Chapter 5: Chase on a Snowy Night
Li Xun Huan picked up the wine bottle, finishing the rest of the wine, then just kept coughing and coughing, pale white face showing a blood-red color. His hand holding his chest, talking to himself, “Xiao Yun, ShiYin. I would never blame you two. No matter what others say, I still do not blame you, because you did nothing wrong, all the mistakes were made by myself alone.”
Suddenly, the wooden door slammed open.
A person crawled into the room, he’s like a meatball, full of fat on his body. His hair and mustache look horrible, as if he hasn’t bathed in years. One can smell his stink from miles away.
He crawled into the room, because his legs are broken.
Li Xun Huan raised his eyebrows, saying, “If you’re here to beg for food, you’ve come at a bad time.”
This person didn’t hear him. The person might be handicapped, but his movement is still very fast, one quick roll and he arrived in front of the fireplace.
Li Xun Huan asked, “Are you also here for the Golden Thread Vest?”
This person’s hand gave a push, and he arrived at the corpse. Of course, the vest is on this corpse.
Li Xun Huan said coldly, “The dagger in my hand is quite capable of killing. If you do not stop, I’m afraid there will be an extra corpse in this room.”
This person still did not listen, proceeded to take off the Golden Thread Vest. It only looks like a gold-colored vest, without any mysteriousness to it.
Only to see this person holding the vest tightly, laughing out loud. “When snipe and oyster fight, the fisherman gets the award*. I can’t believe this treasure is in my hands now.”
*[The above saying means that when two powerful parties fight each other over something, it’s the third party that wins by coming in after the first two parties are both deeply wounded from fighting each other. Or something like that...]
Li Xun Huan said coldly, “My dagger is still here. I’m afraid your words might’ve spoken too soon.”
This person again bounced with his hands like a toad towards Li Xun Huan, smiling as he looked at Li Xun Huan. His teeth all yellow.
He chuckled as he spoke, “Since you have the dagger, why don’t you kill me? Little Li’s Flying Dagger never misses. If you simply use your dagger, there’s no way I, a handicap, can possibly dodge it.”
Li Xun Huan also smiled, saying, “I think you’re interesting, so I can’t bring myself to kill you.”
This strange person laughed a few times, then said, “If you don’t want to say the truth, I’ll say it for you.”
He then continued while laughing, “Everyone else might think you weren’t poisoned, but I know you were. Except you’re very calm, so you were able to fool everyone else.”
Li Xun Huan still did not change his expression. “Really?”
This strange person said, “But you can’t possibly fool me, because I know that the poison in the wine has no color nor taste. Even if your nose can smell better than a dog’s, you still can’t smell the poison.”
Li Xun Huan looked at him for a long time, then showed a faint smile. “Are you really this clear on the whole matter?”
This strange person chuckled again. “Of course I’m sure, because I put the poison into the wine. I can obviously tell whether you’ve been poisoned or not. You can fool everyone else, but not me.”
Li Xun Huan’s expression still did not change. But the muscles around his eyes are already starting to move, after a long time, he let out a sigh, saying, “It’s been less than a day, yet I already met six seven big events. Looks like my luck is pretty good.”
This strange person said, “You mean you don’t want to know whose hands you’ll die under?”
Li Xun Huan answered, “I was just about to ask.”
This strange man said, “You’re so knowledgeable, so you should know that there are 7 most devious people in the martial world.”
Li Xun Huan shockingly said, “Seven Ingenious People”
This strange person said, “Correct. These seven people really are treacherous to the extreme. Their kung fu might not be top notch, but when it comes to poison, stealing, scheming and lying, their skills have no equal.”
Li Xun Huan lit up his eyes. “So are you one of the Seven Ingenious People?
This strange person said, “The most devious of the Seven Ingenious People is...”
Li Xun Huan said, “Flower Bee Ingenious Gentleman.”
This strange person said, “Almost right. His full name is the ‘Black Heart Ingenious Gentleman’. This person’s abilities are quite limited. He’s a coward, even afraid to do much stealing and womanizing. Yet when it comes to poisons, even that famous 5-Poison Kid has to call him Grandfather sometimes.”
Li Xun Huan said, “You sure know a lot about this person.”
That strange person answered, “Of course. Because he is me, and I am him.”
Li Xun Huan sighed, shutting up.
Flower Bee[I swear to God this name doesn’t sound this stupid in Chinese] laughed, “Are you so surprised that an Ingenious Gentleman is a chubby meatball?”
Li Xun Huan said, “If you are capable on seducing woman, then those woman must be blind.”
Flower Bee said, “You’re wrong again. Not only are they not blind, their eyes are also very pretty. Except if a person has been locked up, with his feet broken, with only fatty food everyday for years, then they have to become meatballs.”
Li Xun Huan said, “I take it this is the work of Sun Kui couple.”
Flower Bee thought for a while, then smiled. “Sun Kui told you a story earlier. I’ll tell you another story. Except mine is a lot more interesting.”
“Really?”
Flower Bee continued, “That year I had some really bad luck. I was so into woman at the time that I seduced Big Beard’s wife [Ms. Qiang Wei from the previous chapter], and even had a child. So she had to run away with me.”
Li Xun Huan’s shocked. “So the person he said was you? He’s the one who paid for your mistake?”
Flower Bee said, “He lied a little bit. I did not steal her treasures. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. She’s too cunning for me to do so. However, we really were being chased by Big Beard. I’ve always been a coward, so I persuaded her to find someone to take my place for a moment. She hesitated at first, saying Sun Kui’s face isn’t white enough. But later agreed.”
Li Xun Huan said, “So you two planed the whole thing.”
Flower Bee continued, “If I had really left her then, everything would’ve been ok. But I really couldn’t give up her treasures, so I said that once everything’s calm again, we’d kill him and get back together. Who would’ve thought that she fell in love with him. And they end up breaking my feet, then jailed me like this for almost twenty years.”
Li Xun Huan asked, “Why didn’t she kill you?”
Flower Bee said, “If I knew how a woman thinks, then I wouldn’t be in this state. You know, I used to think I knew women’s hearts. That’s why I ended up like this. If a man thinks he understands women, then he should accept whatever problems that might cause him.”
Li Xun Huan said, “This is indeed a great story.”
“But you haven’t heard the most interesting thing yet.”
“What would that be?”
Flower Bee said, “After you’ve been poisoned, not only can you not use your flying dagger, you can’t even live for more than six hours. That’s why I won’t kill you now, since I want you to know how it feels to wait for your death.”
Li Xun Huan calmly said, “This really isn’t necessary. I’ve waited for my death many times.”
Flower Bee laughed, “But I can promise this is the last time.”
Li Xun Huan laughed a bit too. “If that’s the case, then I have nothing more to say. Except there’s much wind and snow outside, so how are you going to travel?”
Flower Bee said, “You don’t have to worry about this. My legs might be broken, but I can still ride a horse.”
“In that case, travel safely. I’m sorry I can’t see you out the door.”
But by that time, the sound of the horse steps is starting to disappear.”
Li Xun Huan sat there and smelled the wine. “It really does have no smell and no taste. His poison skills really are quite good.”
He drank another cup, then closed his eyes. “But this wine really is good. I’ll die from one cup. I’ll also die from one bottle. Why not drink the whole thing?”
So he drank the whole bottle of poisonous wine.
He then started to speak to himself. “Oh, Li Xun Huan. You should’ve been dead a long time ago. What’s wrong with dying? But you really should not die in a kitchen, with these corpses.”
So he got up, and wobbly made his way towards the door.
The footprints on the snow crossed each other, heading southeast.
Li Xun Huan picked the cleanest part of the field, sat down, then took out that unfinished human figure.
The figure just stared at Li Xun Huan.
Li Xun Huan suddenly laughed, saying, “Why do you still look at me? I’m just a hopeless loafer, drunk. You did the right thing by marrying Xiao Yun. Only I’m wrong.”
He tried to use his dagger to finish the figure.
But he doesn’t have the energy anymore.
Li Xun Huan kept coughing and coughing. Each cough seems to yell
“Shi Yin, Shi Yin.”
Can Shi Yin hear him?
There’s no chance for Shi Yin to hear him. However, someone else heard him.
The driver carried Li Xun Huan on his back, furiously running through the woods.
“If we can find a broken-foot man who look like a meatball in 2 hours, I might have a chance to live. Because the person who applied the poison must also have the antidote.”
This is the last sentence Li Xun Huan has the energy to say.
The driver used every ounce of his energy, his tears became ice, welcoming the dagger-like wind.
Suddenly, a sound came from afar.
The driver hesitated, then started to run towards the sound. He first found a horse by the road. He did not see Flower Bee. Because he only saw Flower Bee’s corpse.
On his body were countless hidden weapons of all sorts. The driver could not help but feel bad for him. But then he remembered the matter at hand.
He quickly asked, “Is this the person?” He’s still hoping against hope that this corpse is not the person Li Xuan Huan needs to see.
Li Xun Huan replied, “Correct.”
The driver bit his teeth, took off his coat and put by a tree. Then he sat Li Xun Huan down. “The antidote maybe on him. Let me check.”
Li Xun Huan said, “Be careful. Don’t get scraped by the hidden weapons.”
Even when his own life is in jeopardy, he still thinks of others first.
The driver felt hot blood rising from his stomach, then forced himself to hold down the tears, trying his best to look for the antidote on the body.
After a long time, he finally stood up again.
Li Xun Huan said, “No antidote.”
By this time, the driver is tongue-tied, unable to speak.
Li Xun Huan smiled, saying, “Actually, I should’ve known that after all these years of imprisonment, he can’t possibly have any antidote on him.”