Chapter 31 - Concourse of the Underworld
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Yun Yang shook his head gently. “It is not yet time.”
Lao Mei grew even more confused and bewildered.
Is it still not yet time? If not now, then when? Will it only be the time when you’ve managed to insult and provoke everyone around you?
“Lao Mei, kindly dig out all that we have on Xie Wuyuan’s criminal past.” Yun Yang did not bother to explain himself and steered the conversation into another direction.
“Certainly.” Lao Mei smiled at his request. “I took the liberty of preparing the records the moment I heard that young master was involved in the ruckus at the Xie family residence.
“Brilliant!” Yun Yang then said cheerfully, “Prepare a copy and deliver it over to Old Marshal Qiu Jianhan.”
“Do I still send it over.. discreetly?”
“But of course.”
Lao Mei lifted his head to look at the sky and said, “I’ll go at midnight.”
“Duly noted.”
With that, Yun Yang turned and walked over to the room on his right, which was still merrily lit. “I guess there is no better time than the present to get things done.”
Fealty Jade Sword Fang Mofei had maintained a veil of guarded silence since the day the two of them had guessed each other’s identities. He barely spoke and did nothing else other than to practice cultivation, heal his injuries, eat, drink, and sleep each day.
Walking was difficult for him; even if held onto the table as he paced around his room, he found that he would soon be panting, short of breath. While Yun Yang feasted merrily that night, Fang Mofei did not join the young master but cultivated instead. He was waiting - waiting for Yun Yang to eventually seek him out. He knew not how the confrontation would turn out, but he was certain that Yun Yang had his motives for allowing him to stay.
Finally, he heard Yun Yang approach.
This time around, there were no probing questions, no verbal fencing; Yun Yang came in and sat right down.
“Brother Fang, how do you fare?” Yun Yang asked with a friendly smile.
“I am recovering speedily - much faster than I actually thought possible.” Fang Mofei seemed to be surprised by his own healing capabilities as he continued, “In any other circumstance, a man who had sustained injuries as I did would have died if there weren’t a godly physician to intervene and treasured gems of heaven and earth to secure his life-force. With the extent of my wounds, I was surprised that I even managed to regain consciousness. I have, however, examined my surroundings as I lay on my sick bed. These medicines I have consumed were merely ordinary remedies; that I can already stand up now is the result of a miracle.”
Deep in his heart, Fang Mofei was astounded; he had roamed the martial arts world his entire life, but it was the first time he had encountered such a bizarre incident. That it had happened to him and he had no clue as to how it actually occurred made it all the more puzzling.
As Yun Yang enquired about his health, Fang Mofei felt an odd sense of irritation that he had called him Brother Fang. Although I look like a man in his thirties, the truth is that I’ve seen closer to eighty summers. Would it not be inappropriate for a young whelp like you to call me Brother Fang?
It was difficult, however, to voice such petty concerns to the man who had saved his life.
“Regardless of how and why, I would still wish to thank Young Master Yun for his grace.” Fang Mofei nodded his head slightly in acknowledgment of his benefactor’s generosity.
“It was but a slight effort; please do not make further mention of it.” Yun Yang grinned impishly and said, “Besides, if you wished to thank me, what you have brought to me has already exceeded my expectations.”
Fang Mofei’s heart sank as he replied, “Young Master Yun, do you speak of.. the Lightning Cats?”
Yun Yang’s smile held volumes of meaning as he replied, “Lightning Cats? Why Brother Fang, if they were Lightning Cats, they wouldn’t be worth the grace that you mentioned earlier.”
Fang Mofei’s lips twitched in barely hidden worry at Yun Yang’s insinuating comments.
“What I wish to know is this; how did Brother Fang, Fealty Jade Sword, manage to get his hands on these.. Lightning Cats?” Yun Yang asked with an artfully puzzled expression. “Based on my limited knowledge of these things, Lightning Cats make their homes in the borderless forest. Although they don’t travel into the heart of the area, they are still the ultimate rulers of the outer rim!”
Yun Yang spoke in a tone filled with wonder, “Fealty Jade Sword, Fang Mofei; seventh peak and sixth tier of mystical Qi; he wields an indestructible white Frost Jade Sword. At the tender age of seven, he had already learned the ways of the sword and achieved unparalleled greatness within a decade. He roamed the martial arts world, had been at the thick of countless battles and had reached the seventh peak of mystical Qi at the age of fifty-six. The only known defeat he has ever suffered was at the hands of a masked individual dressed entirely in shades of night, said to be the Saber of Cyclone, Wang Zifu. After being vanquished, Fang Mofei vanished for three whole years, before he made a spectacular comeback into the world at large.
Outwardly, Fang Mofei remained impassive, a solid block of marble. Inwardly, he couldn’t have been more dumbstruck upon hearing Yun Yang’s litany of his impressive achievements.
Ever since his reemergence, all of the information on his battles with friends and foes alike were neatly encapsulated in Yun Yang’s reports. What was even more outrageous was the fact that Fang Mofei had never discovered the identity of the man who had managed to defeat him; this young fellow had just casually revealed the information that he had spent endless days trying to unearth.
Fang Mofei’s voice shook slightly as he nodded in agreement. “Young Master Yun, your information is incredibly detailed.”
“Detailed?” Yun Yang’s chuckle held no humor. “These are simply the facts that are publicly known. There is, however, another set of stories that have always been kept in the dark; would you like to hear about those?”
historical
Fang Mofei was alarmed. “In the dark?”
Like a learned scholar, Yun Yang placed both his arms behind his back as he looked out the window, and spoke as if reciting from a parchment, “Fang Mofei, nicknamed Fealty Jade Sword; the use of the word ‘fealty’, however, might be highly presumptuous. Fang Mofei is not a man who commits heinous crimes, but is unworthy of the word ‘fealty’. In Fang Mofei’s hands, there exists another weapon, lethal once unleashed. Personally, I believe that the secrecy surrounding this weapon is the very reason the term ‘fealty’ could have come about. This weapon is very well concealed indeed.”
Fang Mofei sucked in a cold breath of panic.
“On the outside, Fang Mofei appears to be just an ordinary mystical beast hunter. However, he disappears for periods of half a month if it’s a short duration, and even up to three months if it’s longer.. There is nothing unusual about this in itself, as is it a common practice among martial artists.”
“However, each time Fang Mofei disappears, we will alway hear news of expert martial artists of the fifth to seventh tiers that end up wounded or dead. They could be the strong and youthful of the martial arts world, or the old and forgotten, even those who had gone into seclusion. After the deed has been done, Fang Mofei would then return to the public’s eyes. In my humble opinion, this would lead me to think that Fang Mofei has another identity..”
Yun Yang did not turn his head but he could sense that Fang Mofei was trembling.
“If my hunch is correct, Fang Mofei’s other identity would be that of an assassin. But from which guild do you hail? Currently, the top three assassin’s guilds that are prominent in the martial arts world are - one, Concourse of the Underworld; two, Hall of Crimson Blade; three, The Merciless Tower. The Merciless Tower offers their services with clear terms and prices; I think that it doesn’t really fit your profile. Members of the Hall of Crimson Blade are fond of using sabers in their trade; we can exclude them as well. The only possibility left would be the Concourse of the Underworld.”
Yun Yang turned away from the window and spoke slowly, looking at the pale Fang Mofei whose eyes were dazed from shock, “There are ten kings in the Concourse of the Underworld. Based on those already deceased within these past few years, they were mostly residing around the Youyan1 area. This is, of course, the territory of First Court2 King Qinguang3 of the Concourse of the Underworld. Fang Mofei’s cultivation base has not yet reached the level of independent execution and also stands below that of King Qinguang. Thus, if my deductions are accurate..”
Yun Yang smiled triumphantly and looked straight at Fang Mofei. “.. Fang Mofei should be an assassin under Kings of Ten Courts’ King Qinguang of First Court from the Concourse of the Underworld, the world’s top assassination organization! With reference to Fang Mofei’s cultivation base, he should be one of the most skilled killers within the Concourse of the Underworld. Unfortunately, your ranking within this dread organization could not be established, do forgive me for this lapse.”
Drops of sweat the size of soybeans streamed down from Fang Mofei’s forehead, as he stood staggered under the weight of Yun Yang’s accusations. He felt like he had been starkly exposed, pulled out from the shadows and placed under damningly bright sunlight. He no longer had any secrets left!
“Where did all this information come from?” Fang Mofei felt his heart thumping hard, his voice dry and hoarse.
“From my subordinate. Again, I would have to apologize.” Yun Yang said indifferently, “I had him inquire about Fang Mofei but all he managed to obtain for me were mostly things I had already speculated.. Moreover, it doesn’t even reveal the ranking of Brother Fang in First Court King Qinguang’s best assassins. The poor man was so upset, he came immediately to seek my forgiveness.”
Seek forgiveness!
Fang Mofei was a thread away from utter collapse. This set of condemning information had already exposed him entirely, he actually needed his subordinate to seek forgiveness! He even had the gall to say it wasn’t comprehensive enough! Fang Mofei could only feel his brain turning to mush under the extreme anxiety he felt; he panted heavily, about to faint again.
“Of course, there’s still plenty of information I left out.” Yun Yang said, “There are whole portions regarding Brother Fang’s family; when Brother Fang first began showing signs of interest in women, your first contact with fairer sex, when and what caused changes in behavior, so on and so forth. The report also contains information on Brother Fang’s attitude towards your family, an analysis of the possibilities that we could manipulate you through them, and about your children as well, including who’s your favorite child. There are bits of information on those poor souls that Brother Fang killed throughout the years, who these people had offended, who were the most probable parties who had enough money to fork out to have them killed..”
Yun Yang caught his breath in mid-speech, “I have it all here. Does Brother Fang want to to take a look?”
“No.. There is no need.” Fang Mofei was a man defeated, his eyes the eyes of a soulless corpse. He did not know what to say anymore. Who would have known that just a single incident of being severely injured and comatose would have landed him in the hands of such an evil demon!
“Brother Fang’s life experiences are certainly interesting indeed.” Yun Yang seemed to be genuinely curious about his past, “Of course, everyone has heard of the mighty Fealty Jade Sword.. but who would have known that the virtuous Brother Fang is actually a part of the dark and sinister Concourse of the Underworld?”
Fang Mofei was sweating profusely.
“To be honest though, all these are minor details that I don’t care much about.” Yun Yang walked over to the table and poured himself a glass of water, saying, “I am, however, more curious about other things; with your cultivation base, Brother Fang couldn’t possibly defeat an Eclipse Panther. To make matters even more incredible, not only did Brother Fang do just that, he even managed to overpower its mate and seized the opportunity to capture all four babies of the Eclipse Panther!”
Fang Mofei’s expression was that of absolute awkwardness. A spiritual creature such as the Eclipse Panther would have first exterminated its own offspring if it faced impending death! This was common knowledge within the mystical beast world. The higher the level a mystical beast was, the more likely it was to behave this way.
“Nonetheless, Brother Fang succeeded in escaping in one piece, and have brought these four babies to Tiantang City.” Yun Yang continued, “I would like to hear the story behind these amazing events.”
Fang Mofei’s expression turned bitter. He sighed heavily and said, “Someone had stumbled across them unintentionally. It was a pair of Eclipse Panthers; the female beast was heavy with child. They had been attacked by another group of high-level mystical beasts and ran away wounded..”
“After we got wind of it, we organized a group of five to head into the borderless forest together.”
Fang Mofei’s expression then morphed into one of grief as he continued, “The process was smooth as the Eclipse Panthers were indeed heavily wounded. Among the five of us, we only paid the price of four heavy injuries and one death to complete this undertaking.”
Yun Yang listened quietly and could not help but smile mysteriously.
“The four of us then started home, holding onto one another. I was the least injured and had two people on both sides. Just as we were about to reach the outer reaches of the borderless forest, I was ambushed. Out of the blue, two swords stabbed into the left and right sides of my back even as they pierced through both sides of my chest. At the same time, I took a heavy blow to the back of my head.”
Yun Yang frowned, “That is indeed correct. I saw the wounds on both sides of your back and chest and they looked a little too smooth. The blades met no resistance; it was as if you were caught off guard.”
“Those three Hu Brothers..” Fang Mofei was anguished. “We are..we were.. sworn brothers for over forty years. Bound by a single oath, we have been by each other’s side for dozens of summers, sworn brothers that have faced life and death together, countless times.”
Yun Yang gave a soft sigh and spoke quietly, “If you were brothers.. why was there a need to be bound by an oath? If you were not brothers, would an oath have any use at all?”
With those words, Fang Mofei felt as if a lightning bolt had struck him full force, with ominous thunder rumbling in the distance.
Notes:
1 Youyan (幽燕yōu yàn): Name used in ancient China for the present area covering the north of Hebei province and a part of Liaoning.
2 First Court (一殿yī diàn): One of the ten courts in Concourse of the Underworld where its concept has been derived from “Ten Courts of Hell” in Chinese mythology, in which hell is divided into ten courts where souls are taken to after death to atone for the sins they committed when they were alive.
3 King Qinguang (秦广王qín guǎng wáng): King of First Court; concept derived from “Ten Courts of Hell” in Chinese mythology, in which all souls are brought to the First Court of King Qinguang to be tested for their sins and deeds then sentenced accordingly. If their good deeds exceeded their sins, souls are sent to the Tenth Court to await rebirth while the rest would be sent to Second Court for further judging.