White Horse Neighing in the West Wind – Chapter 22

Su Luke said, “So it’s really Wa’erlaqi.”

Che’erku murmured, “He knew your mother? It’s Wa’erlaqi? How… how could he have become the evil ghost in the labyrinth?”

Aman said, “He’s not a ghost, he’s a person. He said he’s loved my mother since he was young, but my mother had no eyes in her head and married my father, that great scoundrel… ah, father, don’t be angry, it was that bad man who said it.”

Su Luke burst out laughing and said, “Wa’erlaqi is a bad man, he wasn’t wrong about that. Your father truly is a great scoun…” Che’erku threw a punch at him. Su Luke dodged it with a laugh and continued, “Wa’erlaqi fought your father for your mother back then, and Wa’erlaqi lost. The man wasn’t a true hero. In the middle of the night he took a dao to kill your father. Look, that scar by his ear was cut by Wa’erlaqi.”

Everyone turned to look at Che’erku, and indeed there was a long dao scar by his left ear. They had all seen this scar before, but none of them had known its origin.

Aman tugged her father’s hand and asked softly, “Father, were you badly hurt then?”

Che’erku said, “Although your father was caught off guard by him, he still beat him down and pinned him to the ground, then tied him up.” As he spoke these words, his tone carried no small pride. He continued, “The next day, the clan chief gathered the tribesmen and announced that this scoundrel would be banished from our tribe, never allowed to return. If he came back in secret, he would be put to death. We haven’t seen him for all these years. What was this fellow doing hiding in the labyrinth? How did you get captured by him?”

Aman said, “Early this morning, just before dawn, I went into the woods to relieve myself. I didn’t know this bad man was hiding behind me. Suddenly he leaped out, clamped his hand over my mouth, and carried me all the way here. He said since he couldn’t have my mother, I would have to take her place. I begged him to let me go. I told him my mother didn’t like him, and I certainly never would either. He said: ‘Whether you like it or not, you’re mine now. Those cowardly Kazakhs, not one of them dares enter the labyrinth to save you.’ He was wrong. Father, Uncle Su Luke, you’re all heroes. And Hero Li, Supu, and Grandpa Ji came too. It is lucky for me that you came.”

Che’erku said fiercely, “He killed Camel and Sangser. Let’s hurry and chase him down. We’ll capture him and put him to death.”

Li Wenxiu had already guessed who the person pretending to be the evil ghost might be, but she never expected her conjecture to be completely wrong. She felt secretly ashamed, knowing she shouldn’t have wrongly suspected a good person. Fortunately she hadn’t spoken her thoughts aloud. She also wondered, “How can this Kazakh also shoot poison needles? And his technique is exactly the same? Could he have learned from my shifu too?”

Now that Su Luke and the others knew the evil ghost was Wa’erlaqi in disguise, where was there any fear left? Besides, they had always known this man’s martial arts were mediocre. Once they faced him, wouldn’t he be captured on the spot? Che’erku, wanting to avenge his killed disciple, raised his torch high and led the way forward.

Old Man Ji tugged Li Wenxiu’s sleeve and whispered, “This is a matter among the Kazakhs themselves. We don’t need to get involved. Let’s wait for them outside.”

Li Wenxiu heard his voice trembling, clearly terrified. She said gently, “Grandpa Ji, just sit over there in the courtyard and wait for me, alright? That Kazakh villain has very strong martial arts. I’m afraid Su… Su Luke and the others won’t be able to beat him. I need to help them.”

Old Man Ji sighed and said, “Then I’ll go with you too.”

Li Wenxiu smiled warmly at him and said, “This matter will be over soon. Don’t worry.”

Old Man Ji walked side by side with her and said, “This matter will be over soon. After it’s finished, I’m going back to the Central Plains. Axiu, will you come back with me?” His voice was full of earnest hope.

Li Wenxiu felt a surge of sadness. The Central Plains, her homeland, had long since become nothing more than a vague shadow in her heart. She had lived on this great grassland for twelve years now. She loved only the fierce winds, the heavy snow, the yellow sand, the endless plains, the cattle and sheep, and the songs of the Tianling birds at midnight…

Seeing her not reply, Old Man Ji said again, “We Han people in the Central Plains live far better than here. We dress well, we eat well. Your Grandpa Ji has saved some money. Once we go back, we can live comfortably. The bustling world of the Central Plains is a hundred times more prosperous than this place. That’s the life people should live.”

Li Wenxiu asked, “If the Central Plains is so wonderful, why have you never gone back?”

Old Man Ji was taken aback. He walked a few steps before slowly saying, “I have an enemy in the Central Plains. I came to the Western Regions to escape disaster. After so many years, that enemy must be dead by now. Besides, Axiu, I’ve always had to take care of you. Let’s wait for them outside.”

Li Wenxiu said, “No, Grandpa Ji, we need to hurry. We can’t fall too far behind them.”

Old Man Ji kept saying “mm, mm” but his pace didn’t quicken at all. Li Wenxiu saw how old he was and couldn’t bear to rush him.

Old Man Ji said, “When we return to the Central Plains, we’ll go live in Jiangnan. We’ll buy an estate, surrounded by willows and peach blossoms, one tree alternating with another. When spring comes, the red peach blossoms, the green willows, the black swallows darting back and forth beneath the willow branches, and so many other flowers besides. Axiu, we’ll dig a big fish pond and fill it with goldfish, golden ones, red ones, white ones, yellow ones. You’d be very happy… much better than here…”

Li Wenxiu slowly shook her head, thinking in her heart: “No matter how wonderful Jiangnan is, I still prefer living here. But… this matter will be over soon. Supu will marry Aman, and then they’ll have grand games of goat-grabbing, the Girl Chase, wrestling matches, singing and dancing around the bonfires…” She raised her head and said, “Alright, Grandpa Ji. After we get home, we’ll leave for the Central Plains the very next day.”

Old Man Ji’s eyes suddenly sparkled with light, the radiance of boundless joy. He said loudly, “Wonderful! After we get home, we’ll leave for the Central Plains the very next day.”

Suddenly Li Wenxiu felt some pity for that Wa’erlaqi. He couldn’t have the woman he loved, and was banished from his own tribe. He had been living alone in this labyrinth. Aman was eighteen years old. He must have lived in this labyrinth for twenty years, perhaps even longer.

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“Wa’erlaqi! Stop right there!”

Suddenly Che’erku’s angry shout rang out from ahead. Li Wenxiu didn’t wait for Old Man Ji any longer. She rushed toward the sound at top speed.

Reaching the entrance of a great hall, she saw a figure inside leaping high and crouching low, locked in fierce combat with Che’erku, who wielded a long dao. The man was empty-handed, wearing a white robe, with a white cloth hood over his head, only two eye-holes showing. Both the hood and the robe were stained with blood. It was exactly the same outfit the person who had pretended to be the evil ghost wore these past two nights. This was naturally Wa’erlaqi, the one who had abducted Aman. Only now he wasn’t walking on stilts, and the bottom of his robe was flipped up and tucked at his waist.

Su Luke and Supu, father and son, saw that Che’erku had a dao while their opponent was empty-handed. Figuring he would surely win, they didn’t step forward to help. Instead, they raised their torches high, shouting encouragement.

But Li Wenxiu had only watched a few moves before she sensed something was wrong. She cried, “Careful!” She was about to intervene when she heard a loud thud. Che’erku had been struck in the right chest by a palm. He spewed blood and came flying out. Su Luke and his son were shocked. Both threw down their torches and charged forward with their dao, attacking the enemy together. The two torches fell to the ground, still burning. The hall grew dark, only dimly visible.

Li Wenxiu gripped her meteor hammer and called out, “Supu, fall back! Uncle Su Luke, stand back and let me fight him.”

Su Luke said angrily, “You stand back, and stop your shouting.” He swung his long dao in wide arcs, making it whistle. The Kazakh bladework was a school of its own, fierce and ruthless. Wa’erlaqi was extraordinarily agile. Suddenly he shot out a kick and sent Su Luke’s long dao flying from his hand.

Li Wenxiu quickly threw her meteor hammer to the ground, leaped forward, and caught the long dao as it fell through the air. She slashed twice at Wa’erlaqi. Her shifu had mainly taught her fist techniques and the meteor hammer. She had not studied the dao for long. But now with all four of them tangled in combat, her hammer technique hadn’t reached first-rate mastery. If she used the meteor hammer now, she’d likely hit Su Luke and his son by mistake. She could only mix dao strokes into her fist techniques, concentrating as she fought. Su Luke, having lost his weapon, struck out with his fists. Wa’erlaqi, fighting three opponents alone, still held the advantage.

After ten or so exchanges, Wa’erlaqi gave a great shout. His left fist shot out and struck Supu squarely on the bridge of his nose. Then followed a kick that caught Su Luke in the belly. Father and son fell one after the other, unable to get up. It turned out that Wa’erlaqi’s fist and leg work carried profound neili. Those struck by it found it extremely hard to withstand. Su Luke, though fierce and tough-skinned, couldn’t endure it either.

Now it had become Li Wenxiu fighting the powerful enemy alone. She was hard-pressed on all sides and fell into the disadvantage. Wa’erlaqi shouted, “Get out, and I’ll spare your life.”

Li Wenxiu knew that if she retreated and fled, at most she could take Old Man Ji with her. The other three would surely be killed. She threw caution to the wind and struggled desperately to defend herself. Wa’erlaqi raised his left hand. Li Wenxiu dodged to the right. But she didn’t realise this was a feint. His right palm followed immediately, chopping down swiftly. With a soft thud, it struck her left shoulder. Li Wenxiu staggered and nearly fell. A thought flashed through her mind like lightning: “Feint East, Strike West. My shifu taught me that move. How could I forget?”

Wa’erlaqi shouted, “If you don’t leave, I’ll kill you!”

Suddenly Li Wenxiu gave in to reckless despair. She cried, “Just kill me then!” She leaped forward again. After just a few moves, she took a punch to the waist. The pain made her drop the dao and crouch down. She thought, “I’m going to die!”

Suddenly there was a whoosh beside her. Someone had thrown themselves at Wa’erlaqi.