Alone Star’s Blood and Tears

Huang Fu Ren was tall, with a waxen horse face, goatee beard, and a sight as sharp as a knife. He arched his hand and said, "Grand Chief Han, I have a secret imperial edict, can we speak alone?" Without waiting for Han Qinhu to reply, he waved his hand for the four attendants to retreat.

Han Qinhu also waved his hand at Han Zhong. Han Zhong retreated.

Huang Fu Ren took off his sword and set it down on the weapon rack by the hall door, saying, "Since I have entered your lord's residence, I must still follow the rules."

Han Qinhu guided him to the superior seat. Huang Fu Ren didn't declare the emperial edict either, but looked around and said, "Rumour has it that your martial arts hall is extremely luxurious, but why is it that even the big candles aren't lit, and only small candles are used? It seems that the rumours are mostly untrue, hahaha."

Han Qinhu heard the unspoken implications, meaning that he unusual act of not lighting enough candles at night must be up to no good. Han Qinhu immediately replied: "General Huangfu, you came at night to pass the imperial edict, it is too late for me to prepare, I am not fully in courtesy, please I hereby ask for your forgiveness." Said this, Han Qinhu bowed with arched hands, as an offering of apology.

Huang Fu Ren's eyes flickered and his nostrils opened and closed, "Is it possible that your Lord Chief is slaughtering livestocks to reward soldiers today? The smell of blood is so strong!"

Han Qinhu coughed, dragged out the copper basin from under the table, sighed: "The King ordered me to oversee the military affairs of the north of the Yangtze River The heavy and detailed tasks led to the recurrence of my old disease, my Qi and blood rushed, I couldn't help but vomited a few mouths of blood. You are so clear-sighted that you even sniffed out such a subtle point, how do I admire it."

Huang Fu Ren nodded: "No wonder you are not looking well! The king has a handwritten edict here, so please have a look at it." Saying so, he pulled out the silk from his sleeve and handed it to Han Qinhu.

Han Qinhu got up and knelt down, took it with both hands and read it under the candlelight. There were only a few words in the hand edict:

As you can see, I've sent Huang Fu Ren as an envoy to Jiangbei to arrest the criminal Ouyang Xinde. Ouyang has a close relationship with you, so don't let your personal interests interfere with your public duties, please!

When Han Qinhu read that, he was crystal clear. The king did not point out the matter of the illegitimate son, but clearly ordered to catch Ouyang Xinde, so he was naturally clear about the original reason. However, Huang Fu Ren's brother Huang Fu Jiong was killed by Ouyang Xinde outside the city, it seemed that they did not come together. His friendship with Ouyang Xinde was not a secret, as they both served under the banner of Yang Jian and fought in the same camp against strong enemies.

So he said, "Ouyang Xinde is far away in the Central Plains, how could he come to north of Yangtze river? If I see this man, I will lock him up and send him to the capital to be sentenced by our Majesty."

"As you have said, hasn't Ouyang Xinde been here?" A hint of suspicion flashed in Huang Fu Ren's eyes.

"As you have said, has Ouyang Xinde been here?" Han Qinhu looked annoyed.

"The king is wise, and will not wrongly accuse Lord Han!" Huang Fu Ren put up his horse face, "Three days ago, I detected Ouyang Xinde's trail in Xuzhou, and that he was fleeing towards Luzhou. You two are close friends, that was well known both to the royal and the common ones, where will he go otherwise, if he didn't seek refuge from you?"

Han Qinhu said angrily, "Huangfu Ren, you want to plant evidence, don't you? It's true that you're a secret envoy, but you have to speak with solid evidence! I have just learnt that Ouyang Xinde is a criminal. Before that, I would have treated him as a good friend if he had come here, but why do you make it sound like I'm deceiving the king? Do you think I can be bullied?"

Huang Fu Ren froze. Indeed, Han Qinhu's words were not at all faulty. After a long while, he said, ''Grand Chief, my apoligies! You are the pillar of the country, you would never ruin the royal affairs because of selfishness, nor commitany kind of crimes that would cause all the nine clans to be executed? But I did detect this thief to Luzhou.Lord Han is supervising the north of Yangtze River, please send people to investigate, so that I can also return to the capital to reply to the king."

"If brother Huang Fu said so earlier, how dare I not follow your orders?" He immediately got up and went out, called Han Zhong into the hall, described Ouyang Xinde appearance, and let him send out the night patrol soldiers to investigate overnight thoroughout Luzhou city. Were there any suspicious one, he must be brought to the military house for interrogation.

With imperial mandate carried, Huangfu Ren expressed his gratitude in the open, but in his heart he was calculating. The difficulty of this case was that, it can not be explicitly stated, Yang Jian secretly ordered him not to disclose even to the Queen's people, he could only act under the guise of catching Ouyang Xinde. He did find Ouyang Xinde's traces in Xuzhou City, however, his martial arts were a lot worse than Ouyang Xinde, so he was two hours later.

After finishing the official business, Han Qinhu ordered the guards to take the lamp and rearrange seats. On the table the fried soybeans were taken away and replaced by coarse tea. At that time, in China tea drinking was not yet popular, the way to cook was also as simple as to crush tea leaves and boil them and drink it all. In government and military, tea was just a courtesy to treat guests, no one would really taste it.

Gradually it came to dawn. Han Zhong returned to reply: two corpses were found on the outskirts of the city in the wilderness, with flesh ripped, but vaguely one could be recognised as Ouyang Xinde, and the other was unidentified. Huang Fu Ren stood up, took his sword and went to check. Han Zhong led the way, Han Qinhu followed to the autopsy room at east of military residence. On the mortuary table, Ouyang Xinde and Dugu Hun's clothes were torn and their bodies were covered in blood and flesh. Even though Huang Fu Ren was cautious, he could not accurately count how many wounds there were. But Dugu Hun was surely the person he recognised.

Han Qinhu looked at him for a while, then suddenly clapped and said, ''This seems to be the Cloud Swordsman Dugu Hun! Around the world, I'm afraid there are no more than ten people who can survive under his sword. General Huangfu, could it be that this Swordsman Dugu Hun was here with you?"

Huang Fu Ren secretly cried out. The King had secretly ordered him to make sure that he captured Ouyang Xinde and ensured that the little prince's life would be safe. Now, it seemed that Queen Dugu had sent Dugu Hun to kill Ouyang Xinde and the little prince to eliminate all potential problems. Although the King and Queen were couples, they had different positions on this matter. However, he had not seen the dead body of the little prince, he thought there might be hope. On this thought, he did not want to linger on, so he immediately said: "It seems that the two masters accidentally met, fought, and died together. I will report the truth to our Majesty. I am sorry to bother you, please excuse my leave." This said, he did not wait for Han Qinhu's response, tossed his cloak and rushed out the door with his .

Han Qinhu respectfully sent them out the gate of the military mansion, quite relieved. The Dugu Hun was the best swordsman in the world, and his sudden disappearance must have aroused the queen's suspicion. Fortunately, Huangfu Ren "witnessed" the death of the two masters fight, therefore he was also involved. He immediately ordered Han Zhong to bury them outside the city.

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Li Jing carried Ouyang Alone Star on his back , held the severe pain in his legs, and ran along the pathway.

It was early morning. Frost covered all the trees and grasses under the frozen sky, and ravens were screaming mournfully. The long river winded into the misty distance. When Li Jing arrived at the ferry port of the suburban village, a thin old helmsman was tidying up the cabin in the breaking dawn light. Li Jing stepped forward, put down Ouyang Alone Star, and said with an arch of his hand, "Please excuse me."

The old boatman glanced at him, paid no attention and continued his work. Li Jing had to make another bow, "Boatman, please take us to Ruxukou Port."

"Are you going to Ruxukou?" The old boatman said, "I am going to Ruxukou, but this boat has already been rented by another customer, don't you see me getting up so early to get ready?"

Li Jing looked around, this was the only boat along the ferry. "Elderly uncle, we can double the payment, please talk with the chartered customer."

The old boatman sighed, "Little brother, I'm afraid it's not good to negotiate. The customer are officials, and I don't dare to make trouble."

At this time Ouyang Alone Star coughed. The helmsman stopped his work, walked off the boat, squatted down, grabbed Alone Star's small hand with his left hand, and stroked his white beard with his right hand. With his eyes closed for a long time, he shook his head, "I'm afraid he won't be able to live ...."

Li Jing's heart sank. His uncle had risked his head to protect this child, and he himself had risked everything to go to Sichuan, so if anything went wrong, how could he face his uncle? The boy's eyes were dull and his face was pale, so he thought that the old boatman's words were true. He suppressed his heart that was about to pop out, and said earnestly, "Please save my little brother."

The old boatman glanced at him, ''This little brother, from the way you walked just now, you also have injuries on your legs. Who exactly are you guys? Could it be that your family has suffered any disaster?"

Li Jing thought to himself that since this old boatman could diagnose the illness, he might also have a method to cure it, so he immediately followed him and said, "Elderly uncle, last night there was a fire at home, and a relative was injured, so I rushed to go to the mouth of the Ruxukou to seek assistance at my relatives. I'm afraid that my little brother was frightened, please help him, I will certainly be a generous reward."

The old boatman looked at him, said: "you must be lying. You are hiding your blades, although your legs are injured, you walk so light that no sound was made, certainly you have martial arts skills; if your little brother were only frightened, he would not be in danger of death. But he was injured by someone with strong kung fu, fortunately he was only hit at side when others were fighting, otherwise he could have been killed by then."

Li Jing was horrified. He never expected to meet such a great one in this small ferry, so he immediately flopped down on his knees, kowtowed a few times, crying, "Please save my little brother ...."

The old boatman looked at the end of the road and saw no one coming, and waved his hand, "Get on the boat first. But you have to promise to get off the boat when the guests come."

Li Jing was in a hurry to save Along Star at this time, how dare he nag with him? Immediately he picked up Ouyang Alone Star, stepped on the wooden board on the boat, and followed the old boatman into the cabin. The small cabin could only hold a couple of people to sit and lie down. The old man pushed open the little door made of bamboo gabions and entered the inner cabin. The inner cabin was even smaller, only for three or four people. There was a short low bed, in front of which were piles of daily wares, so it seemed to be the old boatman's usual residence.

The old boatman signalled Li Jing to place Ouyang Alone Star on the bed, then he positioned his acupuncture points and performed needling, and take massotherapy to invigorate the blood. Li Jing stood by and watched. Within a short time, the colour of blood appeared on Alone Star's face. The old man ordered Li Jing to take a small wooden basin before he helped Little Alone Star up. With one hand in front of the other, he concentrated to force out. With a "wow" sound, Little Alone Star sprayed a mouthful of black blood.

The old helmsman's forehead was slightly sweating, he put the little Alone Star down to lie flat, fed him a pill, and lightly breathed out, "The little boy's life is considered to be saved, but his vital energy is greatly injured, I'm afraid that the lifespan is limited."

Li Jing knelt down to thank him. The old man lifted him up, ordered him to sit on the edge of the couch, untied his shirt, removed his trousers, and inspected the wound. It was only then that Li Jing felt a sharp pain in his wound, as if it were on fire. The old man sniffed and said: '' Healing paste was effective. Fortunately, the sword is not poisonous, but your tendons and veins were hurt, even if renewed, you will suffer at old age..." Before he finished speaking, he heard someone calling from the shore outside.

The old boatman answered, hurriedly let Li Jing put on his clothes, and whispered, "Little brother, I can't keep you ... guests have arrived."

Li Jing's heart tightened. Not to mention the fact that there were no other boats around the ferry, even he and this sick and injured child need the old boatman for caring. So he begged in a low voice, "Please be kind, our brothers are sick and wounded, and it is our Buddha's destiny to meet you, so please be merciful and allow us to rest in the inner cabin, and we promise to keep quiet!"

The old helmsman frowned and said in a deep voice, "Then it's settled, you two are not allowed to make a sound, and you can't move in the inner cabin. If the guests are aware of this, you will have to get off the boat!"

Li Jing nodded and promised repeatedly.

The old boatman closed the cabin door tightly and left to welcome the guests. Since Li Jing had promised the boatman, he lay on his side of the bed and looked at the motionless Little Alone Star. The boy's eyes seemed much brighter, and he kept his mouth shut. Li Jing reached out his hand and held his gradually warming hand. Little Alone Star's hand moved a little in response.

Not long after, the guests had already boarded. A male voice said, "Qingni, help Meiniang to sit down. It's windy outside, be careful. Don't catch cold." A female answered, her voice clear and pleasant, yet a bit of childish, as delicate as a warbler. Li Jing was curious, but the little Alone Star in front of him worried him even more. He whispered in the child's ear, "Don't be afraid! I will definitely protect you." Little Alone Star's little hands gripped him harder. Li Jing saw that there were teardrops hanging from the corners of his eyes, as bright as dew.

The old helmsman settled the guests and set sail. Li Jing kept his promise and dared not make a sound in the inner cabin. The boat moved gently at first, but as the autumn wind blew strongly, the boat speeded up and swayed. Li Jing had to get down from the low bed, his nostrils met a fragrance. He couldn't help but put his face close to the gabion wall, and saw three people sitting in the outer cabin, one man and two females.

On the left side of the cabin was a middle-aged literati, dressed in green, short-bearded and thin; two females were sitting on the right side of the cabin, and the one seated inside was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a gold hairpin on her head, a high-pulled clouded hairstayle, a small-sleeved bunched skirt, and a purple cloak. When Li Jing saw half of her face, he was immediately attracted by her creamy skin, the jade-like nose reaching up to her forehead, the constantly fluttering long eyelashes, and her full, well-defined lips. The maid sitting near the cabin door was dressed in a light blue short-sleeved shirt, a high-waisted long skirt, with a belt hanging down, a shawl draped over her shoulders, and her hair styled into double buns. Half of her petite face was charmingly flushed, giving her a very sparkish look. Li Jing, born into an official family, recognized at a glance that the woman sitting inside was the mistress, and the one sitting closer to the door was a maidservant. However, the man's identity was unknown.

Li Jing only took one glance, but his heart uncontrollably skipped. Whether in his old home in Sanyuan or on the march with his uncle, beautiful women were common, but a single side view of this purple-clad woman gave his mind a jolt he had never felt before. Li Jing's parents believed in Buddhism, his father did not have a concubine, and his mother had told him since childhood that men should not be indulged in lust, which would burn out their reason. He still did not understand, and had never really cared about any female. Today, with injuries on this boat, when he suddenly saw such extraordinary temperament of the lady, he found himself somewhat unable to restrain himself from stretching his head to look again. However, since he promised the old boatman that he would not cause any trouble, he could only forcefully calm down and return to lie on his side along the bed. 

After the middle-aged man entered the cabin he stopped speaking, but the two females began to talk in whispers. Li Jing was born with exceptional hearing, although there was the sound of the boat breaking water outside, but their words could still be clearly heard. What they were saying was not northern dialect, but soft Wu language.

Han Qinhu had travelled around long and far, and had specially hired someone to teach Li Jing the dialects of various places, including Wu and Slang in the south, Qiang languages in the west, Turkic languages in the north, and Goryeo languages in the east. At first, Li Jing was reluctant to learn, Han Qinhu told him, there was a general named Zhangsun Sheng who was proficient in the language of the countries. As the most famous ambassdor, his diplomatic missions across the world was easy and successful, talking all the countries to cease wars, even tiger-like Turkic khanate treated him as the most important guest. Li Jing always admired heroes, so he took Zhangsun Sheng as an example, and was determined to learn. To him, Wu dialect was no different than the official language.

At this moment, the voice to Li Jing's ears was clear and soft and moving, just like a good medicine, bringing some comfort to this teenager whose mood was burning and whose leg was in severe injury Even, he felt as if he had heard this voice in that vague space in the deeper layers of his memory, so extremely distant that it could transcend the margins of thought. Maybe it was an impression from another life, or maybe it was a hazy imagination, however, its comfort to the soul was like a mother's gentle hand caressing over a feverish forehead, enough to let him sleep peacefully.