Legend of Great Tang’s Twin Dragons

From a high altitude, Wuming dove down and landed on Kou Zhong’s shoulder, but her master’s expression was wooden, as he gazed upon the vast stretch of wilderness in the distance below the mountaintop, the scorched earth, which was burning into ash and charcoal; however, at the same place, it was a verdant forest wilderness brimming with vitality.

Ba Yegang and Bing Yuanzhen were standing by with the main part of the elite troops behind him, everybody was leading along their warhorses, only waiting for the order, and then they would immediately mount their horses and go into battle, to fight hand-to-hand with the enemy.

Kou Zhong’s hand was holding the rein of his warhorse, but his heart was recalling the Thousand-Li Dream who met with a violent death on the battlefield. The horse had accompanied him over ten thousand crags and torrents, wandering everywhere beyond the Great Wall, across the barren prairie, time and again went through fire and water with him, yet in the end it could not escape the calamity.

When facing Li Shimin, he could laugh and talk freely, when facing his own men, he could assume a staunch, cool-headed appearance as if he had a card up his sleeve, but he had long been tormented by the separated-in-life-and-death battlefield that his heart and spirit were troubled and he was weary. However, he had no choice but to continue to stand strong, until the final victory arrived.

Suddenly he really wanted to drink wine, pouring cup after cup into his mouth, until he was drunk and not remembering human affairs, momentarily escaping this cold-hearted world.

Yang Gongqing’s death made him wondering the whole night whether he picked the right strategy. Supposing he did not come to Luoyang, would Dou Jiande have a different fate?

However, the rice [grain] has already been cooked, all the errors and regret could not be turned back, he could only press on, to deal with the Great Tang Army with all his strength.

The fire appeared under the mountain, another unit of Tang Cavalry was pursuing them closely.

The army bringing up the rear that he personally led had already been ambushed twice, and defeated two units of the enemy’s vanguard units. What pleased him the most was that he was sure that the opponent did not bring the three remaining vicious vultures, hence Wuming was able to put her usefulness in scouting the enemy from high altitude to the fullest, which enabled him to grasp the position of the pursuing troops. He launched the Tujue people’s guerilla warfare tactics of using wonder [reminder: troops appearing suddenly in an ambush] to create victory, to come and go like the wind, rapid attack and immediate retreat.

According to Wuming’s eagle dance in the air, this ought to be the last unit of the pursuing troops at the tail of the enemy formation. After eliminating the threat of this unit, he should be able to divide his troops into multiple routes to rush toward the same destination and gathered there, before they crossed over to the hidden mountain, and advanced into the Tian Cheng Gorge.

Even if Li Shimin’s wisdom surpassed Zhuge, he would never think that he had this wonder move. Yet success or failure still lay in whether Ba Fenghan’s reinforcement troops could arrive in time or not. Furthermore, it depended whether he could set up a defense structure solid enough to withstand the enemy, whose military strength was ten times theirs – before Li Shimin’s main forces attacked.

The enemy hurriedly advanced under the hillside.

Kou Zhong mounted the horse and roared, “Brothers, charge!”

From their hiding place inside the forest, nearly a thousand men and horses charged down the slope like rolling wind, swift cloud, rushing to attack the losing-their-head-out-of fear enemy.

Yang Xuyan got out from the dense forest behind the second row of buildings. His foot tapped the top of the roof, he borrowed the reaction force to traverse the nearly six ­zhang distance and firmly landed about ten paces in front of Shi Zhixuan and Li Yuanji. Dropping down on one knee in front of Shi Zhixuan, he respectfully said, “Paying my respect to Shizun, disciple accept the lost wholeheartedly; asking Shizun for punishment.”

Shi Zhixuan threw his head back in laughter and said, “Indeed you are Ol’ Shi’s brilliant disciple. Only an outstanding talent can recognize current trends [idiom: a wise man submits to circumstances], but how do you know that as your master, I will not kill you?”

Hearing that, Xu Ziling and the others cried, ‘Formidable!’ inwardly. These words by Shi Zhixuan were extremely implicit and sarcastic; he was hinting that Yang Xuyan was confident that Shi Zhixuan would not kill him, hence the reason he showed himself to rescue Li Yuanji, instead of really wanted to give up his life for Li Yuanji’s sake. Naturally, if Shi Zhixuan really wanted to kill him, he could also immediately stake everything to escape. However, if Shi Zhixuan forced him to commit suicide for Shi Zhixuan to be willing to let Li Yuanji go, it would, potentially, put Yang Xuyan into a dilemma.

Xu Ziling dared to be sure that Shi Zhixuan did not want to put Yang Xuyan to death, because that would disrupt the demonic school’s entire plan to topple the Li Family from the inside. No matter how dissatisfied Shi Zhixuan was toward Yang Xuyan, he would not be willing to save a little only to lose a lot.

Yang Xuyan slowly stood up. With resounding words, he spoke loftily, “If, using Xuyan’s one life I can exchange it for Qi Wang’s one life, Xuyan will die without regret.”

Li Yuanji’s pair of eyes emitted a grateful expression, but because his acupoint was under control, he was unable to speak.

Shi Zhixuan spoke indifferently, “I painstakingly trained and produced a good disciple, how could I be willing to kill him personally? However, starting from today, you are no longer Ol’ Shi’s disciple. Next time we meet, don’t blame me to be ruthless and heartless. Put down the ‘Yu Jin Wan Fa Gen Yuan Zhi Jing’, you and Qi Wang can immediately roll away as far as possible. The fact is, I am doing you a very big favor. Between you and I, there is nothing good to say anymore.”

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Yang Xuyan took out a small iron box from the cloth bag on his back, respectfully raised it high above his head, and then stooped down and put it by his feet. Afterwards, he retreated to join Li Nantian and the others, raised his voice and said, “Shi Dashi, please look over to inspect the goods.”

He did not call him revered master but change the appellation to Great Master Shi, it was to draw clear dividing line with Shi Zhixuan in public. This was the big favor that Shi Zhixuan was doing him, so that the Li Family no longer had any wariness toward him.

Li Yuanji let out a muffled groan and slumped down to the ground.

While Li Nantian, Mei Xun, and the others were shocked, Shi Zhixuan flashed to the small box, poked it with his foot, and it landed in his hand. He spoke glibly, “Li Yuanji has his acupoint sealed up by me using the technique of my unique school. He will wake up on his own in two sichen; if you try to unseal his acupoint using some inferior, clumsy technique, he might turn into a handicapped person, don’t blame me for not giving you a forewarning.”

Hearing that, Li Nantian and the others were dejected as if they had been defeated.

They originally intended to wait for Shi Zhixuan to release Li Yuanji, to join hands with Yang Xuyan to again decide who was superior [orig. male and female], but now they had to refrain from shooting at the rat for fear of breaking the vases; without any better option, they admitted utmost defeat.

Shi Zhixuan opened the iron case and thumbed through the content of the small box one time through, before putting the case inside his bosom. “Get lost!” he spoke coldly.

Li Nantian and the others put away their weapons. Like a flock of defeated roosters, they walked around on either side of Shi Zhixuan, carefully lifted up the unconscious Li Yuanji, and then quickly left.

Shi Zhixuan did not even cast a glance toward this group of generals defeated under his hands; with both hands behind his back, he calmly walked over to Wanwan, Xu Ziling and Hou Xibai, three people. His gaze swept Yin Gui Pai’s Pi Shouxuan and the others first, and finally stopped at Hou Xibai.

Bian Bufu mournfully said, “This yaonu crippled my arm, I am asking Xie Wang to preside over justice on my behalf.”

Without even looking back, Shi Zhixuan coldly said, “Shut up! I have my own view on this. If not for you always indulged yourself in wine and beauty, even though Wanwan mastered Tian Mo Da Fa, you would not have suffered big loss after only a few encounters. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself!”

Bian Bufu revealed a bitter-resentment expression, his two lips quivered, but in the end he did not dare to speak.

Hou Xibai could not match Shi Zhixuan’s gaze, he hung his head down and said dejectedly, “Xibai wishes Shizun well.”

Shi Zhixuan smiled slightly, he spoke softly, “You have to be careful about Yang Xuyan, this man is narrow-minded, if he had the opportunity, he would definitely not let you off, because you, Xibai, have become my, Shi Zhixuan’s only successor.”

Hou Xibai said, “Thank you very much Shizun for giving me direction. Ay!”

Frowning, Shi Zhixuan said, “Why did Xibai want to say something but then hesitated? Whatever it is, feel free to talk, as your master, I will definitely not reproach you.”

Hearing that, Wanwan and Xu Ziling you looked at me I gazed at you, they could not figure out Shi Zhixuan’s true intention; furthermore, they were unable to guess what he was going to do.

Casting his gaze toward Pi Shouxuan, he spoke in low voice, “May Tu’er [disciple] be so bold as to speak up one step further with Shizun?”

Shi Zhixuan calmly said, “Why be secretive?” Turning his head, he looked at Pi Shouxuan, and spoke nonchalantly, “You go!”

Pi Shouxuan, Rong Fengxiang and Wen Caiting blurted out at the same lime, “What?”

As it should be by rights, Shi Zhixuan said, “I want to deal with this matter here alone; clear enough?”

Pi Shouxuan and the others your eyes looked into mine, they all knew that Shi Zhixuan has always had following-me-you-alive, opposing-me-you-perish character, and Da Ming Zun Jiao was the best example; without any better option, they left quietly in accordance with his order.

After only Wanwan, Xu Ziling and Hou Xibai, three people remained, Shi Zhixuan said, “Xibai may speak up!”

Summoning his courage, Hou Xibai asked, “I wonder if Shizun already passed on Bu Si Yin Fa to Yang Xuyan?”

Slightly startled, Shi Zhixuan asked in astonishment, “How did Xibai come to this conclusion? As your master, I can guarantee that there is no such matter.”

Casting his gaze toward Xu Ziling, Hou Xibai said, “But Ziling is certain that Yang Xuyan has mastered the Bu Si Yin Fa.”

Shi Zhixuan looked at Xu Ziling.

A weird feeling welled up in Xu Ziling’s heart, because unexpectedly they were chatting with Shi Zhixuan. He spoke with solemn expression, “When he and I exchanged a palm strike, my body felt unbearable of being twisted, just like the experience I went through when fighting hand to hand with Qianbei for the first time inside the city gate.”

Shi Zhixuan revealed a contemplative look, he nodded his head and said, “That is indeed the phenomenon after Bu Si Yin Fa invaded the opponent’s body. Let me think about it, I will tell Xibai when I have the answer. Good kid, he is really not simple.”

All three people had a strange feeling; they vaguely sensed that Shi Zhixuan already grasped some clues, it’s just that he was unwilling to tell them.

His last two sentences of comment about Yang Xuyan showed even more that Yang Xuyan was enough to make a man as powerful as Shi Zhixuan to be wary of him.

Shi Zhixuan’s gaze moved to Wanwan’s pretty face, he sighed and said, “Do you really hate me to the bones?”

Remaining tranquil, Wanwan said, “Xie Wang, please don’t say any more nonsense, Wan’er is hoping to have a taste of your brilliance.”

Revealing a hint of pained smile, brimming with humanity expression, Shi Zhixuan lightly said, “I did not kill Yuyan at all, I would never use a deadly move against her, how could I repeat a mistake?”

Wanwan’s tender body trembled lightly, suddenly she hung her pretty face down, without saying anything.

Shi Zhixuan looked up at the deep-black sky, exhaling a long breath, he spoke softly, “This is the last time I am going to give you a good advice. Yuyan sought benevolence and obtained benevolence, because her life was too painful, the pain was unbearable, hence she wanted me to accompany her to leave this human world where all living things suffer – together. Since I have experienced the ‘burning both jade and common stone’ once, why would I want to experience it once more? With your power, there is absolutely no chance to die in such a way that I will also perish with you, because I will not let you live to such a moment. Currently Yin Gui Pai no longer has any relationship with you, you must return something to its rightful owner, put down the ‘Tian Mo Jue’, and you may leave.”

Xu Ziling mused inwardly that Shi Zhixuan was worthy to be Shi Zhixuan; his eloquence was not inferior to Funantuo, in just a few casual sentences, he already reduced Wanwan’s aspiration to stake her life greatly, to make her hesitating whether she ought to use the ‘burning both jade and common stone’ to die in such a way that Shi Zhixuan would also perish with her.

In fact, if Shi Zhixuan and Wanwan fought, the latter would be in disadvantageous position.

Xu Ziling could not help smiling, he said, “Xie Wang’s words seemed to be lacking consideration, Wanwan is Zhu Hou’s appointed successor. I can be the witness to this matter, because Zhu Hou told me with her own mouth. Therefore, no one is more qualified than her to be the original owner of ‘Tian Mo Jue’.”

Not only Shi Zhixuan did not take offense, he even laughed involuntarily and said, “Very well! Looking at Yuyan’s face, also consider it as a bit making it up with her, I will make an exception this one time, I will let Shizhi [martial nephew] to keep the ‘Tian Mo Jue’ until the moment you grow to be a hundred years old.”

Wanwan’s pretty eyebrows lightly changed, she sighed lightly and said, “May Wan’er ask Xie Wang a question?”

Shi Zhixuan turned his imposing body around, he stepped toward the exit at the southern end of the abandoned village, while singing loudly, “Green poplar on water and grass like smoke, returning Hu’er [non-Han people] drinks at the horse spring. A few places with Hu eggplant in the bright moon night, who would rely upon his sword over a white cloud sky? Ever-frozen mountain road joining the mountain pass, today the bypass enables Han [people] to move forward. There is no road reflecting the hair on the temples of a traveler, afraid and alarmed that he would enter the new year wan and sallow.”

The song disappeared in the distance, Shi Zhixuan disappeared at the end of the bend on the forest road.

Kou Zhong led his troops charging back and forth in the enemy ranks, the Moon in the Well turned into the talisman pressing the enemy to their death, under his saber, there were no injuries, only deaths. The moment Li Yuanji struck Dou Jiande dead with his palm, he achieved supreme enlightenment by grasping the real meaning of what Ba Fenghan said, ‘only those who are ruthless enough will be able to survive’; since ancient times, all the major events, none was not like that.

In the past, it’s not that he did not know the logic about benevolence has no place to stand on the battlefield; however, knowledge remained a knowledge, practicing what one preaches is another thing altogether.

But this bitter experience fleeing from Luoyang to this place has transformed him.

When he witnessed Yang Gongqing returning to heaven that day, the battlefield finally transformed him into a ruthless commander-in-chief, knowing that in order to seek victory, he must use all means to ruthlessly wound and strike the enemy, until the other side was completely without any strength to hit back.

‘Dang! Dang!”

The Moon in the Well waved and flashed to the left and right, he did not need to see, he only relied on his thought to hack two enemies, both the person and the weapon, and sent them off the horseback. He sent the other side falling to the ground and shocked them to death with heavy hands.

Seeing them like an unstoppable mad tiger, the besieging enemy could not help but dispersing and spurring their horses to flee.

Kou Zhong seized the momentum and did not spare people, he led the imposing army in surprise attack, whose formation was still intact, like an awl, using the spearhead tactic, penetrating into the enemy ranks with the most concentrated soldiers, charging the enemy that they suffered a crushing defeat. The torches fell to the ground, turning the grass and the trees into a raging flame, fire was sprouting everywhere, smoke sprang from all around.

The enemy cavalry was about three thousand men, their strength was three times theirs, but the encounter with Kou Zhong just now has divided them into two sections, the head and tail could not attend to each other, and then another round of attack came, which threw the enemy into deadly confusion even more. I am concentrated, the enemy scattered, the battle was advancing under one-sided situation where Kou Zhong occupied the advantageous position to the fullest; it was deeply in accordance with the spirit of Tujue people’s tactics of using ambush to create victory, using fast to defeat slow.

Suddenly a group of men and horses attacked from the left side. From the start of the confrontation to this point, this was the enemy’s first organized and large-scale counter-attack.

Kou Zhong shouted fiercely and turned direction; fighting at the head of his troops, he charged toward the rushing-over enemies. The Moon in the Well’s yellow light flaring greatly, Kou Zhong’s spirit entered the highly-concentrated subtle realm, he knew the enemy’s every movement, as well as its intensity – like the back of his hand; just like martial art masters in decisive battle, he would not miss any weak point of threatening strike from the opponent.

‘Dang!’

Lightning fast, the Moon in the Well chopped straight ahead, one enemy immediately splashed his blood and fell face up backward. Kou Zhong unleashed his saber’s momentum, using the man-and-horse-as-one technique, agile like a deity, he charged into the enemy ranks, thoroughly crushing the offensive that enemy struggled to rouse. Momentarily the battle was turning into a melee.

Bing Yuanzhen, Ba Yegang, and their men at the rear were following him blindly. They maintained their formation intact as they were charging into the enemy ranks. The intense battle was progressing like wildfire, blood splashed all over the wilderness, crouching dead bodies were everywhere, the warhorses losing their master were startled, they rushed like the wolves, scampered like the rats – all over the place, increasing the confusion even more.

Suddenly a cold light flashed, a long halberd stabbed Kou Zhong’s left waist. The halberd has not arrived, qi power already locked Kou Zhong tightly, the power was ample, it was the most threatening attack to Kou Zhong since the ambushing battle began.

Kou Zhong knew a martial art master was coming to attack, he shot from both sides, first to poke and flip the two enemies attacking from the front, and then relying purely on body intention, he brandished his saber backhandedly, the moment the tip of the halberd was only three cun from penetrating his waist and flank, he heavily hacked the halberd head.

The long halberd was hacked and was forced aside.

Kou Zhong turned his head to the right to look at the face of the halberd-wielder, immediately thousands and hundreds of emotions, which he was incapable of discerning, welled up in his heart.

The opponent’s long halberd circled around, like a lightning it ferociously stabbed Kou Zhong’s face from a different angle.

Kou Zhong sighed inwardly, he greeted, “Chai Shao Xiong, how are you?”

The Moon in the Well swiftly poked forward, spiraling energy shot out, with an ingenious technique it struck the long halberd. It heavily chopped the halberd head first, jolting the halberd that its momentum disappeared completely, and then like a viper it entangled the long halberd, sending his power in twisting and poking movement; meeting the saber, the long halberd was pushed upward, Chai Shao’s face was immediately widely exposed.

Even on the life-or-death battlefield where two armies crossed swords, where residual vinegar [i.e. jealousy] must not affect emotion, encountering his own ‘rival in love’, Kou Zhong still could not control himself.

If it were not for Chai Shao, he might have surrendered to Li Shimin early on, to become a fierce general under his banner, and thus his fate would have been rewritten.

If he killed Chai Shao, it would be a serious psychological setback and a big blow to Li Shimin, which was precisely the true meaning of the war of attrition, to inflict heavy injury to the other side as far as possible.

However, how was he going to face Li Xiuning? How was he going to answer his own conscience?

This moment, he could show no quarter and behead Li Shimin, but he was incapable to harden his heart to kill his first love’s husband.

Kou Zhong cried inwardly, ‘Forget it!’ and pulled the Moon in the Well back.

Chai Shao originally thought that he would surely die, but unexpectedly he saw that Kou Zhong stopped and did not continue the attack. Stunned, he looked up, momentarily he forgot to strike back.

Kou Zhong laughed and said, “Chai Shao Xiong, please!” With a loud shout, he pulled the rein and turned the horse’s head to charge to the east.

The enemy has been utterly defeated, Kou Zhong’s troops, like a hot knife through butter – charged into the enemy ranks, making the best use of their strength, in the direction of Xiangcheng on the east.