Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 2 (1)

Chapter 2: Palace of White Jade in Heaven

ONE

Bai Yujing^[1] was not in heaven, but on a horse.

His saddle was almost completely worn out; same goes with his boots and the scabbard of his sword. However, his clothes were brand new.

The scabbard dangled loosely against the saddle as the spring breeze gently stroked his face.

He was very cheerful and very comfortable.

The aged saddle was very comfortable for sitting; the well-worn boots felt very comfortable on his feet; the old scabbard would never cause damage to the sharp edge of his sword; new clothes always put him in high spirits and feel vigorous and energetic.

What he was most cheerful about, however, were not these things, but that pair of eyes.

In the horse-drawn carriage in front of him, a pair of charming eyes had been peeking at him all the time. This was not the first time he saw those eyes. He could still remember the first time when he saw those eyes. It was inside a small inn in a small town.

He had just entered the inn when she walked by and bumped into him.

Her lovely smile was filled with shyness and embarrassment, and her face was as red as the rain-soaked sunset.

He secretly hoped that she would bump into him again, because she was really a very attractive lady while he was really not a hypocritical gentleman.

The second time when he saw her, it was inside a small restaurant. He had just begun his third drink when she walked in. As soon as she recognized him, she hung her head with the sweetest smile.

The sweet smile was still filled with shyness and embarrassment.

At that time he smiled too, because he knew she would not have smiled again and again had she bumped into another person. He also knew that he was not an unattractive man, which he had always been very confident with.

Therefore even though he left first, he did not hurry with his journey.

As expected, her carriage had caught up with him by now, but did this happen by chance or by purpose? He was a rover who enjoyed wandering the world. Along his journeys, he had met all kinds of people.

Among them were red-bearded barbarians who roamed the grasslands outside of the Great Wall and heavily-armored cavalries who galloped the great deserts. There were also ill-tempered outlaws that would slaughter at the slightest argument, as well as young and daring champions of Martial World chivalry.

The endless wandering gradually worn his saddle and scabbard, and his beard grew thick and stiff.

But his life was always fresh and colorful.

He could never foresee in the next part of his journal what things might happen or what kind of people he would meet.

The spring breeze gradually grew chilly, and a misty spring shower suddenly spilled off the spring clouds, moisturizing his new spring outfits.

The carriage ahead of him halted. As he rode closer, he found that the curtains had already been rolled up and that pair of charming eyes gazed at him intently.

The charming eyes, a shy smile, a lovely face untouched by makeup, and a dress as vivid as the violet twilight made up a breathtaking scene.

She pointed at her delicate feet, then at his newly wetted clothes, her slender fingers as pretty as the scallions of the spring season.

He pointed at himself, then at the carriage.

She nodded, and then with a charming smile, opened the door.

The interior of the carriage was cozy and dry. The silky seat covers were as smooth as her skin.

He dismounted his horse and stepped up into the carriage.

The spring shower was tender and intimate – it rained just at the right time.

In spring time, the Heavenly Lord seemed to be very fond of arranging intriguing occasions to bring together fine people in fortuitous encounters.

There was neither the slightest bit of awkwardness, nor unnecessary words, as though it was his destiny to meet her and his destiny to sit in this carriage.

Along a lonesome journey and between a pair of lonesome travelers, no one could object to their cross of paths.

Just when he thought of wiping the rain drops off his face with his sleeve, she handed him a handkerchief of soft, red silk.

He gazed at her, but she hung her head to play with a corner of her dress.

“You’re welcome.”

“My name is Bai, Bai Yujing.”

She let out a charming smile and then chanted gently.

“A palace of white jade in heaven,

Has pavilions five and castles a dozen,

Where the deity stroked my pate and coiled up my hair,

And blessed me longevity as my welfare.”

“You like Li Bai^[2] too?” He smiled as well.

She entangled the corner of her dress to her slender fingers and began to recite in a low, lengthened voice.

“On the mountain of Lao by the east sea,

I once savored the violet twilight carefree,

Where I met the legendary immortal Elder An Qi^[3],

Who shared with me melon-sized fruits of jujube.

Only as a middle-aged man I called on his Majesty,

Failing my aspiration I return home despondently.

My once youthful face had withered in the spring sun,

And the graying of hair in life had inevitably begun.

I crave the golden elixir of eternity,

And to ride the carriage of clouds in serenity.

Up the heavenly terrace I follow the elder in pleasure,

To sweep fallen petals with the celestial at leisure.^[4]”

Her voice had a slight pause at the mentioning of the mountain of Lao.

“Miss Lao?” Bai Yujing guessed.

Her head bowed even lower, and a soft voice replied, “Yuan Zixia^[5].”

Suddenly the sound of galloping hooves echoed as three horses raced past the carriage, and three pair of sharp eyes glanced over the inside of the carriage.

As the horses sprinted forward, the last rider suddenly leapt off his saddle in a back flip and landed on Bai Yujing’s saddle twenty feet away. With a tap of his tiptoe, he hooked the scabbard that hung from the saddle and caught it with his hand.

The three horses suddenly turned around, and with another swift flip, the man returned to his own saddle at ease.

Only moments later, the three riders had disappeared into the hazy mist of shower, no longer to be seen.

“They stole your sword!” Yuan Zixia exclaimed, her beautiful eyes widening.

Bai Yujing only replied with a grin.

“You just watch them taking away your belongings and not do anything about it?” asked Yuan Zixia.

Bai Yujing grinned again.

“I heard that in the Martial World some people hold their sword as dearly as their own lives,” Yuan Zixia bit her lips and said.

“I am not that kind of person,” replied Bai Yujing.

Yuan Zixia sighed softly as if she was slightly disappointed.

Are there young girls who didn’t adore heroes? If you fight others to death for the sake of a sword, they might think of you as a fool, or they might even shed tears for you.

But if you simply watch it happen when others take away your sword, they would undoubtedly be very disappointed.

“Do you know much about the Martial World?” Bai Yujing looked at her and grinned once again.

“Not much. But I like hearing stories and watching with my own eyes.”

“Is that why you left home all by yourself?”

Yuan Zixia nodded and began toying with the corner of her dress once again.

“Fortunately you have not seen much; otherwise you’d for sure be disappointed.”

“Why is that?”

“Things you see are never as beautiful as the stories you hear.”

Yuan Zixia wanted to ask more, but then refrained from the urge.

Right then, sound of galloping hooves suddenly filled the air again. The three riders that had zoomed by them returned.

The leading rider suddenly leaned backward toward the side and extended his arm. In the next instant, he had gently returned the scabbard back to its former place alongside the saddle.

The other two riders bowed slightly with cupped hands[6], and moments later, all three disappeared into the hazy mist yet again.

Yuan Zixia’s eyes widened from the shock and excitement.

“They brought your sword back!”

Bai Yujing grinned.

“You knew they were going to bring it back?” Yuan Zixia blinked.

Bai Yujing grinned again.

“They seemed to be afraid of you!” Yuan Zixia gazed at him, her eyes glowed with enthusiasm.

“Afraid of me?”

“Your…your sword must have killed many people!” Yuan Zixia exclaimed, her voice trembled from excitement.

“Do I look like someone who has killed before?” Bai Yujing asked.

“Not really,” Yuan Zixia had to admit.

“I didn’t think so either.”

“But why are they afraid of you?”

“Maybe they are afraid of you, not me!”

“Me? Why would they be afraid of me?” Yuan Zixia giggled.

“One smile can crumple a city, and a second smile can crumple a kingdom^[7]! Even the sharpest sword is no match for a beauty’s smile,” Bai Yujing exclaimed.

Yuan Zixia’s smile became even sweeter. Eyes winking, she asked, “Are you…are you afraid of me?”

Her eyes seemed to be suddenly radiating with irresistible power, as though she had just posed a challenge for him.

“I guess you wouldn’t take no for an answer!” Bai Yujing heaved a sigh.

“If you are afraid of me, shouldn’t you do as I say?” Yuan Zixia bit her lips again.

“Naturally!” replied Bai Yujing.

“Good! Then I want you to have a drink with me,” Yuan Zixia commanded with a pretty smile blooming on her face.

“You can drink?” Bai Yujing was caught by surprise.

“Do I look like someone who can drink?”

“You do!” Bai Yujing answered with another sigh.

He had no choice but to admit, because he knew very well whether it was drinking or killing, one could never tell who’s good at it just from his or her looks.

---

[1] “Bai Yujing” means palace of white jade, the same words used in the first line of the poem at the beginning of chapter 1.

[2] Li Bai (701-762), a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty, the author of the poem recited here.

[3] An Qi (nicknamed Thousand-Year-Old Elder) was a Taoism philosopher during the Qin (221-207 BC) and Han (202 BC-220 AD) eras. He was said to have become a celestial after taking some potion he had made himself. He was a very important figure in history because he set the example of becoming a celestial from taking magical pills.

[4] Another poem by Li Bai and my pathetic attempt at translating it.

[5] “Zixia” means violet twilight in Chinese. In the original poem in Chinese, the phrase “mountain of Lao” was right next to the phrase “violet twilight”, hence, the wrong guess on Bai Yujing’s part.

[6] A traditional way of greeting in Chinese culture.

[7] Excerpts of a poem describing the beauty of Madam Li, sister of the poet Li Yannian, who later became the imperial concubine of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). The story about the power of a beauty’s smile came from a real historical event. During the ruling of Emperor You of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100-771BC), the imperial concubine Bao Si never smiled. In order to make his lover smile, Emperor You followed the advice from his minister and lit the war signal fire used to summon warlords to protect the empire from the northern barbarians. The chaos created by the many armies hurrying in did make the imperial concubine smile, but also angered the many warlords, so when the northern barbarians really invaded the capital a few years later, no warlord showed up to protect the capital despite the war signal fire. The emperor and his minister were both killed, which marked the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

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Jet Li demonstrating on a talk show why Tai-Chi is more than an old-men exercise.

Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 1 (4)

This one is a bit short. It's Gu Long's fault, not mine. :)

FOUR

The stone cell was ghastly and chilly, but Gongsun Jing started to sweat. Drops of soybean-sized cold sweats streamed down his pale face one after another.

Young Master Zhu looked at him, his gaze as tender as when he looked at his own hands.

“You must know it!” he said in a gentle voice.

“Know…know what?”

“Know who is thanking you.”

Clenching his fists, Gongsun Jing suddenly turned around and dashed out.

“Well, he really is a nice guy. What a pity that nice guys are always said to not live very long…,” Young Master Zhu murmured with another sigh.

“Suppose it is true that there are only seven people who are capable of getting through these thirteen traps. Who would they be?”

“One is for sure. No matter how you count them, he’d count as one of the seven.”

“Who is he then?”

“Bai Yujing^[1]!”

---

[1] “Bai Yujing” means palace of white jade, the same words used in the first line of the poem at the beginning of the chapter.

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Disclaimer: I do not mean any disrespect to the Indian people. But this video is just hilarious!! So be aware, never get Buffalaxed!

Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 1 (3)

THREE

Miao Shaotian walked at the very end, gripping the pair of golden rings tightly in his hands, so tight that the blue veins on the back of his hands almost popped out.

He shouldn’t have come, but he must.

That merchandise seemed to be emitting a strange field of attraction, sucking him close one step after another. He was not going to give it up until the last moment.

Two statue-like guards stood at the entrance of the underground tunnel. Then for every dozen steps forward, two more guards stood along the way, their faces as grim as the green stones in the walls.

A rampant green dragon was carved onto the stone walls.

It was said that the Green Dragon Clan had three hundred and sixty-five secret branches. This was undoubtedly one of them.

At the end of the underground tunnel stood a gate made of very thick iron railings.

Gongsun Jing took out a large chain of keys from his waist band and then opened three locks with three of them. Only then did the two guards behind the iron bars pulled the gate open.

But this was still not the last gate.

“I know many people can get in here. The guards here are not difficult to deal with. But from here onward would prove to be an arduous task,” Gongsun Jing explained.

“Why’s that?” Young Master Zhu asked.

“Between here and that stone door over there, there are a total of thirteen hidden traps. I can guarantee that there are no more than seven people in the entire world who could successfully get through all thirteen traps.”

“Luckily I am definitely not one of those seven people,” Young Master Zhu heaved a sigh.

“Why don’t you give it a try?” Gongsun Jing smiled even more politely.

“Perhaps I’ll give it a try at a later time, but not right now,” Young Master Zhu said.

“Why not now?” asked Gongsun Jing.

“Because I am perfectly happy staying alive,” replied Young Master Zhu.

The distance between the iron bars and the stone door was actually not far, but after hearing Gongsun Jing’s words, the path seemed to be ten times farther, and the stone door seemed to be even heavier.

Gongsun Jing used another three keys to unlock the door.

Behind the two-foot thick stone door was a nine-foot wide stone cell.

The room was ghastly and chilly as if it were the center of an ancient emperor’s tomb, only that a giant iron chest sat at the spot instead of the coffin.

Opening the iron chest of course required another three keys, but that was not the end of it because there was a small iron chest inside the giant one.

“Such maximum security perhaps deserves some higher prices from us,” Young Master Zhu said with a sigh.

“Young Master Zhu is very clever indeed,” said Gongsun Jing with a big smile.

Taking out the small iron chest, he unlocked it and opened the lid, but all of a sudden, his affable smile disappeared and his face looked as if someone had just shoved a rotten tomato down his throat.

The small iron chest turned out to be empty except a single piece of paper.

The paper only showed nine words, “Thank you! You are such a nice guy!”

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Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 1 (2)

TWO

It was night.

There were no stars or moon, only dark clouds and intense winds.

But the courtyard was well lit by many lights and there was even a table of feast.

The middle-aged scholar was crooning an indiscernible song with lengthened tones as he served wine for himself. Out of the blue, he suddenly raised his wine cup toward a large banyan tree outside of the courtyard and smiled.

“I’ve long heard that Chief Miao has a wonderful wine tolerance that can hold an entire river. Since you are already here, why not come down and join me for a drink?”

Owl-like laughter quickly resonated from within the thick shades of the banyan leaves. A shadow shot down and landed on the ground like a shooting arrow, except that the landing was so delicate as if what just landed was no more than a four-ounce cotton ball.

The man had a pug nose, a wide mouth, and a head full or bright red hair. Three large golden rings hung from his left ear. Although he had landed squarely on the ground, the golden rings still jingled. He was indeed the highest chief of the Red-Haired Gang, “God of Fire”, Miao Shaotian^[1].

He stared right into the middle-aged scholar’s eyes, so intense as if there were flames burning inside his own eyes.

“You must be Branch Captain Gongsun of the Green Dragon Clan.”

“That is right. I am Gongsun Jing.” The middle-aged scholar stood up and cupped his hand in front of his chest in a solute^[2].

“Indeed a worthy figure of the Green Dragon Clan! Very keen eyes!” Miao Shaotian praised, and then followed with his owl-like laughter.

Sounds of hoof beats suddenly rose like stormy raindrops in rapid successions and quickly approached.

“Little Zhang San is here, too. Not slow at all,” said Miao Shaotian as he knitted his pair of flame-like think eyebrows.

The hoof beats suddenly came to an abrupt halt, and a clear voice rose together with loud laughter.

“Who dares to be late for a meeting with an underboss of the Green Dragon Clan?”

Amidst the loud laughter, a man leaped in over the walls. The man had a suit of snow white short robe. The front pieces of the robe were intentionally left open, baring the burly and muscular chest, yet the chest skin was even whiter than the robe.

“What a fine ‘White Horse Little Zhang San’! Haven’t seen you for a few years. How come you look even younger and more handsome now? If Lao Miao^[3] had a daughter, I’d for sure let you be my son-in-law.” Miao Shaotian gave a thumb up and burst into loud laughter.

“Even if you really had a daughter, no one would dare to take her,” White Horse Zhang San said calmly.

“Why?” Miao Shaotian stared at him with bulging eyes.

“Look at your own face. I am sure your daughter can’t be any better,” replied White Horse Zhang San.

Miao Shaotian’s eyes bulged even bigger. After a long stare, he finally said, “We are here to do business today. There’s no hurry to start a fight.”

“How about a drink?” asked White Horse Zhang San.

“That, we’d better hurry! Come! Let’s start by toasting three cups to Branch Captain Gongsun!” suggested Miao Shaotian, his face immediately turning into a big smile.

“My wine capacity is no good. How about I toast a cup first for you three?” Gongsun Jing grinned.

“Three?” Miao Shaotian knitted his brows again.

A man’s voice crowed from the ridge of a neighboring house in reply.

“Since both the East-Bank Red Hair and the West-Bank White Horse have showed up, how dare I be late for the party?”

“Mount Taihang^[4] Zhao Yidao^[5]?” asked Miao Shaotian.

But he didn’t have to wait for an answer, because he had already seen a bright saber, a sharp saber!

The saber did not have a scabbard.

The bright saber was directly fixed to his red waist band.

The man wore a green arrow suit with a green handkerchief on his forehead. His red waist band looked even brighter than Miao Shaotian’s hair, a perfect match to the blood-red silk attached to the saber’s handle.

But Gongsun Jing’s gazes were as sharp as the man’s saber and glanced across the three men’s faces.

“The Green Dragon Clan sent out twelve invitations, but only three came. Are the other nine not coming?” he spoke slowly.

“Right on! Straight to the point!” said Zhao Yidao.

“I am sure the three of you didn’t come such a long way just to listen to nonsense,” said Gongsun Jing.

“Not at all,” said Zhao Yidao.

“As for the rest of the nine guests, at least three of them are not coming,” said Miao Shaotian with a nasty grin.

“Six,” corrected Zhao Yidao.

“I took care of those from the Green Bamboo Gang, the Iron Ring Clan, and the Li Family of Taiyuan^[6],” declared Miao Shaotian.

“Our three friends from the Twelve-Wharf Coalition, the Yangtze River Gang, and the Guan Family Style Fists from Chenzhou^[7] suddenly caught some odd deceases on their way here and all had terrible headaches, so…,” added Zhao Yidao.

“So…what?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“They don’t have headaches no more!” said Zhao Yidao.

“Who cured them?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“I did,” said Zhao Yidao.

“How?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“I chopped their heads off,” answered Zhao Yidao. He then added casually, “Nobody will still have a headache if his head is chopped off.”

“Great idea! Simple and effective!” Miao Shaotian guffawed.

“I am afraid the two senior masters of the Ten-Thousand Bamboo Villa and the Flying Fish Pond won’t be coming either,” White Horse Zhan San suddenly added.

“Oh?” exclaimed Miao Shaotian.

“They all fell asleep, very deep sleep,” said White Horse Zhan San.

“Where are they sleeping at?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“Bottom of the Dongting Lake^[8],” replied White Horse Zhan San.

“Wonderful!” Miao Shaotian chuckled. “That’s a cool place to sleep at, and they’ll never be disturbed either.”

“I always take good care of seniors in the Martial World,” White Horse Zhang San said indifferently.

“All those that should be here are here already, but where’s the merchandise promised by the Green Dragon Clan?” Zhao Yidao asked.

“Excellent, straight to the point,” Gongsun Jing said with a smile.

“I am sure the Branch Captain didn’t invite us here just to listen to nonsense,” said Zhao Yidao.

“Of course not,” Gongsun Jing nodded slowly.

“Branch Captain, are you waiting to hear our prices first?” Zhao Yidao asked.

“Not yet,” replied Gongsun Jing.

“What are you waiting for then?” asked Zhao Yidao.

“This merchandise was not easy to come by. Of course we’d prefer more bidders for a higher price,” said Gongsun Jing.

“Is the Branch Captain still waiting for someone?” Miao Shaotian glared at him.

“Don’t forget that there were going to be nine more guests, but you only finished off eight,” said Gongsun Jing.

“Who’s the last one?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“A person who neither has a headache nor fall asleep,” Gongsun Jing beamed.

“Frankly speaking, the Red-Haired Gang WILL get the merchandise one way or another. Whether there’s someone else or not, it makes no difference,” Miao Shaotian sneered.

“The Green Dragon Clan is always fair when it comes to business. If your Red-Haired Gang offers the highest price, this merchandise of course will go to the Red-Haired Gang,” White Horse Zhang San also sneered.

“Are you saying you are bidding more?” Miao Shaotian roared sternly.

“Why else am I here?” retorted White Horse Zhang San.

Miao Shaotian jumped onto his feet and stared at him with squinted eyes, the golden rings hanging from his ear jingled again from his sudden movement.

Sounds of rattling wagon parts and horse neighing suddenly echoed as a six-horse drawn extravagantly magnificent carriage arrived at the gate. Four burly, corky, and husky fellows leapt off the carriage shaft and then bent over to open the carriage door.

After a good while, a pale-faced, beardless, and obese man finally stepped out of the carriage panting. Only after three steps, he was already gasping for air as hard as an ox.

Behind him was a tall and thin man in a black robe that followed him like his shadow. This man had a sallow face, on which the two eyes sank in deeply like a sick man, yet his footsteps were nimble and swift. Along his waist hung a pair of shinny things, and a closer inspection showed that they were a pair of arc-shaped swords.

Such rare type of weaponry was not only difficult to learn, but also tricky to craft. Very few people in the Martial World would wield this kind of weapon, but for those who do, nine out of ten were outstanding Kung Fu masters.

Miao Shaotian, Zhao Yidao, and White Horse Zhang San immediately fixed their sharp stares onto the pair of arc-shaped swords.

“Who is he?” White Horse Zhang San asked first with a frown.

“Young Master Zhu from the Ten-Thousand Gold House of Suzhou,” Gongsun Jing replied.

“How about his bodyguard?” White Horse Zhang San asked again.

“Might just be a bodyguard,” Gongsun Jing said with a smile.

White Horse Zhang San pondered for a second and then suddenly turned to Zhao Yidao.

“Didn’t he come from your way?”

“That sounds about right,” replied Zhao Yidao.

“How come he didn’t have a headache?”

“Even if he did, I can’t cure it.”

“Why not?”

“His head is too big,” said Zhao Yidao in a light tone.

By then, Young Master Zhu had already sat down, although he kept wiping his sweats, panting incessantly.

He had only walked about thirty steps at most, but appeared as though he had just climbed seven or eight mountains.

The man in black stood behind him like his shadow, never more than a step from his side. The man’s pair of eagle-claw-like bony hands also kept a close distance from the pair of arc-shaped swords by his waist.

His deep sunken black eyes seemed to carry a strange ridicule, as if mocking those in front of his eyes for wasting their time on the trip.

The lanterns of the Wind-Cloud Inn swayed in the wind; the golden rings hanging off Miao Shaotian’s ear also tinkled.

White Horse Zhang San seemed to feel a chill and quietly pulled the covering of his coat closer.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yidao fixed his glance at the wine cup atop the table as if pondering upon a difficult dilemma.

No one said anything further as hostility brewed among the people present.

Gongsun Jing apparently quite enjoyed the air of animosity. He let out a long sigh and then spoke again with a smile on his face.

“The four of you do not know each other, but surely you have all heard of each other’s names. I’ll just spare the introduction.”

“There’s no need,” said Miao Shaotian.

“We didn’t come here to make friends,” said White Horse Zhang San.

“Even if we were friends, we no longer will be for the sake of the merchandise.” Miao Shaotian rolled his eyes and cast a side glance at him.

“Chief Miao has always been a sensible man,” White Horse Zhang San sneered.

“Now that everyone is here. Where’s the merchandise?”

“The merchandise is alright, but…,” Gongsun Jing said.

“But what?” asked Miao Shaotian.

“The Green Dragon Clan always follows well-established rules when we do business. We only do fair trade, and cash only,” Gongsun Jing said.

“Fine!” agreed Miao Shaotian.

He clapped his hands, and the nine red-haired weirdoes in hessian tunics suddenly emerged from the darkness, each carrying a hessian sack of quite some weight.

Sound of heavy footsteps also came from the doorway, and soon the curly bearded brawny man strode in holding a large iron chest in each hand. His iron-like black muscles were pumped up, and a deep footprint appeared in the ground with each step he took.

“Golden ring wedged in the wall, and white horse neighing in the wind. As soon as I saw those, I knew that the Red-Haired Nine Champions and the Giant Warrior had all arrived,” Gongsun Jing said, beaming.

“Don’t forget the eight sabers fluttering in wind,” White Horse Zhang San added.

Zhao Yidao finally lifted his head with a forced smile.

“East-Bank Red Hair and the West-Bank White Horse are both of abundant wealth and great power. Our Fast Sabers of Taihang certainly is not in the same league to compete. I guess our Taihang brothers are giving up the bid on the merchandise.”

“Excellent! Chief Zhao is very clever indeed!” Miao Shaotian guffawed wildly.

But his laughter suddenly came to a halt as he glared at Young Master Zhu with his burning glances.

“What about the young master of the Ten-Thousand Gold House? What are your thoughts?”

Young Master Zhu’s heavy breathing had finally ceased and was appreciating his hands like how a young man would appreciate his first love’s hands. But he still responded.

“Are you asking me what my thoughts are?”

“Humph!” snorted Miao Shaotian.

“I don’t have any thoughts. I am too lazy to think,” said Young Master Zhu.

“No thoughts? Got any gold?” Miao Shaotian asked with an angry face.

“Sure!”

“How much did you bring?”

“You want to see?”

“The rule here is cash only.”

“But you’ve seen it.”

“Where?”

“My words are as good as cash.”

“So whatever you say counts?” Miao Shaotian’s face turned solemn.

“Correct!”

“So if I offer ten-thousand, you’ll just say ten-thousand and one hundred?”

“You are very clever indeed,” Young Master Zhu replied.

Miao Shaotian suddenly turned his gaze toward the pair of arc-shaped swords. The nine red-haired weirdoes in hessian tunics had quietly surrounded Young Master Zhu. But Young Master Zhu kept staring at his own hands as if there was nothing else in the entire world worthy of his look except his own pair of hands.

Miao Shaotian’s hands suddenly shot toward the arc-shaped swords, fast and accurate, accompanied by a clear clanking sound from the golden rings on his earlobe clashing with each other.

But he would never have imaged that another pair of hands could be even faster than his, a pair of round and well-maintained hands.

Before his hands even reached the arc-shaped swords, this pair of hands had already pulled the golden rings off his earlobe.

Another clanking sound echoed when the golden rings clashed.

Miao Shaotian flipped his body backward and landed twenty feet away.

The man in black still stood behind Young Master Zhu like a shadow, not moving an inch.

Young Master Zhu still stared at his own hands in same position, except that a pair of golden rings astonishingly appeared in his hands.

White Horse Zhang San’s faced also changed color.

Zhao Yidao glanced at the wine cup in front of him and suddenly heaved a sigh.

“Now do you know what I mean?”

“What?” asked White Horse Zhang San.

“Even if he did have a headache, I can’t cure it.”

“Right, his head is indeed too big.” White Horse Zhang San couldn’t help but sigh too.

“Since everyone has brought their money, we might as well go see the merchandise,” Gongsun Jing let out another smile.

Miao Shaotian gazed at Young Master Zhu, his eyes bloodshot.

Young Master Zhu agreed leisurely, “Right! It’s a good idea to see the merchandise first. Who knows? I might not even want to make an offer.”

Putting the golden rings down on the table, he took out a snow white handkerchief, and after carefully wiping his hands, he finally stood up slowly.

“Please, please lead the way.”

“Please, please follow me,” said Gongsun Jing.

He walked toward the inn, leading the way. Young Master Zhu followed behind him slowly as if he was going to pant again. The man in black still followed him closely, but now White Horse Zhan San finally understood why there was that strange ridicule in his eyes.

He was not mocking anyone else. He was mocking himself.

Because only he understood that the man he was protecting did not need his protection after all.

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[1] “Shaotian” means burning the sky in Chinese.

[2] A common form of greeting in ancient China by men with one clenched fist in the other hand moving about at the chest.

[3] “Lao” means old. Here “Lao Miao” is a way for Miao Shaotian to refer to himself.

[4] Mount Taihang is a famous mountain going through Hebei, Henan, and Shanxi Provinces.

[5] “Yidao” means one saber chop.

[6] Taiyuan is the capital city of Shanxi Province.

[7] Chenzhou is a city located in Hunan Province.

[8] Dongting Lake is a big lake located in the northern part of Hunan Province.

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Video of the Day:

A beautiful dance performance named "Embrace the Sky (飞天)" depicting dancing styles of the Tang Dynasty.

Seven Weapons - Longevity Sword: Chapter 1 (1)

Seven Weapons is another great book written by Gu Long. The book consists of seven individual stories, each describing a specific type of weapon. However, at the end of each story you will find out that the real weapon the author wanted to discuss is not the one named at the beginning. In this book, Gu Long showed his mastery of depicting the spirit and soul of the characters. This is not a book about weapons, it is a book about humanity.

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Chapter 1: Wind-Cloud Inn

A palace of white jade in heaven,

Has pavilions five and castles a dozen,

Where the deity stroked my pate and coiled up my hair,

And blessed me longevity as my welfare.[1]

 

ONE

It was dusk.

Nine eccentric looking men suddenly appeared on the stone slated street, all wearing yellow hessian tunics, hemp shoes, and a bowl-sized golden ring hung from each man’s left earlobe. All of them had a head full of disheveled hair in bright red that spread across their shoulders like burning flames. Among the nine were people of various heights and ages. Though they had different body features, their faces all carried the same emotionless countenance, the kind normally found on dead corpses. And the way they walked, without ever moving their shoulders or bending their knees, closely resembled zombies.

They slowly marched along the long street, silencing the surroundings wherever they passed through. Even the sounds of crying children halted abruptly from because of fear.

At the end of the street, four giant lanterns sat atop a thirty feet long flagpole.

Bright red lanterns with pitch-black words that read, “Wind-Cloud^[2] Inn.”

The nine red-haired weirdoes walked all the way to the front door of the inn and then halted. The leading man took off the golden ring from his ear and waved his hand. With a loud thump, the golden ring shot into the stone wall next to the pitch-black painted gate.

Sparks flashed everywhere as the golden ring actually wedged into the stone.

The second man grabbed a bundle of red hair from his shoulder with his left hand and then swiftly chopped using his right palm, which easily cut thorough the hair as if it were a sharp blade.

After tying the bundle of hair to the golden ring, the nine men marched on, their bright red hairs fluttered in the wind like blazes, and soon faded into the boundless twilight.

Right at that moment, eight sturdy horses came galloping out of the twilight. The sounds of hooves hitting the stone slated street echoed like raindrops hitting the window and battle drum beating like thunders.

All the riders uniformly wore green arrow suits with green handkerchiefs on their foreheads, flat toe Kung Fu shoes, and puttees wrapped around their calves, looking bold, vigorous and nimble.

As the eight horses sprinted pass the gate of the Wind-Cloud Inn, the eight riders waved their hands in unison.

Reflections of blades flashed like lightning. Another loud thump resonated as eight shinning steel sabers embedded into the large-bowl-sized flagpole.

The handles of the sabers still vibrated as the red silk piece attached to the handles puffed from the throw. Moments later, the eight riders vanished into the dark horizon.

The darkness of the evening had thickened when more hoof beats suddenly rose in the street, only faster and more intense than the previous eight riders.

But this time there was only one horse, a pure white horse without a single strand of colored hair from head to toe.

When the horse approached the gate of the inn, it suddenly let out a loud neigh and halted, rearing up on its hind legs.

Only by then could people distinguish the rider on horseback, a shirtless brawny man with wild curly beard whose dark-skinned muscles were as study as steel.

After the hefty man reined in the horse, he spotted the red hair tied to the golden ring by the gate and the eight sabers embedded in the flagpole. The man suddenly sneered and quickly jumped off the horse. Holding a horse leg with each hand, he let out a thundering roar and raised the horse high in the air until it reached the eaves of the gate.

The white horse let out another loud neigh. Although its manes danced in the wind, its four legs seemed to have been nailed into the eaves above the gate, not moving the slightest bit!

The bearded man laughed loudly and then strode away. Only moments later, he was already gone, leaving the white horse standing in the west winds under the nightfall sky all alone, making up an eerie scene with ineffable oddity.

The long street was completely desolate by now. All households and shops had shut their doors.

The Wind-Cloud Inn was completely silent. Inn guests had quickly slipped away through the back door when they saw the golden ring and the eight sabers by the gate.

The white horse, however, remained still in the west winds as though it had turned into a stone statue.

On the silent long street, a middle-aged, lean-faced scholar suddenly appeared. Wearing a blue long robe and white pants, he slowly strolled by. His face appeared to be very relaxed, but his pupils shined with wits.

Folding his hands behind his back, he slowly walked to the front of the inn gate, and cast a glance up.

“What an excellent horse! Excellent indeed! It’s a pity that your owner is so ruthless and brought grievance upon you,” he sighed.

He suddenly waved an arm behind his back, and the flying long sleeve swiftly created a wave of strong wind.

The white horse was startled. Letting out a long neigh, it sprang off the gate eaves.

The middle-aged scholar reached out his hands and somehow caught the falling horse by its stomach. He gently placed the horse on the ground and gave it a light pat in the stomach.

“Go back to carry your owner here. Just say a good friend of his is waiting here.”

The white horse seemed to actually understand these words, and immediately galloped away.

The middle-aged scholar casually pulled the golden ring out of the stone wall by the gate and began entering the inn. He gave a gentle smack to the flagpole as he walked by. The eight sabers immediately fell down at the same time.

The middle-aged scholar swept his long sleeve again, which caught and wrapped around the eight sabers.

“Where’s the Flag-Master?” he asked solemnly.

All of a sudden, a thin and small figure darted out from inside the inn and climbed atop the flagpole like a monkey, reaching the top of the flagpole within seconds.

A large flag suddenly spread out from the tip of the flagpole.

On the snow white flag embroidered a rampant jet-black dragon, so lively as if it would break through the clouds and fly away any moment.

---

[1] The first four lines in a long poem written by Li Bai (701-762), a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty.

[2] Wind-Cloud implies unpredictable and unstable situation. It is often used to describe the trend of the times.

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Video of the Day:

To demonstrate how durable their SD cards are, Samsung dropped paper airplanes from the space with the SD cards embedded. Read more at the project web site.