Laughing in the Wind Chapter 1 – Part 3

Lin Zhennan¹ smiled as he said, “Excellent, excellent! You’ve made progress every day this past month and you lasted four more moves today!”

He returned to his chair and filled his pipe with tobacco, saying, “Pinger,² just so you know, our armed escort received excellent news today.”

Lin Pingzhi³ took out flint and steel, struck a spark to his father’s pipe-kindling. He asked, “Has Father secured another major commission?”

Lin Zhennan shook his head and said with a smile, “As long as our armed escort maintains its reputation, need we fret over attracting fat contracts? We should worry about being unable to handle things when big clients come knocking on the door.”

He took a long drag from his pipe before continuing, “Captain Zhang just sent word from Hunan⁴ that Abbot Yu of Qingcheng School’s⁵ Pine Wind Temple⁶ on Qingcheng Mountain⁷ in Western Sichuan⁸ has accepted our gifts.”

When Lin Pingzhi heard the words “Western Sichuan” and “Abbot Yu,” his heart skipped a beat. He managed to say, “Accepted our gifts?”

Lin Zhennan said, “I’ve rarely discussed matters of the armed escort with you before, not that you would have understood anyway. But you’re getting older now, and this heavy burden I carry will eventually pass to your shoulders. It’s time you start learning more about running the business.

“Child, our family has been in the escort business for three generations, relying first on your great-grandsire’s formidable reputation, and second on our family’s ancestral martial arts to reach our current position as the pre-eminent armed escort south of the Great River.⁹

“When people in the jianghu hear the name Fuwei Armed Escort, all would raise their thumbs and say, ‘Such good fortune! Such might!’ In jianghu matters, reputation accounts for two parts and martial prowess another two, but the remaining six parts depend on official and underworld connections honouring us.

“Think about it,” he continued, “our armed escort’s convoys are deployed through ten provinces. If we had to battle on every journey, how many lives could we spare? Even if we won every fight, as the saying goes, ‘To kill a thousand enemies costs eight hundred of our own.’ If our escorts were injured or killed, the compensation for their families alone would consume all our escort fees, leaving us nothing.

“That’s why in our line of work, it’s paramount that we have extensive connections and a broad influence. These two words ‘personal relations’ matter more than actual combat skills.”

Lin Pingzhi said, “Yes!”

On any other day, hearing his father mention that he would one day pass him the heavy burden of the Armed Escort would have excited him greatly, leading to endless discussion with his father. But now his mind felt like fifteen buckets in the well, seven rising and eight falling,¹⁰ thinking only of those words “Western Sichuan” and “Abbot Yu”.

Lin Zhennan took another puff of his pipe and said, “Your father’s martial arts ability naturally is no match for your great-grandfather’s, and may not even equal your grandfather’s. But when it comes to running an armed escort, I daresay I’ve surpassed them both. From Fujian all the way south to Guangdong, and all the way north to Zhejiang and Jiangsu—your great-grandfather established our businesses in these four provinces.

“But the six provinces of Shandong, both sides of the lake,¹¹ Jiangxi, and Guangxi are forged from your father’s own hands. The secret to this? Truth be told, it’s simply down to the words: ‘Gather more friends, make fewer foes.’ Fuwei, Fuwei. The word ‘Fu’ comes before ‘Wei’, meaning prosperity matters more than might. Prosperity comes from the words, ‘gather more friends, make fewer foes’. If it’s changed to ‘Weifu’, it would become abusing power and being tyrannical.¹² Haha, haha!”

Lin Pingzhi joined in his father with a few forced laughs, but there was no joy in his laughter.

Oblivious to his son’s distracted unease, Lin Zhennan continued, “The ancients say: ‘Having obtained Long, one yearns for Shu.’¹³ Your father says: ‘Having obtained E, one yearns for Shu.’ Our escort routes run westward from Fujian, through Jiangxi and Hunan, and stops at Hubei. Why shouldn’t we follow the river further westward into Sichuan?

“Sichuan is the Land of Abundance,¹⁴—a truly rich and prosperous place indeed! Once we establish the routes through Sichuan, we can push northwards into Shaanxi and southwards to Yunnan and Guizhou. Our business would grow by at least three tenths.

“However, Sichuan is a place where tigers crouch and dragons hide,¹⁵ with truly many formidable masters. For Fuwei Armed Escort’s convoys to enter Sichuan, we must first establish relations with both Qingcheng School and Emei Order.¹⁶

“For the past three spings and autumns, I’ve been sending generous gifts to Qingcheng’s Pine Wind Temple and Emei’s Golden Summit Temple.¹⁷ Yet their leaders have never accepted them.

“Jinguang¹⁸ Shangren¹⁹ of Emei Order at least receives our messenger, offers a few words of gratitude, serves a vegetarian meal, before returning the gifts untouched. But Abbot Yu of Pine Wind Temple is quite something else.

“Our escort captains bearing gifts were turned away halfway up the mountain. They were told that Abbot Yu had sealed himself off for meditation and thus received no visitors, and that the temple had everything it needed and thus accepted no gifts. Not only did our escort captains not even get an audience with Abbot Yu, they can’t even say if the temple gate faces north or south.

“They return every time fuming, saying that if it weren’t for my strict orders to remain respectful no matter how rude a treatment they faced, their frustrations would have driven them to curse up a storm with all kinds of nasty, choice words. And probably have gotten into several major fights long ago.”

He stood up and said with immense satisfaction, “Who would have thought that this time, Abbot Yu actually accepted our gifts and even said he’s sending four disciples to Fujian to return the courtesy…”

Lin Pingzhi asked, “Four? Not two?”

Lin Zhennan replied, “Yes, four disciples! Think of the honour Abbot Yu is showing Fuwei Armed Escort by making such a grand gesture! I’ve already dispatched swift riders to notify our branches in Jiangxi, Hunan, and Hubei that these four distinguished guests from Qingcheng School must be properly received.”

Lin Pingzhi suddenly asked, “Father, do Sichuan people always call others ‘bastard son of a tortoise’ and refer to themselves as ‘yours truly’?”²⁰

Lin Zhennan laughed, “Only the crude folk in Sichuan talk that way. Vulgar people exist everywhere, and they are naturally gruff in their speech. Just listen to our scouts when they gamble—is their language any better? Why do you ask?“s

Lin Pingzhi replied, “Nothing.”

Lin Zhennan said, “When those four Qingcheng disciples arrive, you must spend time and befriend them to Learn the bearing of disciples from prestigious schools. Making friend with these four will benefit you to no end in days to come.”

The father and son talked for a while longer. Lin Pingzhi remained undecided over whether to tell his father about killing someone. Finally, he thought it best tell his mother first before speaking to his father about it.

★★★

After dinner, the Lin family of three chatted in the rear hall. Lin Zhennan discussed with his wife about a suitable gift for her elder brother’s birthday in the start of the sixth moon. Finding something worthy of Luoyang’s Golden Dao King clan²¹ was no easy task.

Suddenly, they heard commotion outside the hall, followed by rushed footsteps as several people burst in. Lin Zhennan frowned and said, “How unruly!”

Three scouts ran in, with the foremost gasping, “Chief… Escort Chief…”

Lin Zhennan bellowed, “What’s all this fuss about?”

Scout Chen Qi said, “Bai… Bai Er is dead.”

Lin Zhennan started and asked, “Who killed him? Did you gamble and get into a fight?”

He thought in annoyance, These men who roam the jianghu are truly hard to control, always so eager to draw blades or raise fists. Here in the provincial capital, a death would be tremendous trouble.

Chen Qi said, “No, no. Little Li went to the privy and found Bai Er lying in the vegetable garden beside it. His body bore no wounds, but he was already ice cold. We don’t know how he died. Perhaps some sudden illness.”

Lin Zhennan exhaled in relief, his heart easing at once. He said, “I’ll go have a look.”

He headed to the vegetable garden. Lin Pingzhi followed.

Over half a dozen escorts guards²² and scouts had gathered in a circle in the garden. Seeing the Escort Chief, everyone stepped aside. Lin Zhennan looked at Bai Er’s corpse and saw that his clothes had been opened, revealing no sign of blood. He asked Captain Zhu who stood beside him, “Any wounds?”

The escort captain replied, “I gave a thorough check. There’s not a single wound on his body, and it doesn’t appear to be poisoning either.”

Lin Zhennan nodded and said, “Notify Bookkeeper Dong to handle Bai Er’s funeral arrangements and send one hundred taels of silver to his family.”

The death of a scout from illness was no particular concern for He turned back to the main hall and asked his son,, “Didn’t Bai Er go hunting with you today?”

Lin Pingzhi replied, “He did. He was perfectly fine when we returned. I don’t know how he suddenly fell ill.”

Lin Zhennan said, “I see. Good and bad fortune often come without warning. I’ve been trying to establish the Sichuan route for years and feared it would take at least a decade. Who would have expected Abbot Yu to have a sudden change of heart not only accepting my gifts, but even sending four disciples on a long journey to return the courtesy.”

Lin Pingzhi said, “Father, while Qingcheng School is renowned in the wulin, Fuwei Armed Escort and Father’s reputations are equally formidable. Given that we send gifts to Sichuan every year, Abbot Yu is merely returning the courtesy by sending men our way.”

Lin Zhennan laughed and said, “What do you know? Qingcheng and Emei of Sichuan province have been established for centuries and boast a wealth of talented disciples and are truly remarkable. Though they may not match Shaolin or Wudang, they certainly stand as equals of Songshan School, Taiyue School, Southern Hengshan School, Huashan School, and Northern Hengshan School of the Five Mountain Sword Alliance.²³

“Your great-grandfather Lord Yuantu²⁴ created the seventy-two moves of the Evil-Warding Swordplay²⁵ that was once feared through the jianghu and was truly unmatched all of the realm. But when it passed to your grandfather’s hands its reputation fell short of Lord Yuantu’s.

“And, I’m afraid, your father, fell even shorter still. Our Lin family has had single heirs for three generations, without fellow disciples. With just us two, we’re no match for their strength in numbers and influence.”

Lin Pingzhi said, “If all the heroes of our armed escort from the ten provinces gathered together, surely we would equal Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, Qingcheng, and the Five Mountain Sword Alliance?”

Lin Zhennan laughed and said, “Child, it’s harmless to say such things to your father, but if spoken outside and heard by others, it would bring instant trouble. Our eighty-four escort captains across ten armed escort branches, each are skilled in their own right. Together, we certainly wouldn’t lose to others. But what’s to gain from defeating others?

“As the saying goes, ‘Harmony brings wealth.’ We’re in the escort business, all the more we should yield to others. By humbling ourselves and letting others claim superiority, we lose nothing.”

Suddenly, someone cried out, “Oh no, Captain Zheng is dead too!”

Both Lin Zhennan and his son started in alarm. Lin Pingzhi leapt from his chair, trembling as he said, “They’ve come for ven…”

Before the word “vengeance” left his lips, he clamped his mouth shut.

By then, Lin Zhennan had already hurried to the hall entrance and did not notice what his son was saying. Scout Chen Qi rushed in, shouting, “Es… Escort Chief, terrible news! Captain Zheng… Captain Zheng has also been claimed by… by that Sichuan ghost.”

Lin Zhennan’s face darkened as he bellowed, “What Sichuan ghost? Utter nonsense!”

Chen Qi stammered, “A-Aye! That Sichuan ghost… That Sichuan fellow was fierce and unreasonable while alive, he’s bound to be even more terrible in death…”

He caught the Escort Chief’s furious glare and dared not continue, turning instead towards Lin Pingzhi with a pleading, frightful look.

Lin Zhennan said, “You say Captain Zheng is dead? Where’s the body? How did he die?”

Just then, several more escort guards and scouts rushed into the hall. One of the guards frowned as he said, “Brother Zheng died in the stables, just like Bai Er, there’s not a mark on his body. No blood from the seven apertures,²⁶ Neither bruising nor swelling on his face. Perhaps… perhaps when we went hunting with Young Escort Chief earlier, they really encounter some… some malevolent spirit.”

Lin Zhennan snorted and said, “I’ve roamed the jianghu all my life and I’ve never seen any ghosts. Let’s have a look.”

Saying that, he headed to the stables. Captain Zheng was sprawled on the ground, his hands still clutching a saddle, seemingly unsaddling a horse when he collapsed. There were no signs of a struggle.

By now darkness had fallen. Lin Zhennan ordered lanterns brought while he personally undid Captain Zheng’s clothes, before conducting a meticulous examination. He even checked all the bones in his body, but he did not find a single wound and or a broken finger.

Lin Zhennan never believed in ghosts and spirits. Bai Er’s sudden death was one thing, but for Captain Zheng to die in the same manner suggested something highly suspicious. If it were the Black Death or some plague, why were there no dark spots or red marks on the body?

Suspecting this incident was related to his son’s hunting expedition in the day, he turned to Lin Pingzhi.

“Besides Captain Zheng and Bai Er, was it Captain Shi and him who went hunting with you today?” He pointed at Chen Qi as he spoke.

Lin Pingzhi nodded. Lin Zhennan said, “You two come with me.”

He instructed a scout, “Tell Captain Shi to meet us in the east wing.”

When the three reached in the east wing, Lin Zhennan asked his son, “What happened?”

Lin Pingzhi then recounted the events: how they had stopped at a small wine shop when returning from hunting; how two Sichuan men had molested the serving girl, leading to a verbal confrontation; how that escalated into a brawl when one of them grabbed his neck and demanded that he kowtow; how in his panic and anger, he drew the dagger from his boot and killed the man; and how they buried him in the vegetable garden, gave some silver to the old shop owner, and ordered his silence in return.

The more Lin Zhennan listened, the more concerned he grew. However, a death from a brawl with an outsider was not an earth-shattering matter.

He remained expressionless as he waited for his son to finish, then said in a low voice, “Did these two men mention which school or guild they belonged to?”

Lin Pingzhi said, “No!”

Lin Zhennan asked, “Was there anything unusual about their speech or behaviour?”

Lin Pingzhi replied, “I wouldn’t say it is something strange, but that Yu fellow—”

Before he could finish, Lin Zhennan interrupted, “The man you killed was surnamed Yu?”

Lin Pingzhi said, “Yes! I heard the other call him Brother Yu, though I’m not sure if it was Yu written as ren wei or ren ze.²⁷ I couldn’t decipher it given their foreign accent.”

Lin Zhennan shook his head as he muttered to himself, “No, no. It can’t be such a coincidence. Abbot Yu said he would send men, but there is no way they could’ve reached Fuzhou Prefecture so swiftly unless they grew wings.”

Lin Pingzhi tensed and asked, “Father, are you saying these two might be from Qingcheng School?”

Lin Zhennan gave no answer. Instead, he gestured as he asked, “When you used this Heaven-Flipping Palms move against him, how did he counter it?”

Lin Pingzhi replied, “He didn’t. I landed a sound slap.”

Lin Zhennan laughed and said repeatedly, “Splendid! Splendid! Splendid!”

The chamber was filled with a tense, fearful atmosphere, but Lin Zhennan’s laughter prompted Lin Pingzhi to join in and his heart lightened in an instant.

Lin Zhennan asked, “When you used this move, how did he strike back?”

Once more, he demonstrated the move as he spoke. Lin Pingzhi said, “I was furious then, so I can’t remember clearly, but I think he did this and I punched his chest.”

Lin Zhennan’s expression grew even more pleased, saying “Splendid, that’s how that move should be executed! If he was unable to counter even this move, there’s not way he was related to Abbot of Pine Wind Temple from the renowned Qingcheng School.”

His repeated exclamations of “splendid” were not in praise of his son martial abilities, but rather in relief. There were countless people surnamed Yu in Sichuan Province, and it was clear that the Yu fellow his son killed had limited martial arts skills, and thus would be unrelated to Qingcheng School.

He tapped his right middle finger repeatedly on the table and asked, “And how did he grab your head?”

Lin Pingzhi showed how he was immobilised by the grapple.

Chen Qi, having regained some courage, interjected, “When Bai Er tried to stab that fellow with his steel fork, a backward kick knocked the fork out of his hand and another sent him tumbling.”

Lin Zhennan’s heart jolted. He asked, “He knocked Bai Er down and disarmed him with a backward kick? How… how did he execute those kicks?”

Chen Qi said, “Something like this…”

He grabbed the back of a chair with both hands and kicked backwards with his right foot, hopped on one foot, then lashed out backwards with his left foot. His kicks were clumsy like a horse’s backward kicks.

Seeing how awkward the kicks were, Lin Pingzhi could not help but laugh and said, “Father, look…”

However, he caught himself when he noticed his father’s alarmed expression.

Lin Zhennan said, “These two backward kicks bear some resemblance to Qingcheng School’s feat, the Shadowless Phantom Kicks.’²⁸ Child, how exactly did he execute the kicks?”

Lin Pingzhi replied, “My head was in his grip then, so I couldn’t see his kicks.”

Lin Zhennan said, “Well, we’ll need to ask Captain Shi then.”

Walking out of the chamber, he called out, “Men! Where’s Captain Shi? Why hasn’t he come after being summoned for so long?”

Two scouts hurried over and reported that Escort Captain Shi was nowhere to be found.

Lin Zhennan paced back and forth in the flower hall,²⁹ thinking to himself, “If these two backward kicks were truly the Shadowless Phantom Kicks, then even if this man were not related to Abbot Yu, he must have some connection to Qingcheng School. Who exactly was he? I must go see for myself.”

He said aloud, “Summon Captain Cui and Captain Ji!”

The two captains were known for their reliability and prudence, and were Lin Zhennan’s trusted men. Having witnessed Captain Zheng’s sudden death and Captain Shi’s disappearance, they had been waiting outside the hall for orders. Upon hearing Lin Zhennan’s summons, they entered immediately.

Lin Zhennan said, “We have a matter to attend to. The two Captains, son and Chen Qi—come with me.”

Footnotes

1. 林震南 – Lín Zhènnán. His name meaning “Quells the South.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 儿 – ér. A diminutive term of endearment, especially for a child or lover. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 林平之 – Lín Píngzhī. His name meaning “Level-minded” or “Fair and just”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 湖南 – húnnán. Province in Central China. See Wikipedia. ↩

5. 青城派 – qīngchéngpài. Martial arts school based on Daoist teachings. See Wuxia Wiki ↩

6. 松风观 – sōngfēngguān. Literally pine wind Daoist temple. ↩

7. 青城山 – qīngchéngshān. Mountain in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, famous for its beautiful scenery and the Qingcheng Mountain Daoist Monastery. Considered one of the birthplaces of Daoism and one of the most important Daoist religious sites. See Wikipedia. ↩

8. 川西 – chuānxī. Western Sichuan. See Wikipedia. ↩

9. 大江 – dàjiāng. Another name for the Yangtze River. See Wikipedia. ↩

10. 十五只吊桶打水，七上八下 – shíwǔzhī diàotǒng dǎ shuǐ, qī shàng bā xià. The idiom is a clever wordplay that describes a well system where some buckets ascend while others are descending, meaning one’s mind is agitated like the well buckets rising and falling. The use of an odd number further emphasises the imbalance and restlessness. See Wiktionary. ↩

11. 两湖 – liǎnghú. The two provinces of Hunan and Hubei are literally south of lake and north of lake respectively, due to their location from the Dongting Lake. ↩

12. 作威作福 – zuòwēizuòfú. Literally making threats and enjoying favours. It is a word play of the words that make up the Fuwei name. ↩

13. 既得陇，复望蜀 – jìdélǒng, fùwàngshǔ. Literally, having obtained Long, one yearns for Shu. The idiom comes from the Book of Jin, attributed to Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms, who said after conquering Longyou, he wants the territory of Shu. See Wiktionary. ↩

14. 天府之国 – tiānfǔzhīguó. Literally the country of heaven. Idiom used since historical times to describe Sichuan’s natural wealth and fertility. ↩

15. 卧虎藏龙 – wòhǔcánglóng. Literally crouching tiger, hidden dragon. Idiom used to explain there are many hidden talented individuals. See Wiktionary. ↩

16. 峨眉派 – éméipài. One of the major philosophical and martial arts schools based on Mount Emei. See Wuxia Wiki ↩

17. 金顶寺 – jīndǐngsì. Literally golden summit temple. Emei Buddhist temple on the main peak (Jinding or Golden Summit) of Mount Emei. See Wikipedia. ↩

18. 静观 – jìngguān. His name meaning “Quiet Observation”. ↩

19. 上人 – shàngrén. Literally revered person or honoured one. Honorific title for a high-ranking Buddhist monk. ↩

20. 老子 – lǎozi. Literally “old master” or “father,” but commonly used as a crude first-person pronoun by ruffians to assert dominance or superiority. ↩

21. 金刀王家 – jīndāowángjiā. The Golden Dao King clan of Luoyang. See Wuxia Wiki ↩

22. 镖师 – biāoshī. Literally escort master or expert. Rank-and-file fighters of the armed escort. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

23. 五岳剑派 – wǔyuèjiànpài. Referring to the Five Sacred Peaks in China. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 林远图 – Lín Yuǎntú. His name meaning “Far-reaching Plan” or “Grand Vision.” See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

25. 辟邪剑法 – Bìxié jiàn fǎ. Literally evil-warding swordplay. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

26. 七孔 – qīkǒng. Literally seven orifices. The seven apertures refers to the eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

27. 余 – Yu. The character with the Yu sound can be written as “余” (radical 人 rén, stroke 未 wèi) or “俞” (radical 人 rén, stroke 则 zé). See Wiktionary. ↩

28. 无影幻腿 – wúyǐnghuàntuǐ. Literally no shadow imaginary leg. A move from the Qingcheng School. See Wuxia Wiki ↩

29. 花厅 – huātīng. Literally flower hall. Drawing room in a large residence built in a garden or between courtyards. ↩