Chapter 35: Night Talk at Fengling, Huang Rong Buys a Horse
The last trace of twilight hung on the clouds.
Huyan Lei withdrew his gaze from the father and daughter. He entered the inn, carrying his gold-inlaid tiger head spear with a cloth-covered tip, and said in a low voice to Zhou Yan as he walked, “That big man is also an expert with a spear.”
“Old brother, you can tell?”
“Yes, his hands are calloused, especially the wrist of his left hand.”
Zhou Yan thought to himself that Yang Tiexin was a descendant of a general’s family and was skilled in the Yang Family Spear Technique. If old brother were truly a descendant of the Hu Family Generals, the Huyan and Yang families had served in the same court a hundred years ago.
Zhou Yan remembered that Yang Tiexin seemed to be a descendant of Yang Zai Xing, but he wasn’t sure if he had any connection to the Yang Family Generals. He imagined it casually.
However, Zhou Yan truly admired General Yang, who died in battle at Xiao Shang Bridge.
Thinking this, he said, “There are a pair of short halberds on the cart. What if those are the big man’s favored weapons?”
Huyan Lei said, “Only if the calluses on both hands were of similar degree. But I saw clearly, the big man’s left hand was thicker than his right. Those who are skilled with a spear use their left hand for power, hence this.”
“Old brother has sharp eyes.”
Huyan Lei smiled slightly, “To be an escort, one must observe the minute details and have a pair of discerning eyes.”
“And also ‘a fierce tiger in the heart’.”
“It’s enjoyable being with you. Your words are pleasant to hear,” Huyan Lei praised.
The two entered the inn, and a shop assistant came to greet them. Huyan Lei asked, “We need four large rooms.”
When an escort team travels, everything is kept simple. Escorts usually share rooms with several people.
“Gentlemen, please wait a moment. There’s a group of merchants about to cross the river. It will be about half an hour before rooms are available.”
“Alright!”
While Huyan Lei and Zhou Yan were talking with the shop assistant, Mu Yi outside the inn also glanced at the spear in Huyan Lei’s hand. He then withdrew his gaze, placed the cart outside the inn, and entered with Mu Nianci, sitting at a table in the corner and ordering food and wine.
As Huyan Lei and Zhou Yan waited for their rooms, they walked to the table next to Mu Yi and his daughter and ordered a pot of tea to quench their thirst.
Zhou Yan took the opportunity to look around.
In the spacious hall, there were over thirty people, including Hu people, Jianghu experts, and travelers. He guessed that some, like himself, were waiting for rooms. Others were checking out and waiting to cross the river. Perhaps some, to save money, were lodging in the hall.
Inns at the wharf generally accommodated merchants and travelers conveniently, unlike in the city where seeking free lodging would only lead to being driven away.
Some Hu people saw Huyan Lei and Zhou Yan’s attire and asked from afar, “Are you two escorts?”
“Indeed!” Huyan Lei did not hide his identity. Sharp-eyed merchants could easily recognize them from their clothing.
“Which escort bureau are you from? Can you escort to the Western Regions?”
Huyan Lei asked back, “What do you mean by that?”
The Hu man said with a troubled expression, “We bought silk and porcelain from Lin’an Prefecture, but no one dares to take the escort job.”
“The Dragon Gate Escort Agency in Lin’an Prefecture is very famous,” Zhou Yan said.
The Hu man sighed, “Young sir, you may not know, but firstly, southern escort agencies traveling to the Western Regions must pass through the territory of the Jin Dynasty, which carries concerns. Secondly, not long ago, an escort agency from Lin’an Prefecture made a trip to the Western Regions, but their escort was robbed, and they suffered heavy casualties. Therefore, the Dragon Gate Escort Agency no longer travels to the Western Regions.”
Huyan Lei asked curiously, “Since you are merchants who frequently travel to the Western Regions, do you know why?”
The Hu man said, “I heard it was a group of monks.”
Immediately, a bold guest in the hall said, “Are you spouting nonsense? How can there be monks in the Western Regions, and such wicked ones at that?”
The Hu man said, “We only heard about it.”
“They must be fake monks,” the bold guest said.
Zhou Yan’s mind suddenly stirred. Western Regions, monks… could it be the Vajra Sect?
He thought hard. The opening of Jin Yong’s Legend of the Condor Heroes trilogy seemed to have a dialogue where a High Monk from Shaolin Temple mentioned the incident of Huo Gong Toutuo seventy years ago. Calculating the time, it should be about right.
“Can the escort bureau behind you two travel to the Western Regions?” the Hu man asked again.
Huyan Lei did not want to get involved in this matter, so he said, “We are escorting goods, so naturally, we cannot accept.”
The Hu man said no more and bowed slightly as an apology for the interruption.
Huyan Lei cupped his hands, indicating it was fine.
The moon, with a missing piece, hung leisurely in the crystal-clear night sky. The Milky Way was like a belt, and the night sky over Fengling Ferry was like a blue sea.
Huyan Lei and Zhou Yan finished their pot of tea. The merchants waiting to cross the river had just left, freeing up many rooms. At this time, more travelers and bold guests arrived, noisily arguing with the shop assistants for rooms.
“What a handsome young master.”
Suddenly, a gruff voice sounded from behind Zhou Yan and Huyan Lei. Zhou Yan turned his head and saw several more Hu people entering. The one in front had a high nose and deep-set eyes, but he was wearing Han clothing. A pearl hung around his neck, and he wore jade bracelets on his wrists. He was adorned with jewels and jade, completely disregarding the principles of not flaunting wealth while traveling the Jianghu.
The Hu man at the back looked towards the outside of the inn.
Zhou Yan followed his gaze and his eyes suddenly lit up.
In the light cast by the lanterns under the eaves, a young master in white robes appeared, exquisitely handsome, so much so that one dared not stare directly. In his hand, he held a folding fan with a white jade handle, his fingers and wrist as white as the handle itself. He was not old, around fifteen or sixteen years old.
The young master appeared to be in thought, pondering something.
Huyan Lei turned his head and glanced over, smiling, “This young master’s appearance is not inferior to yours, Brother Zhou.”
“Old brother, you dare to say that,” Zhou Yan replied with a smile. Huyan Lei chuckled at his words. He then withdrew his gaze, thinking to himself that he didn’t recall any such character in the Jianghu of Legend of the Condor Heroes.
Outside the inn. The young master, lost in thought, occasionally cast his lively gaze upon the “Night-Shining Jade Lion.” The more he looked, the more pleased he became. He thought, “To travel the Four Seas on such a fine steed would be quite enjoyable. When this horse gallops, even Father might not be able to catch up.”
As he thought this, a smile appeared on his face, but it was soon replaced by a sorrow like ripples on a calm lake.
“I wonder if Father will look for me. Hmph, even if he does, I won’t be seen. I might as well ruin myself.”
He sighed softly, his thoughts drifting back to the “Night-Shining Jade Lion.” He wondered if the owner would sell such a valuable horse.
The young man in white tapped his left palm with his folding fan and walked towards the hitching post.
Outside the inn, a shop assistant was guarding the merchants’ carts and horses. The assistant glanced at the young master from afar, then, seeing his luxurious attire, withdrew his gaze and paid him no further attention.
The young man in white arrived at the “Night-Shining Jade Lion,” exuded goodwill, and gently stroked the horse’s neck.
After being tamed by Zhou Yan, the “Night-Shining Jade Lion” had long lost its temper. Otherwise, how could the escort bureau’s groom raise it? The horse was intelligent and sensed the young master’s friendliness, not snorting or kicking.
The young man in white liked it even more.
“I wonder who the owner of the ‘Night-Shining Jade Lion’ is?”
Thinking this, he looked towards the shop assistant.
“Hey!”
“Young master, are you looking for me?”
“Yes, you.”
The shop assistant stood up and quickly approached, “What can I do for you, young master?”
“I’d like to ask you, who is the owner of this horse?”
The “Night-Shining Jade Lion” was magnificent, and the shop assistant remembered it. He replied, “It’s a young hero carrying a saber and a bow on his back.”
The young master took out a money pouch, took out a silver bean, and handed it to the shop assistant, “Please go find that guest and ask if this horse is for sale. I will pay a handsome price.”
“Alright, young master, please wait.”
The shop assistant hurried towards the inn, thinking that the guest would never part with such a fine steed. However, this young master was generous, earning a silver bean just for running an errand.
…
Orange-yellow light flowed down from the lanterns hanging under the eaves. The shop assistant entered the inn, looked around, saw Zhou Yan, and quickly approached him.
“Young master, a young master is asking if your fine horse is for sale. He is offering a handsome price.”
Zhou Yan was stunned. Someone wanted to buy the “Night-Shining Jade Lion.”
Huyan Lei found it amusing and asked, “Who is it?”
“A handsome young master.”
Zhou Yan remembered. It was the young master he had seen earlier.
“Tell the young master that it’s not for sale.”
“I guessed you would say that,” the shop assistant said with a smile, then turned to leave the inn to deliver the message.
The chapter has been revised to explain that “Night-Shining Jade Lion” is not like a husky as some readers suggested. In the later part of the story, Zhou Yan summoned it back with a whistle. After reading many comments, I felt that changing Huang Rong stealing the horse to buying it would be more appropriate. There’s no “washing” involved, as Huang Fu will still appear in the later plot involving the Yellow River Gang. Of course, parts of the evening chapter will also need to be revised, and the part where the protagonist summons the horse will be changed.
