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 I would have you know, our armed escort received excellent news today.”

Lin Pingzhi³ took out flint and steel, struck a spark and lit a paper spill for his father’s pipe. He asked, “Has Father secured another grand 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 lucrative contracts? We should worry about being unable to handle things when major clients come to call.”

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 black path 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, Hebei, Hunan and Hubei,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 forced himself to laugh along with his father, though without joy.

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 aplenty. 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 springs 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.

“Venerable Jinguang¹⁸¹⁹ 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 back 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 couldn’t even say whether 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 ‘your grandsire’?”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?”

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 friends 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 to 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 at 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 commotion is this?”

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 dao 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 shall see for myself.”

He headed to the vegetable garden. Lin Pingzhi followed.

Over half a dozen escort 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 liang of silver to his family.”

The death of a scout from illness was no particular concern. 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,²³ 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 would you know of such things? 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, Taishan School, Southern Hengshan School, Huashan School, and Northern Hengshan School of the Five Mountain Sword Alliance.²⁴

“Your great-grandfather Lord Yuantu²⁵ created the seventy-two moves of the Evil-Warding Swordplay²⁶ 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 further short. 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 is 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 toward 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,²⁷ 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, as though he had collapsed mid-task while unsaddling a horse. 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 examining him with meticulous care. He even checked all the bones in his body, but he did not find a single wound nor 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.”

Footnotes

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

2. 儿 — ér. Diminutive term of endearment, especially for a child or lover. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

4. 湖南 — Húnán. 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. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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. 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. Use of an odd number further emphasises the imbalance and restlessness. See Wiktionary. ↩

11. 两湖 — liǎnghú. 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. 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. 金光 — Jīnguāng. His name meaning “Golden Light”. ↩

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. Commonly used as a crude first-person pronoun by ruffians to assert dominance or superiority. ↩

21. 金刀王家 — jīndāowángjiā. 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. 武林 — wǔlín. Literally martial forest. Those who actually practise, teach or study martial arts. Wulin sits inside the jianghu and is narrower than it: every member of the wulin belongs to the jianghu, but a pedlar or physician of the jianghu who never trained is no part of the wulin. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

24. 五岳剑派 — Wǔyuè Jiànpài. Five Mountain Sword Alliance, comprising the five schools of Huashan, Songshan, Taishan, Northern Hengshan, and Southern Hengshan. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

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

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

27. 七孔 — qīkǒng. Literally seven orifices. Seven apertures refers to the eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩