tell him, you won’t be able to accomplish anything over there; he will have you on a complete lock down.” Having said that, ZiChuan Xiu broke another antique vase; the shattering sound pierced through the air loud and clear.

“Fine, but only him… My position is very dangerous as it is; nobody else can know! Right now even I don't know whom I can trust.”

…

During the three years that the three friends, who would die for each other, were separated, one had to fight for his survival in the field of battle, one had the go undercover and nest with the tiger, and one had to fearlessly face Yang Ming Hua in the open… And now Di Lin was about to enter the field of battle, while ZiChuan Xiu and Stirling had to fight a different kind of battle in this peaceful and prosperous Capital City, a battle without sound nor form, but deadly nonetheless.

They looked at each other, witnessing the deep concerns in other’s eyes. Joining hands, the warmth of their blood transmitted their brotherly love from one to the other! They were deeply touched, but no tears were allowed, only a few unspoken words left stuck in their heart: “Brother, take care!”

They both had to risk their lives. They were both loyal to a fault, for that one vow they made many, many years ago, without regrets, to someone who had passed but had not disappeared, to someone whose had shielded the entire Capital City – ZiChuan Yuan Xing.

Di Lin suddenly remembered: “Ah Xiu, you can’t just go outside like this without any injuries; they will be suspicious. I think we have to…”

A bunch of punches and kicks later, Di Lin decided to leave a few more marks of battle behind on ZiChuan Xiu.

ZiChuan Xiu cried: “Hold on! Haven’t you done enough? Why are you getting more excited?”

Di Lin explained (painfully): “You don’t understand. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to inflict such pain on a brother of mine out of necessity? The kind of heartfelt pain I’m experiencing right now is much worse than the physical one you have!”

ZiChuan Xiu argued: “Then why are you smiling like that? How about we ease the pain of your heart, and let my conscience take the blame instead.”

Another wave of kicks and punches later…

Di Lin: “For realism's sake, we are still missing some cuts and blood…”

ZiChuan Xiu (almost dead): “I can’t take this anymore… why don’t you just kill me instead?!”

…

Di Lin sighed: "Now that it has come to this, I might as well…”

ZiChuan Xiu’ eyes widened as Di Lin grabbed a make-up box from his pocket and a coloured bottle…

“That… that is…”

“Correct, this is the paint the actors use to appear being wounded. It's a type of red ink that looks like blood, and is super rare! I brought it today just for you!”

“That is not what I meant… If you had something like that, then why didn’t you use it earlier; why did I have to…?”

Di Lin smirked wickedly, leaning in close to ZiChuan Xiu, and whispered into his ears: “Answer A: Because I forgot! Answer B: Because I did it on purpose. Answer C: Because during my birthday party after I blew all the candles, someone stole a kiss from my wife. Answer D: Because I have waited a long time for this! So which one would you choose, Ah Xiu, my brother?” His lips brushed against ZiChuan Xiu’s ear as he said that.

The door was finally opened. With his head held high, Red Banner Master Di Lin walked out like a winner. He casually brushed the dust off his uniform and wiped his hands; it was clear that he had won the duel effortlessly!

Lying in a pool of blood, ZiChuan Xiu was wounded from head to toe and was left on the verge of death. Using his last bit of strength, he raised a finger and cursed as loud as he could: “Di Lin, you despicable bastard!”

Chapter end