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Ba Fenghan said, “I admire Jin Zhengzong.”

Everybody understood what he meant. Ba Fenghan was admiring Jin Zhengzong’s guts. It should be noted that on Kou Zhong’s side, martial art masters were numerous like a cloud. One wrong word and fight broke, the side suffering losses would undoubtedly Fu Junqiang’s.

Fu Junqiang was ‘Yijian Dashi’ Fu Cailin’s last disciple. Unless one was unafraid Fu Cailin might come to give him bad luck, no one would dare to provoke her. But toward Jin Zhengzong, no one would give him preferential treatment. Merely being captured and used as a hostage would be enough to make Jin Zhengzong greatly uncomfortable.

The crowd of warriors knew they were not coming to fight, but their chiefs did not have any indication that they were going to let them march straight in unchallenged either.

From a distance, Fu Junqiang gazed intently at Kou Zhong. Spurring her horse, she galloped and stopped in front of him, and shouted tenderly, “Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, roll over here!”

This was the second time Ba Fenghan saw Fu Junqiang. The first time at Shanhai Pass, it was just a glimpse. While carefully admiring her appearance and mannerism, he said, “Why don’t you let me deal with her?”

Shaking his head, Kou Zhong said, “You, LaoGe, won’t be able to stand her temper, let me and Ling Shao go!”

He stepped forward in big strides. Smiling bitterly, Xu Ziling followed behind him.

Fu Junqiang and Jin Zhengzong jumped off their horses. The former pointed her halberd-finger at them and spoke angrily, “Although you two are trying to build your words to quibble, I can already see through that you guys are heartless, despicable disciples with meager righteousness. You have gone too far. You have the cheek to kill my people and rob our ships.”

Kou Zhong came before her and raised his cupped fist to salute, naturally while secretly guarding against her move; he respectfully said, “Xiao Shiyi, please calm down for now. We did not kill even half of Xiao Shiyi’s clansman, nor we robbed Xiao Shiyi’s ships, they are still sticking unmoving from the original spot!”

Unable to restrain her fury Fu Junqiang put her hands on her hips and scolded, “You still dare to call me Xiao Shiyi? My Yijian Men [School] has no such unworthy disciples like you, Shizun will definitely not let you off.”

Xu Ziling moved to Kou Zhong’s side and spoke indifferently, “Fu Guniang, please calm down. This time the situation forced us to do what we did, but our hands were very measured, your honorable clansmen are all safe and sound and in good health. Guniang, please understand.”

Sweeping her gaze around, Fu Junqiang asked, “Where are they?”

Kou Zhong replied, “They are resting in one of the shipyards. You only need to say the word, we will immediately return them to you.”

Jin Zhengzong joined in, “What about those three ships and their cargo?”

Smiling bitterly, Kou Zhong said, “Gentleman and Lady must know that Bai Ziting wanted to kill me?”

Fu Junqiang ruthlessly said, “Serves you right! Who told you to become the Tujue’s hunting dog?”

Toward the deeply prejudiced Fu Junqiang, what explanation could Kou Zhong give? Turning to Jin Zhengzong, he said, “I wonder if Jin Xiong know about Bai Ziting, using despicable means, is detaining Song Er Gongzi?”

Stunned, Jin Zhengzong said, “Is there such thing? We thought Song Er Gongzi was with you.”

“Rubbish!” Fu Junqiang spoke heavily, “How could Bai Ziting dare to be this presumptuous?”

Remaining tranquil and even-tempered, Xu Ziling said, “What good would it do to us to speak a lie that would be so easily exposed?”

Inwardly, Kou Zhong was starting to get angry, he coldly said, “Your goods have been delivered, and Bai Ziting’s men already personally received it. We only snatched it away from Bai Ziting’s hands, it no longer has anything to do with Fu Guniang.”

Fu Junqiang’s almond eyes grew big and round; glowering at Kou Zhong, she said, “How dare you chew your tongue to speak that kind of beating-around-the-bush remark to me?”

Smoothing things over, Xu Ziling said, “May I venture to trouble Fu Guniang to notify Bai Ziting, if he is willing to release all the people that he is holding in custody, we will return the goods to him?”

Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “Let me present a big gift to Xiao Shiyi first.”

Turning to Bielegunatai and the others, who were standing at the dock, he called out, “Please ask all the guests to come out, let them go back to Longquan with Fu Guniang!”

Fu Junqiang flew onto the horseback, her angry look suddenly disappeared, she spoke with a smile, “Oh, Kou Shaoshuai! We’ll wait and see. You owe us, and one day we are going to demand payment from the two of you, both the principal and the interest!”

Pulling the bridle, she shouted to Jin Zhengzong, “We’ll return to Gaoli, don’t bother with them here, also don’t worry about Bai Ziting, that kind of person.”

Pressing her legs on the horse’s belly, she left.

Jin Zhengzong mounted his horse and ran after her. Waving his hand, he raised his voice to say, “Shaoshuai, if you really release our people in good faith, let them go home on the ship by themselves!”

In the blink of an eye the two went far away.

Kou Zhong sighed helplessly and spoke to Xu Ziling, “Did you see it? Our enmity with Shigong has been decided!”

Xu Ziling smiled wryly and said, “We only need to see how Laotianye is going to arrange it.”

Ba Fenghan came to the two boys’ side, his eyes were still following Fu Junqiang and Jin Zhengzong, which soon became two small dots in the distance. He laughed and said, “How to keep from either winning or losing under Yijian Dashi’s sword, I am afraid it will be more difficult than defeating him. This might be the biggest test for the two gentlemen.”

“How are we going to handle those prisoners?” Bielegunatai asked.

Kou Zhong replied, “Deal with the Gaoli people differently than the Mohe people. Let the Gaoli people crowd into one ship and have them return to their country. Since we are going to offend Yijian Dashi anyway, we might as well either give up, or go through to the end. We’ll borrow their two ships to transport the sheepskin. As for Mohe Clan people, let them go back to Longquan. This way, it will be more difficult for Bai Ziting to speculate on our movement.”

“Accept the order!” Bugunatai responded in loud voice.

Kou Zhong blurted out laughing and said, “You, this kid, are teasing me as well? We all are brothers!”

Kou Zhong, Ba Fenghan and Xu Ziling reined their horses to stop at the edge of a forest southwest of Longquan. They intentionally traveled in big circle to avoid the Longquan Army’s spies and sentries.

The famous ‘lighthouse’ [note: the original text has this word in quotation marks] outside Longquan’s south gate was still standing tall and erect, reaching through the clouds [idiom]. In this clear-sky-after-the-rain afternoon, the lighthouse was giving up an idyllic lazy impression.

Xu Ziling said, “Last night, it was right here that I encountered Liexia and the woman, who is most probably the ‘Poisonous Water’ Weinaya.” [Note: previously, it was Xinnaya.]

The two listened as Xu Ziling recounted his experience last night. Ba Fenghan smiled and said, “Liexia is mine, two gentlemen must not argue with Xiaodi.”

Kou Zhong fixed his eyes on the south gate, from which no traveling merchants either came or went, he said, “I am afraid you will have to discuss it with Ke Dazhi first. In this time of soldiers mutiny and troops rebel [idiom: turmoil and chaos of war], based on his style and conduct, he is definitely not going to let Liexia get away.”

Xu Ziling said, “Bai Ziting is indeed something. He suffered such a big loss at Little Longquan, yet he is still acting as if nothing had happened.”

Kou Zhong cheerfully said, “When the released prisoners are returning en masse, paper cannot contain fire, it will render a serious blow and sway the confidence of the troops and civilians inside Longquan.”

Ba Fenghan laughed and said, “Turns out your releasing the prisoners has such a wonderful purpose. Shaoshuai’s fame of wisdom is indeed not in vain.”

“How’s Shaoshuai’s condition?” Xu Ziling asked.

Upright and unafraid, Kou Zhong replied, “Very brave, of course. After chopping down Shen Mohuan to death within six saber strikes last night, my confidence has returned 100%, even more formidable than before the injury. How about Ling Shao?”

Flexing up his left hand, Xu Ziling smiled and said, “I don’t know what magic Shi Xianzi performed on me, but my internal and external injuries have recovered eighty-, ninety-percent. Just now while urging the horse to come here, I took the opportunity to regulate my breathing. Now I should be ready to deal with any situation.”

Kou Zhong leaped down from the Thousand-Li Dream’s back, he roared in laughter and said, “In that case, let us, three brothers, charge into Longquan, I want to see what trick Bai Ziting is going to play on us. This morning he nearly killed me through and through, the anger choking me is really too unbearable for me.”

The three men walked side by side to the city gate, making the high-ranking military officer on guard duty very nervous. On the arrow tower of the city wall, the guards bent their bows and put on their arrows, taking aim at the three. More than a hundred soldiers swarmed out of the city gate. The leader, a Sumo general, shouted loudly, “Stop!”

From a distance, Kou Zhong shouted back, “Go tell Bai Ziting, I want to talk face-to-face with him about a business deal.”

The guarding general did not dare to be negligent, he ordered one his men to fly back into the city to report to Bai Ziting.

The three walked over to a grassy slope some ways away on the side and leisurely sat down and rest, to preserve and nurture their spirit, ready to cope with any danger that might arise.

Striking a conversation, Ba Fenghan asked, “Ziling has not told us where you are going after Longquan?”

Xu Ziling replied, “I might make a detour to Bashu, to accomplish the task that Shang Xiufang entrusted to me, to deliver the Tianzhu Xiao to Shi Qingxuan.”

Kou Zhong made an ambiguous eye signal toward Ba Fenghan; with brows raised in delight and eyes laughing [idiom: all smiles], he said, “It looks like if we want to visit Ling Shao later on, we must go to the secluded forest in the small valley.”

Displeased, Xu Ziling said with a sneer, “How about indulging in flights of fancy a bit less?”

Kou Zhong roared in laughter; and then he asked, “Just now you said I don’t dare to face reality, what do you mean by that?”

Calmly shrugging his shoulders, Xu Ziling said, “Nothing. I was just referring to you insisting on coming with me to visit Da Xiaojie, instead of properly training and giving leadership to Shaoshuai Army currently in Pengliang. Hence I feel that you are afraid to face the reality, acting like you are dragging on a momentary escapism mentality.”

Crying out for the injustice he suffered, Kou Zhong said, “I just did not want to part company with you that quickly. Besides, I derived considerable benefit from this trip, not only I learned how to look at the weather, I obtained the man-and-horse-as-one technique even more, while also experiencing the formidability of equestrian archery battle beyond the Great Wall. It could be called a return from a rewarding journey.”

Ba Fenghan said, “Your biggest gain, as far as I see it, really is not any of those things, rather, in the prairie you established contacts with people. Take the Gunatai brothers as an example. They are both arrogant and obstinate people, were it not for you making them admire you from the heart, how could they be willing to help you with all their strength?”

Kou Zhong smiled and said, “It was because I considered them as brothers first, and then I also risk my life to get rid of Shen Mohuan for them. Being emotionally touched, naturally they support me. Ay! I always feel that this man, Bielegunatai, is quite ambitious and profoundly shrewd, unlike his younger brother Bugunatai, who is straightforward and honest.”

Ba Fenghan sneered and said, “Able to become the head of a tribe, not only one must speak about strategy, one must speak about character and self-cultivation even more. What about Tuli? We fought life and death battle for him, yet he turned around and go to Xieli to make peace and establish friendly relations with him. Did he consult and ask for our opinion beforehand? Henceforth I, Ba Fenghan, no longer consider him a brother!”

Stunned, Kou Zhong said, “I understand how you feel, but my reaction is not as intense as yours, LaoGe’s. I might put myself in his shoes, imagining that he could not, because of giving consideration to his personal problem, disregard the interest of his enormous clansmen, could he?”

Ba Fenghan smiled and said, “You will never understand how I really feel, because you don’t have my experience. Besides, you have been in life and death situation together with him, your sentiment toward him is much deeper than my sentiment toward him; therefore, you are more likely to try to justify him. But you and I are different. Tuli and I came from different social classes that are hostile to each other. He has plenty of power, what I have is just a sword that wants to steal the heaven. Xiongdi! Don’t say that I have not warned you, there will come a day Tuli and Xieli may join forces and deploy their troops to the south. You’d better have adequate preparation.”

Smiling ruefully, Kou Zhong said, “Ling Shao, what do you think?”

Xu Ziling sighed and said, “One day Bi Xuan is not dead, this possibility also exists one more day.”

The divine light in Ba Fenghan’s pair of eyes flaring greatly, he groaned in low voice, “Bi Xuan!”

Kou Zhong did not want this debate to deepen Ba Fenghan’s resentment toward Tuli, he changed the subject, “Ling Shao, didn’t you say you wanted to be as far away from the Central Earth as possible, because you do not wish to hear any news about me, otherwise you might be unable to bear and come to help me?”

Remembering Shi Zhixuan, Xu Ziling smiled wryly without saying anything.

A rapid sound of hoot beats faintly came from the depth of the city gate. Kou Zhong looked toward the city gate, he spoke indifferently, “Funantuo is mine, you guys must not argue with me.”

Ba Fenghan roared in laughter. Copying him earlier, he said, “I understand how you feel.”

The sound of hoof beats stopped.

Stunned, the three men looked at each other. They saw Kesubie galloping out of the city gate, coming near the three, and reining his horse and dismounting. He spoke calmly, “Da Wang respectfully invites three gentlemen to enter the city to meet with him.”

Kou Zhong and the others did not expect Bai Ziting to have this move. Meeting inside the city and meeting outside the city were naturally two completely different things.

If they did not dare to enter the city to see Bai Ziting, no matter what, in term of momentum, they would lose one big chunk.

Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “Da Wang is really hospitable.”

He shot a quick glance toward Ba Fenghan and Xu Ziling. Ba Fenghan slightly tightened his jaw, Xu Ziling shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he did not care. Patting the Moon in the Well on his back, he rose to his full height and said, “I still have a sheepskin robe in the city for repair, even if I don’t want to enter the city, I simply can’t.”

Although the south gate was heavily guarded, the city gate tower and the city wall were packed with standing Sumo soldiers, but the atmosphere in the city was not tense at all. Other than the increasing number of patrolling troops, there were also sparse pedestrians dotting the wide Vermilion Bird Boulevard. Shops and markets were doing business as usual. It could clearly be seen that until this moment, Bai Ziting was still full of confidence. Doing negotiation with people with this kind of mentality was certainly not an easy matter.

If inside the city they were met with magnificent army with thousands of men and horses, they would have felt calmer and more assured instead.

Kesubie took them through the deep and long archway of the city gate, and toward the door of a restaurant closest to the gate. He said respectfully, “Da Wang is waiting respectfully inside for three gentlemen’s good-selves.”

Kou Zhong quipped, “I wonder if Daren is busy with leading the troops to surround us heavily, hence you don’t have time to accompany us inside?”

Clearing his throat, Kesubie spoke awkwardly, “Shaoshuai really loves to crack jokes.” And then he lowered his voice and said, “Receiving the lord’s salary, bearing the lord’s worry; I hope Shaoshuai understands Xia Guan’s [low/lowly officer] plight.”

Xu Ziling’s heart was moved, he asked, “What is Ke Daren’s official position?”

Slightly startled, Kesubie replied, “Xia Guan’s official position is You Chengxiang [right prime minister/the most senior minister of many kingdoms or dynasties (with varying roles)].”

Kou Zhong was emotionally moved, “That is a very high official position.”

The three knew it was not appropriate to continue talking with Kesubie, they lifted their feet to step into the shop.

Inside the restaurant, the hall was spacious but shabby; there were nearly twenty large round tables, and Bai Ziting was in the table right in the middle of the hall. His expression tranquil, he looked at the three men walking in.

The ‘Tianzhu Kuang Seng’ [mad monk] Funantuo sat on his right-hand side, still carrying that profound-mystery air; Gongqi occupied the left seat. Exactly three against three; there was no other person.

Six wine cups and a jar of Xiangshui Rice Wine were placed on the table.

Bai Ziting stood up suddenly, chuckled, and said, “Shaoshuai’s art is brilliant, your guts is big; surely your name is not in vain, my admiration, my admiration. Please sit down!”

As he spoke, he personally poured wine into the six empty cups.

Kou Zhong, three men sat down, upright and unafraid. The aroma of the fine wine, filling the six cups to the brim, permeated the whole place. Bai Ziting sat down and raised his cup to propose a toast, saying, “With Ba Xiong, this is my first meeting. This cup is for Ba Xiong defeating Bi Xuan in the future.”

Six men raised their cups to drink. If there were people who did not know the fact watching the scene, they would think that these were old friends reminiscing about the past over wine.

Kou Zhong wiped the wine stain off the corner of his mouth, his gaze fell on Gongqi’s face first, and then smiling slightly, he moved to Funantuo, while speaking cheerfully, “Guoshi’s ‘Brahma and I not two’ has indeed broadened Xiaodi’s horizon; too bad last night this person’s condition was far from good, hence I failed to enjoy myself to the full. Ha!”

Funantuo laughed calmly and said, “It’s rare that Shaoshuai has such interest, I hope this person will not disappoint Shaoshuai.”

Bai Ziting put down the wine cup and spoke indifferently, “Shaoshuai, please state your conditions.”

Kou Zhong threw his head back in laughter, he said, “Very well! Finally Da Wang has the interest to talk business. But I wonder if I could ask Da Wang one question first: in the battle against the Tujue Wolf Army, how much confidence does Da Wang currently have?”

Keeping his demeanor calm, Bai Ziting replied, “Before the two armies clash, who could foresee victory or defeat? We already knew early on that Little Longquan cannot be defended, hence the loss of Little Longquan is not something that we take to heart. As for the loss of supply, it merely makes us cannot add flowers on brocade [idiom: to decorate something already perfect], but it’s not a big blow to the success or failure of our city. Since three years ago this king has vowed to establish my kingdom, all along we have been preparing for this war; otherwise today, I, Bai Ziting, can only try with thousand ways, a hundred plans, to get the Five-Colored Stone back, and kneel before Xieli’s command tent to offer it with both hands.”

The speech was spoken with heroic spirit soaring to the sky, in a not-afraid-of-any-threat manner, indeed the boldness and poise of a master in negotiations.

Gongqi added, “Shaoshuai has the goods in hand, we have the people in hand. Exchanging the goods with the people, we settle it in a straightforward manner, we save everybody unnecessary trouble.”

Kou Zhong acted as if he did not hear Gongqi at all, smiling to Bai Ziting, he said, “Da Wang’s so-called three-year war preparation, I wonder if that includes the wolf-bandits looting and accumulating wealth, seizing and extorting traveling merchants from various regions?”

The murderous intent in Bai Ziting’s pair of eyes flaring greatly, he spoke coldly, “Shaoshuai ought to know that misunderstanding caused by gossip can provoke discontentment and dread. I, Bai Ziting dare not to consider the Tujue worthy in my eyes, I already have the intention of rather be a broken jade than a whole roof tile.”

‘Bang!’

Ba Fenghan slapped the table with his palm, six wine cups, as if they were flung to the floor, shattered into smithereens, but the wine jar was miraculously intact without any problem. Throwing his head back in long laughter, he said, “Such heroic spirit. What I, Ba Fenghan, like the most is an unyielding, tough guy like you, LaoGe. Da Wang does not care about losing Little Longquan, I wonder if you also don’t care if you cannot keep Wo Long Bie Yuan?”

Bai Ziting, three men’s eyes narrowed at the same time, their countenance changed slightly.

‘Good!’ Kou Zhong and the others cried inwardly. Ba Fenghan’s sudden-strike move put the refined and pure neigong [internal energy], which had been brought up a level after being transformed by ‘Huan Ri Da Fa’ – in full display, intimidating the opposite side first, and then uncovering the other side’s fatal weakness, hitting the opponent’s vital part.

Kou Zhong smiled and said, “Xiaodi has a very interesting proposal.”

Stunned, Bai Ziting turned his gaze toward him, “Speak up!” he spoke in heavy voice.

The refined light in Kou Zhong’s pair of eyes flaring greatly, he stared fixedly at Funantuo, but the tone of his voice was calm and composed; he spoke softly, “How about we make a bet? I am asking Da Wang to allow Xiaodi and your distinguished country’s Guoshi to have a life and death decisive battle. If the one ending up dead is me, Kou Zhong, my brothers will definitely not bother you anymore, they will immediately exchange the goods for the people, we even throw Little Longquan as a bonus. However, if the one defeated is Guoshi, other than exchanging the goods for the people, you must also compensate Pingyao merchants’ debt. Da Wang, what do you think?”