Dragon King with Seven Stars by Gu Long

[Jayariyin]

Thanks, deathblade.

[HPC7595]

Thanks deathblade

[deathblade]

Chapter 4 - An Old Man Playing a Sanxian [1]

Part 1

April 16th. Night.

A clandestine search expanded underneath the curtain of night. The number of people carrying out the investigation exceeded that which might have been mustered by the Governor of Jinan Prefecture himself. They included Sun Jicheng’s bodyguard retainer, the employees of his many businesses, and their friends and family. Each person was intimately familiar with Jinan; every tea house, wine shop, inn and brothel lay within their realm of their influence.

As of now, Wu Tao, as drunk as mud, had already been taken back into a small resting room by one of the waiters.

Ingot hadn’t left either, because he was drunk, definitely drunk. The two of them were unconscious and covered with vomit.

The person in charge of inspecting this area was the Assistant Manager of Sun Jicheng’s “Open Source Money Lending” business, Yang Kedong.

Able and efficient, as well as eloquent, he found himself at a loss when he encountered the drunk Wu Tao. He couldn’t even think of a single thing to say.

A drunk like Wu Tao was of little importance; a truly important person would never allow themselves to get into such a state, especially with a young beggar.

So Yang Kedong chose to ignore them.

And yet, he had to continue his investigation. It seemed that he would have no opportunity to go back and sleep this night; his new bride would have to wait alone in bed all night for him.

He grumbled a bit in his heart. He didn’t understand; Big Boss Sun’s death was obviously a crime of passion, and the perpetrator had taken his own life. Whoever had organized this investigation wanted him to come and claim responsibility again?

What Yang Kedong found even more confusing was, what did strangers who had arrived in Jinan this day have anything to do with Big Boss Sun’s death?


Part 2

No one could figure out the answer to the question posed by the man in bluish-green, so even though it hit the nail on the head, it had actually been asked in vain.

Frogboy stood up patted the coffins. “Are there really bodies inside?” he asked.

“There are.”

“Are they friends of yours?”

“No.”

“Then who are they?”

“I don’t recognize them,” said the man in bluish-green. “Not even one of them.”

Frogboy looked shocked.

“You don’t recognize them?” he asked. “Then what were you doing with them?”

“Bringing them to you.”

Frogboy looked at him in amazement. It seemed his eyes might fall out of his head, so shocked was he.

“You went out of your way to buy five coffins for people you didn’t even recognize, to give to me?”

“Yes.”

Frogboy looked like he might faint at any moment. He rushed over and downed a bowl of alcohol; he drank so quickly that the last mouthful almost poured out of his nose.

And then, he let out a loud laugh. “If I didn’t know you, I would definitely kick you out.”

That was his usual method of dealing with crazies.

But the man in bluish-green was no crazy, nor was he drunk.

He seemed much more sober than the average person of the world, and seeing him this way, Frogboy couldn’t laugh any more. “Why are you giving them to me?”

Looking very serious, the man in bluish-green said, “I want you to take a look at them and see who they are, and how they died.”

The coffins had not been sealed.

Frogboy’s expression changed after he took a look the bodies inside, and their fatal wounds. He looked both solemn and astonished.

“What did you see?” asked the man in bluish-green.

Frogboy shook his head, continuously. After quite some time had passed, he softly murmured, “I can’t quite tell, not for sure.”

He suddenly clapped his hands loudly, summoning a well-groomed young man, to whom he asked, “Where is my father?”

“This morning, Master was in a poor mood,” said the young man. “He went out alone, and refused to allow anyone to accompany him. No one knows where he went.”

The current leader of the Flowered Flag Sect, Old Master Tian Yonghua, one of the few remaining of the elder generation of the martial world, would usually hide away in an unknown location when in a bad mood.

Nobody knew where he hid himself, except for Frogboy. The man in bluish-green immediately asked him, “Can you take me with you?”

“No, nobody can. Although, this time…” Frogboy looked at the bodies in the coffin and then let out a long sigh. “It seems this time I must make an exception.”

The man in bluish-green slowly stood up and turned his head to face Old Condor Wang, who had been staring at the back of his head the entire time. “You picked the wrong place,” he said coolly.

“What do you mean?”

He pointed at the back of his own head. “This place is bad. Really bad.”

The Condor’s expression changed, his pupils constricted.

Just now he’d flown out of the window for no reason. He was already angry with this pale-faced one-armed man, and the “Three Kings of Huainan” had poor tempers to being with.

Clenching his fist, he asked, “What’s so bad about it?”

“Judging from your posture just now as you gathered your Qi, you were preparing a stance from your Eagle Claw Sect’s ‘Divine Thirteen Eagle Claws’ to attack me, namely ‘Tiger Contending Form.’”

Old Condor Wang laughed coldly. “Using that stance to attack is already showing you a lot of respect.”

“Fortunately, you didn’t actually attack, otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?”

His face expressionless, his eyes again settling off into the distance, his body suddenly spun agilely. A single arm shot out lightly, from an angle no one could ever have predicted. In the middle of the attack, his hand’s form suddenly changed.

He didn’t touch Old Condor Wang, and yet the old man acted as though he had actually been struck. His swarthy, emaciated face turned as pale as death. Some time passed before he finally asked, “Who are you?”

“I’m surnamed Xiao,” said the man in bluish-green. “As in the expression, ‘Desolate Whistling Sword Qi.’” [3]

Old Wang impulsively took a step backwards. “Are you the Beggar Sect’s new Torture Chamber Lord, Xiao Jun?” [3]

“Yes, that’s me.”


Part 3

By this time, Wu Tao and the young beggar called “Ingot” were fast asleep in the little room behind the wine shop. Dead asleep.


Part 4

Behind the wine shop lay a short street. Short, narrow, stinky and dirty — When summer came, it seemed as if all the flies and mosquitos in all of Jinan congregated there.

Other than the flies and mosquitos, people would congregate there too.

People who others looked down upon in the same way they did flies and mosquitos.

Lining either side of the short street were several rundown wooden shacks, providing the city’s cheapest alcohol and women, twenty-four hours a day. Come nightfall, the air would be filled with all sorts of offensive and noisy sounds.

But this night, on that street’s most dark and gloomy corner, from within the most rundown of the shacks, floated out an ancient and desolate sanxian tune. [4]

—Upon hearing this music, everyone on the street knew that “Old Sister’s” weird old customer had returned.

Old Sister had once been called “Skylark.” Not only had she been as beautiful as a skylark, she had also sang as sweetly as one.

But that was thirty years ago.

Thirty merciless years had worn her down. She who had in former years been the beauty of the town, was now a scary old woman.

Fewer and fewer customers sought after her wrinkled face. In fact, as of this year, she had no customers at all other than this weird old man.

But she had nowhere else to go. So, like a broken chrysanthemum, she stayed here, in the darkest corner of this short street, waiting to wither and drop to the ground.

Perhaps the only reason she kept on living was because of this one devoted customer.

An old man who loved to play the sanxian.

No one knew who he was, and no one asked. But behind his back, they all called him “Old Sister’s little old man.”

***

The old man played a bleak, ancient song on the sanxian, accompanied by Old Sister’s hoarse, sad singing.

The dark, shabby room filled with an unspeakable feeling of helpless distress, and yet, it also contained a certain kind of tranquility.

They both were aged; the beautiful woman past her prime, the hero’s hair white. All of the joys and glories and stimulations in life had nothing to do with them any more.

They had no need whatsoever to contend with others for those types of things.

Beneath the flickering lamplight, the old man gently plucked the strings of the sanxian. He listened to the sad lyrics sung by his partner, and the night seemed endless, morning, far far away. His face, marked by endless years of agonizing experiences and countless sufferings, suddenly shone with an expression you might see on a boy sleeping in his mother’s arms.

Only here could he experience this kind of feeling.

Only here could he experience true relaxation.

That was because no one here knew him. No one knew that in the past he had been the famous “Flowered Flag” Tian Yonghua, of the “Four Great Banners Sect.”

No one knew, except Frogboy.

The old man suddenly put down the sanxian and sighed. “I knew that little brat would show up here one of these days.”

“Which little brat?” asked Old Sister.

“Other than my kid, who could it be?”

Old Sister laughed, and underneath the dim lamp light, her smile seemed to still cary some of the charm it had all those years ago.

“How do you know the Young Master is here?” she asked.

“If I didn’t know, who could?” said the Old Master. “Is there anything in the world this old man doesn’t know?”

“There is,” came Frogboy’s voice from outside. “I’m willing to bet there is.” He chuckled. “I’m willing to bet you, old man. Bet that you don’t know who I have with me.”

“Who do you have with you?”

“One living man, and five dead men. The living one is here to see you, and the dead ones are here to request that the Old Master see them.”


Part 5

Behind the dilapidated shack was a high wall. And behind the wall could be found one of the city’s famous haunted mansions.

A haunted mansion frequented by ghosts.

The cold and dismal courtyard in the back of the haunted mansion grew thick with weeds; moss covered the stone pathways. The five coffins had been placed in a small eight-sided pavilion in the back of the courtyard. Two oil lamps swayed in the wind. From a distance, you might think they were will-o-the-wisps.

—Tomorrow, people would certainly claim to have seen ghosts here.

Frogboy and Xiao Jun each held a lamp as they stood on either side of the Old Master. The lamplight shone on their faces as it did the corpses.

The Old Master’s face suddenly twisted. He turned to look at Xiao Jun. “You brought these people here?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you find them?”

“In a forest…” Xiao Jun used the most concise wording to explain what had happened. He knew that Old Master Tian hated people who yammered on and on.

As Old Master Tian listened to Xiao Jun speak, he continued to stare at Goiter-man’s face. When Xiao Jun finished, he let out a long sigh. Speaking to Goiter-man, he said, “Niu Baozhu, Boss Niu, I haven’t seen you for twenty years. Who would have thought that the little bead on your neck had turned into a big ball.”

Frogboy looked at Xiao Jun, and Xiao Jun looked back at him. With exactly the same shocked tone, they both said, “This is the famous Northeast China bandit, Three Panthers Niu?”

“Yes, it is,” said the Old Master. “A bead on his neck, a blade at his side, a head hanging from the blade. He’s definitely Niu Baozhu, also known as Three Panthers Niu. Twenty years ago, anyone who tried to capture him would find their head hanging from his blade.”

“He was a friend of yours?”

“No,” said Old Master Tian. “But he wasn’t my enemy either.” He sighed. “Because I only have one head, and I didn’t want it hanging from his sword.”

“His martial arts were really that powerful?”

“His martial arts might have been even more powerful than they were rumored to be. And he might not have been as evil as people said he was. Even if he drank three hundred bottles of alcohol, he wouldn’t try to steal some silver from a young beggar. Nor would he dress up as an eighth-rate bandit.”

“But that is what happened.”

“He must have done it for some other reason.”

“Such as what?”

“That young beggar definitely is no ordinary beggar,” said the Old Master. “Perhaps he isn’t even a beggar at all.”

“Perhaps the merchant whose coin purse he stole isn’t a real merchant either.

“Very likely.”

Looking at Frogboy, Xiao Jun asked, “Can you find them?”

“If they’re in the city, then of course I can find them.”

“When?”

“If I start now, I can find them before daybreak.”

“Then you had better send your men out immediately.”


**

[1] A sanxian is a traditional Chinese instrument somewhat similar to a banjo. http://tinyurl.com/pxfozs8
[2] His surname Xiao literally means desolate or dreary. And yes this is the same Xiao as Xiao Leixue from Heroes Shed No Tears (although there is not connection between them.)
[3] This Jun means hard or severe. The funny thing is that it is the same Jun as Huang Jun from the book Kung Fu by Giddens Ko. When I was reading this I kept switching the names accidentally.
[4] Here is what I imagine the song to sound like http://tinyurl.com/nw9p4ur. Just click the “play” button.

[HPC7595]

Thanks deathblade

[Jayariyin]

Wow, what a long update.

Thanks, deathblade.

[deathblade]

Chapter 5 - Silver Lightning

April 17th. Before dawn.

Frogboy dispatched thirty-two competent disciples to make contact with Sun Jicheng’s forces, who were currently carrying out their investigation in the thirty-two districts of Jinan. Had they encountered Wu Tao and Ingot during their search?

Disciples of the Flowered Flag Sect came from every social class, so of course all of them had friends who were part of the investigation.

Before daybreak, Yang Kedong, Assistant Manager of Open Source Money Lending, had been contacted, and the whereabouts of Wu Tao and Ingot ascertained.

By that time the two of them still lay fast asleep in the little room in the back of the wine shop. In the abandoned courtyard of the haunted mansion, Frogboy had already used a pair of silver pincers to extract the tiny weapons from the wounds of corpses, and had deposited them onto a silver tray.

Neither the silver pincers nor the silver tray had experienced any change in color; the weapons clearly were not poisoned.They could kill in one shot because of their accuracy, power and speed.

The five weapons were very thin, and yet had penetrated the victims’ clothes, skin and muscle to lodge directly in the bones. It took quite a bit of effort on the part of Frogboy to pull them out.

They sat there on the silver tray, glittering. Three of them were jet black, almost like an iron nail.

The other two needles were silver colored, and shone even more brightly than the silver tray upon which they rested.

Everyone present stared at the five concealed needle weapons, and everyone carried a very serious expression on their face.

After a long time had passed, Old Master Tian let out a soft sigh.

“I never would have guessed. I really never would have guessed.” He shook his head. “I never imagined those old two freaks were still alive, let alone that they would make an appearance. No wonder someone as skilled as Three Panthers Niu didn’t stand a chance.”

“Perhaps that was because Three Panthers Niu never thought that they would show up. He was completely focused on dealing with the young beggar, and thus fell to their treachery.”

“Perhaps,” said Old Master Tian. “Or perhaps Three Panther Niu just never stood a chance.”

He picked up one of the silver needles and sighed. “I haven’t seen a concealed weapon like this in at least eighteen years. I remember, eighteen years ago, when their weapons appeared, no one could evade them. All the way until the end, at that battle on the shores of the East China Sea.”

“What happened then?”

“They finally met their match. After that, no one in Jianghu heard anything about them ever again.”

“Are you talking about ‘Soundless Thunderbolt’ Yun Zhongxue and his wife the Silver Lightning Immortal?”

Old Master Tian suddenly lost his temper. Glaring at his son, he roared, “When did you become so stupid? Other than those two, who else would be using Thunderbolt Needles and Silver Lightning Needles?”

Frogboy laughed. “Luckily, sometimes I’m really smart,” he said with a chuckle. “Things that other people can’t figure out, I can often piece together.”

“What thing? What did you piece together? Spit it out!”

“That young beggar is definitely no ordinary person, and not somebody easy to deal with. Therefore, Three Panthers Niu disguised himself as an eighth-rate bandit so that the beggar would underestimate him, which would lead to an easy victory.”

Old Master Tian was still irritated and just stared at him blank faced. But Xiao Jun had begun to nod his head.

Frogboy smiled at him and continued, “Unfortunately, Three Panthers Niu didn’t realize that two people were hiding in the shadows protecting the young begger. And of course he had no way to realize that those two people were none other than famous figures from the Jianghu of eighteen years ago, the Thunder and Lightning Immortals.”

“It makes sense,” said Xiao Jun.

“It makes as much sense as a fart!” roared Old Master Tian. “Those two old freaks had no sons or daughters, nor any disciples. When they went into retirement, that young beggar hadn’t even been born yet. What relationship could he have with them? Why would they be secretly protecting him?”

“Perhaps they were on an assignment,” said Frogboy. “Perhaps they were especially dispatched.”

“Especially dispatched?” Old Master Tian seemed to be getting even more angry. “Who on Earth would have the seniority two dispatch those two?”

“At least one person.”

“Who?”

“The person who defeated them 18 years ago on the shores of the East China Sea.”

Old Master Tian suddenly wasn’t angry. He said nothing, and after a long time he suddenly slapped his son lightly on the side of the face. With a sigh, he said, “Sometimes I wish you were just a little bit stupider.”

Frogboy also sighed. “Even if I was a little stupid, I couldn’t be that stupid.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I’m the son of the Fourth Master of the Flowered Flags.”

The Old Master laughed heartily.

Just as he laughed with the most joy, his palm suddenly shot out.

This palm was filled with much more power and speed than the palm he had used just moments ago.

Even though Old Master Tian played his sanxian much slower than the blind musicians of Daming Lake, his attack speed was actually three times faster than most people in Jianghu. [1]

Not many people could evade a palm strike like this, but luckily, Frogboy was one of them.

Just as the palm struck out, he scurried up one of the columns of the eight-sided pavilion.

Then, Xiao Jun’s stretched out. With his fingers, he made seven dots on the dusty-covered column, then drew a wavy line between the marks. “Is it him?” he asked, his voice low and hoarse. “Was it he who defeated the Thunder and Lightning Immortals on the shores of the East China Sea?”

What he had drawn appeared to be a few meaningless squiggles. But when Old Master Tian laid eyes on the seven dots and the long line, a look of respect appeared on his face that no one had ever seen before, a look you would give to a person eminently deserving of respect.

Not very many people alive on Earth could command the respect of Old Master Tian. What kind of person did those seven dots and the line represent?

He said not a word, but the look on his face had answered the question without a doubt.

“It’s really him?” Xiao Jun frowned. “Could the young beggar be connected to him?”

“He must be connected in some way,” said Frogboy.

“Why do you say that?”

“If he didn’t, even if that young beggar were being bit to death by stray dogs in the gutter, the Thunder and Lightning Immortals wouldn’t even glance at him. If the young beggar is really his disciple, then why would he steal a coin purse from a businessman?” Actually, he had already thought of the answer to this question. “Because that businessman is no ordinary businessman.”

“How would the young beggar know that he isn’t an ordinary businessman?” asked Xiao Jun. “If he isn’t an ordinary businessman, then who is he?”

“You shouldn’t be asking me these questions!” laughed Frogboy.

“Who should I ask, then?”

“Go ask them yourself. I’m sure we already have their location.”

He dared to say this because he saw that Li Dong had returned.

Li Dong was one of the Flowered Flag Sect’s most capable disciples, and one of the ones he had dispatched to gather information.

“Frogbro, we’ve already figured out where those two people are,” he said. “We got the information from Yang Kedong, and it seems reliable.” [2]

“Where are they?”

“At a restaurant called ‘Big Zhao's.’”

“They’re together?”

“Yes, the whole night.”

“What were they doing together?”

“Drinking themselves half to death. They drank for five or six hours until they were as drunk as mud. They’ve been sleeping like the dead ever since then, in a little room in the back of Big Zhao's restaurant.”

Old Master Tian suddenly laughed. “It looks like these two are no fools. On such a night, being drunk is better than being sober. The drunker the better.”

Xiao Jun laughed coldly. “If they are who we think they are, I’m just afraid they aren’t really drunk.”

“Real or not, we need to go see them,” said Frogboy. “I think it would be best if I went in first.”

Li Dong barred his way.

“You don’t need to go, Frogbro.”

“Why not?”

“Old Pa Wang will bring them back.”

“How does he know where they are?”

“He asked me just now, outside.”

“And why would you tell him?” cried Frogboy.

With a forced smile, “Frogbro, you know Old Pa Wang’s temper. When he asked me, how could I refuse to answer?”

“Did he leave already?” asked Frogboy.

“He left a while ago. I’m afraid he’s probably already at Big Zhao's.”

Frogboy leaped up, and shouted, “What a mess!”

Part 2

“What mess?”

“Condor King Wang’s temper is as hot as a piece of ginger, and it gets worse with age. If he said he’ll bring someone back, it doesn’t matter if he’s drunk or not, alive or dead, he’ll be dead set on bringing him back.”

“And if he doesn’t want to come?”

“Then he’ll have no choice but to attack.”

“And what if he’s not a match for that guy?”

“What a mess!”

By the time this interchange was over, Frogboy and Xiao Jun had already arrived at the room behind Big Zhao's.

The restaurant was completely cloaked in darkness, without even a single bit of lamplight visible.

Luckily, Frogboy had been there before. He had gone drinking there, had gotten drunk, and had also spent the night in that little room in the back. So he knew exactly where to find it.

The room contained no light, nor any sound.

Frogboy sighed. With a bitter laugh, he said, “It seems the situation is really is a mess.”

He was right, it was a mess.

In the room was a person, one person. No trace could be seen of the supposedly ridiculously drunk Wu Tao and Ingot. And the incomparably sober Condor King Wang lay in the condor crushed into a pulp.


Part 3

April 17. Early Morning.

Sunlight had already seeped into the wood shed in the “Forest Memory” lumberyard. Lamps need not be lit to see.

Condor King Wang, one of the top three experts of the Huianan Eagle Claw Sect, lay flat on a freshly lumbered plank of pine wood, his limbs and facial muscles stiff.

Even though his muscles had begun to contort under the stiffness, the expression of dread as he faced death could still be seen on his face.

The Condor had always been an unyielding man, and Frogboy had never seen anything that could make him afraid.

But anyone could see that this was true fear, a deathly fear.

Frogboy sighed again. “I can guarantee you what he feared was not death. He never feared death.”

“Then what did he fear?”

“That person. The man who claims his surname is ‘Wu’ and his given name ‘Tao.’”

No one had ever heard the name “Wu Tao” before. “Wu Tao” was not a person to be feared.

“Of course, his real name is not Wu Tao,” laughed Frogboy. “Only the spirits know what he used to be called.”

**

[1] Daming Lake is a famous lake in Jinan http://tinyurl.com/oyhwhl6
[2] People who are familiar with Frogboy call him a nickname that doesn’t translate well, so I’m going with Frogbro.

[sainuu]

Damn, it is so interesting. Thanks for the wonderful translation.

[HPC7595]

Thanks deathblade

[theSwordoftheWest]

Thank you deathblade.

[whiteskwirl]

Coincidentally, this novel is being reprinted next month: http://www.books.com.tw/products/0010669976?loc=003_001

[LuDongBin]

I'm confused with the scene of Old Tian striking out with his palm for no rhyme or reason, Frogboy scrambling up the column and Xiao Jun scribbling those 7 dots... who was Old Tian targeting with that palm strike of his?

[theSwordoftheWest]

LuDongBin got's a point.

I'm lost too on that scene.

[deathblade]

I'm confused with the scene of Old Tian striking out with his palm for no rhyme or reason, Frogboy scrambling up the column and Xiao Jun scribbling those 7 dots... who was Old Tian targeting with that palm strike of his?

Yeah it's kind of odd but the idea is that Old Tian is constantly getting pissed off with his son. He was trying to smack him in the face again, so to evade he ran up the column. Xiao Jun drawing the seven dots had nothing to do with it. More like he was actualy ignoring their antics. Notice that he attacked with a fast palm strike but not a powerul one. You will see later that there is a lot of face-slapping that goes on in this novel.

[deathblade]

Coincidentally, this novel is being reprinted next month: http://www.books.com.tw/products/0010669976?loc=003_001

Wow that's really cool. Although it seems that website is blocked here in china. I'll fire up my VPN later to check it out.

[whiteskwirl]

Wow that's really cool. Although it seems that website is blocked here in china. I'll fire up my VPN later to check it out.

It's just the listing for the book. It's due out April 21. I just thought that was timely, and I had thought this Gu Long reprint series was finished, but I guess they added another title.

[deathblade]

It's just the listing for the book. It's due out April 21. I just thought that was timely, and I had thought this Gu Long reprint series was finished, but I guess they added another title.

I'm 99% sure the hard copy I have is a pirated version, so I'll have to see if I can get my hands on an official version.

[deathblade]

Chapter 6 - Den of Immortals

Part 1

April 17. Morning.

Within two hours of sunrise, every disciple of the Flowered Flag Sect had made contact with their street-level informants, and distributed a picture and instructions.

The picture had been drawn by one of the most famous sketch artists in Jinan, drawn based on descriptions provided by the staff of “Big Zhao's” restaurant. It depicted two people.

A middle-aged man named Wu Tao, sharp-faced with narrow eyes, a long nose and a wide mouth, dressed up like a traveling merchant.

Another, a young beggar called Ingot, round-faced with big eyes and a smile that produced two dimples. Completely adorable.

The instructions had been dispatched with “Level 1 Flowered Flag” urgency: expend all effort possible to track down the whereabouts of these two people.

Within an hour, even the local bailiffs and constables attached to the Jinan local government had joined the search.

This was because the three squads of the Jinan constabulary had received an anonymous tip that the businessman Wu Tao was very likely one of the four famous criminals wanted in all parts of China. In fact, he could well be the famous bandit who had three times broken into the Imperial Palace to make off with treasures, a person people in Jianghu viewed as second only to the “Bandit Chief” Chu Liuxiang [1]. The “Laughing General.”

***

On the wooden bench sat a large tray of onion sauce and flatbreads, a big bowl of tender stewed meat, and a large plate of spiced, stir-fried vegetables.

Old Master Tian usually ate breakfasts such as this. He believed that if you ate a good breakfast, you would have plenty of energy to accomplish things throughout the day.

Today, he didn’t eat much.

Today, he had something weighing on his mind, and felt somewhat emotional.

“The Laughing General, surnamed Li,” he said. “He’s really got guts. And skills.”

“His name is Li… what?”

“I don’t know. Nobody knows.”

“Okay,” said Frogboy, “Well then, why do people call him the Laughing General?”

“Everyone acknowledges that his skill and ability is only slightly lower than that of Chu Liuxiang, so they call him General.”

“What about the ‘Laughing’ part?”

“After every heist, he lets out three big laughs.” Old Master Tian sighed. “Back then, when people heard that laugh, some became so frightened that they actually pissed their pants.”

“Then what?”

“Then, gone.”

“Gone?” said Frogboy, confused. “What does that mean?”

“Gone means gone. By the time people heard that laugh, gone.”

“What was gone?”

“Gold, pearls, jewelry, ancient jades and paintings. Anything and everything the General wanted to take, gone.”

Old Master Tian sighed again. “Ten years ago, he himself was gone. Like a bowl of alcohol poured down your throat. Suddenly, just gone.”

“Not gone,” said Frogboy. “When I pour a bowl of alcohol down my throat, it goes into my stomach.”

“Still gone. When the alcohol reaches your stomach, it turns into piss. The alcohol is gone.”

He didn’t laugh, because what he said was no joke.

Frogboy didn’t laugh either.

He understood what his father meant. “The Laughing General who went missing for so many years turned into Wu Tao.”

Old Master Tian suddenly turned and looked at Xiao Jun. “The Beggar Sect’s Torture Chamber was just founded. There should be countless affairs to handle. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Correct.” When one word sufficed to express his intent, Xiao Jun wouldn’t use two.

“And yet here you are.”

“Correct.”

“Why?”

Xiao Jun thought for a moment. “Because of the Laughing General.”

He spoke the truth. Never before had he lied, so Old Master Tian found his answer satisfactory.

“Of course you’re here for him,” said Old Master Tian. “And so must have Three Panthers Niu been here for him. I suspect many people in Jianghu now know he is in Jinan.”

Frogboy still didn’t understand. “But, Wu Tao was not in Jinan before.”

“In Jinan or not, it doesn’t matter.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the person they should have come after wasn’t him.”

“Not him? Who, then?”

“Sun Jicheng.”

***

Of course it was Sun Jicheng.

After the Laughing General disappeared, he turned into Jinan’s multi-millionaire Sun Jicheng.

It wasn’t as if Frogboy hadn’t considered this.

He was no fool.

He just liked to ask questions, questions of all sorts, even questions he already knew the answer to.

“If people should have been coming after Sun Jicheng because they suspected him of being the Laughing General, then why would they suddenly be interested in Wu Tao?” he asked. “Don’t tell me Wu Tao and Sun Jicheng have some kind of connection?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“A big connection or a small connection?”

“A big one. A very big one. A deadly one.” He sighed. “Deadly for several people so far.”

***

Xiao Jun, his eyes staring off into the distance, slowly, one word at a time, said, “Sun Jicheng is dead. His killer is also dead. Why have his subordinates instigated such a huge search in Jinan?”

This was the critical question, a question that had already been asked multiple times, but that no one had been able to answer.

But this time, it was different.

As of now, there was someone who could answer the question, and that person was none other than Old Master Tian.

“Actually, the answer to the question is quite simple,” he said. “I can answer it in eight words.”

“Eight words?” asked Frogboy. “Which eight words?”

“Sun Jicheng actually isn’t even dead at all!”

This shocking statement would certainly surprise most people.

But Frogboy and Xiao Jun were not most people.

They were a minority amongst a minority.

And they were not surprised.

But Frogboy had another question to ask: “He clearly died, and everyone clearly saw his corpse. How could he not be dead?”

“Because Sun Jicheng didn’t die,” said Old Master Tian, “and that body was not his.”

“Whose was it?”

“Someone who looked very much like him, no doubt specially selected and manufactured for the specific purpose of acting as his double in death.”

“Specially selected, I understand,” said Frogboy. “But manufactured… What does that mean? What sort of manufacturing?”

“He selected someone who looked a lot like him, and then, using some special technique, made some alterations to the face.” Old Master Tian continued his explanation: “According to the rumors in Jianghu, the Laughing General got along well with Hua Shiniang. Hua Shiniang’s appearance altering arts are the best under heaven. Surely he learned a thing or two from her.”

“So he hid the person away in his cellar, just waiting for the time when it was necessary to replace him in death.”

“Right.”

“And by necessary, you mean when his secret was exposed.”

“Right.”

“So he strangled Liu Jin’niang, used Qiu Budao’s Divine Shaolin Palm to kill his body double, then forced Qiu Budao to drink poisoned wine. All to convince people that it was a crime of passion.”

“Right.”

“So even if people suspected Sun Jicheng to be the Laughing General, after he died, no one would come after him.”

“Right,” said Old Master Tian. And then he said, “Wrong.”

Frogboy laughed bitterly. “Is it right, or wrong?”

“You are right, he is wrong,” said Old Master Tian coldly. “He picked the wrong person to kill.”

“I don’t think he was wrong at all,” said Frogboy. “Liu Jin’niang made his clothes so well that they fit like a second skin. She obviously knew his body structure quite well. She no doubt would have been able to see that the body double wasn’t him, because every person’s body structure is different. If I were him, I would definitely have picked Liu Jin’niang.”

Old Master Tian suddenly got angry again. Slapping the table forcefully, he said, “But you’re not him! You’re just a little bastard who understands shit. In fact, you don’t even understand shit!”

Frogboy said nothing in response.

He could see that his father truly was angry, and he didn’t know why.

So he dared not open his mouth. But Xiao Jun did. “There’s definitely a flaw in his plan.”

He’d spoken seven words.

Actually, to express his full meaning would require probably thirteen or fourteen words, such as: “Sun Jicheng’s plan was thorough, but flawed; therefore, people realized he hadn’t died.”

But he’d spoken only seven words because he knew Old Master Tian would understand his meaning.

Old Master Tian nodded. “Of course there was a flaw,” he said. “Only lunatics believe in the perfect crime.”

“Sun Jicheng himself could sense it, therefore, he couldn’t help but return to check things out for himself.”

Old Master Tian laughed. “He probably thought it was safe, that no one would guess that he might come back.”

“So he came back,” said Xiao Jun. “And thus Wu Tao appeared in Jinan.”

***

That was the conclusion they reached.

But Frogboy had another question. “If Wutao is Sun Jicheng and the Laughing General, then who is Ingot the beggar?”

Old Master Tian, his face calm, said nothing.

Xiao Jun likewise remained silent.

“If Ingot has something to do with all of this, why is he with Wu Tao? Does he also know he is the Laughing General? How could he know?”

Old Master Tian yet again got angry. “Why don’t you go ask him yourself?”

Frogboy sighed. “I want to, but I’m afraid finding him won’t be that easy.”

“Why?”

“If I were Wu Tao, I would get rid of him after he witnessed me kill Old Mr. Wang.”

He looked at his father out of the corner of his eye, and then suddenly laughed. “Of course, I’m not Wu Tao. I’m just a little bastard.”

***

Actually, Frogboy wasn’t a bastard.

Intelligent, quick-witted, courageous and insightful, with quick reflexes, he possessed extremely refined judgement. Because of his spotless track record of good judgements, not a disciple existed in the Flowered Flag Sect who didn’t admire him.

And this time, his judgement was once again seemed spot on. Neither Old Master Tian nor Xiao Jun could object to his conclusion.

And yet he was actually wrong.

Wu Tao didn’t kill Ingot to silence him, and in fact seemed to have no inclination whatsoever to ever kill him.

And they hadn’t fled.

They were still in Jinan. In a place where no one would find them.

Even if Frogboy were ten times as intelligent, he would never come to the conclusion that they would go to this place.

No one could possibly imagine that they would hide there.

**

[1] Chu Liuxiang is the titular character of Gu Long’s Chu Liuxiang series. http://tinyurl.com/q4lvmqk

[LuDongBin]

As usual, full of conjectures, twists and turns ... thks deathblade.

[HPC7595]

Thanks deathblade

[9Dragons]

Yeah it's kind of odd but the idea is that Old Tian is constantly getting pissed off with his son.

I don't think the slapping is odd. I think Old Tian gets angry because his son's clever deductions get too close to the truth, when it implicates somebody Old Tian wants to protect.

“Who was it?” should be "Whose was it?" as in whose body was it.
"They were sill in Jinan." should be "They were still in Jinan."