THE SMILING PROUD WANDERER by Jin Yong

Massacre Part 1

[The young man smiled and cracked his whip in the air cockily. Answeringthe command, the white horse neighed happily and dashed along the stone slabroad. "Escort Shi," one of the guards yelled out, "how aboutbringing back a wild boar, so we can all have a feast!"]

Spring was always a relaxing time of the year. The breeze gently brushed the willow trees and wild flowers, causing the air to be filled with the pleasant scent of the season.

The West Gate Boulevard of Fuzhou[1] was a stone slab road that extended all the way to the west gate of the town. A huge mansion stood south of the street with a tall flagpole on either side of its gate. The flagpoles were about twenty feet tall, each with a huge green banner streaming in the wind. The banner on the left was embroidered in yellow silk, bearing the image of a majestic lion. As the banner fluttered back and forth in the wind, the lion seemed as though it had come alive and were about to jump down at any time. Just above the lion's head was a pair of bats, embroidered in black silk, waving their wings in flying motion. The banner on the right bore four huge words in black that read "Fortune Prestige Escort House," all written in a bold, vigorous hand.

The house, itself, had a large vermilion gate. Teacup-sized copper studs on the gate shone in the bright sunlight. Above the gate, characters in gold lacquer were inscribed on a huge sign reading – "Fortune Prestige Escort House." And slightly below, the word "Headquarters" was engraved in a smaller font. Beyond the gate were two rows of benches bordering a path, and sitting upon those benches were eight guards in house uniforms, with their faces animated with excitement.

Sounds of hoof beats came from the backyard of the court. All eight guards sprang up and rushed out of the gate. Five horses galloped out from the side-door on the west of the mansion and stopped directly in front of the gate. Leading the pack was a beautiful horse, white as snow, with a silver bridle and stirrups. A young man in silk clothing, roughly eighteen years of age, sat on the horse, with a sword hanging from his belt and a bow strapped onto his back. A hunting falcon perched on his left shoulder, as the horse strode along the street. The four horsemen following him were all dressed in tight, black outfits.

"The Young Master is going hunting!" three guards shouted in unison.

The young man smiled and cracked his whip in the air cockily. Answering the command, the white horse neighed happily and dashed along the stone slab road.

"Escort Shi," one of the guards yelled out, "how about bringing back a wild boar, so we can all have a feast!"

A forty-year-old horseman, trailing behind, grinned back. "Don't worry! I will make sure to save the boar's tail for you. Just don't get drunk before we get back."

Amid the loud laughter, the five horsemen vanished like the wind.

Just after they exited the town gate, Lin Pingzhi,[2] the Young Master of the Escort House, spurred his horse lightly. The horse picked up speed and soon left the rest of the pack far behind. After riding onto a small slope, he set the falcon to work. Minutes later, a pair of yellow rabbits was flushed out from the bushes. Lin Pingzhi quickly grabbed the bow from his back. Pulling out an arrow from his saddlebag, he took aim and shot in one smooth action. One rabbit was down, with one more to go. But by the time he pulled out another arrow and was ready to shoot again, the other rabbit had disappeared behind the bushes.