Lao Qianbei, Chua, Jaya, you are welcome. Xiaohu, Xu Xiong, thanks. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to 'sleep tight' on the plane, plus I doubt that FAA would grant certification if they found any bedbugs in it.

Book 18 Chapter 4 - Harm Born of Grace

A dash of color started to appear on w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's face, and then he slowly opened his eyes, and swept his gaze around at Xu Ziling, w.a.n.g Xuanying, w.a.n.g Xuanshu, Ouyang Xiyi, Lang Feng, Song Mengqiu, Yang Gongqing, Linglong Jiao, and the others. Sighing, he said, "I am not dead yet."

Sitting up on the bed, he leaned his body slightly back, and asked Kou Zhong, whose palm was pressed against his back, "How's the situation now?"

"The situation is really good!" Kou Zhong replied in low voice.

w.a.n.g Xuanying blurted out, "Die is seriously hurt like this, and you said the situation is really good?"

This time, even Ouyang Xiyi thought that Kou Zhong's remark was excessively ironic.

Who would have thought that after letting out dry cough twice, w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong nodded and said, "Fortunately we have your Long-Life qi that reverses the inauspicious to luck. As long as I have half a month, I will be completely recovered. Ha! If with my injury we can obtain Li Mi's realm, this is worth it."

Hearing w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's comment, even w.a.n.g Xuanying's unsightly countenance eased up considerably.

w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong suddenly asked, "Is the plan in place?"

Kou Zhong replied indifferently, "As soon as we have the hole in the wall, w.a.n.ggong can start receiving the visitors!"

Other than his good brother, everybody looked at each other in astonishment.

※ ※ ※

Chen Changlin came over to Xu Ziling and whispered, "It's done!"

The rear hall became a restricted area; not only all doors and windows were closed, they were also guarded by w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's trusted aides.

Xu Ziling already regulated his mind and spirit. He sat cross-legged on a high stool facing the wall, his right hand extended through a small hole, which was barely big enough for his arm to go through, on the wall, and again through a small hole on the back of a chair, and pressed his palm on w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's back, who was sitting in the chair leaning against the wall, and slowly transferring his true qi, acting as the bridge to help this most powerful man in Luoyang connecting his meridians, which were blocked out due to his injury, to enable him to have enough strength to deal with the imminent crisis.

Chen Changlin and Linglong Jiao stood guard outside the screen enclosing Xu Ziling, acting as his protectors.

This was part of Xu Xingzhi's meticulous brilliant scheme to cross the sea by a trick [idiom: to achieve one's aim by underhanded means].

In the front hall, w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's breathing started to be low and sharp, but slowly he straightened his back, and his thin and weak breathing became long and even.

A short moment later the sound of footsteps approaching, more than thirty people appeared in the front lobby; these were all high-ranking military officers under w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's command, who were stationed in the Eastern Capital.

The sound of people kneeling and paying their respect continued.

Lang Feng's loud and clear voice was heard next, "Gentlemen, please rise!"

Amidst the rustling noise, one after another they all rose.

w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong cleared his throat and said, "Today this officer summoned gentlemen to come here, there is indeed a very good news to report: victory is in sight. As for the details of the situation, Great General Yang will explain it to you."

Immediately Yang Gongqing's voice rose, "The scheme to lure the enemy was highly successful. Currently Li Mi believes Shangshu Daren was ambushed and is suffering serious injury, and that his life is in danger. The fact is that the injured one was someone else. Tonight Shangshu Daren is going to go to Yans.h.i.+ to oversee the situation and take up the challenge, so that Li Mi may be able to come, but he won't be able to leave."

w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong laughed aloud and said, "General Lang Feng will be in charge here, with General Song Mengqiu, w.a.n.g Xuanying and w.a.n.g Xuanshu, three men as his deputies. All of you must maintain strict military order, don't slack off. When in the future this officer return in triumph, after putting down the rebellion and punis.h.i.+ng the traitors, I will evaluate everybody's merit and bestow rewards accordingly."

All the generals roared in agreement; they were all in high spirit.

By this time Xu Ziling could not keep up already, fortunately after Song Mengqiu ordered the generals to keep w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's condition of injury a secret, the generals withdrew immediately.

Xu Ziling quickly withdraw his right hand, and Kou Zhong, who was standing by w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's side, took his place in transmitting his qi to help maintaining w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's spirit.

He heard Ouyang Xiyi's voice, "s.h.i.+chong Xiong, how do you feel? After seeing the next group of people, s.h.i.+chong Xiong may retreat to the rear hall to rest!"

This moment sound of footsteps was heard again. Xu Ziling took a deep breath, and then stretched out his arm through the hole on the wall, through the hole on the chair, and pressed his palm on w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's back again.

※ ※ ※

Inside a side room, Xu Ziling sat cross-legged on the bed, breathing in and out deeply. Kou Zhong pushed the door and entered, his face looked extremely tired. Disregarding everything, he just sprawled on the floor, stretching out his limbs and moaned, "Do you know what is the most difficult thing to deal with in the world? It's people, always fighting and scheming against each other, all the time, everywhere; harming others for their personal benefit. Whenever there are people, bad things will happen."

Xu Ziling did not respond. A short while later Kou Zhong was fast asleep.

The heavy rain has stopped half a sichen ago, but dark clouds were still racing in the sky, giving the impression that the rain might show off its power and wreak havoc again any moment.

By the time Xu Xingzhi and Ouyang Xiyi came to look for them, Kou Zhong just woke up, sitting up and staring blankly.

"Why did you sleep on the floor?" Ouyang Xiyi asked in surprise.

Kou Zhong stretched out his limbs and said, "This is called absorbing the earth's qi."

He sprang up and asked, "How's the situation outside?"

Ouyang Xiyi sat down and said, "Yang Dong launched two counterattacks in succession to test our troops' morale. Both ended in damaged-troops, broken-generals, and had to retreat. In my opinion, unless they have outside help, their situation is hopeless and could only sit and wait for death."

Kou Zhong and Xu Xingzhi sat down on his left and right, respectively. The former laughed and said, "This is called being enmeshed in a trap of one's own devising [orig. spinning a coc.o.o.n around oneself]. Even if w.a.n.ggong left, the only one who would come will be Li Mi. I really don't understand what is Dugu Feng thinking?"

Xu Ziling opened his eyes. He greeted Ouyang Xiyi first, and then said, "It should be called 'unexpected' instead. Originally they wanted to draw support from Li Mi's forces, taking advantage while w.a.n.ggong is at Yans.h.i.+, they seize control over Luoyang. Would have expected that the confidential matter is not so confidential anymore, plus w.a.n.ggong returned promptly, hence their troop disposition is thrown into chaos, and Li Mi entered by exploiting a weak spot."


Xu Xingzhi joined in, "Shen Luoyan, Huang Gongcuo and the others left Luoyang early this morning. In my opinion the Wagang Army is like an arrow that has already left the bow; their momentum must be released."

Kou Zhong was greatly delighted, "Oh, Li Mi! I don't care if you are as crafty as a ghost, you will have to drink the water that I, Kou Zhong, use to wash my feet."

And then, with lingering fears he said, "But last night was extremely dangerous; a bit more, we would never be able to free ourselves."

Ouyang Xiyi hatefully said, "Knowing someone's mouth and face is not the same as knowing his heart; I never thought that Ke Feng was that kind of despicable lowly man."

Xu Xingzhi mused, "I wonder if Laojun Guan [Taoist Monastery] is collaborating with Li Mi, or with Dugu Feng? This is an extremely important point to consider."

Kou Zhong a.n.a.lyzed, "They ought to be related to Li Mi. Laojun Guan's Zhuchi [abbot, see my previous note] is the old Taoist demon Pi Chen. Perhaps just like Zhu Yuyan, he pledged allegiance to Li Mi. If Li Mi became the Emperor one day, Pi Chen's heretical branch of Taoism sect can become the state religion, then they are going to suppress orthodox Buddhism school like Ci Hang Jing Zhai and Jing Nian Chanyuan. Humph! Pi Chen really counted his chicken before they are hatched. But I am going to make him 'steal the chicken but cannot see a single grain of rice to nibble'."

Ouyang Xiyi sighed in downheartedness, "I have never thought that Li Er's [i.e. Lao Zi/Lao Tzu] disciple could be this kind of treacherous villain who bring harm to the world. I really wish we can immediately attack Cui Yun Peak to execute justice on behalf of the Heaven."

This moment a subordinate came to report that Song Lu came to see Kou Zhong.

Kou Zhong was thinking of asking favor from Song Lu. Hearing that, he gladly went.

※ ※ ※

Song Lu and Kou Zhong sat down in a side hall; after the maid withdrew, the former spoke in low voice, "Is w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong really in imminent peril?"

Kou Zhong leaned over and said, "Not that serious. But to recover, I am afraid he will need at least ten days."

Frowning, Song Lu said, "How did such an oversight happen?"

Kou Zhong did not dare to conceal it from him; briefly he narrated the entire course of events, and then he said, "Li Mi's power can destroy the heart, split the meridians; it was extremely overbearing. Fortunately that time Xiao Ling promptly intercepted him. Combined with w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong's own true qi protecting his body, the punch power was neutralized seventy, eighty percent; otherwise I am afraid w.a.n.g s.h.i.+chong would have breathed his last."

Song Lu said, "Li Mi's 'di sha quan' [earth terminator fist] is quite famous in Jianghu; therefore, he is very confident of his own martial art skill. In his kind of mindset, he would never have thought that the true qi you guys trained from the 'Secret to Long Life' unexpectedly has the power to reverse the rotation of the sky. No wonder Shen Luoyan and the others did not have any interest in staying over to watch if there was any change; they took advantage while the people were in panic and large number of citizens from the city rushed out of town to take refuge this morning, they also left the city by boat."

Kou Zhong laughed and said, "If I had not let them go, they wouldn't be able to leave even if they wanted to. Tonight I will have to rush to Yans.h.i.+; what's Lu Shu's plan?"

Song Lu said, "Right now the north is still dealing with wars one after another, there is no use for us to stay here. A bit later I am going down south via land route. Do you have any message you want me to pa.s.s on?"

Although what he said was an understatement, he obviously wanted Kou Zhong to know clearly the Song Clan's position.