Ode to gallantry, p.23
Ode to Gallantry, page 23
As the flautists struck up a loud tune on their bamboo flutes, one of the middle-aged women took a pair of red candles and led the way ahead. The other middle-aged woman and the master-of-ceremonies helped Ding Dang and Shi Potian respectively to their feet, and tied a length of red silk between them. Then, they herded the couple towards a room.
The room was much smaller than the one Shi Potian had at the headquarters of the Clan of Eternal Happiness. It was also not particularly luxurious in its furnishings, with only a pair of tall red candles on the table and pieces of red silk and paper hung and pasted in a haphazardly way. These were signs of a room decorated in haste, but they succeeded in adding quite a bit of cheer and festivity to the atmosphere.
The people led Shi Potian and Ding Dang to the bed, and sat them down on its edge. Then, they went over the table and poured out two cups of wine. "Congratulations, Gu-ye, Xiao-jie(7)," they said in unison. "It is time to drink the nuptial cup." Then, they backed out of the room and closed the door, laughing and joking as they went.
Shi Potian's heart thumped wildly. Although he did not understand the affairs of the world, he was well aware that he had become husband-and-wife with Ding Dang after bowing to the Heaven and the Earth in a marriage ceremony. Looking at Ding Dang, he found her sitting up straight with the red silk covering still on her head. She did not move at all. After a moment of wondering what to say, Shi Potian asked: "Ding Ding Dang Dang, are you suffocating with that thing on your head?"
"I am indeed," answered Ding Dang with a smile. "Please take it off!"
Reaching out with his thumb and forefinger, Shi Potian took a corner of the red silk covering and pulled it gently off. He found Ding Dang's face and lips covered with red rouge, which made her look especially gorgeous and bashful in the candlelight. As a mixture of surprise and delight filled his heart, he gazed unblinkingly at the girl and said, "You ... you look really good."
Ding Dang smiled until a tiny dimple appeared on her left cheek before lowering her head slowly.
Just then, Ding Busan's voice was heard speaking loudly from a high place outside the room: "Tonight marks the auspicious return of my grand-daughter for marriage. Friends from unknown places who have honoured us with your presence, there is no harm in coming down for a celebratory cup of wine."
A voice from another high place replied: "The subordinate of the leader of Clan of Eternal Happiness, Bei Haishi, presents solemn greetings of peace and goodness to Third Master Ding. It is very inappropriate to disturb you so late at night, so please excuse us."
Shi Potian uttered a quiet gasp: "Ah! Mr Bei has come."
Ding Dang responded by knitting her elegant brows into a shallow frown. Then, she brought her forefinger to the centre of her lips, telling Shi Potian not to make any sound.
Outside, Ding Busan burst into laughter. "I was wondering which chicken-stealing and dog-pilfering friends have come," he said quite rudely, "but you have turned out to be members of the Clan of Eternal Happiness. Are you going to drink some celebratory wine? But you had better not shout loudly and disturb my grandson-in-law and grand-daughter in their bridal chamber, for you have come too late for the rite of teasing the couple in their room."
Yet, Bei Haishi was not angered. He coughed a few times and said, "So today is the auspicious day on which the precious grand-daughter of Third Master Ding is married. My brothers and I have come in haste, so we have not brought a gift. To make up for our poor manners, we will come again another day to offer our congratulations and show our appreciation for the celebratory wine. Meanwhile, an urgent matter has come up at our clan, and I would like to see Clan-Leader Shi in person about it. Thus, I would be eternally grateful if you could lead us to him. If this was not the case, we would not have had the audacity to enter the esteemed abode of the Third Master Ding in the dead of the night, even if we had courage as vast as the sky."
"Physician Bei, you are also a highly-esteemed senior member of the martial arts circle," said Ding Busan, "so you need not treat me with such politeness. The Clan-Leader Shi whom you speak of is none other than my new grandson-in-law, Gouzazhong, is he not? He says that you have all gotten the wrong man, so there is no need to see him."
The eight men who had come with Bei Haishi were highly-skilled pugilists from their clan, including Mi Hengye and Chen Chongzhi. When these men heard Ding Busan calling their clan-leader a bastard, a few of them began to utter throaty growls of anger.
As for Bei Haishi, he had heard Shi Potian referring to himself by the unpleasant name a few times, so he knew that Ding Busan had no intention of insulting anyone. However, he found himself secretly worrying about the fact that his clan-leader had become the grandson-in-law of the evil Ding. Eventually, he said, "Third Master Ding, the matter at our clan needs urgent attention, so I must ask our Clan-Leader for his instructions. As for our Clan-Leader's jokes, we are aware that they happen quite frequently."
Shi Potian could hear from Bei Haishi's words and tone of voice that the situation did indeed seem rather urgent. Recalling how the latter that rescued him when he was attacked by the hot and cold streams of energy on the Skyscraping Cliff, and spent days and nights watching over him with concern, he found himself unable to ignore the man's request and allow him to carry on in worry. Thus, he walked over to the window, pushed it open and called out in a loud voice: "Mr Bei, I am over here. Are all of you looking for me?"
"Indeed," answered Bei Haishi in delight. "Your subordinate has an urgent matter to report."
"I am Gouzazhong," said Shi Potian, "not your clan-leader. If you are looking for me, you have succeeded. If you are looking for your clan-leader, you have failed."
A slight expression of awkwardness flashed across Bei Haishi's face. "Clan-Leader, you are speaking in jest again," he said. "Please come out, so that we can step aside for a word."
"You want me to come out?" asked Shi Potian.
"Yes!" answered Bei Haishi.
Ding Dang walked over to Shi Potian and tugged at his sleeve. "Tian- ge, do not go out," she whispered.
"I will return as soon as I have made things clear to him," said Shi Potian. Then, he climbed clumsily through the window into the courtyard outside. There, he found Bei Haishi standing on the west wall, with eight men in a row on the roof of the building behind him. On the other hand, Ding Busan sat on a branch of the chestnut tree that grew in the eastern side of the courtyard, his weight causing the branch to bob up and down.
Ding Busan spoke: "Physician Bei, you want to speak to my grandson-in-law, but can I listen in?"
Bei Haishi responded by muttering to himself, thinking: You are a highly-esteemed senior member of the martial arts circle yourself, so how can you not understand the rules of the realm of the rivers and lakes? Since I have come to see the Clan-Leader in the dead of the night, the matter that we speak of will naturally be a great secret of clan. Hence, how could an outsider participate in the exchange? I have long heard about the haphazard ways of this man; now, I see that his reputation is not undeserved. Thus, he replied: "I am not in a place to divulge anything. Since our Clan-Leader is present, he should naturally be the one to make a decision on this."
"Very good, very good indeed," said Ding Busan. "So you have pushed the responsibility on to my grandson-in-law. Hey, Gouzazhong, the Physician Bei has something to say to you, but I would like to listen in."
"So Grandfather wants to listen in," said Shi Potian. "What is there to be concerned about?"
"What a dear and well-behaved grandson!" said Ding Busan, laughing gleefully. "What a filial grandson indeed! Physician Bei, please speak quickly if you have something to say, for each moment of a night in spring is worth a thousand pieces of gold. My grand-daughter is in her bridal chamber, but you, an old man, have been here jabbering to no end. Are you not being a wet blanket that spoils the fun?"
Bei Haishi did not expect Shi Potian to make such a decision at all, but since he had given his word, he could hardly take it back. Feeling very displeased, he said, "Clan-Leader, guests from the Snow Mountain School have arrived at our headquarters for a visit."
Before Shi Potian could say anything, Ding Busan said, "There is nothing amazing about the Snow Mountain School."
"The Snow Mountain School?" repeated Shi Potian. "Are they people from Hua Wanzi Hua- guniang's group?" There were thousands upon hundreds of clans and schools in the martial arts circle, but he knew only about the Snow Mountain School alone. Within the school, there were thousands upon hundreds of members, but again, he knew only Hua Wanzi alone. Hence, he blurted her name out without further thought.
Smiles appeared on the faces of the eight highly-skilled members of the Clan of Eternal Happiness who had come with Bei Haishi: Our Clan-Leader is really amorous and fond of women. He has taken a new wife tonight, but he has not forgotten the beautiful woman from the Snow Mountain School.
"Hua Wanzi Hua- guniang is among the them," said Bei Haishi. "There are also a number of others. The group is led by the 'Frost of the North-west' (Qi4 Han2 Xi1 Bei3) Bai Wanjian, with eight or nine other siblings-at-arms who appear to be highly-skilled pugilists of the Snow Mountain School."
"What is there to be amazed about Bai Wanjian?" snapped Ding Busan. "Even if that old fellow, Bai Zizai, comes in person, what is there to be concerned about? Physician Bei, I have heard that your 'Palm Technique of the Five Elements and the Six Directions' is really not bad, so why are you getting all flustered and alarmed over something as ordinary as the appearance of that little fellow Bai Wanjian?"
When Bei Haishi heard Ding Busan praising his 'Palm Technique of the Five Elements and the Six Directions', he could not help but feel a tinge of pride: This evil old man has always been very conceited, but he has actually given my Palm Technique of the Five Elements and the Six Directions due consideration. Hence, he smiled and replied: "It is but an inconsequential skill that is unworthy of mention. Although our Clan of Eternal Happiness is small, we are not afraid of being bullied or oppressed by any other clan or school in the martial arts circle. We have never had any dealings with the Snow Mountain School, but the 'Frost of the North-west' has come in full power and prestige to demand an audience with our Clan-Leader. We have asked him to wait until tomorrow, but he is unable to wait at all. There is probably a misunderstanding of some sort here, so we have come to seek some suggestions from our Clan-Leader."
"Hua- guniang broke into our headquarters last night," said Shi Potian. "She was captured by Incense-Master Chen, but released this morning. Could the Snow Mountain School be annoyed by this matter?"
"There is a possibility of that," answered Bei Haishi. "When I spoke to Incense-Master Chen, he told me that you treated Hua- guniang courteously. You did not even touch a single hair on her head or take her to task for breaking into our headquarters. You offered her birds' nest and silver before she left, so you really preserved the dignity of the Snow Mountain School in this matter. From the looks of things, I am afraid that the 'Frost of the North-west' has come regarding a different issue altogether."
"What do you want me to do?" asked Shi Potian.
"It is all up to you," answered Bei Haishi. "If you say 'Meet them with civility', we will go back and speak to them nicely. We will also give them a few mild rebuffs. However, if you say, 'Meet them with force', we will beat them until they can no longer leave, for who asked them to march up to the Clan of Eternal Happiness with unbridled boldness and make such atrocious demands? It would be much better if you could go and look into the matter personally, because you would be able to respond to the situation then and there."
Shi Potian had been happy being in the same room with Ding Dang just a little while ago, but he was also extremely fearful. There was no peace in his heart, for he did not know what would happen after a night in the bridal chamber. Since he was not Ding Dang's "Tian- ge", the truth would eventually be revealed to the utter embarrassment of all the parties who had been involved in the marriage ceremony. Therefore, he was glad that Bei Haishi dropped by, for the visit had presented him with an opportunity to escape. Hence, he said, "In that case, I will go back and take a look. If they have misunderstood us, I will be honest and make things clear to them." Then, he turned and said, "Grandfather, Ding Ding Dang Dang, I am leaving."
"This is not good," said Ding Busan, scratching his head. "Those fellows from the Snow Mountain School have thrown my plans into disarray, so I had better go and get rid of them. After all, I killed two of their disciples a long time ago and got into a conflict with Old Bai. Even if I kill a few more of them, the grudge between us would still be accounted for in the same way."
The Snow Mountain School considered Ding Busan's killing of their disciples Sun Wannian and Zhu Wanchun as a terrible humiliation, so it kept the matter secret. When Shi Qing and Min Rou heard about the incident later, they kept quiet about it as well. Hence, there was no knowledge about this matter in the jianghu at all.
Hearing it, Bei Haishi thought: The Snow Mountain School is very powerful. Not only are its leaders and disciples highly skilled in martial arts, it has also maintained friendly relationships with the clans and schools in the central region. We do not need to engage such a formidable opponent for no rhyme or reason. The Clan of Eternal Happiness has its own problems which will arrive in the twinkling of an eye. So, it is not advantageous to take on additional involvements. Thus, he said, "It is good that our Clan-Leader is willing to meet the people of the Snow Mountain School in person. Third Master Ding, we do not dare to bother you with such a trivial matter. Can we visit you again once things are settled?" He did not mention anything about 'drinking celebratory wine' because he hoped to persuade Shi Potian into giving up his marriage relationship with the Ding Family once they were back at their headquarters.
"Rubbish!" said Ding Busan angrily. "I have said that I want to go, so I will definitely make the trip there. There is no alternative besides bothering me, because I have made up my mind to be involved in this particular matter of the Clan of Eternal Happiness."
Listening to the conversation from the room, Ding Dang guessed that the Snow Mountain School had come to demand for an accounting of her husband's unrestrained behaviour. The man had probably found Hua Wanzi beautiful and went on to act indecently. There was also an eight or nine to ten chance that he had attempted to violate her by force. As for Incense-Master Chen's claim that his Clan-Leader 'did not even touch a single hair on her head', that was probably a ploy to cover things up. If not, why would he invite the woman to strengthen her body with some birds' nest? This did not even take the gift of silver into account.
Then, Ding Dang thought about her own predicament. It was their wedding night, but he actually wanted to dash off and meet Hua Wanzi. He was about to cast her aside, but she was not going to swallow her anger about it. When the argument between her grandfather and Bei Haishi turned into a deadlock, she leaped into the courtyard and said, "Grandfather, Darling Shi has something to attend to in his clan, so he has to return to their headquarters. We cannot allow my personal relationship with him to interfere with his work. Let us do things this way: You and I will go with Darling Shi, and see exactly what amazing people the Snow Mountain School has."
Shi Potian was delighted. Although he wanted to avoid the awkwardness of the bridal chamber, he was unwilling to be separated from Ding Dang. Hence, he smiled and said, "How wonderful; how wonderful indeed! Ding Ding Dang Dang, you and I will go together, and Grandfather will go with us too!"
With the decision made, Bei Haishi and his group did not find it appropriate to raise further objections.
+ + +
The party went to the bank of the river and boarded the big boat that belonged to the Clan of Eternal Happiness for the trip back to the headquarters. By and by, Bei Haishi whispered to Shi Potian: "Clan-Leader, you must persuade the Third Master Ding not to injure anyone from the Snow Mountain School, regardless of what happens. After all, it is meaningless to make many enemies."
"Yes," said Shi Potian with a nod. "How can anyone kill another man for no rhyme or reason? Would he not become a bad person then?"
When the party arrived at the headquarters of the Clan of Eternal Happiness, Ding Dang said, "Tian- ge, I want to change into a set of men's clothes in your room. Then, I will go with you to meet the Hua- guniang who looks like the flower and the moon."
"Why?" asked Shi Potian, finding the request very interesting.
"I do not want her to know that I am your wife," answered Ding Dang with a smile. "It will also be more conducive for conversations."
When Shi Potian noticed how bashful and proud Ding Dang was when she uttered the words 'I am your wife', warmth filled his heart. "Very good, I will go with you to get a change of clothing," he said.
"I want to dress up too!" said Ding Busan. "Would it not be good if I disguised myself as a low-ranking leader of your clan?"
This willingness to use a disguise was exactly what Bei Haishi sought, for he did not want the Snow Mountain School to know that Ding Busan had become involved with the clan. Yet, Bei did not reveal his thoughts and emotions, preferring instead to say: "Third Master Ding, please do anything you wish."
Ding Busan and his grand-daughter followed Shi Potian to his room, where Shijian had dozed off. When they pushed the door open, the maidservant woke up with a start. Jumping off the bed, she was even more surprised to see the Dings.
Unable to make things clear to Shijian within a short period of time, Shi Potian simply said, "Elder Sister Shijian, they would like to put on some disguises. You ... you go and help them." He was deeply worried that the maidservant would ask about this and that, for the marriage ceremony that he had underwent earlier was not something that he could freely speak of. Hence, he headed for the decorated reception hall beyond the room as soon as he had given the brief instructions.
The time needed to cook a pot of rice passed (about 50 minutes). Chen Chongzhi appeared outside the hall and said in a loud voice: "Clan-Leader, all our brothers are waiting for your arrival at the Hall of the Ferocious Tiger."
