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

Luan And Feng Exchange Nests Part 1

[Luan is the male counterpart to the female feng, which is commonly translated as 'phoenix'. The phrase 'luan and feng' thus is a reference to a husband and wife.]

Upon hearing that Emperor Baoding had abolished the salt tariff, the tens of thousands of citizens of Dali felt extremely grateful. Yunnan did not produce a great deal of salt. Throughout the country, only the cities of Baijing, Heijing, Yulong, and six others produced salt. Every year, they would need to import salt from Shu [modern day Sichuan]. The salt tariff was extremely heavy, often forcing many of the poorer citizens at the outlying regions of the country to go without. Emperor Baoding knew that as soon as he abolished the salt tariff, the Yellow Browed Monk would certainly try to think of a way to rescue Duan Yu, so as to show his gratitude.

He had always admired the Yellow Browed Monk's intelligence and martial arts, and also knew that the monk's two disciples were not weak either. With the three of them working together, they would certainly achieve victory. Much to his surprise, after waiting an entire day and an entire night, he hadn't received any news of success at all. He was just about to send out Ba Tianshi to investigate when he discovered that Ba Tianshi, Minister of Education Hua, and Minister of War Fan had all disappeared as well.

Emperor Baoding pondered to himself, "Can it be that Crown Prince Yanqing truly is this formidable? Can it really be possible that the Yellow Browed Monk, his two disciples, and my three ministers have all fallen to him within the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge?" He immediately sent for his Imperial Crown Brother Duan Zhengchun, the South-Subduing Princess Dao Baifeng, the Marquis of Virtuous Enlightenment Gao Shengtai, and the Four Imperial Bodyguards to once more make their way to the Ten Thousand Calamities Gorge.

Her heart aching for her beloved son, Dao Baifeng asked Emperor Baoding to call out the imperial army and totally obliviate the gorge. Emperor Baoding replied, "Unless we're completely out of all other options, we must act in accordance with the customs and rules of the jianghu. The centuries-old instructions of the Duan family ancestors cannot be cast aside."

The party arrived at the entrance to the gorge, only to see Yun Zhonghe approach them with a little smile on his face. Cupping his hands politely, he said in a deep voice, "We Four Evils and gorge-master Zhong anticipated that you, sir, would once more honor us with your presence today. I have been respectfully waiting for you here for a long time. If you have brought your armored soldiers here, we will simply escaped, taking with us your beloved son and your precious daughter. But if you have come here in accordance with the rules of the jianghu, intending to greet friends based upon your martial ability, then please enter the main lounge and enjoy some tea."

Emperor Baoding saw that he was extremely calm and showed not a single hint of fear, acting in a manner far different from the previous day, where he had immediately rushed out and launched and attack. This made him feel all the more alarmed. Instantly, he cupped his hands as well. "It couldn't be better if that is truly the case." Yun Zhonghe escorted the party inside the lounge. Upon stepping foot within, Emperor Baoding saw that room was filled with heroes of the jianghu. Ye Erniang and the Divine Crocodile were there as well, but Crown Prince Yanqing was nowhere to be seen. Once again, he secretly prepared for the worst.

Yun Zhonghe cried out loudly, "Master Duan, the head of the Duan family of the southern skies has arrived!" He didn't use the phrase, 'His majesty, the Emperor of Dali', but rather introduced him in accordance with his wulin title, showing that everything would proceed in accordance with the rules of the jianghu.

Not only was Duan Zhengming the ruler of a country, but he was also an extremely esteemed expert in the wulin, of great prestige and stature. As soon as the crowd heard that he had arrived, they all immediately rose to their feet. Only the Divine Crocodile remained sitting. He loudly shouted, "I was wondering who showed up. So its the ole emperor, eh? How ya doing?"

Zhong Wanchou quickly rushed forward and said, "I, Zhong Wanchou, did not come to welcome a distant guest. Please forgive me." Emperor Baoding said, "You're too polite, too polite."

Presently, everyone retook their seats. Their positions were in accordance with the rules of the jianghu. Duan Zhengchun, his wife, and Gao Shengtai no longer needed to act in accordance with the rules governing how a subject should behave in front of his ruler, and so sat next to Emperor Baoding. Chu Wanli and the other three guards stood behind Emperor Baoding.

Servants of the gorge came to them, offering them tea. Emperor Baoding, seeing that the Yellow Browed Monk, Ba Tianshi, and the others were not here, was busy formulating a way which would allow him to inquire about their whereabouts. Suddenly, he heard Zhong Wanchou speak. "Master Duan, you've really given me a huge amount of face! It's so seldom that so many good friends would be gathered in one place. Come, let me introduce them to you."

Following this, he began to introduce the other guests one by one. Some were heroes from the Central Plains to the north. The rest were all outstanding members of Dali's wulin community. They included Xin Shuangqing, Zuo Zimu, and Ma Wude amongst others. Emperor Baoding had never met most of the people present, but had heard of their names. These heroes of the jianghu all respectively paid their respects to Emperor Baoding. Some were extremely respectful; others intentionally acted arrogantly. Others addressed him using the language that a wulin person who was of a junior generation to him might use.

Zhong Wanchou said, "It is a rare thing for Master Duan to come here. Why not stay here for a few additional days? That way, you could get to know all the friends here better." Emperor Baoding replied, "It would be enough if you could pardon Duan Yu for his offense, gorge master Zhong. He has been detained at your noble residence. Today, I have come here for two reasons. Firstly, to ask for clemency on his behalf. Secondly, to offer my apologies. Gorge master Zhong, I hope that you will give me some face and forgive the ignorance of the child. I will be extremely grateful."

Upon hearing his words, everyone secretly felt admiration for him. They thought to themselves, "We've long heard that Emperor Duan acts in accordance with the rules of the wulin. His reputation is well earned. This place falls within the borders of the country of Dali. He only needs to send out a few hundred cavalrymen and would immediately be able to take his nephew back. Who would have thought that he would come in person, and instead ask in such respectful language?"

Zhong Wanchou laughed loudly, but did not immediately respond. Ma Wude said, "Ah, so Duan Yu offended gorge master Zhong. Some time ago, he went to the city of Pu'er, then went sight-seeing with me and my brothers at Mt. Wuliang. I didn't take good care of him, and this was the cause of so many problems. I would also like to request clemency on his behalf."

The Divine Crocodile suddenly shouted loudly, "What right do you have to meddle in the affairs of my apprentice?!" Gao Shengtai said coldly, "The young lord Duan is your master. You've even knelt down and kowtowed to him. Are you reneging on that?" The Divine Crocodile's entire face turned red. He cursed, "**** your grandmother. I'm not reneging! Today, I'm going to kill the brat who is my master only in name. I wasn't careful and somehow ended up accepting that brat as my master. I'm dying of shame!"

No one in the crowd knew what he was talking about, and each and every one of them was flabbergasted.

Dao Baifeng said, "Gorge master Zhong, whether or not Duan Yu will be released lies in a single word from you." Zhong Wanchou laughed. "Release, release, release! Of course I will release him! What good does it do me to keep your honorable son?" Yun Zhonghe interjected, "Duan Yu is romantic and handsome. Madame Zhong, the 'Lovely Poisonist', is an extremely beautiful woman. To keep him within the gorge would be like leading a wolf into a sheep pen, or like raising a tiger with your children. Naturally, gorge master Zhong will release him. He can't help but release him. He doesn't dare not release him!"

Upon hearing these words, everyone present was startled. They realized that this 'Thoroughly Cruel and Evil' Yun Zhonghe spoke without the slightest scruples, as though he really didn't give a damn about gorge master Zhong. His nickname, 'Thoroughly Cruel and Evil', really was not mistakenly given.

Zhong Wanchou was furious. Turning his head, he said, "Brother Yun, after finishing the business at hand, I would like to experience your brilliant moves!" Yun Zhonghe replied, "Wonderful, wonderful! I've long wanted to kill the husband, seize the wife, then settle down within this gorge."

The face of every person present turned pale. Xin Shuangqing, lady of the Wuliang Cave, spoke. "The good and noble heroes of the world haven't been exterminated. No matter how high the martial arts of you 'Four Evils' are, you won't escape justice in the end!" In a coquettish, delicate voice, Ye Erniang said, "Daoist friend Xin, I, Ye Erniang, haven't offended you. Why rope me in with him?"

Zuo Zimu, suddenly recalling how she had abducted his son, couldn't help but have lingering fears. He snuck a sideways glance at her. Ye Erniang laughed. "Mr. Zuo, your little boy must be even fatter and cuter now, right?" Zuo Zimu didn't dare to not respond. He said in a low voice, "Last time, he was exposed to the cold. He hasn't fully recovered from the illness yet." Ye Erniang laughed again. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Later, when I have a chance, I'll head over to your mountain and pay a visit to my cute little grandson." Zuo Zimu was terrified. He quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare to trouble you to come."

Emperor Baoding thought to himself, "These Four Evils have perpetrated many atrocities and committed many outrages. Many people have formed grudges and enmities against them. These jianghu heroes clearly aren't their allies. This makes things much more easier to handle. After rescuing Yu'er, I should take the chance to eliminate these evil people. Although the leader of the Four Evils, Crown Prince Yanqing, is a member of the Duan family, making it inappropriate for me to personally deal with him, there will still be a day when he truly is called to account for his monstrous crimes [another possible meaning of the title, 'E Guan Man Ying']."

Dao Baifeng, hearing everyone speak, saw that the conversation was getting derailed. She suddenly stood up. "Gorge master Zhong, as you have agreed to return my son, please return him to me and let the two of us, mother and son, meet."

Zhong Wanchou also stood up. "Alright!" Suddenly turning his head, he shot a glance towards Duan Zhengchun. He sighed. "Duan Zhengchun, you have such a wonderful wife and son. Why aren't you satisfied and remain so greedy? Today, when your reputation is trampled underfoot and when you lose all face, you will have no one to blame save yourself. You cannot blame me, Zhong Wanchou!"

Duan Zhengchun, after hearing that Zhong Wanchou was willing to release his son, immediately suspected some sort of conspiracy or trap, as he did not believe the matter would be settled so easily. Now, upon hearing Zhong Wanchou's words, he immediately stood up and walked to Zhong Wanchou's side. "Gorge master Zhong, if you have maliciously harmed him, then I assure you that I, Duan Zhengchun, will also have a method to make you bitterly repent your actions for the rest of your life."

Zhong Wanchou saw that he had a majestic appearance and an awe-inspiring presence, with a magnificent and lofty aura. He felt that he himself truly was vastly inferior to this man. A feeling of shame suddenly filled his chest, and it engendered a jealous flame in his heart. He loudly said, "Since things have already come to this point, I'm going to take this all the way to the end, even if the final result is that I become destitute and homeless, and have my corpse broken into a thousand pieces. If you want your son back, come with me!" And as he spoke, he strode away from the hall entrance.

The group of people followed Zhong Wanchou as he arrived at the giant tree wall. Yun Zhonghe, showing off his qinggong abilities, was the first to leap over the wall. Duan Zhengchun thought to himself, "We've almost reached the point of no return. We might as well demonstrate our power and prestige, so as to cause the other side to know how much disaster will be in store for them and perhaps retreat." He called out, "Ducheng, chop the tree down, so that everyone will find it easier to pass."

Gu Ducheng responded, "Yes sir!" He raised his steel hatchets. With a series of quick 'ca' sounds, he immediately chopped down one of the trees. Fu Sigui launched a twin palm attack on the tree. With a loud crash, it fell down to the side. The steel hatchet, gleaming with bright light, continued to chop away. The chopping sounds went on non-stop, and the large trees were felled one after another in succession. In short time, all that could be seen were five tree stumps.

It had not been easy at all for Zhong Wanchou to plant and cultivate this wall of trees. He had labored mightily, and it had cost him a great deal of blood and sweat. After seeing them chopped down by Gu Ducheng, he couldn't help but become agitated and furious. But then he had second thoughts. "Today, the Duan family of Dali is going to lose a huge amount of face. Why quibble over such a small things as this?" He immediately walked past the cleared stumps.

Only to see that past the chopped down wall, the Yellow Browed Monk and Duan Yanqing were both pressing against a steel cane. A cloud of white mist hover over their heads, showing that they were in the middle of an internal energy competition. The Yellow Browed Monk suddenly stretched out his right hand and used a small steel hammer to draw a circle on a blue stone in front of him. The man in green thought for a moment, then stretched out his right steel cane and pressed it downwards on the blue stone. Staring at them, Emperor Baoding immediately realized that his martial brother, the Yellow Browed Monk, was competing in both chess and internal energy with Crown Prince Yanqing. It was a competition of both intelligence and strength. The competition was as fresh and original as it was deadly. He thought to himself, "He never gave me an update. It seems as though it is because this competition has been going on for one day and one night, without victory or defeat having been achieved.

Glancing at the chess game, he saw that the two sides were locked into a 'Life or Death Knot'. Victory and defeat would completely depend on the resolution of this knot. However, the Yellow Browed Monk was in the weaker position, barely keeping his pieces alive with strenuous effort. His two disciples, Pochi and Pochen, had fallen unmoving to the ground. Earlier, upon seeing their master in a critical situation, had attacked the man in green from both sides in a pincer attack. But both of them had been felled by his steel cane.