DEMI GODS AND SEMI DEVILS Book 1 of 5 (Adventures of The Youth) by Jin Yong

Descendants Into The Courtyard Part 3

By then it was the shen hours of the day [shen = 3pm to 5pm], and they were approximately twenty to thirty li from the city of DaLi. Ahead, as clouds of dust swirled about in frenzy, what seemed like a thousand soldiers on horses rode towards them in rows. Two flags, apricot-yellow in colour, fanned out along with the wind. Two huge words in red which read "Zhen Nan" were written on one of the flags, while the other one had the words "Bao Guo" in black.

[Zhen Nan: Military Guardian of The South; Bao Guo: Protector of the Country]

"Mum," Duan Yu called out, "Dad's personally came to fetch you."

The Sage of the Hollow Jade replied with a 'hng' sound and brought the horse to a halt. Gao Sheng Tai and the others got down their horses together to make way. Duan Yu rode his horse forward; Mu Wan Qing hesitated slightly, before following suit.

Soon the distance between both parties closed in. Duan Yu yelled, "Dad, Mum's back."

The two flag-carriers made way to the sides, and a man wearing purple robes rode straight towards them on a large white horse. "Yu'er," The man roared, "You're sure extremely mischievous. You've caused your Uncle Gao to get into such serious injuries. See if I don't break both your legs."

Startled, Mu Wan Qing thought: [i]Hng! You want to break Duan'lang's legs ... even if you're his father, no way should you do that."

The man in purple had such a rectangular face it looked like the Chinese character 'guo' [国]. With thick brows and large eyes, he wore a fierce and domineering facial expression, not without carrying an air of a king. Seeing his son has come home without any harm, he looked three-tenths furious, and the other seven-tenths relieved.

"How fortunate Duan'lang looks so much like his mother and not like you. Had he been as fierce-looking as you, I would definitely not like it," thought Mu Wan Qing.

Duan Yu rode forward, laughing, "Dad, shall you be healthy always."

Feigning anger, the man in purple robes said, "Healthy ... what? At least I'm not angered to death with you."

Duan Yu held onto Mu Wanqing tightly- feelings of relief, concern- and yes, love- all rolled into one, threatening to overwhelm him all at once. Neither spoke for a while. Finally, Duan Yu asked, "How are your wounds, Miss Mu?"
"Miss Mu?" she teased. "Is that all I am to you?" For a girl who rarely smiled, up until now, her mirth only made her even more beautiful. Duan Yu was so happy he wanted to faint. He held her even more tightly, whispering softly, "Honey! How about that- Honey? Would you like me to call you that?" Dipping his head, he kissed her lips gently.
"Oh!" Mu Wanqing leapt up, blushing furiously, suddenly remembering that they weren't really alone- but in fact, had a hidden audience! "Not here, not now!" she exclaimed. "There's people around, you know!" She looked around, only to see that the robed man and the four knights- Chu, Ku, Fu and Zhu- had vanished. Even Zuo Zhimu had taken his son and disappeared.
"Who's here?" Duan Yu asked, puzzled, then gasped. "No- don't tell me that it's the Croc!"
"How long have you been here?" Mu Wanqing asked.
"Not long."
"Hmm." Mu Wanqing was perplexed. "Strange. They sure left quickly."
Her muse was broken by an eloquent voice that came from behind some boulders.
"Battles fought;
Over a thousand miles,
A word to say-"
The voice was followed by the actual speaker- Chu Danchen.
"Brother Chu!" Duan Yu cried out happily. The latter bowed respectfully, at the same time breathing a sigh of relief. "Sir, thank God that you really are safe. This young lady here had sure given us quite a fright earlier!"
Duan Yu nodded in reply. "So you two have met then? What a coincidence." he seemed perplexed. "How'd you get here?"
"Sir, it's definitely no coincidence that we're here." Chu smiled, amused. "The four of us have been ordered to find you and bring you home. May I be so bold to say, sir, that you really have been quite foolhardy in running off like that and travelling alone! We followed your trail to Ma Wude's place, then to Mt Wuliang. My God- you really had us worried sick!"
"Ah, well." Duan Yu looked slightly sheepish. "Well, it hasn't really been as fun as I thought it was going to be. Say, my father and uncle must be furious- were they?"
"Well, they certainly weren't thrilled." Chu said dryly. "Although, by the time we left, their lordships seemed to have been calmed down, somewhat. And for the last few days, I'm sure they're probably just worried sick- like the rest of us! To make it worse, the Duke of Shanchan got the news that four very nasty characters have arrived in Dali! He left after us, to personally make sure that you'd be safe."
"Err... So Uncle Gao is looking for me too..." Duan Yu shifted uncomfortably at the thought.
"Yes, sir, he has indeed. In fact, he was just here, fighting off a truly unpleasant woman. He heard you calling out, and told me to stay here, to wait for you. He and the others have gone to chase after her." Chu paused. "Sir, let's go home then, shall we? Your family is really worried about you."
Duan Yu wasn't interested in going home. He'd just realised that Chu had bene lurking behind those rocks the whole time, while he was having (what he thought was) a private tete-a-tete with Mu Wanqing! Duan Yu's face burned with embarrassment.
Chu read his mind. He held up a bound volume. "I've been reading awhile." Mu Wanqing was taken aback. She hadn't seen that many fighting men who could read- let alone carry around with them a book. What she didn't know was that Chu had only gotten to his elite rank by being not only skilled in the martial arts, but also being well versed in the classics.
"Ah." Duan Yu changed the subject hurriedly. "Mu Wanqing, this is Chu Danchen. He's one of my greatest friends! Brother Chu, let me introduce you to Mu Wanqing, Mu Wanqing Mu."
"Miss Mu." Chu bowed deeply.
Miss Mu was pleased by the respect he'd shown her- respect like that doesn't come her way very often! "Brother Chu." She smiled.
Chu eyed Mu Wanqing carefully. "She's no doubt a pretty one- obviously not too bad in kungfu, either, judging by the way she'd slapped Duan Yu so nimbly! And he didn't seem to mind either. Huh, so this is why he'd taken off like that. And it doesn't look as if they'd just met. Hmph, next chance I get, I better warn him. A pretty face- nice times out of ten they can't be trusted."
"So!" Chu said brightly. "Should we go? Miss Mu, you're more than welcomed to come with us, as our guest." Chu had a feeling that Duan Yu isn't overly enthusiastic in returning- but he'd be more than happy to do so, if Mu Wanqing can be persuaded to go with him.
Duan Yu looked at Mu Wanqing, then at Chu, reddening. "Um, I don't know... How am I going to explain... ahhhh..." Mu Wanqing turned away, uncomfortable.
"We'll deal with that question later." Chu said a little more forcefully, although maintaining his deferential tone. "Those four villains are skilled fighters, and it took Lord Gao all his power- and an element of luck!- to defeat just one of them. This place is dangerous- I strongly suggest that we leave, as quickly as possible."
Duan Yu nodded, mentally shuddering at the thought of the return of even one of the four Evil Ones. Especially that crazy, obsessive Croc. "In that case, I'll go with Mu Wanqing. Why don't you help Uncle Gao instead?"
Chu chuckled. "I'd have failed miserably in my duty, if I were to desert my post now. I trust Miss Mu's ability implicitly- however, she is obviously still significantly incapacitated, trauma from which she remains to recover fully."
Mu Wanqing humphed- Chu's long words and sentences leaving her somewhat muddled. "I didn't understand half of what you were talking about."
Chu smiled. "I apologise, Miss Mu. I've always been long-winded- it's an old habit of mine. Please forgive me."
Duan Yu didn't want to go home at all- with or without Mu Wanqing. But the current situation seemed to left him with little choice. He decided to play it by ear- there'll be plenty of opportunities to make an escape later on. The three of them made their way down the hillside. Along the way, Mu Wanqing peppered Duan Yu with questions as to his whereabouts for the past week. Duan Yu didn't want to give too much details with Chu around- he did work for his parents and uncle, after all. He hinted strongly to Mu Wanqing to keep quiet.
At the bottom of the mountain, the three mounted horses that'd been left by the rest of the rescue party. Duan Yu and Mu Wanqing rode ahead, followed by Chu. They lodged at a small rural inn that night. Despite his reluctance in following Chu home, Duan Yu was still greatly relieved at being back in civilisation, especially after he'd changed out of his dirty, tattered clothing that'd seen so much adventure in the last few weeks.
Mu Wanqing, left alone in her room, was unable to sleep. She stared at the burning candle, her mind in turmoil. She was delighted that Duan Yu had come back- he's obviously devoted to her! She felt vaguely guilty at having cursed him wrongly for the past few days. On the other hand, Duan Yu's background perplexed her. The deference shown to him by a highly skilled and respected warrior such as Chu means that Duan Yu is no ordinary person, but a son of highly ranked nobility. And a girl such as herself can't just become engaged to someone like that- and turn up on the doorstep, unintroduced and uninvited. To make it worse, Duan Yu's parents and uncle seemed terribly strict.
"Huh." she tossed her head. Since when did she become timid like that? "So what if they looked down on me? I'll just kill them all. They can't stop me taking Duan Yu, then, can they?" she thought.
A soft tap on the window made her turn. Duan Yu was whispering outside. "Mu Wanqing! It's me."
Mu Wanqing blushed. It's past midnight- what did the man want? "What's the matter?"
"Open the window."
"No."
"Then come out." Duan Yu hissed. "We've got no time left."
Mu Wanqing slit the window paper with a finger. "What are you talking about?"
"Brother Chu's asleep- what are we waiting for? Let's go! And keep your voice down- I don't want to go home."
Mu Wanqing was thrilled. All her anxieties about meeting Duan Yu's parents vanished. She opened the window, and leapt out.
"I'll get the horses."
Mu Wanqing shook her head. "The horses will wake Chu up." She grabbed him around the waist, and jumped lightly, "flying" over the wall of the inn's courtyard.
They headed east, hand in hand, feeling liberated and happy. No pursuers appeared. The two relaxed, and their walk slowed to a stroll.
"So why don't you want to go home?"
"Because I'll never see you again." Duan Yu said. "As soon as I step through the door, my father and uncle will be sure to lock me up- and I'll never be able to get out again."
Mu Wanqing's heart soared at his words. "That's great! You don't have to go back- ever! We'll wander the world, just you and I! Where should we go?"
"Any place where we won't be found- by Chu, Uncle Gao, or anyone else for that matter! Especially the Croc."
"You're right. How about the northwest? It's isolated there. We'll find a small village, stay there for a bit, until my wounds have healed completely, then we'll go wherever we want to!"
So decided, the two turned and headed in their chosen direction. They walked briskly, hoping to put as much distance between themselves and familiar territory, as quickly as possible.
Dawn soon broke. "Let's take a break, get something to eat, and have a rest. We'll attract too much attention by travelling during the day." Mu Wanqing said. "The Wangs are still after me- we better lay low for a while." Duan Yu readily agreed.
"After we've had a rest, you can tell me how you spent the last seven days." Mu Wanqing said with mock severity. "And if you lied-" she broke off abruptly. "Wha-"
In front of them, a man was reclining against the trunk of a sweeping willow, seemingly at great leisure. He was reading a book, and appeared to be reciting verses from it. Chu! Duan Yu gaped, grabbed Mu Wanqing's hand, and hissed, "Run!"
Mu Wanqing felt a stab of frustration. Chu obviously guessed that Duan Yu would sneak out in the middle of the night, and had pre-empted him, knowing that they wouldn't have travelled far, with Duan Yu being unschooled in the art of "flying".
"Don't be silly. He got us- where would we run to?" Mu Wanqing snapped. She marched up to the knight crossly. "Hey, you. What are you reading so early? You trying to top the imperial exams or something?"
Chu smiled. "Sir, why don't you take a guess at what I'm reading?" he asked rhetorically, reciting the lines of yet another famous poem, which depicts the loyalty of a Tang warrior to his monarch. Duan Yu recognised it right away- and its sublimal message. Chu was tactfully rebuking him for breaking his word, and deserting someone he'd claimed as his good friend, whilst the said friend remained as loyal as ever.
Mu Wanqing didn't know what went on in their highbrow conversation, but guessed as much. She untied the horses from their tether, and asked, "Actually, we were on our way to Dali City. Are we going the right way?"
"From where you were, it doesn't matter which direction you head in."