Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 5

The five of them discussed the situation and decided to go to the Zhongwu Hall to offer congratulations. They couldn’t leave the mountain without having met any heroes or villains, and all five also wanted to see Yu Xiu and ask about the recent situation of the sect.

The next day at noon, the five, holding their invitations, followed Hong Ya to the Zhongwu Hall. The Zhongwu Hall was located on East Pagoda Street in Xuzhou City. Its buildings were grand and its entrance wide. Although it did not rely on mountains or rivers for a sense of towering grandeur, the surrounding human prosperity gave it an extraordinary prestige.

The Zhongwu Hall excelled in saber techniques. Their Seven Sage Saber Technique was not only known for its cold, deep, and powerful essence but also for its strange, unpredictable moves to attack the enemy. The final match at the martial arts gathering had been between Lou Jing and a member of the Mu family.

When Yu Jingqiu and the others arrived at East Street, the wedding procession had not yet arrived, but the street was already lively. The crowd thickened as they approached the manor. The Mu family’s students welcomed them inside. After only a few steps, Mu Yunsheng, the Hall Master, personally came out to greet them.

Mu Yunsheng had a round face, a short, stout build, a protruding belly, and thick, fleshy earlobes. Others said he looked like a Buddha statue. Despite his benevolent and friendly appearance, no one dared to underestimate his martial arts mastery. He was beaming with joy, calling out as he approached, “Brother Hong Ya, what took you so long?”

After exchanging pleasantries with Hong Ya, he spotted the five young disciples beside him. Having attended the martial arts gathering, he naturally recognized Lou Jing, Yun Yao, and Di Hou. He treated the young people very kindly, saying, “I was just saying that since Sect Leader Lou sent his disciples down the mountain, they should definitely come to Xuzhou to experience the local customs. What a coincidence! I was just thinking of them, and here they are! Come, come, come! You young guests must be my honored guests. Your Martial Uncle also arrived not long ago.”

Mu Yunsheng was constantly busy, yet he personally led them in. Yun Yao lagged behind and murmured, “Is it a big deal in the martial world that we young disciples came down the mountain to train? It’s fine if Uncle Hong Ya knows, but how does Hall Master Mu know?”

Di Hou said, “Perhaps he heard it from Martial Uncle Yu Xiu.”

The courtyard was full of guests, and a stage had been set up for entertainment. On the stage, several figures were fighting, their moves strange and abruptly changing, catching everyone’s attention. As the group looked closely, they noticed something unusual about the figures.

The figures on the stage were not people, but puppets, with the stature of ten-year-old youths. They were manipulated so flexibly that unless one looked at their blank wooden faces, it was hard to tell they weren’t human. Countless threads hung from the puppets, controlled by the person behind the curtain. This was one of the Hundred Arts of Guanzhong-Suspended Thread Puppetry.

The young people, who had never seen this before, were astonished and stopped to watch. The suspended thread puppets finished their performance and left the stage, replaced by a new performer.

The newcomer wore a painted mask. As he walked onto the stage, he bowed to the audience, then raised his head, his gaze meeting Yu Jingqiu’s exactly. His movement paused slightly as he scrutinized her, until the people below urged him on. Only then did he strike a starting posture, rubbing his palms together. A small flame, the size of a bean, ignited between his palms. As his hands moved, the flame grew larger, forming a cluster. Then, the man moved grandly, swirling the fire around his body, and the flame now resembled a long rainbow.

The man pushed his palms outward, and the fire separated into two streams, taking the shape of a dragon and a phoenix, soaring toward the guests. As the flames passed by Yu Jingqiu and the others, they could still feel the heat. The man offered his congratulations: “May the dragon and phoenix bring good fortune! Congratulations to Young Master Mu and Miss Cao on their happy union!”

Yun Yao wondered, “He conjured fire out of thin air! How profound must his internal energy be?”

Someone in the audience laughed. “Just a side road, a fireworks trick.”

“If that Shen Zhongyin can conjure fire out of thin air using true qi after mastering the Dan Yan Palm technique, would that also be a fireworks trick?”

“Hey, old man, on such a joyous day, why bring up that demon?”

Yu Jingqiu’s group left the stage and went to the table where Yu Xiu was seated. After greeting their Martial Uncle, they sat down at the table. They exchanged pleasantries about their recent situations, confirming that everything was well in the sect, and then talked about their journey.

—

As evening approached, the wedding procession returned. The newlyweds retired to the bridal chamber for the ceremonial wine, and the escorting party was welcomed into the garden for a banquet. The Cao family’s uncles and elders had arrived earlier, but the main escorting person for the bride was her younger brother, Cao Ruxu.

In addition to the usual dowry, the Cao family also sent a lavish gift to celebrate the union of the two families:

The spiritual medicine for strengthening the foundation, cultivating vitality, and treating injuries—Jade Buddha Hand.

When Cao Ruxu opened the brocade box, Mu Yunsheng could not hide his surprise and immediately said, “Such a generous gift, I dare not accept it. Brother Cao is too kind!”

Cao Ruxu replied, “Uncle Mu was injured in the matter of slaying the demon Long Chou. This Jade Buddha Hand is most needed by him. My father said that with the marriage of our two families, we are now one family. If this Jade Buddha Hand is not for Uncle Mu, who is it for? Uncle Mu, please do not decline.”

“Then, I deeply thank Brother Cao,” Mu Yunsheng accepted the Jade Buddha Hand and handed it to a student to safely put away.

People at a nearby table whispered, “That Cao Po is truly generous to bring out even the Jade Buddha Hand. With the Zhongwu Hall and the Caoliu Mountain Manor connected by marriage, their strength will surely grow.”

Yu Jingqiu asked, “Martial Uncle Yu, what is this Jade Buddha Hand?”

Yu Xiu glanced at her, and after a long moment, slowly said, “It is a spiritual medicine encountered once in a hundred years. Some say it greatly increases internal power, some say it regenerates tissue and muscle, and others say it supplements qi and cultivates vitality. Only those who have used it know its true efficacy.”

Yun Yao said, “With such a treasure in his hand, how could Manor Lord Cao endure not taking it himself?”

Yu Xiu said, “Excluding the Peach Blossom Valley, and… no one knows how to use this Jade Buddha Hand. Taking it directly is no different from poison; it will scorch a person’s stomach.”

Lou Jing inwardly grumbled: Something you can look at but not eat. Isn’t that just a white elephant? What kind of treasure is that?

As she was thinking, the groom came out to toast the guests in turn. The people at the tables were mostly martial artists, whose lives revolved around the sword, the saber, and wine, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.

Accompanying the groom was Cao Ruxu. Enemies always meet. The toasting continued until they reached Lou Jing’s table. Lou Jing was not one to hold too much of a grudge. Although she disliked Cao Ruxu, she still shared a toast with them.

Cao Ruxu said to the groom, “Brother Mu, this is the champion of the martial arts gathering! Just one cup is looking down on her too much!”

The groom happened to be the one who lost the final match to Lou Jing. While he respected Lou Jing, he felt a certain resentment deep down. When Cao Ruxu said that, he genuinely tried to persuade her to drink more.

Drinking wasn’t the issue, but Lou Jing disliked Cao Ruxu’s meddling. She felt his actions were too underhanded, so she refused, ignoring the cup of wine held out to her.

Although it was a matter between the young people, it was a joyous wedding day, and it wouldn’t be good to cause a scene. Yu Xiu was about to intervene when Yun Yao, who had a weakness for wine, stood up, slammed the table, and said to the two men, “My Junior Sister has poor alcohol tolerance. Don’t single her out to bully! If you have the guts, come drink with me! Bring the wine! If you’re men, let’s drink from the jar!”

Cao Ruxu was speechless.

The men at this table, seeing the young girl’s boldness, praised her. “Little girl, excellent! What spirit! Young Master Mu, the bridal chamber is waiting; you can’t be a coward now!”

Servants genuinely brought over several jars of wine. The groom recovered his senses, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He was forced to compete with Yun Yao. If he won, it would be expected as a man. If he lost, he would be mocked. It was a no-win situation.

By the end of the drinking, both were drunk, allowing Cao Ruxu to escape cleanly.

—

The sky had darkened, and the moon shone brightly in all directions. Yu Jingqiu saw that Yun Yao was severely intoxicated and asked to take her leave from Mu Yunsheng, intending to return to the Salt Gang with Hong Ya.

Hong Ya said, “Brother Hong Ya, you are too unkind! This is the first time my five young people have left the mountain, and you want to keep them all to yourself at your gang! At least spare them a day or two so I can entertain them.”

Unable to decline his sincere offer, the five had no choice but to stay the night in the Mu Manor. Yu Xiu was still being held back by a group of old friends, unable to leave. Di Hou supported Yun Yao, with Yu Jingqiu in front, and Lang Ye and Lou Jing bringing up the rear, following a Mu family servant toward the rooms in the back courtyard to rest.

At the corridor outside the room, the young servant held a lamp and pointed out the directions, fearing they wouldn’t know their way. “The Hall Master’s courtyard is ahead, the kitchen and storage are to the right, and the garden for entertaining guests is to the left. If the guests need to find someone, just go out the side door and call; the servant is at your disposal at all times.”

A light breeze began to stir in the night, rustling the leaves. The lamplight flickered in the wind, causing their shadows to sway. Lang Ye suddenly moved, flicking his finger to unsheath the short sword at his waist. The blade flashed and shot toward the ceiling of the corridor.

A dark shadow fell. As the wind picked up, the lamp went out, forcing them to rely on moonlight to see. The identity and purpose of the person lurking above the corridor were unknown. When the person landed, only the sound of robes rustling in the wind was heard.

No one saw the person, but a large black robe swirled and drifted away like a flowing cloud. Lang Ye caught his descending short sword and chased after the figure.

At the same time, Yu Jingqiu pushed off with her toes and leaped toward the eaves. “Someone’s on the roof.”

Lou Jing drew her sword and soared out. Di Hou wanted to help, but he was holding Yun Yao. Yu Jingqiu said, “Junior Brother, you stay and look after Yao’er.”

Yun Yao mumbled drunkenly, “Come again, your granny will drink you to death, you… you coward… Hic… Ugh.”

Di Hou rubbed her back. “I told you not to drink so much.”

The servant, being a retainer of a martial arts faction, remained relatively calm despite the sudden turn of events. He opened the door for the two and immediately ran toward the garden to inform his master.

Two figures were crouching on the roof. As Yu Jingqiu leaped onto the rooftop, the two immediately retreated, moving extremely fast without needing to push off anything. Yu Jingqiu swept her sword sheath, picking up a piece of blue tile from the roof. She exerted force with her palm, shattering the tile into several pieces. They shot out like hidden weapons, aiming at the two people’s vital points.

The two figures seemed completely unaffected, continuing their escape toward the outside of the back courtyard. Yu Jingqiu frowned. The shattered tiles hit them, yet they showed no hesitation. If they weren’t wearing protective armor, their internal energy must be far superior to hers.

The direction the two retreated was the same direction Lang Ye was chasing the person who had been hiding in the corridor. Lou Jing sped over the stone path, passed through the Moonlight Gate, and chased closely after the two. Yu Jingqiu leaped across the eaves and walkways, observing the roofs in the distance, keeping track of the movements under the moonlight, lest they lose the fleeing figures.

Unexpectedly, as she looked, she saw thick smoke billowing above the buildings on the south side of the Zhongwu Hall, indicating a fire had started. In the distance, people moved like ants, frantically fetching water to fight the fire. Although she wanted to help, she couldn’t spare the effort. There was a priority to follow, and since others were already dealing with the fire, she continued to focus on the escaping black-robed figures.

The black-robed figures were caught up near a pavilion. Lou Jing blocked their path. Both were wearing black robes with hoods obscuring their faces, so Lou Jing couldn’t see their features. The two attacked with their long swords.

Lou Jing met their attack, releasing a burst of energy that made her sword tremble. Facing two opponents, she showed no fear, attacking swiftly and vigorously, like a silver dragon moving through the air. Although the two blocked her sword, the fierce sword qi cut several slits into their black robes.

Yu Jingqiu also arrived in time, drawing her long sword. The blade’s light rivaled the moonlight, its reflection of the silver moon like a falling meteor, stabbing toward one person’s jianjing acupoint on the shoulder.

If this were a normal person, they should be unable to raise their arm, but this person was still moving as freely as before.

Yu Jingqiu was unfazed. She had observed the strange movements of the two people while she was up high. Now that she had descended from the eaves and was in close quarters, she found the answer.

Yu Jingqiu’s sword technique swept horizontally with the force to cleave a mountain or divide the sea, moving like a bolt of lightning. In a flash, she decapitated the person’s head. Her sword intent did not stop, also severing a cluster of green bamboo behind the person at the waist.

The person’s movement stopped, and they pitched forward in an extremely stiff posture.

If it were anyone else, Lou Jing would have been startled by how ruthless and merciless her Senior Sister was, but having exchanged several moves with the two, she had already guessed the truth from the feel of the contact. Yu Jingqiu’s action confirmed her suspicion.

Lou Jing feigned a weakness, waiting for the other person to take the opening. She aimed a false attack but then chopped down toward the person’s head. The sword swung through the air, yet it seemed to have sliced off the person’s head, too. The person immediately went motionless, falling stiffly forward.

Lou Jing used her sword to tear open the black robes of the two. Under the moonlight, she saw that these two ‘people’ were not flesh and blood but puppets made of wood, leather, and unknown composite materials.

Yu Jingqiu said, “Suspended Thread Puppets.”

Lou Jing said, “They are the same troupe of variety show performers who were doing tricks on the stage during the day. Their background is not simple.”

Yu Jingqiu mused for a moment. They had only met these performers today, so there was no deep enmity that would prompt them to specially ambush the disciples. Seeing the way these people were fleeing, they must have been operating secretly and unfortunately bumped into the disciples, which led to them hiding there, only to be discovered. Yu Jingqiu recalled the fire in the south. “The operators might be nearby, and there might be more than just these two people. It seems they intended to escape through the back courtyard. A’Ye chasing the person ahead might be walking into a pincer attack.”

Although those people had other objectives, if someone blocked their path, they might resort to ruthless means to escape.

Yu Jingqiu and Lou Jing continued their pursuit. They heard sounds of fighting. By the time they arrived, the person had shot out a volley of hidden weapons, forcing Lang Ye to retreat, and then climbed over the courtyard wall, escaping outside.

There was only one black-robed person, and the puppet operators were nowhere to be seen. It was likely that the group had split up to escape.

Just then, a group of six or seven people came rushing from the direction they had come. Leading them was Cao Ruxu, his eyes wide and angry, cursing, “You thieves! Stealing from your grandfather!”

Lang Ye whispered to Yu Jingqiu, “The person who fought me was wearing the painted mask—the one who did the fireworks trick during the day. He was carrying a brocade box. I think it was the generous gift from the Caoliu Mountain Manor, the Jade Buddha Hand.”

Yu Jingqiu realized the situation. Those black-robed figures had taken advantage of the busy wedding day at the Zhongwu Hall, disguised themselves as performers, infiltrated the manor, and seized the opportunity to steal the Jade Buddha Hand. That was why they were desperately trying to flee.

It was purely coincidental that Cao Ruxu went out to relieve himself and unexpectedly ran into the thieves secretly making their escape. When the fire started in the south, the nearby masters all went there to help. If Cao Ruxu hadn’t seen them and immediately called for people to chase, and if Yu Jingqiu and the other two hadn’t delayed the thieves for a while, those people would have escaped.

Yu Jingqiu was worried that Lou Jing would get into another conflict with Cao Ruxu, and pondered, “Since the Caoliu Mountain Manor people are involved, we shouldn’t intervene rashly. Let’s go back and inform Martial Uncle Yu first, and then…”

Cao Ruxu glanced at the three of them, his face cold, and said to his own people, “What are you still looking at? Are you waiting for others to catch the thief for you?”

The group climbed over the wall and chased in the direction the thief had escaped. The night wind faintly carried a few words: “Young Master, how did the Qian Yuan Sect people happen to be right here? Could they possibly be involved with those thieves…?”

Lou Jing’s expression changed drastically. A cold light shot out from her eyes toward the other side of the wall. She suddenly gripped her long sword tightly, pushed off with her toes, and chased after them.

Yu Jingqiu called out, “Jing’er!”

Yu Jingqiu quickly said to Lang Ye, “Junior Brother, hurry and report what happened here to Martial Uncle Yu. I will go after Jing’er, lest she act rashly.”

Lang Ye nodded and said, “Senior Sister, please be careful.”