TWWDS - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The leader of the group bowed slightly to Chao Qingxiu and said courteously, "I asked around just now and was told that Mingsi Hall had already been rented. Might I ask if you are the young lady who rented it?"

Chao Qingxiu returned the gesture and said, "I did rent this property. I also saw a stone tablet in the courtyard inscribed with 'Mingsi Hall.'"

After a moment of silence, the woman said, "My name is Yan Kaixian. I stayed here for a time many years ago."

Knowing that the property she had rented had once been the headquarters of a gang, Chao Qingxiu guessed at the woman's identity and introduced herself. "My name is Chao Qingxiu." She then stepped aside to clear the entrance and said with a slight smile, "You have come a long way, so you are our guests. Please come in and talk."

Yan Kaixian nodded to the people beside her. The four of them secured their horses and followed Chao Qingxiu into the estate.

Chao Qingxiu led them into her own exceptionally plain main hall and poured some of the cold tea Li Yao had set out to cool for the guests.

Now that more people were gathered there, Chao Qingxiu immediately noticed that the house she lived in had considerable shortcomings in both practicality and visual appeal.

The hall originally held only a few chairs whose styles matched one another not at all. It was not until Li Yao and her sister had arrived that Chao Qingxiu found time to search out the remains of several tea tables in the storeroom and assemble them. Apart from that, the hall contained nothing. At most, because the cleaning was fairly diligent, it could be called clean. The overall effect was, in capital letters, a house with nothing but its four bare walls.

Fortunately, none of the four newcomers objected to Chao Qingxiu's standard of hospitality.

During their conversation, Chao Qingxiu learned that they had all been members of the gang. Yan Kaixian had been one of its Guardians. The large man beside her, whose face looked rather like rock, was Guan Cangwen. Another was a composed middle-aged woman named Qin Yishan, and the youngest was Wang Jianian. The first two had once been promising young Branch Chiefs in the gang.

After the Zizhuo Gang fell apart, Yan Kaixian left with a number of gang members who were close to her and went into the escort business.

"Mingsi Hall was once the residence of our late Gang Leader. Her memorial anniversary is drawing near, so we came to pay our respects."

At this, Yan Kaixian's expression grew somewhat sorrowful.

Chao Qingxiu said, "I see."

Compared with the vast complex of gang headquarters, Mingsi Hall stood farther out, fronting the street directly. Chao Qingxiu had never understood why the title deed to the property had been kept here. Now that she knew it had once belonged to the unnamed late Gang Leader, everything made sense.

Yan Kaixian said, "There are no inns near Qingbo Street. If your household has a room to spare, might we lodge here for a few days?"

As she spoke, Yan Kaixian placed a three-tael gold ingot on the table and added, "Every expense during our stay shall be estimated at the market rate."

Chao Qingxiu said, "So you have come back to your old haunt. If you do not mind how shabby my home is, please stay as long as you like. There is no need to spend anything extra." She then added, "There are rice and vegetables in the kitchen, and a well in the back courtyard. Although the house has many empty rooms, there are few people in the household, so I have not furnished any spare bedding. If you are to stay, you will need to bring your own."

Seeing how open and candid Chao Qingxiu's manner was, Yan Kaixian hurriedly replied, "Naturally. You need not put yourself out for us."

While they were speaking, another burst of hoofbeats sounded from outside.

Yan Kaixian clearly noticed the movement outside, and her expression grew solemn. After Chao Qingxiu glanced at her, she said, "This place is secluded and quiet. Usually, few people come here. I did not expect it to be so lively today."

Chao Qingxiu went to the door and opened it. This time, the visitor was a young woman of twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She had a healthy tan, was dressed in fisherman's clothes, and wore an open smile.

The visitor gave the same clasped-fist greeting and said, "I am Xiao Xiangyu. I heard that Mingsi Hall had been rented, and that the person who rented it was you, young lady?"

Chao Qingxiu thought that the local house agent was probably having much the same sort of day as she was, constantly encountering unexpected lodgers.

She returned the greeting courteously, repeated everything she had just told Yan Kaixian, and then invited Xiao Xiangyu into the hall and poured her a cup of tea as well.

Xiao Xiangyu was momentarily startled, then clasped her hands and said, "Guardian Yan, it has been a long time. I hope you have been well."

Yan Kaixian gave a bitter smile. "Sister Xiao, you as well."

The two women sat down opposite each other and remained silent. Xiao Xiangyu stared at the teacup beside her, wishing that Miss Chao would come over again so they could talk and break the stiffness in the room.

Unfortunately, Chao Qingxiu was not there.

Qingbo Street had always been quiet. It was rare for it to be as lively as it was today. For the third time, Chao Qingxiu went to the door to welcome another visiting guest.

The new visitor was named Yue Zhiwen. He was tall and slender, wore a scholar's robe, and appeared refined in every movement. He stood at the door and courteously asked the same question as the previous two, receiving the same reception in return.

Yue Zhiwen entered the hall. His gaze swept in turn over Yan Kaixian, Guan Cangwen, and Xiao Xiangyu. After a moment of silence, he bowed to the two women, then sat in one of the lower chairs.

Chao Qingxiu raised her head and glanced at the sky.

The hour was still early. Since three groups of visitors had already arrived, there might be a fourth or a fifth. Rather than return to the hall and sit with the others, she stood at the door with both hands tucked into her sleeves, waiting to see whether anyone else would knock.

Chao Qingxiu guessed correctly. Yue Zhiwen was not the last visitor.

After him came Ruan Shifeng, who wore a Six Doors badge at her waist. If Yan Kaixian's mood was somber, Xiao Xiangyu's manner held a trace of hesitation, and Yue Zhiwen chose silence, then the way Ruan Shifeng regarded the others was openly scrutinizing.

After Ruan Shifeng sat down, the fifth and final group of visitors that day finally appeared. Their leader was Tian Changtian, dressed in the fashion of a martial world adventurer, with three nimble-footed followers behind him.

When Tian Changtian saw Yan Kaixian and the others, his expression cooled slightly. Without greeting them, he turned to Chao Qingxiu and said, "There is no need to bring tea. We still need to pack our things, so we will take our leave for now."

Chao Qingxiu gave a polite nod. "Please, go ahead."

Sensing the atmosphere in the hall, Chao Qingxiu thought that letting the Li sisters go out had been a mistake. She should have gone to work with them. Whether she earned any money was secondary. The important thing was that she might escape this sudden, unexpected social gathering...

Yan Kaixian also stood and said, "Since that is the case, we had better go and gather our things too."

She left, and Guan Cangwen and the others who had come with her naturally rose from their seats. Yue Zhiwen and Xiao Xiangyu sat for the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, then got up and slipped away one after another. In the end, only Ruan Shifeng remained in the hall.

A standard curved saber of the Six Doors hung at Ruan Shifeng's waist. At a glance, one could tell that she was not someone to trifle with. She studied Chao Qingxiu for a moment, then said, "It has been years since I came back. I did not expect the place already to have a new owner."

Chao Qingxiu said, "I am only staying here temporarily. I dare not call myself the 'owner.'"

Ruan Shifeng said, "Qingbo Street is so secluded. Why did you choose to settle here?"

Chao Qingxiu answered frankly, "I have little money and only seek a roof over my head. Besides, this place is exceedingly tranquil, just right for cultivating my character and refining my spirit."

Judging from the condition of the house and the plainness of its furnishings, there was not the slightest exaggeration in Chao Qingxiu's "empty purse."

Ruan Shifeng smiled. "You are so young, and already you want to cultivate your character?" Without waiting for Chao Qingxiu to reply, she continued, "When I came, I asked the house agent. Mingsi Hall had stood empty for years, and no one had rented it. You are the first."

Chao Qingxiu asked, "Did you all come because the place had been occupied, so you came to investigate?"

Ruan Shifeng looked faintly surprised, then shook her head. "No. It is nearly the anniversary of our late Gang Leader's death, so I came back to take a look. I knew that others might return as well, but I did not expect them all to arrive like this."

Chao Qingxiu lowered her gaze to the teacup and asked, "Is this your first time back?"

Ruan Shifeng nodded.

Chao Qingxiu said, "Now that I happen to be living here, allow me one more question. Compared with the past, is there anything different this year?"

She studied the appearance of Yan Kaixian and the others. They did not look in the least as though they had arranged to meet beforehand.

Ruan Shifeng did not hide the matter. "This was originally the headquarters of the Zizhuo Gang. After our late Gang Leader, Sister Shangguan, passed away, the gang's members scattered to the winds. By the custom of the Wulin Alliance, if no one was willing to take over a gang for a full twelve-year cycle, it would be struck from the Alliance's rolls. This year is the last, so I came to take a look and pay my respects to the late Gang Leader."

Chao Qingxiu glanced at Ruan Shifeng and said with a slight smile, "I see."

In general, after the leader of a gang died, the gang should naturally come under the control of an heir. Something must have happened back then to prevent this gang from passing smoothly to a successor. Combined with the complicated atmosphere in the hall that day, it told Chao Qingxiu that something was amiss.

Chao Qingxiu had only recently taken up martial arts. She estimated that even Yan Kaixian or one of Tian Changtian's followers could easily defeat her. Only later did she learn that her judgment at that moment had badly undervalued the Yuxuan Taiyin Scripture and entertained an entirely unrealistic estimate of the combat strength of ordinary martial artists. Thus, although she was curious about what had happened to the Zizhuo Gang back then, she had no intention of involving herself. She was determined to serve as nothing more than the background scenery at the reunion of its former members.

Although she remained curious about the events of those years, the odds of becoming cannon fodder in affairs of the martial world were far too high. Moreover, based on her earlier dealings with Han Sihe, Chao Qingxiu had some understanding of the imperial court's attitude. As a rule, so long as conflicts among martial artists did not involve ordinary civilians, the government would not intervene.

Chao Qingxiu thought that although the visitors were staying in her house, they all seemed reasonable and bore no resemblance to people who knew about her hidden sideline. So long as she did not take it upon herself to get involved and kept her distance, trouble should not come to her door.

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