Chapter 2 - The Murderers

 

Du Qinglian also collapsed. As he was falling down, blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. Still, he struggled to pull himself up. On the table there was still some wine left in the other jug. He crawled there and drank up the wine. With a loud laugh he said, "Good wine. Good wine." His laugh sounded both shrilling and sorrowful.

"This is such a good wine. Even if I'd known it was poisoned, I'd still have drunk it. You see, today am I not drinking to death?" As his laugh died out, he tumbled into the hole. He was not willing to let Shen Hongye enjoy this alone. The sky suddenly turned dark, cold wind cutting like a knife, but the two of them would forever never feel cold again.

Qiu Fengcheng and Ma Rulong watched the two of them drop dead in fright, feeling as if they themselves would also collapse. This change was really too sudden, too mindboggling, and too horrifying.

After a long while, Qiu Fengcheng slowly lifted his head and looked at Ma Rulong. His stare was colder than the wind. His eyes were sharp as knife blades, looking as if he wanted to hack open Ma Rulong's chest and rip out his heart. Why was he looking at Ma Rulong like this? Ma Rulong had already regained his composure. Du Qinglian was his friend, who had just died a sudden death right in front of him. Yet, he didn't appear to be very sad. Du Qinglian's death was this strange. Yet, he didn't appear to be in shock either.

He looked like he didn't give a damn whether other people lived or died or how they died for that matter. That was because he was still alive. Because he was still Ma Rulong, that forever revered 'White Horse Master' Ma Rulong.

Qiu Fengcheng stared at him. Suddenly he asked, "Do you really never drink?"

Ma Rulong did not reply. Rarely would he answer people's questions. He was usually one who asked questions and gave orders.

"I know you drink. I've seen you drink, and drink a lot," said Qiu Fengcheng.

Ma Rulong didn't confirm, nor did he deny it.

Qiu Fengcheng said, "Not only do you drink, but you also drink often. You even get drunk. Once at the Zhenzhu restaurant in Hangzhou, you drank day and night for three days, non-stop. You threw out all the guests of the Zhenzhu restaurant because they were all vulgar, not worthy to drink with you." He paused and then continued, "It is said that once you drank all the Red Lady that the Zhenzhu restaurant had. Twenty catties of aged wine in a jug. Altogether you drank four jugs. As of today nobody has yet to break your record."

Ma Rulong coldly said, "The last jug wasn't the Red Lady. The Zhenzhu restaurant only had three jugs of the genuine Red Lady."

"After sixty catties of aged wine, you could still tell that the last jug was fake. Your alcohol tolerance was really good.

"My alcohol tolerance was good," said Ma Rulong.

Qiu Fengcheng said, "But.. today you didn't touch a drop of wine." His eyes became even chillier. "Why didn't you drink today? You knew there was poison in the wine, didn't you?" Again, Ma Rulong kept his mouth shut. Qiu Fengcheng continued, "You came here together with Du Qinglian. You had to know where he would order food and wine. You bribed someone to poison the wine. It was really very easy."

Although Ma Rulong didn't verify it, surprisingly he didn't deny it either.

Qiu Fengcheng said, "I've decided that I'd rather die than enter the Jasper Mountain Village. Now that Du Qinglian and Shen Hongye have dropped dead like this, Madame Jasper won't have to choose anymore. Your excellency here will of course become her son-in-law." Then he sneered and said, "This is really rejoicing."

Ma Rulong became silent. Only after a long while, he frostily said, "Now I understand what you mean."

"You should understand." Qiu Fengcheng said, with a silver spear already in his hand.

Ma Rulong no longer bothered to say a word. He slowly walked over to face Qiu Fengcheng.

Suddenly a person appeared and said, "Qiu Fengcheng is mine. This is not your turn."

Nobody knew when this person had arrived. It was most probably when Du Qinglian and Shen Hongye were killed violently. Nobody could possibly pay attention to any other matter at that time.

This person was tall and lanky, with high pronounced cheekbones. Both of his hands were extraordinary large, holding a pair of golden spears. These spears were four feet and nine inches long, and they were shining bright. Even if they weren't made of pure gold, they looked very much like it.

This person also dressed in gold. His clothes looked expensive and tailored to fit his body. This was his trademark so when people in Jianghu saw him, they would immediately recognize him as the 'Golden Spear' Jin Zhenlin.

In Jianghu, the most famous spear used to be this golden spear -- Jin Zhenlin's golden spear. However, the situation all changed because the 'Silver Spear Master' had defeated this golden spear three years earlier. From then on, between them there was only hatred that nobody could dissolve.

Jin Zhenlin said, "We've got unfinished business. The old debt must be settled first."

He pointed his golden spear at Qiu Fengcheng and said, "And we'll do it today."

Qiu Fengcheng sneered and said, "Your timing is just perfect."

Jin Zhenlin sneered back. He suddenly twisted his body, moving forward a step and viciously thrusting the golden spear forward. As a golden light flashed, Ma Rulong stretched out his hand but he stepped back. This was Wulin's custom when settling an old debt.

The golden spear was wicked, fast, and powerful. Besides, it was longer than the silver spear. The longer, the stronger. Anyhow, the silver spear was much lighter and faster, and the technique used was far better than that of the golden spear. No doubt the golden spear would be defeated again. Qiu Fengcheng obviously wanted to end this quickly. As he extended his hand, he was ready to use all his strength. But just when he was about to deal with Jin Zhenlin, someone suddenly emerged from behind a snow-covered plum tree.

A person in black. With black clothes and a black mask, this person's whole body was all black. He was taller and thinner than Jin Zhenlin, looking like a black arrow. He moved quickly, also like an arrow.

He had a knife in his hand, a thin and sharp goose-feather knife. That knife flashed, coming fast towards Qiu Fengcheng's neck. This was absolutely a lethal knife.

As Qiu Fengcheng dodged the knife, his chest was widely exposed. Jin Zhenlin's golden spear, flashing like a lightning bolt, punctured his heart.

This spear was also a lethal weapon! After the attack, Jin Zhenlin didn't pause. His body flew up in the air and fell forty feet away.

Qiu Fengcheng's blood gushed out. By the time he collapsed on the ground, Jin Zhenlin had already moved a hundred feet away. The man in black retreated even faster than him.

Ma Rulong didn't pursue. Instead, he rushed to Qiu Fengcheng's body. He didn't give a damn about other people's life. But right now if didn't go check, he would miss a chance to see if Qiu Fengcheng was actually dead. And he had miscalculated something – something that nobody could have expected!

Jin Zhenlin caught up with the man in black, and the two people then fled side by side. The man in black gradually fell behind. Suddenly, with a lightning flash, the goose-feather knife in his palm slashed the left side of Jin Zhenlin's neck. This strike, compared to the one he'd launched earlier, was even faster and fiercer.

Jin Zhenlin let out a miserable cry, blood spurting out. He wanted to turn his head back to attack the man in black. But as soon as his body moved, he fell to the ground.

After the attack, the man in black didn't linger either. His body rose and fell, fleeing out of the valley. His killing technique was clean, smooth, and extremely effective. Obviously he was very experienced. After he killed people, he left without looking back. What a pity he didn't move a little slower.

Suddenly he ran into people who were blocking his way. He killed to eliminate witnesses, and so he immediately thought that other people would do the same. He didn't wait for his opponents to launch an attack. He struck first. His knife was even more venomous than a poisonous snake. When he killed, he rarely made a mistake. What a pity this time he chose the wrong target.

Standing side by side outside the valley and blocking his way were three people -- one looked huge and powerful; another was extremely fat; and the third was a monk. The huge brute was a white-haired, red-faced old man with a solemn expression and a majestic air. As for the monk, anybody who roamed Jianghu certainly knew that 'beggars, women, and monks' were the three types of characters most difficult to deal with.

Being a professional killer, he of course would choose the weakest. He chose one that looked to be not only extremely fat -- but also fat and very slow.

Not even in his dream would he expect that this fat person would be Peng Tianba, who was most famous for his family's Five Tigers Door Breaking saber technique. At present, this was the fastest, most ruthless, and most famous saber technique in Jianghu.

Peng Tianba of course had a saber at his waist, sheathed. But out of a sudden it reached the throat of that man in black. The man in black had launched an attack, only to see a saber flash, slashing his own throat.

That huge old man cried out, "Spare the witness.. .." What a pity that by the time these words came out, the head of that man in black had almost been cleanly separated from his neck.

"You were way too late!" Peng Tianba said with a sigh.

The huge old man let out a sigh too. He said, "Really, I should have known. There's never been a living witness under your saber."

The monk blandly said, "Even though Hero Peng killed many many people, they all deserved to die. This person took five lives in a flash, his death surely is nothing to grieve over.

The huge old man said, "I just wanted to question him about the five waiters and young servant from the Jufeng restaurant. They were not people in Jianghu and had no enemies. Why did he have to set a deathtrap for them?"

Peng Tianba said, "Although this man is now dead, it's not like we wouldn't figure all this out sooner or later."

The old man quipped, "Who are we going to ask? Except him, who knows about it?"

Suddenly a loud voice said, "I do."

Surprisingly Qiu Fengcheng wasn't dead. He struggled to get up, shoving Ma Rulong out of the way. Breathing heavily he said, "Luckily, I know what's going on."

Since the reign of the Floral Palace princesses, the most magical and mysterious woman in the martial realm was Madame Jasper, and the world's most secretive place was the Jasper Mountain village. Nobody in Jianghu knew much about the Jasper Mountain village or its whereabout. This was because, just like the Floral Palace, the Jasper Mountain village was the world of women, where men were not allowed inside.

It was said that not only were the women there very beautiful, they all practised extremely mysterious martial arts. Anyhow, even though they were competent women, there were times when men were needed. If they wanted to procreate, they couldn't do without them.

Madame Jasper's daughter had become of age, and Madame Jasper herself of course didn't want her to be single. Just like any other mother, she searched for the right son-in-law. At present, the most eligible men in Jianghu, who were qualified to be her son-in-law, were no doubt the four young masters.

What a pity that she only had one daughter and could only choose one out of the four. She'd invited the four of them to this Winter Plum Valley. When Madame Jasper invited someone, nobody could say no. Nobody would dare to.

Therefore, the four famous young masters -- Qiu Fengcheng, Ma Rulong, Du Qinglian, and Shen Hongye – all came here. Madame Jasper of course didn't intend to keep this a secret but the young masters themselves didn't bring forth the issue. This was because only one in four would be chosen, and ones who didn't get chosen would definitely lose a lot of face. The four young masters were all famous. Being rejected was unthinkable.

Nobody could have expected that the poisoned wine would kill Du Qinglian and Shen Hongye and that Qiu Fengcheng's mortal enemy – the Golden Spear Jin Zhenlin – would show up here. On top of that, there was this professional assassin. Except the four young masters themselves, nobody knew Qiu Fengcheng would be here today. How did Jin Zhenlin know about it?

Of course there was someone who told him to come here. This person also hired a professional assassin because he knew that Jin Zhenlin might not be Qiu Fengcheng's match.

Of course this person also poisoned the wine. Then to silence the potential witnesses, he had Jin Zhenlin and the assassin ambush all the five waiters and young servant from the Jufeng restaurant.

This person also ordered the assassin to kill Jin Zhenlin to eliminate another witness. He did not fear that the assassin would divulge his secret because the assassin was a professional killer. Not only did he have a black heart, cruel hands, and a fast dagger, his lips were also sealed. So even if this assassin had lived, he wouldn't have leaked his employer's secret.

Qiu Fengcheng finally concluded, "According to the plan, I should have died by Jin Zhenlin's golden spear, and the three of you shouldn't have been here either. This person's scheme should have been completed beautifully, and no one would have been the wiser. Madame Jasper wouldn't have to make a decision. Of course, this person would become the son-in-law of the Jasper Mountain village."

Qiu Fengcheng hadn't said who this person was, and he didn't need to. Everybody clearly understood. Everybody was looking coldly at Ma Rulong.

Ma Rulong didn't respond. No matter how others looked at him, no matter how they thought of him, he just didn't care.

Peng Tianba paced back and forth. Despite being fat, he was extremely active. He stopped by Jin Zhenlin's body, picking up the golden spear. He weighed it in his palm and muttered, "This spear isn't heavy."

"He practised his family's flower spear technique. It was originally a light spear skill," explained Qiu Fengcheng.

Peng Tianba said, "It is said that someone once threw seven copper coins in front of him. In one stance, his spear pierced through all of them.

"His spear was extremely accurate," commented Qiu Fengcheng.

With a sigh Peng Tianba said, "He certainly wouldn't think so. This time he missed."

Qiu Fengcheng said, "He didn't."

Peng Tianba asked dryly, "Since he didn't miss the target, how come you are still alive?"

Qiu Fengcheng didn't give a direct answer. Instead, he struggled to undress himself. His outer garment was a mink fur coat. There were three more layers inside. The layer next to his skin had a pocket, precisely over his heart. Hidden inside that pocket was a purse.

On the purse were embroidered flowers. The needlework was extremely fine, obviously done by a dedicated female hand. Right now the embroidered purse was pierced. There was a jade pendant in the purse, and it was also smashed.

Of course, that spear of Jin Zhenlin didn't miss. The spear absolutely should have gone through Qiu Fengcheng's mink coat and then punctured his heart. But Jin Zhenlin couldn't have expected that there would be a piece of jade hidden right next to his skin, over his heart.

Qiu Fengcheng said, "This is what Xiaowan gave me. She wanted me to wear it next to my skin. She didn't want me to forget her because of others."

Suddenly his eyes became soft. He said, "I haven't forgetten her, and so I'm still alive." No doubt Xiaowan was his sweetheart. He'd rather die than abandon his sweetheart.

Peng Tianba let out a sigh. With laughter in his eyes, he said, "Looks like being a sentimental fool has its advantage."

That huge old man suddenly said, "Young master Qiu, even though I don't know you, I do recognize this pair of silver spears.

Qiu Fengcheng said, "They've been handed down in my family. I (junior) wouldn't dare to flaunt myself."

The old man said, "I know." With a warm expression he continued, "Years ago your father used this pair of silver spears to fight a battle with the Changbai Bears. I was there."

The 'Changbai Bears' brothers had been powerful and wicked bandits, occupying Liaodong for many years. People in Jianghu had known not to violate their territory.

Qiu Fengcheng's father and 'Hero Feng' Feng Chaofan stormed into the Changbai mountain. With a pair of silver spears and a pair of pure steel Hunyuan Pai -- plaques that are named after Feng Chaofan's raw strength, they demolished the nest of these Changbai Bears. The battle not only shook the world at that time, until today people still talked about it.

Qiu Fengcheng asked, "Could it be possible that you (senior) are Hero Feng?"

"Correct, I am Feng Chaofan," replied the old man.

With a faint smile the old man continued, "You saw him using that saber just now. You should know who that is."

Except the Five Tigers Door Breaking saber, under this sky there really was no other blade that could 'cut' like this. A saber cut -- emotion was cut, man was cut, and life was cut! On top of that, once the saber killed, forever there would be no witness.

With a sigh Qiu Fengcheng said, "This person certainly did all kinds of evil things. He deserved to die under the Five Tigers Door Breaking saber."

Peng Tianba laughed heartily and said, "A moment ago if it had been the monk's doing, I'm afraid his death would have been only quicker."

Could it be that this monk's kungfu was even more ruthless than the Five Tigers Door Breaking saber?

"Could it be possible that this senior is Reverend Jue (cut) of Shaolin?" Qiu Fengcheng speculated.

"That's right. He is Monk Jue," replied Peng Tianba.

Reverend Jue of Shaolin was ruthless, devoid of any emotion. All evil under the sky was his personal enemy. Any wrongdoer falling into his clutch would immediately go straight to hell.

Qiu Fengcheng sighed and said, "Nobody would have thought that heaven would send you three seniors here."

"If we weren't meant to be here, then we couldn't have come," said Peng Tianba.

Feng Chaofan added, "Actually we only wanted to drink at the Jufeng restaurant." He was a frequent customer of the Jufeng restaurant.

At this restaurant, frequent customers had their own waiters to serve them because only these waiters knew the customers' preferences. No matter what they wanted to eat or drink, there would be no need to order. But today when Feng Chaofan was there, his own waiter was sent to deliver food and wine to the Winter Plum valley.

It was this cold but someone actually wanted to look at the plum blossoms and drink in the valley. This had to be someone with an elegant taste.

Peng Tianba continued, "After three cups of wine, we three old men had this bright idea, wanting to see this elegant person.

Feng Chaofan added, "We didn't expect that, only halfway to this valley, we would run into the bodies of people from the restaurant."

"Everybody was killed by a knife. Each cut was clean and very fast!" Peng Tianba said.

Feng Chaofan continued, "He was a saber man himself. Of course he couldn't bear not to come see who had such a fast blade!"

Peng Tianba concluded, "That's why the three of us, who shouldn't have come in the first place, are here right now."

This really was fate. Qiu Fengcheng looked up at the sky and muttered, "Merciful god, you are not blind. He who kills will be killed!" He suddenly stood up, facing Ma Rulong. Then he stressed every word, "You keep this in mind and never forget."

By this time the sky had turned dark. Winter nights always came too early.