Chapter 032｜Wonderful Men of Shu

Li Jing only felt his eyes darken and cold sweat instantly spread all over his body. All the way traveling, through all the hardships and dangers, do not dare to be careless in the slightest. Just now, clearly holding Lone Star's small hand, a blink of an eye and disappeared.

The crowd was in turmoil. Li Jing shouted "Little Star", but no one responded. He pushed his way into the crowd and looked around, but he still couldn't see Lone Star. He ran over and grabbed the shopkeeper who had just led them downstairs: "Have you seen my little brother?"

The shopkeeper shook his head. Li Jing thought to himself that perhaps Lone Star was not interested in the Taoist's tricks and went back to his room to rest. Holding a ray of hope, he sprinted up the stairs, pushed the door open, and broke out in a cold sweat again.

There are two more people in the room. A person with neat armor, hand pressing the hilt of the sword,sitting boldly on the couch, probably in his forties, with a big four-sided face, thick beard, and a gentle face; a person with a gauze hat and green clothes, standing at the side of the martial arts person, with a scribe-like appearance, sparse beard, and thin eyes, with a gaze like electricity.

Li Jing thought he had gone to the wrong room and wanted to turn around and exit. The scribe called out, "Where is little brother going?"

Li Jing could only turn back and said, "Answering the venerable one, I mistakenly entered the wrong room..."

The scribe said, "You're not in the wrong room." Saying that, he walked over and closed the door to the room. "This is Yang Xiong, King of Guangping County and Imperial Left Guard General."

Li Jing hurriedly saluted. Yang Xiong said, "Little brother need not be alarmed. I was just ordered to go south to look for the royal blood. Little brother escorted hard all the way, now please hand over the little master to me, I will report to the emperor, there will be a reward."

Seeing that Li Jing was silent, Yang Xiong added, "This is Wanchuan County Magistrate Xu Faguang. Magistrate Xu has found out that you brought your little master up the water and stayed here, thus we are waiting here."

Li Jing saw that he spoke softly, completely unlike those fierce military generals, his heart was slightly at ease. However, the emperor personally sent the royal county king, the capital of the twelve guards of the left guard general to check the lone star, obviously is determined to win.

Li Jing had no choice but to clasp his fists and salute, "I pay my respects to the prince and the county magistrate. Little Star indeed came up the river with me to this place, but he has just disappeared, and I am also searching for him."

Xu Faguang said: ''Little brother, King Guangping and I have no ill intentions towards us; otherwise, why would he speak with you behind closed doors? Last night, you and the little master rested on the old ship under the White Emperor City, and today we took the fast ship to Wanchuan and stayed in this store, we have witnesses. Besides, the emperor's bloodline is not a small matter, if there is the slightest mistake, you and I can't bear it!"

Yang Xiong said, "I am already aware of your twists and turns along the river. I'll tell you the truth, I am under the emperor's secret decree to welcome the young master, and I will not let him suffer the slightest harm." Said he got up, clasped his fist to the north and said solemnly, "His Majesty's word of mouth: my bloodline, will keep it safe, anyone who intentionally harms he, no matter the king, the public official or the cloth, kill without pardon!"

Li Jing naturally knew that this was Yang Xiong signaling to himself that he had no intention of harming Lone Star. However, Lone Star suddenly disappeared, he was also anxious. So he told him the truth.

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiong immediately stood up and said to Xu Faguang: "I'll trouble County Magistrate Xu to immediately thoroughly investigate the inn, and send people to inspect the streets, merchants, and residential areas tonight; if you can't find the little master before midnight, you shouldn't be the county magistrate."

Xu Faguang accepted the order and left.

Yang Xiong sat down again, allowing Li Jing to sit down as well, and comforted him, ''County Magistrate Xu is capable of doing his job, so don't worry little brother. The little master might just be lost. Wanchuan is only a small county, even if we dig three feet into the ground, it will only take one night."

Li Jing, however, did not think that way, and relating to the scene where he had lost his gold leaf and the Taoist priest had changed his magic, his mind suddenly lit up - since this Taoist priest could change, it was possible that he could change the Lone Star out of existence! Perhaps this performance was precisely for the Lone Star! By deliberately showing himself the gold leaf, the Taoist priest was hinting to himself - your gold leaf can come to me unknowingly, and so can little Lone Star!

Thinking of this, he no longer panicked, but still showed a fidgety appearance. Yang Xiong also did not ask more questions, closed his eyes and waited for news from County Magistrate Xu.

However, it was already past seven in the evening, Still, there was no return from Xu Faguang. Yang Xiong could no longer sit still and got up, "You come with me."

Li Jing followed Yang Xiong downstairs. The inn had long since closed, and only the shopkeeper was ordered to sit at the door. When he saw Yang Xiong, he hurriedly got up and saluted. Yang Xiong said, "Shopkeeper, if County Magistrate Xu arrives here, please tell him to go back to the county office and wait for me." The shopkeeper nodded.

Wanchuan County is built on the mountains, and the streets are extremely narrow. At this time there is no sound, there are a few dogs barking in the distance. Yang Xiong took an object from his bosom and lit it by striking it with flint., only to hear "whoosh" sound, a similar fireworks object in the sky exploded, illuminated a piece of the sky. Not long after, a dozen black-clothed men with swords ran over.

Yang Xiong said, "The magistrate is incompetent and still has no results. You and others quickly lock the boats along the river for a thorough investigation to prevent someone from hijacking the little master!"

The crowd answered in unison and quickly dispersed in all directions.

Yang Xiong was about to speak to Li Jing when a horse rode up the long street, and it was Xu Faguang. He wiped the sweat from his head, rolled his saddle and dismounted, and presented a piece of paper. Yang Xiong lit a match to read the note and then fell silent, looking dejected.

The night wind lifted his clothes, making his person look like a stone statue. Only after a long time did he let out a sigh, "Little brother, go back to your room and rest. Magistrate Xu, let's return to the county yamen (government office)."

Having said that, he straightened his clothes and walked towards the long street. Xu Faguang led his horse and silently followed behind.

Li Jing had to go back to the inn alone. He entered the room and lay down with his clothes on, but he could not sleep. What words were written on the piece of paper Yang Xiong saw? Where did Lone Star go? Who is the monk? This series of questions stirred him to sleep.

Tossing and turning, he finally fell into a fitful sleep around two or three in the morning. When he woke up, the red sun was already on the window pane. The small city by the river, a rare good weather with clear skies.

Li Jing got up in a flash and carried his bag downstairs. The shopkeeper greeted him and handed him a piece of paper. Li Jing took it and unfolded it, and saw that it was neatly written:

A thousand-mile escort, Jin Zhi Lan Xin. Now that he has the help of a different person, he has a home to return to, which is also good karma. I hope that you can serve we country and gain fame as soon as possible. Xiong

Li Jing read it and his mind was clear. Yang Xiong did not mention Lone Star, but the meaning is very clear: Lone Star has been taken in by a different person, it is considered a good place to go, and may be the best place to go - if he really take he back to Chang'an, I am afraid that he is difficult to escape the Empress's poisonous hand. It seems that the note Yang Xiong received last night must have been written by someone high up.

Who's this expert?

Li Jing stood in the doorway, carefully recalling the details of last night. Suddenly, the word "wonderful" that the Taoist priest had used when he had spread out the gold leaves appeared again in his mind, and the crowd responded with a roar. When the spectators see something extraordinary and exclaim "wonderful," it is actually quite ordinary, but it was highly unusual for a performer to say "wonderful" himself, unless there was a hint.

Li Jing then connects the episodes of the Lone Star being at his side - the Taoist priest acting out his strange skills - and the theft of the gold leaf, and suddenly understands: the Taoist priest is implying that he is going to a place to look for the Lone Star, and that the "wonderful" is the "Temple"!

Thinking through this layer, Li Jing cursed himself for being foolish. At that moment, he asked the shopkeeper, "How many temples are there in Wanchuan? Which temple has the most incense offerings?"

The shopkeeper said, "Previously there were four temples, three of which fell into disrepair and the monks moved away.

Only the Guan Gong Temple on the west side of the city, the incense is not too flourishing, but Guan Gong often manifests his spirit, so the people often pay homage to him."

Li Jing said, "My luck is not good, so I would like to ask the shopkeeper to help me purchase some offerings so that I can go ahead and pay my respects to Lord Guan."

The shopkeeper said, "The small store will have incense and fruits, which can be fetched later." Immediately, he ordered the store assistant to go and fetch them.

Li Jing paid two five baht, took the wrapped offerings, and followed the shopkeeper's directions to the west of the city. Wanchuan City is built on the river, short from north to south and long from east to west. After traveling a few miles, I saw a Guan Gong Temple by the river. Temple is simple, wall mottled, building dilapidated, only the ancient trees in the courtyard stand tall like carriage covers, brimming with vitality.

Li Jing went up the stone steps. Leaves were everywhere, and there was no one to clean up. Upon entering the main hall, indeed, several devotees were seen kneeling on meditation mats, worshiping Guan Gong. Guan Gong statue tall and powerful, right hand holding a sword, left hand strokes the long beard, austere all righteousness. Li Jing offered incense, arranged fruits, knelt down, and kowtowed for peace.

Half an hour later,all the devotees had left.Li Jing was still kneeling there waiting. The hall was empty, the wind from the river blew into the hall, the smoke from the incense drifted towards the back hall, and a few coughs were heard. A short-bearded monk in his fifties coughed as he walked towards the front hall, and when he reached Li Jing's nearness, he said in a low voice, "Little benefactor, please follow me."

Li Jing followed the monk into the back hall. The monk was tall and walked without a sound. Climbing up the narrow plank staircase and through a passage that only allowed one person to enter a room, he saw Lone Star at a glance. The Taoist monk who had offered his skills at the inn last night and the green-robed old man were sitting cross-legged on a bamboo woven mat. Lone Star sat beside the old man, wearing clean green clothes and neatly combed hair, and smiled faintly at Li Jing.

Li Jing froze for a moment, not knowing what to do. Lone Star walked over, and in his eyes was a serenity and calmness that had never been seen before, like a wanderer who had finally returned home. He softly said, "Brother, I have found my home."

This statement left Li Jing feeling inexplicably mystified. He had traveled more than 2,000 miles with Lone Star, and this place was thousands of miles away from Chengdu, so why did he say that he had found his home?Could it be that the Taoist priest or the old man in front of him was the extraordinary Sun Simiao that his uncle had asked him to look for? Look at Lone Star's look and last night when Yang Xiong received the letter's reaction, should be Mr. Sun undoubtedly - Sun Simiao, a remarkable figure in the world of wanderers, has a noble reputation for practicing medicine and helping the world.If the current emperor knew his illegitimate son was with Master Sun, even if he was reluctant, it would be much better than wandering aimlessly.

So he clasped his fists and said, "I am San Yuan Li Jing, pay my respects to you both ... Uncle Han Qinhu ordered me to enter Shu to look for Mr. Sun Simiao, I don t know which one is Mr. Sun?"

The Taoist priest laughed loudly and got up, ''Brother Li has worked hard. Mr. Sun is in retreat in Langzhong and asked us brothers to come and greet him. My name is Yuan Shoucheng, and this is my brother Yuan Ji." Saying that, he pointed at the old man.

The green-robed old man said, "Young brother, there's no need for suspicion. When I was in Liangzhou, I once had the fortune of meeting General Han. General Han and Mr. Sun are close friends, and our brothers are also close friends with Mr. Sun. Mr. Sun went to Sichuan to collect medicine and practice medicine, and our brothers are also related. Therefore, there will be no more danger after your little brothers enter Sichuan, so put your hearts down."

Li Jing bowed again, and a stone fell from his heart. Uncle had mentioned the Yuan brothers, praising them as strange men in Shu. No wonder Lone Star looked so pleased with himself, he must have sensed the presence of the Yuan brothers.

The monk had been guarding the door. Yuan Shoucheng laughed and said, "This is Master Xuyun, a monk who partakes in wine and meat and also a wandering monk. He has a peculiar temperament but great skills. If you can make him happy, young brother, you might just learn one or two unique skills from him."

Monk Xuyun had a thick voice. Hearing Yuan Shoucheng flirting, he glared angrily: "Others are afraid that you Yuan Lao Er are full of tricks, but the great monk knows how many intestines you have in your belly. Your set of trickery, fool three-year-old children can still, but in the eyes of the monk is like child's play!"

Yuan Shoucheng laughed, "There are just two intestines in my stomach, a small intestine and a large intestine. Unlike some monks who are narrow-minded as a chicken's intestine."

These words were a cryptic scolding of Monk Xuyun's small-mindedness. Xu Yun was really angry, stretching out his big hand like a fan to grab Yuan Shoucheng. Yuan Shoucheng's body swayed and hung on the beam like an ape.Xuyun grabbed the table, and instantly wood chips flew everywhere; a hard wooden table in his hands was as soft as tofu. Li Jing traveled all the way, met a lot of masters, but the monk Xuyun finger power is really rare.

Yuan Ji's sleeve robe flicked, and the monk Xuyun's forward momentum was immediately blocked. Xuyun said angrily, "Brothers join hands, what can your do to me?"Then he threw a punch, hitting Yuan Ji's chest. Only heard a "bang" sound, Yuan Ji retreated a step, the floorboards cackled, cracked a big hole.

Yuan Ji took a hard slap, and although he was prepared, he still spewed out a mouthful of blood. Yuan Shoucheng floated down from the beam and hurriedly made amends, "Yuan Lao Er offended the master, please forgive me."

Void Cloud regretted injuring Yuan Ji, and immediately punched his own chest, also spitting out a mouthful of blood, saying, " Yuan Lao Da, why didn't you avoid it?"

Yuan Ji slightly adjusted his breath and said with a smile, "With the master's temperament, how can he vent his anger without injuring someone? Although the world is vast, I fear that only Master Sun is the one who can make the master yield."

Xuyun sat cross-legged on the ground, adjusting his breath. Only after a long time did he open his eyes and look at Li Jing, "You're a good-looking kid, and your kung fu has some roots. Since Xiaoxing belongs to the Yuan family, you can be my disciple."

Li Jing froze. The Lone Star belongs to the Yuan family? Where was this coming from? His mission was to send the Lone Star to Sichuan to be handed over to Sun Simiao, and he didn't want to be anyone's disciple. Besides, Han Qinhu's kung fu was the best in the world, why would he want to be someone else's disciple?

Seeing that he didn't respond, Void Cloud angrily said, "I know you're Han Qinhu's nephew, and you think he's great, don't you? Since I have my eye on you, you have to be obedient, or else I'll pinch you to death!"

Li Jing had no choice but to reply, "I am honored by the great master's love. However, this important matter needs to be approved by my father. My family lives in Guanzhong Sanyuan, so let me return to my hometown to inform my father and then worship the teacher."

Xuyun scratched his bare scalp, but he couldn't have an attack for a while, and could only say: ''What the kid said is also reasonable. However, this master of mine is not someone who can be worshipped by anyone. Ten years ago, Anzhou governor Li Qian, Nan'an county magistrate Xu Faguang, several times begged me to accept their son as a disciple, I did not agree. You mustn't miss out on a good opportunity."

Yuan Shoucheng laughed, ''The great monk is really thick-skinned enough. Li Bing is the son of Li Hu, one of the eight pillars of the Western Wei Dynasty. Xu Faguang is the son of Xu Hong, the governor of Anzhou. How could these scions of noble families take you, a monk from the wilderness, as their master?"

This time, Xu Yun did not get angry and laughed, "It is said that the Yuan family's second son is in the mountains but knows the world's affairs, but he does not know that these sons of scions of noble families to learn from the wise. Do you believe it? County Magistrate Xu and his son, have arrived in front of the temple at this moment."

The Yuan brothers nodded at the same time. Li Jing listened with his side ear, not hearing any sound. Not long after, he did hear the stairs rattling. Void Cloud turned around and went out to meet they at the door.

Xu Faguang entered the house. Li Jing saw that he was followed by a seventeen or eighteen year old boy with fair-skinned, with a handsome appearance and an air of scholarly elegance.

After Xu Yun finished his introduction, he invited Xu Faguang to take a seat and said, "Thank you for your efforts regarding last night's matter, Magistrate Xu. The Yuan brothers are remarkable figures from Shu, and Master Sun is indeed a highly esteemed individual of this era. With the protection of the Yuan and Sun families, Little Star is safe. Please rest assured, Magistrate Xu."

Xu Faguang smiled and said: ''Not to mention Mr. Sun, the Yuan family two brothers, even if the master is assurance, I, Xu, can fulfill my responsibilities.The master is a descendant of Marquis Huan, unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness. The emperor would be pleased to know this." Li Jing's heart stirred. "Marquis Huan" was the posthumous title of Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei was killed by his subordinates and buried west of Langzhong city. Li Jing hadn't expected that Monk Xuyun was a descendant of Zhang Fei.

Xu Yun said, "The past of our ancestors is like clouds and smoke, so let's not mention it. County magistrate Xu and King of Guangping, both know that the current emperor is polite and respectful to Mr. Sun."

Xu Faguang nodded and said: "Master this is true. During the reign of Emperor Jing of the previous dynasty, the current emperor, who was then in charge of state affairs, specially sent an invitation to Master Sun to serve as a National Scholar in the court, which the master politely declined. When the emperor ascended the throne, he again invited Master Sun to be the historical official. The master replied, regretfully declining due to his limited learning, expressing his wish to educate the people and practice medicine for the benefit of the world on behalf of the emperor.The emperor would surely be at ease knowing the young master is under Master Sun's care." Having said this, he knelt before Lone Star with the respect due to a court official.

Lone Star was not flustered, got up to help Xu Faguang, and said with a straight face: ''Xu magistrate rest assured. I have no desire for fame or fortune, can be taught by Mr. Sun walking the rivers and lakes, benefit the people, not in vain this life. Please County Magistrate Xu can just report back truthfully."