ered the ocean of energy within Duan Yu’s dantian, then disappeared. Crown Prince Yanqing was greatly startled, and his steel cane drooped downwards slightly. The tip of it just so happened to precisely alight upon the ‘Shang’ quadrant, at the point where the seventh vertical and eighth horizontal lines connected.

After Duan Yu’s interference, his internal energy did not flow smoothly. Although his steel cane sagged, it still carried a tremendous force and he involuntarily pressed downwards. Crown Prince Yanqing secretly cried out, “Not good!” He hurriedly lifted his cane, but at the point where the seventh vertical and eighth horizontal lines intersected, a small indentation had already appeared.

When experts played chess, they had to make sure that they would not regret making even a single mistaken move. Much less in this game, a large stone was the chessboard and indentations and circles served as the pieces. How could a move be taken back? But the move he had just made, at the point where the seventh and eighth lines intersected, was where one of his ‘eyes’ were. As anyone who knows even a little bit about chess would know, having a safe pocket of two eyes meant those pieces were safe, but a single eye by itself was doomed. Crown Prince Yanqing had long ago turned that part of the board into a pocket of two eyes, making it a safe base of operations from which he could launch attacks at the Yellow Browed Monk’s pieces. What sense would there be for him to kill one of his own eyes and doom his position? And yet, he had already made the move. Although it was totally counter to the logic of chess, the move was made due to his own internal energy being weakened and unstable.

Crown Prince Yanqing secretly sighed. “A single failed move will result in defeat across the entire playing field. Is this truly the will of heaven?” He was a person of extraordinarily high status and dignity. He definitely would not get into a dispute with the Yellow Browed Monk over this matter. He immediately rose up, pressing both of his hands down against the blue stone chessboard, staring at it and not moving for a long time.

Most of the heroes present had never seen him before. Upon noticing his strange appearance, everyone’s attention was drawn towards him. He stared at the chessboard for a long time. Suddenly, without saying a word, he propped himself up with his steel canes. Their tips pressed against the earth as though he was stepping on the ground. Each step he took was very large, and he quickly departed.

Suddenly, a series of cracking sounds could be heard. The blue stone trembled, then split into six or seven pieces. And so this brilliant game of chess, the likes of had never been seen before and which might never be seen again, was erased from the world. The group of people couldn’t help but let out cries of surprise. Aside from Emperor Baoding, the Yellow Browed Monk, and the three remaining Evils, everyone present thought to themselves, “That person seemed neither like a human being, nor like a ghost. That living corpse who wore green had such an amazing level of martial arts.”

The Yellow Browed monk managed to win this game of chess by sheer chance. Both of his hands rested against his knees, and he himself was entranced in a daze as he replayed the thrilling events in his mind. He couldn’t understand at all why Crown Prince Yanqing, just as victory was within his reach, would suddenly harm his own side and seal off one of his own eyes. Could it be that upon seeing Duan Zhengming and other experts arrive, he feared coming under attack and thus conceded the match? But he had many helpers on his side as well. He wouldn’t necessarily have been defeated.

Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengchun, and Gao Shengtai also did not understand what had happened. But luckily, Duan Yu had been safely recovered, and the pure name of the Duan family was not damaged in the slightest. With Crown Prince Yanqing having conceded the match, a total victory had been achieved. Although there were many details of this encounter which they did not understand, at the moment it was not necessarily to thoroughly investigate everything.

Duan Zhengchun smiled towards Zhong Wanchou. “Gorge master Zhong, now that your daughter has become my son’s concubine, in the coming days, I will send someone to escort her to our palace. We will naturally take good care of these two lovebirds and treat her as though she were our own daughter. Set your mind at ease.”

Zhong Wanchou was already in the middle of an uncontrollable fury. Upon hearing Duan Zhengchun speak in such a mocking tone towards him, he pulled out his sabre with a ‘shua’ sound and chopped at Zhong Ling’s head with a loud shout. “I’m dying of anger! I’m going to kill you first!”

But suddenly, a long shadow flashed by. With matchless speed, it seized Zhong Ling, then it flew away like a gust of wind, floating tens of feet away. With a ‘ta’ sound, Zhong Wanchou’s sabre connected with the ground. He saw that the man holding Zhong Ling was none other than ‘Thoroughly Cruel and Evil’ Yun Zhonghe. He angrily said, “What…what are you doing?!”

Yun Zhonghe laughed. “You don’t even want this daughter anymore. Just pretend that she’s dead and that you chopped her to death. Let me have her.” Even as he spoke, he further flew tens of more feet away. He knew very well that aside from Emperor Baoding and the Yellow Browed Monk, whose martial arts were far above his own, even Duan Zhengchun and Gao Shengtai were incredible figures. And so, as soon as he hatched the scheme to kidnap Zhong Ling, he immediately fled. Seeing that Ba Tianshi was not present, he knew that as long as he could utilize his qinggong, not a single person present could catch up to him.

Zhong Wanchou knew that his qinggong abilities were incredible. He was so worried that he was literally hopping mad, jumping up and down as he cursed. Emperor Baoding had seen Yun Zhonghe run around in circles with Ba Tianshi the other day. Today, seeing Yun Zhonghe move as though he were unburdened despite carrying Zhong Ling, he knew that there was nothing he could do either.

Duan Yu suddenly had a idea flash by his head. “Yue Number Three! Your master has an order for you! Quick, get this young girl back!” The Divine Crocodile was startled, then angrily replied, “Bastard, whaddya talking about?” Duan Yu said, “You accepted me as your master, and even kowtowed to me. Are you going back on your words? Are your promises worth nothing more than a fart? You must really want to be a bastard son of a turtle!”

The Divine Crocodile furrowed his eyebrows as storm clouds gathered across his face. He thundered, “Of course I won’t go back on my words! So what if you are my master? If you piss me off, I’ll even kill you, my ‘master’!” Duan Yu replied, “It’s good that recognize me as your master! Miss Zhong is my wife. That makes her your master-wife. Go get her back for me! If Yun Zhonghe disgraces her, then he’s disgracing your master-wife! You’ll lose so much face that you won’t be able to be considered a hero or a real man!”

The Divine Crocodile was startled. He thought to himself, “Huh, these words make a lot of sense.” But he suddenly thought to himself that Mu Wanqing was Duan Yu’s wife. How was it that this little girl surnamed Zhong was also his wife? He asked, “How many master-wives do I have, anyhow?” Duan Yu replied, “Stop asking! The bottom line is, if you aren’t able to get back this master-wife, you’ll lose a huge amount of face. All of the heroes present have seen with their own eyes that you can’t even overcome the Fourth Evil, Yun Zhonghe. That drops you down to the position of being the Fifth Evil. Heck, maybe you’ll become the Sixth Evil!”

To the Divine Crocodile, being ranked beneath Yun Zhonghe was literally a fate worse than death. He’d feel less miserable if he were killed. He let out an insane roar, then rushed towards Yun Zhonghe. He screamed, “Put down my master-wife right now!”

Running and leaping forwards, Yun Zhonghe called out, “Yue Number Three, you really are a gigantic idiot! You’ve fallen for his trick!” The Divine Crocodile loved more than anything else to think of himself as an awe-inspiring person. Hearing Yun Zhonghe claim in front of so many people that he had been tricked only infuriated him all the more. He loudly roared to the heavens, “How could I, Yue Number Two, fall for someone else’s tricks?” He immediately sped up his pursuit. In the blink of an eye, the two of them, one in the front, the other in hot pursuit, passed outside the gorge.

In the middle of his earlier, blind rage, Zhong Wanchou had chopped towards his daughter. But at this moment, seeing his daughter being abducted by a thug, he was greatly agitated. After all, the love between a father and his daughter was deep. Not to mention, he realized that if his wife asked him what had happened, he would be incapable of giving her an answer. In a fit of desperation, he, too, chased after them.

Emperor Baoding quickly bade the crowd of heroes farewell, and with the rest of his party also left the gorge. They returned to the city of Dali and returned to the South-Subduing Palace. Hua Hegen, Fan Hua, and Ba Tianshi emerged from the palace to welcome them. Next to them was a bright and beautiful young lady, dressed in the most gorgeous of clothes and ornaments. It was Mu Wanqing.

Fan Hua gave a brief report to Emperor Baoding about Hua Hegen digging out a tunnel, putting Zhong Ling in the stone house, and rescuing Mu Wanqing. Only now did everyone realize that this was why Zhong Wanchou, in trying to harm others, ended up harming himself. Everyone laughed uproariously.

Although the power of the ‘Yin and Yang Conjoining’ powder was very fierce, it wasn’t poisonous. After taking a dose of counteracting medicine, then drinking a big bowl full of cold water, the powder’s effect was dissolved.

At noon, the palace prepared a banquet. During the banquet, everyone happily and animatedly discussed all the events which had transpired at the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge. Everyone agreed that the contributions of the Yellow Browed Monk and Hua Hegen were the greatest. If the Yellow Browed Monk hadn’t kept Duan Yanqing distracted, he certainly would have discovered the tunnel being dug.

Dao Baifeng said, “Brother Hua, I would like to trouble you to do something else for me as well.” Hua Hegen replied, “Princess, say the word. I will obey your order.” Dao Baifeng said, “Please send someone to collapse the tunnel.” Hua Hegen was startled. He replied, “Yes ma’am!” But he did not understand what she was thinking. Dao Baifeng gave Duan Zhengchun a hard stare. “This tunnel passes by Madame Zhong’s bedroom. If you don’t collapse it, I’m afraid that one of the gentlemen currently present will henceforth go tunnel his way there every night from now on.” Everyone present burst into loud laughter.

Every once in a while, Mu Wanqing would steal glances towards Duan Yu. Every time their gazes crossed, they would quickly turn their heads away from each other. She knew that for the rest of her life, she could forget about being wife and husband with him. Thinking back to the situation of the past few days, where they shared a room, she felt all the more miserable. She heard everyone discuss how Zhong Ling would become Duan Yu’s concubine, and how despite being kidnapped by Yun Zhonghe, the Divine Crocodile and Zhong Wanchou would surely bring her back. She also heard Emperor Baoding order the Four Imperial Bodyguards to send out search teams to find news regarding Zhong Ling and to protect her. The more Mu Wanqing heard, the angrier she got. From her bosom, she retrieved a tiny golden case. It was the letter which Madame Zhong had given to Duan Yu, requesting his father come and rescue Zhong Ling. She handed it over to Duan Zhengchun and said, “Gan Baobao asked me to give this to you.”

Duan Zhengchun was startled. “Huh?” Mu Wanqing indignantly said, “It’s the little girl’s astrological birth horoscope.” Pointing towards Duan Yu with the golden box, she said, “Gan Baobao told him to give it to you.” Duan Zhengchun took the box, his heart aching. He had immediately recognized the golden box as the gift which he had given to Gan Baobao on the night when they had first requited their passions for each other. Opening the cover of the box, he saw a small piece of red paper with words written on it. There were nine words in total. “December 5th, year of the Sheep, the ‘chou’ hour [1AM-3AM].” The handwriting was in a trembling scrawl. It was definitely Gan Baobao’s personal writing.

Dao Baifeng coldly said, “How very lovely. She’s even sent the girl’s birth horoscope over to us.”

Duan Zhengchun turned over the red paper, only to see several lines of small words written on it. “Broken-heartedly waiting, every hope has turned to dust. A child cannot be without a father. Sixteen years ago, I thought about you every morning and longed for you every evening, hoping that you would come to me. But now I am out of alternatives. As of the May of the ‘Yiwei’ year [32nd year of a 60 year cycle], I belong to the Zhong clan.” Every single word was extremely fine and slender. If one didn’t squint, the words would be nearly invisible.

Duan Zhengchun’s eyes reddened as he recalled how very badly he had let down Gan Baobao. Suddenly, his heart trembled, and in an instant he understood the hidden meaning behind the words of these few lines. “Baobao married Zhong Wanchou in May of the ‘Yiwei’ year, but Zhong Ling was born on December 5th of the ‘Gai’ year. Most likely, she isn’t Zhong Wanchou’s daughter. After waiting for me and seeing me not come, she wrote that a child cannot be without a father. Then she said that she had no alternative to marrying, because she couldn’t give birth to a child without having a husband. That means that Zhong Ling is my daughter. It was precisely…it was precisely sixteen years ago, in the spring, when the two of us shared a joyous time lasting not even a full month. That must be when she conceived Zhong Ling….”

After understanding everything, he suddenly blurted out, “Oh, no! This won’t do!”

Dao Baifeng asked, “What won’t do?” Duan Zhengchun shook his head. With a forced smile, he said, “This fellow, Zhong Wanchou…this fellow really has a malicious heart, to come up with such a poisonous plot to harm my Duan family. We definitely cannot…definitely cannot become in-laws with him. No matter what, we cannot do this!”

Hearing him hemming and hawing, Dao Baifeng knew that his words were insincere. She took the red piece of paper from his hands and read it. She pondered it for a moment, then suddenly broke out into loud laughter. “So she…so she…ha ha…so that little girl Zhong Ling is also your daughter!” Her anger rising, she sent out a palm. Duan Zhengchun leaned his head to the side to avoid it.

Everyone in the hall felt extremely awkward and embarassed. Emperor Baoding let out a small smile. “Since this is the case, then it looks like we’ll have to abandon the idea of marriage…”

Suddenly, one of the family warriors entered the hall. In his hands, he respectfully pro-offered a name placard. Bowing, he said, “Master Guo Yanzhi of the Hulao Pass has come to see you, lord.” Duan Zhengchun thought to himself that Guo Yanzhi was the eldest disciple of Ke Baisui leader of the ‘Hidden Ox’ sect. He was nicknamed the ‘Soul Pursuing Whip’. Supposedly, his martial arts were quite good, but he never had any relations with the Duan family. Why would he come from such a long distance? He immediately rose to his feet and said to Emperor Baoding, “I don’t know what this man has come here for. Your brother will go take a look.”

Emperor Baoding nodded, a small smile on his lips. “The arrival of ‘Soul Pursuing Whip’ is very fortuitous for you. You can seize the opportunity to sneak away.”

Duan Zhengchun left the flower pavilion. Gao Shengtai and the Four Imperial Bodyguards followed behind him. Entering the hall, he saw a middle-aged man of great height seated on a chair to the west. The man was wearing a mourning garment. He wore a hat on his head, and his face was covered with dust and dirt. His eyes were red and swollen. It was evident that a tragedy had happened, and that a family member must have died.

Upon seeing Duan Zhengchun enter, he quickly rose to his feet and bowed. “Guo Yanzhi of Henan pays his respects to the prince.” Duan Zhengchun returned the salute. “Master Guo, you honor Dali with your presence. Please forgive your little brother Duan Zhengchun for not having come out and welcomed you to the city personally.” Guo Yanzhi thought to himself, “Everyone says that despite being rich and powerful, the Duan brothers of Dali are not arrogant at all. That really is the case.” He said, “Guo Yanzhi is only a common, ordinary person. For me to beg an audience from the prince is really quite presumptuous of me.” Duan Zhengchun replied, “The position of ‘prince’ is just something set up to show the common people. I have long admired the reputation of Master Guo. Let us address each other as friends and as brothers. There’s no need for us to adhere to such false propriety.” After introducing him to Gao Shengtai, all three of them sat down.

Guo Yanzhi said, “Prince, my martial-uncle has resided within your palace for a long time now, and has long been away from home. Please tell him that I would like to see him.” Duan Zhengchun said, “Brother Guo, your martial-uncle?” He thought to himself, “There’s no member of the ‘Hidden Ox’ sect in my palace.” Guo Yanzhi said, “My martial-uncle changed his name and surname, hiding himself within your palace to avoid a calamity. He didn’t dare expose himself to you, prince. This really was very disrespectful. I hope that you, prince, will be forgiving and merciful, and won’t blame him. Allow me to thank you in advance.”

As he spoke, he rose to his feet and profoundly saluted Duan Zhengchun with cupped hands. While returning the courtesy, Duan Zhengchun was deeply pondering the situation, but could not come to a realization as to who his martial-uncle might be.

Gao Shengtai was also wondering to himself, “Who is it? Who could it be?” Suddenly, he thought of that person’s surname and nickname. “It must be him!” He spoke to a nearby servant. “Go to the accounting rooms and tell Mr. Huo that the ‘Soul Pursuing Whip’ of Henan, Master Guo, has arrived. He has important news to report to the ‘Golden Abacus’, the venerable senior Cui. Please invite him to the great hall to chat with us.”

The servant nodded and left. After a short time, the sound of footsteps coming from the back hall could be heard. All alone, a man appeared, slowly shambling forwards. He said, “Now, thanks to you, I won’t be able to have free meals here anymore.”

Upon hearing the seven words, ‘the Golden Abacus, venerable senior Cui’, the expression on Duan Zhengchun’s face changed slightly. He thought to himself, “Can it be that the ‘Golden Abacus’, Cui Baiquan, really is hidden here? How could I have been unaware of this, and why wouldn’t worthy brother Gao have told me?” Only to see an old man with a humble appearance emerge with a grin on his face. It was Mr. Huo of the accounting room, who assisted in all sorts of menial tasks. Every day, the man was either intoxicated or gambling. He was extremely lazy. The only reason why they had allowed him to stay for the past ten or so years was because he was totally honest with regards to the accounting. Duan Zhengchun was hugely surprised. “So Mr. Huo really is Cui Baiquan? I have eyes but am blind as a bat. How can I possibly recover the face I have lost?” Fortunately, Gao Shengtai had managed to come up with the right person in a single try, leading Guo Yanzi to assume that the people of the South-Subduing Palace had long since known about the situation.

Originally, Mr. Huo was always seventy percent drunken, thirty percent awake, with a confused and uncomprehending expression perpetually on his face. But seeing Guo Yanzhi wearing mourning clothes, he couldn’t help but feel startled. He asked, “You…why are you…” Guo Yanzhi rushed forward a few steps. He fell to his knees and began to cry loudly. “Martial uncle Cui, my mas…master has been murdered!” The face of Mr. Huo, of Cui Baiquan, immediately change. His skinny yellow visage turned, in a twinkling of an eye, sinister and predatory. Slowly, he said, “Who is our enemy.” Guo Yanzhi replied, crying, “Your nephew is useless. I wasn’t able to definitively identify our enemy. But from what I know, I guess that it is probable that the murderer was a member of Gusu’s Murong family.” A look of dread flashed across Cui Baiquan’s face, but it quickly vanished. In a low voice, he said, “We need to carefully calculate our response.”

Duan Zhengchun and Gao Shengtai exchanged a glance. They thought to themselves, “’Northern Qiao Feng, Southern Murong.’ If the ‘Hidden Ox’ sect has become enemies with the Murong clan, then it will be very difficult for them to avenge their loss.”

A distressed look was on Cui Baiquan’s face. He said, “Worthy nephew Guo, please recount the story of how my martial brother died as clearly as possible.” Guo Yanzhi said, “The murder of one’s master is like the murder of one’s father. Every day that vengeance is delayed, your nephew finds it hard to eat or sleep. Martial uncle, please go with me immediately, and I will report it to you on the road, so as to avoid wasting any more time.”

Seeing the expression his face, Cui Baiquan realized that it was because he felt there were too many people in the hall, making it inconvenient to speak, rather than really being worried about time. He thought to himself, “For ten years or so, I’ve hidden myself here and not revealed myself at all. I never would have thought that Marquis Gao had long ago realized my true identity and seen past my masquerade. If I do not apologize to Prince Duan, then I will have deeply offended the Duan family. In addition, I want to seek revenge upon Gusu’s Murong family on behalf of my martial brother, but that’s something I cannot accomplish by myself. If the Duan family is willing to send people to assist me, things may be different. The difference between ‘friends’ and ‘enemies’ is huge.” He abruptly walked over to Duan Zhengchun’s side, then knelt before him on both knees. He repeatedly kowtowed, banging his head against the ground with a series of ‘dong’ sounds.

This was something which was totally unexpected by everyone present. Duan Zhengchun hurriedly stretched out his hand to lift Cui Baiquan up, only to find that it was as though Cui Baiquan’s body had been nailed to the floor, not budging in the slightest. Duan Zhengchun thought to himself, “Nicely done, you ‘drunkard’. So your martial arts is this profound. You totally deceived me!” Exerting his strength through both his arms, he lifted Cui Baiquan upwards. Cui Baiquan no longer resisted, and rose to his feet. As soon as he stood up, he felt as though the hundred bones in his body were filled with unspeakable discomfort, as though a tiny boat was being thrown about by killer waves in the ocean. He knew that it was Duan Zhengchun’s way of reprimanding him. He thought to himself, “If I generate my energy to resist, then the South-Subduing Prince will be all the more upset with me. Perhaps he will even suspect me all the more of having crafty ulterior motives for having snuck my way into his palace. While his internal energy is raging inside my body, I might as well fall down.” He collapsed, head facing the sky and cutting a sorry figure indeed as he let out a cry. “Ow!”

Duan Zhengchun let out a small smile and extended his hand to help him up. With a light touch, he dispelled the nauseous feeling in his body.

Cui Baiquan said, “Prince, Cui Baiquan was pressed so heavily by his enemy that he had nowhere to turn. For this reason only did I hide myself within your manor and rely on your aid. Only by hiding myself under your glorious name have I managed to live until today. Cui Baiquan never revealed the truth to you, prince, and I deserve to die a thousand deaths for my offense.”

Gao Shengtai replied, “Brother, why be so modest? The prince knew your true identity long ago. But since you, brother Cui, were unwilling to reveal your true identity, the prince did not want to break your disguise either. Forget about the prince, even others know about the situation. That day, when Duan Yu was fighting against the Divine Crocodile, didn’t he grab brother Cui and claim you were his master? He knew that within this palace, only brother Cui could handle that vile fellow surnamed Yue.”

Actually, that day when Duan Yu had grabbed Cui Baiquan and claimed he was his master, he was purely putting on a show for entertainment. As Cui Baiquan’s appearance was the most unsightly and humble within the palace, he had picked him to mock the Divine Crocodile. But at the moment, upon hearing these words, Cui Baiquan believed and did not doubt them. He secretly felt ashamed.

Gao Shengtai continued, “The prince has always been a welcome and hospitable host. Brother Cui, you came to Dali without any malicious intent. But even if you had come with an intent on causing harm, the prince would have courteously welcomed you and thrown a banquet on your behalf. Brother Cui, why stand on such ceremony?” The implicit meaning of this statement was that the only reason Cui had not been exposed was because he had not come with an evil intent; if he had, he would have been disposed of long ago.

Cui Baiquan said, “Marquis Gao is brilliant and wise. Although your words are very kind, I, the one surnamed Cui, should make clear to you the reason why I sought refuge within your palace and why I must depart now. Otherwise, my actions would be too inglorious. Only, this matter involves others. If I may be so bold, I would like to explain.”

Duan Zhengchun nodded. He said to Guo Yanzhi, “Brother Guo, although the enmity between you and your master’s killer is deep, there’s no need to quibble over such a small amount of time. Let’s slowly discuss the situation.” Before Guo Yanzhi had a chance to respond, Cui Baiquan had already hurriedly said, “Naturally, I will obey the requests of the prince.”

At this moment, a family warrior entered the hall. Bowing at the entrance, he said, “Reporting to the prince! The abbot of Shaolin has sent two eminent monks with a letter for you.” Ever since Shaolin had been founded in the Tang dynasty, it had been the Mt. Tai and the Big Dipper of the wulin [meaning that it held a position of extreme eminence]. Upon hearing these words, Duan Zhengchun immediately stood up and left the hall to personally welcome the guests.

He saw a pair of middle-aged monks be escorted by two of his family warriors, making their way past the small yard. One of the monks, who had a dry and shriveled up appearance, bowed towards Duan Zhengchun, then said, “The junior monks of Shaolin, Huizhen and Huiguan, pay their respects to the prince.” Duan Zhengchun cupped his hands, returning the courtesy. “For you to have travelled such a distance to brighten my doorway must have been very difficult on you. Please, come inside and have some tea.”

After entering the pavilion, the two monks did not sit. Huizhen said, “Prince, this humble monk has come here on the instructions of my abbot to deliver a letter to Emperor Baoding or the South-Subduing Prince.” As he spoke, he withdrew a wrapped bundle from his breast. Slowly he unwrapped it, removing a yellow parchment from within, then pro-offering it respectfully to Duan Zhengchun.

Duan Zhengchun accepted it, then said, “My imperial brother actually is inside at this very moment. This is the perfect time for you to meet him.” He said to Cui Baiquan and Guo Yanzhi, “Gentlemen, please take some refreshments for now. We will speak shortly.” He then brought Huizhen and Huiguan deeper within the palace.

Actually, at this moment, Emperor Baoding had already retired into the warm pavilion and was having a tranquil conversation with the Yellow Browed Monk. Duan Yu sat next to them and listened quietly. Upon seeing Huizhen and Huiguan, he rose to his feet. Duan Zhengchun handed the scroll over to Emperor Baoding, who opened it. The letter was addressed to them two, and was filled with such flowery language as “long respected your illustrious name, but never had the fortune to meet you,” “rule over the south, acting with vast benevolence,” “admired by thousands of people, of exceptional ability and wisdom,” “guardian of the Buddhist truth, glorifying the saintly path,” etc. etc. etc. Finally, it came to the meat of the letter. “My younger martial brother, Master Xuanbei, will be heading towards your respected area with his four disciples. On the basis of our shared worship of Buddha and of our friendship within the wulin, I respectfully request that you take good care of him.” The letter was signed, “The lowly disciple of the Shaolin monastery, Xuanci, pays a hundred respects.”

Emperor Baoding rose while he read the letter to show the respect he held for Shaolin. Huizhen and Huiguan politely stood off to their side. Emperor Baoding said, “The two of you, please be seated. All of us followers of Buddha’s teachings and, as members of the wulin, share the same heart and arteries. Whatever the abbot of Shaolin requests, we will certainly exert all of our efforts to comply with. Master Xuanbei’s understanding of Buddhism is extremely subtle, and his martial arts level is deep and profound. I admire him to the extreme. Might I ask when he will grace my humble abode? We eagerly anticipate his arrival.”

Huizhen and Huiguan suddenly felt to their knees. With a series of ‘dong’ sounds, they kowtowed repeatedly. They began to cry bitterly.

Emperor Baoding and Duan Zhengchun were both startled. They thought to themselves, “Can it be that Master Xuanbei has died?” E