Hearing my name being called, I walked up to the two officers. "I am Murong Shiyan." Instructor Cao was wearing an ugly look while the other studied me darkly. "What's this? Some trouble for me? Is this what Lu Shengnan referring to when she said sorry to me?"
I eyed the two army officers suspiciously, and the officer snapped to a salute suddenly! Even I was surprised by this and I returned the salute. "I am the platoon leader in charge of this year's exercise. My name is Song. I have been notified of what happened yesterday and please let it be known that I have reprimanded my man here for what he did. I have called you out today to tender our apology on his behalf and I hope you'd gladly accept it." He paused and turned to Instructor Cao and hissed, "Apologize, quick!" The junior instructor took a step closer and said, "I have been overboard yesterday, Murong Shiyan, and I apologize for my misdemeanor. Please forgive me." He must be trying his best to sound earnest,
The can of Coke I was drinking clunked with Officer Song's as we together toasted to a song well sung! We emptied our drink and I swung my arms dramatically as if drunk by the excitement and exhilaration of the atmosphere. But no one knew that when I swung my arms, my hand was aiming at the black mass just beside me! The punch landed right into the black bulbous mass with a soft thud and it careened away. I had no time to prepare any talismanic charms to deal with this malignant spirit, but charms were not the only one of the many disciplines of my repertoire in dealing with ghosts and spirits! My thumb was pressed against the stub of my ring finger when that fist smashed right into the black gaseous blob. This was a trick called the Vajra's Fist which faintly enchants one's fist with powers to repel evil. The strength of the punch might hardly be enough to fully destroy the spirits, but it was enough to show that I was not your ordinary university student!
It was the second day of my break when Lin Feng, Chongxi and I went to one of our most-frequented town squares in Wu Zhong. We were watching a bunch of kids having fun with their roller skates. We usually hang out or eat together, all three of us. I would have gone to the internet cafe if I was alone; but with Lin Feng's lack of interest in computer games and Chongxi's lamentable ineptitude to master any computer game, loitering around seemed the only thing we could do together. We were just idling about when a voice called from our backs, "Are you Murong Shiyan?" I whirled and saw a burly man, sullen and visibly irate, standing behind ME. We eyed the stranger apprehensively and I said, "I am Murong Shiyan." The man gave a curt nod and said, "Please come with me then." I got up and the man was already walking out of the square, heading towards a small alleyway in the corner. Then I saw from a distance that two rows of men were waiting for us, numbering to at least ten.
Anyone who knew about the history of China might have heard of the Black Ironclads. The elite armored cavalry that was instrumental in laying the foundations of the prosperous Tang Dynasty was famous for their trademark jet-black armor which became their namesake. “But if this rider in jet-black armor is a ghost of the Black Ironclads, then these riders clad in fur clothing and curved scimitars can only be barbarians from ancient Turk!” But there was hardly time for me to think. Another black-armored rider appeared out of nowhere, brandishing his long saber as he stormed at us! The side wing of the saber came dangerously close. Edelweiss and I immediately ducked, barely evading it by inches. Showing greater aptitude in dealing against mounted adversaries, Edelweiss immediately sprang from her crouched position like a tigress and pounced forward, drawing her golden dagger. The magical weapon sang as it escaped from its scabbard and sank its edge deep into
I was dumbfounded. "What did you say? Dragon's roar?" I spun to look at Edelweiss incredulously and she too, was staring at me; her large eyes egging me for an explanation. Then I realized even Zhu Mei's muted son was also staring strangely at me, hoping for an answer as well. I stared into a blank space, trying my best to remember as much of the details as I could. At length, I said, "Well... I don't know what happened myself. I saw how Edelweiss was injured and that made me very angry. Then I screamed suddenly. But it sounded like a normal scream to me. I wouldn't say it's that thunderous to the point that it's like a dragon's, to say the least..." Zhu Mei frowned at once. He placed down his cup and began thinking. I cast a confused look at the muted young man, who was mumbling incomprehensibly to himself as he was trying vainly to make several hand signs to communicate but I failed to understand him. Then I looked at Edelweiss, who was looking at me with a surprised
His face beamed suddenly as he reached the climax of his tale. He clenched his fists excitedly. "Finally, I found out how your father had restrained me using his Autumn Decline! You know how?!" I gave him a sideways glance and shook my head, indicating I do not. "It took me twenty years. I was out there, in the deep forest of the Canyon when it came to me out of the blue!" he said, immensely proud of himself, "My Windchaser magic allows me to control the ground and your father's technique allows him to control the air. Initially, I believed that as long as he's in the air, I'd not be controlled by him! Then I finally understood: whenever I run, there is always a tiny moment when both my feet are in the air! Your father had realized this when he saw me and he had been using this against me! Even before I landed, I had already fallen into your father's enchantment!" He slapped his thigh and exploded in roaring laughter. My head nodded slowly as I wondered,
And that was all that Shang Pei was willing to divulge, in spite of the obvious fact that both Zhu Mei and he knew more than they were willing to admit. We hurried back from Inner Mongolia to Wu Zhong and my first stop was home. I needed to ask Father what was going on. Naturally, he refused to divulge anything too. But that hardly dampened my thirst for answers. "Why did you not tell Godmother the truth about her sister? You knew what happened to her all along? And how did the Dragon-slaying Blade go missing when you were supposed to be watching it? And how could Master Six not realize that you had achieved full immortality?" Father threw me a sideways glance, his narrowed eyes studying me for a second before he took a puff of smoke from his cigarette. "Why are you asking all these suddenly?" I slammed a fist into the table. "Father! There are people hidden in the shadows whose eyes are fixated upon the lost Blade and you! They believed that the Blade is
"In those days, we use fishing poles to catch fish and a snare called Ti–Yes, the same Ti that means 'hoofs' in Chinese–to trap wild hares. To put it simply, it's just a basket that we leave in the water during daytime and by nightfall, we can easily expect to find any haul in the baskets," Mr. Zhang explained while drinking. This is the difference between university students of the past and college students like us today! They were actually imparted true knowledge while we were only trained to pass exams... The significance of their qualification could not be adequately equated with ours... Aunt Fen raised an arm and silence immediately fell upon us. "I suggest here's how we should go on. Let's split up into three groups. The first group will first start with the Bian family burial grounds. The next group will begin searching along the river for the highland where the dud was hidden. Coordinate with this Master Six and Chen Yixuan's route for a better cl
The development in Yahong Bridge in that era was not anyone could easily comprehend. The city today was but a mere shadow of its former glory, which could well be attributed to the auspicious aura given off by the Dragon-slaying Blade when it was kept by Bian Dashou there. But on the other hand, one had to give the old historian great credit for his detailed and meticulous work. Some of the records even documented various miscellaneous events. Merchant Dong Sixiang moved to rejoin his kin Dong Siyuan at Yahong Bridge after moving from Tonghua Village of Pujiang County in Zhejiang during the reign of Qianlong Emperor. He started a pawnbroker business and opened a shop named Xingshun Pawnshop. The Three Wang Brothers from Shanxi came to the town of Yahong Bridge during the reign of Daoguang Emperor, bringing with them printing methods and vinegar brewing technology, and they operated three stores named Jin Tai, Jin Yuan, and Jin Cheng. The Cao Clan from Hed