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

Hiss Of The Tiger, Moan Of The Dragon Part 1

Within the warm pavilion of the South-Subduing Palace, the Marquis of Virtuous Enlightenment Gao Shengtai, returned and reported that Zhong Wanchou, his wife, and Qin Hongmian had departed the palace grounds. The South-Subduing Princess Dao Baifeng, concerned about her son, said, "Emperor, do you know the location of the so-called Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge?" Duan Zhengming, also known as the Emperor Baoding, replied, "Today isn't the first time that I've heard of this place. But up until now, it has had no interactions with Dali".

Dao Baifeng worriedly said, "From what Zhong Wanchou said, it seems this place is very remote and hidden. I'm worried we might not be able to find it. If Yu'er remains in enemy hands for too long..." Emperor Baoding let out a small smile. "Yu'er has been sheltered all his life. He doesn't understand how dangerous and sinister the world can be. For him to undergo some hardships and gain some endurance and experience may not necessarily be an altogether bad thing." Dao Baifeng's mind was filled with anxiety, but she did not dare rebut him.

Emperor Baoding said to Duan Zhengchun, "Little brother Chun, could I trouble you to have some wine and dishes brought out?" Duan Zhengchun said, "Yes!" He sent the orders, and in a short amount of time an entire banquet was prepared with all sorts of exotic delicacies. Emperor Baoding ordered everyone present to partake of the banquet, feasting and drinking.

Dali was a small, rustic nation of the south where hundreds of minorities lived. The Han people were not necessarily in the majority. The South-Subduing Princess, Dao Baifeng, was herself of the Baiyi tribe. The people of the country accepted the teachings of the central plains as profound, but even the daily rituals of the imperial court were much more casual and simpler than that of the far away Song dynasty. In addition, Emperor Baoding had a very compassionate, gentle character. Aside from when he was visiting monasteries or temples, he never liked to stand on ceremony. Thus Duan Zhengchun, his wife, and Gao Shengtai sat next to him at the head of the table and kept him company.

While eating and drinking, Emperor Baoding refused to bring up the previous matter. Dao Baifeng's eyebrows were tightly knit with worry. To her, the food had no taste at all. At dawnbreak, the guards outside said, "Minister Ba has come to pay his respects to the Emperor." Duan Zhengming said, "Enter!" The curtain screen was parted, and a short, skinny black man entered. He knelt before Emperor Baoding and said, "Reporting to your majesty, to arrive at the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge, one must first pass the 'Benevolent Man's Crossing', then go through the 'Iron Rope Bridge'. To enter the gorge itself, one needs to pass through a hole in a gigantic tree."

Dao Baifeng clapped her hands and laughed. "If I had known that Minister Ba had been sent out, why would I possibly have worried about being unable to locate the enemy's lair? I wouldn't have had to be worried for so long either!" That black man bowed slightly and said, "Princess, you flatter me. Ba Tianshi is embarassed and not deserving of such praise."

Although the skinny black man, Ba Tianshi, had a rustic appearance, he was an extremely intelligent and capable person. He had gained great merit from accomplishing many tasks for Emperor Baoding. Presently, his position was that of the 'Sikong', Minister of Soil and Water. The three ministerial positions of 'Situ', Minister of Education, 'Sima', Minister of War, and 'Sikong', Minister of Soil and Water, were the foremost positions in the imperial court, of exceeding glory and honor. Ba Tianshi's martial arts were absolutely outstanding, and he was an expert in qinggong. This time, he had been sent out by Emperor Baoding's decree to locate and investigate the enemy's base of operations. He secretly followed behind Zhong Wanchou's party and actually managed to find the location of the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge.

Emperor Baoding smiled a little. "Tianshi, sit down and eat your fill. Then we'll go together." Ba Tianshi knew that the Emperor hated when others acted too worshipfully or formally towards him, and that he loved and addressed his subjects and his officials as though they were his brothers or friends. If he acted too formally or respectfully towards the Emperor, he might actually cause the Emperor to be angry with him. He immediately assented.

Lifting up his rice bowl, he began to eat. He didn't touch a single drop of wine, but the quantity of food he ate was astonishing. In a twinkling of an eye he consumed eight large bowlfuls of food. Duan Zhengchun, Gao Shengtai, and himself had known each other for a long time, and so the other two weren't surprised at all. After Ba Tianshi had finished eating, he stood up and wiped away the grease from his lips. "Your vassal, Ba Tianshi, will lead the way."

He left, taking the position of vanguard. Emperor Baoding, Duan Zhengchun, his wife, and Gao Shengtai followed behind him. After leaving the South-Subduing Palace, they found the Four Imperial Guards, Chu, Gu, Fu, and Zhu standing outside the door, waiting for them with horses already prepared. Dozens of swordsmen who had sworn to follow Emperor Baoding were there as well.

Before founding their country, the Duan family was originally part of the wulin of the central plain's. In the past hundreds of years, their descendants had never lost the customs and manners of their ancestors. Although the two brothers Duan Zhengmin and Duan Zhengchun had boundless riches, they often strolled about incognito in plain clothes. If any members of the wulin community came to visit or to carry out a vendetta against them, they always treated the visitors according to the rules of the wulin, never putting on imperial airs.

Thus, everyone present was long since used to the sight of Emperor Baoding was personally leading an expedition, and weren't startled. From Emperor Baoding on down, everyone changed into ordinary clothes. They no longer appeared like gentry, dressed in fine red silks, but rather just a group of ordinary people roaming about.

Dao Baifeng saw that out of the people whom Ba Tianshi had selected, twenty or so of them were carrying large hatchets and long saws. Laughing, she asked, "Minister Ba, are we disguising ourselves as carpenters on our way to building a large house?" Ba Tianshi replied, "We're sawing down trees and tearing apart houses!"

The party were riding on fine stallions, and thus moved like the wind. They arrived at the forest outside the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge before noon. Ba Tianshi ordered his men to chop down the obstructing trees one at a time. Arriving at the mouth of the gorge, Emperor Baoding pointed at the large tree upon which was painted the words, "Any person surnamed Duan who enters this gorge shall be mercilessly killed." He laughed. "What a great enmity the master of the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge has with our family!"

But Duan Zhengchun knew that Zhong Wanchou was afraid that he would enter the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge to seek out Gan Baobao. He glanced at his wife out of the corner of his eye, and saw that she only smiled coldly.

Four men carrying large hatchets rushed over to that large tree. In a short period of time, that large tree, with a trunk so wide that many people would be needed to wrap their arms around it, was felled.

Ba Tianshi ordered everyone present to wait with their horses at the mouth of the gorge.

The Four Imperial Guards, Chu, Gu, Fu, and Zhu led the way. Behind them was Ba Tianshi and Gao Shengtai. Following them was the South-Subduing Prince and Princess. Last of all was Emperor Baoding. Upon entering the gorge, they noticed that everything was quiet and still. No one came to greet them. According to the rules of the jianghu, Ba Tianshi, holding the name placards of the two brothers Duan Zhengming and Duan Zhengchun, strode boldly forth and made his way to the front of the main house. In a clear voice, he said, "The two brothers of Dali's Duan dynasy have come to pay a visit to the gorge-master Zhong!"

Just as the sound of his voice was dying away, a long shadow suddenly appeared from the trees to the left. It rushed towards Ba Tianshi with rapid speed, extending his hand and snatching at the two name placards in Ba Tianshi's hands. Ba Tianshi retreated three steps to the right and shouted, "Who are you, honored sir?" It was none other than 'Thoroughly Cruel and Evil', Yun Zhonghe! His first snatching attempt having missed, he sped up even more, once more pouncing towards Ba Tianshi.

Ba Tianshi saw that his qinggong was exceptionally formidable and wanted to compete with him a bit. He immediately rushed forward three more steps, and Yun Zhonghe pursued for three steps. With a kick of his feet, Ba Tianshi begin to run quickly, with Yun Zhonghe chasing directly after him. A short man, pursued by a tall man. In the blink of an eye, they had circled the room three times. Yun Zhonghe's stride was unnaturally long, but Ba Tianshi kept jumping and leaping about. The rise and fall of his footsteps were much quicker than that of Yun Zhonghe. Throughout the race, a distance of a few meters was maintained between the two. Yun Zhonghe knew that he would not be able to catch up, but Ba Tianshi, in turn, knew he wouldn't be able to shake him off. Both of them had long fancied themselves as having the best qinggong in the world. At this moment, upon meeting such a formidable opponent, both of them were secretly startled. Their movements became faster and faster. The lapels of their clothes fluttered in the wind, releasing a series of 'hu' sounds. Although there were only two people chasing after each other, from an outsider's perspective, it looked as though five or six people were running around in a circle. As the contest continued and as the distance between their two bodies grew slightly, it turned into a circular race around the room. No one could tell if Yun Zhonghe was chasing Ba Tianshi, or if Ba Tianshi was chasing Yun Zhonghe. If Ba Tianshi managed to catch up to Yun Zhonghe, then he naturally would have won this qinggong competition. But with a burst of strength, Yun Zhonghe once more increased the distance between himself and Ba Tianshi.

But suddenly, the main door opened with a cracking sound, and Zhong Wanchou walked out. Ba Tianshi did not stop. Secretly generating his internal energy, he shot out with his left hand. The name placards smoothly flew towards Zhong Wanchou.

Extending his hand, Zhong Wanchou received the placards. He roared, "You! The one surnamed Duan! Since you have come to visit me in accordance with the rules of the jianghu, why did you destroy the trees that served as my gate?"

Chu Wanli called back, "How could a person of the Emperor's stature lower himself to tunnel his way through the hole in that tree?"

Dao Baifeng was worried for her beloved son the entire time. She couldn't help but call out, "Where's my son? Have you hidden him here?" Suddenly, a sharp female voice came out from the room. "You came a bit late. We've already ripped apart the stomach and torn the chest of that kid surnamed Duan, and fed his body to the dogs!" This woman gripped a blade in each hand. The blades were as thin as a willow leaf and gleamed with a blue light. It was the deadly Asura Sabres, which would quickly take the life of any person whose blood it tasted!