Green Dragon Totem Chapter 2 Part1

The case of the Crown Prince's attempted poisoning

Not a sound was to be heard in the late night, only that a state of mutual hostility existed on this long street, the atmosphere between opponents stretching taut.

Shan Chao in his monk's robe and prayer beads with Longyuan on his back, faced the gorgeous carriage directly, and said in a deep voice: "The entire world is equal in the eyes of a monk, this monk does not know the rank of your distinguished self, yet you and I have exchanged glances, thus I do request earnestly for your descent. If I would have committed a crime for this, then this monk willingly accepts the punishment without blame…"

These words were spoken in a manner neither servile nor overbearing, and extremely pa.s.sionately too, yet because of the pa.s.sion behind it, upon careful pondering, it seemed like a man entreating the woman he admires, and for a moment everybody present felt that it was even more absurd.

Within the carriage Xie Yun seemed to find this interesting, smiling as he asked in reply: "It is fate that we saw each other?"

Shan Chao said: "Yes."

"A good relationship or an ill-fated relationship?"

"……"

Shan Chao did not expect that he would ask this, and so quickly, that for a moment he started.

"If it's a good relationship then all is well, but an ill-fated relationship, it is not too good to implicate one with monastic vows." Xie Yun paused, and raised his voice: "How about this - there is no need to start anything so late at night, we will meet again if we are truly fated. Ma Xin, drive!"

Ma Xin and others had no desire to keep in this entanglement, and upon hearing what was said they immediately affirmed and began to direct the driver to wave his lash and control the horse, yet as the carriage was about to move forward, in his anxiety Shan Chao took a step forth, and called: "Please wait-"

The Longyuan sword on his back had been trembling all this while, and now with his back taut, taking the first step, the pressure-lock within the white sharkskin scabbard gave way, and abruptly the sword blade came out!

Ke-chang!

The sound echoed without interruption for a very long time, and faced with its cold light someone's face changed.

A monk delaying a carriage in the middle of the night was one thing, but to brandish a sword before the Imperial Guard Commander Xie Yun, was he asking for death? Ma Xin and the other Imperial Guards did not think further, and immediately rushed forth with swords drawn: "―brazen!" "Hold it!" "Who dares to fight?!"

Shan Chao yelled: "Wait!" as one hand reached back to grab the scabbard.

He had wanted to withdraw the Longyuan sword back into its scabbard, but the Imperial guards were already nervous and upon seeing him reach out, how would they have the inclination to see what he was doing? In a split second Ma Xin had thrust his blade out, the cold light akin to lightning, his entire person descending from the skies like the Roc of legend: "You're seeking death-"

Clang!

Metal struck with a bright sound, quaking enough to numb everyone's ears!

Ma Xin froze, his sabre almost knocked out of his hand: "Comm…ander?"

The sword-intent dissipated with a whistle, the air stilled within the street, only to see another figure appear between Ma Xin and Shan Chao - Xie Yun.

The robe sleeves swung to a stop, Xie Yun stood before Ma Xin, facing Shan Chao with a wooden expression, one hand raised to use his wrist protector to forcibly obstruct the blade of the Longyuan sword!

And that blade was remarkably strong, not only completely breaking through Xie Yun's internal energy, it forcibly broke the wrist protector of black iron,1 making it fall to the ground in several pieces!

Ma Xin's pupils constricted, and a chill rose in the hearts of several people around: Such a divine weapon, such a quick and violent blow, if Xie Yun did not appear at the moment of life and death to block it, right now Ma Xin's best scenario would be an injury with his sword broken - never mind the injury, but if the sword of an Imperial Guard was broken by a monk in the middle of the street, what kind of disgrace would that be? If this got out all of them would lose face!

Ma Xin took half a step back, speaking in a hoa.r.s.e voice: "Commander…"

Xie Yun did not seem to have noticed him, not even turning around.

He did not regard anyone else, the steady gaze behind the silver mask quietly locked on the monk's young and rigid face.

And Shan Chao was currently bewildered and unsteady, only sheathing the sword after a long while: "…this monk did not have intent, may your distinguished self―"

Xie Yun did not respond, but the hand which blocked the sword reached out to connect with Shan Chao's shoulder. The latter had a more stable footwork than him in black cloth monk's robes, yet it seemed like an extremely tyrannical internal force which existed in Xie Yun's palm was surging out, grim and resolute, without no deterrence. Before everyone's eyes it pressed upon Shan Chao until his knees buckled inch by inch, until he was forced to his knees right there!

Pu-tong.

Contact with the ground was very light, and yet it seemed to weigh greatly, reverberating for a long time by the edge of everyone's ears.

Xie Yun said: "Looks like between you and me, is an ill-fated relationship."

The Imperial guards then awoke as if from a dream, in a flurry and wanting to reach up and arrest someone, but Xie Yun stopped them with a wave of his hand: "Stand down."

The Imperial guards did not dare to speak a word, after exchanging glances they carefully retreated more than ten feet.

The green-paved street only saw Shan Chao kneeling with his back straight before Xie Yun, their stretched-out silhouettes actually matching up and overlapping under the deathly pale moonlight, such a strange sight. Shan Chao gave a slight gasp, raising his head to look at Xie Yun's face looking down from above: "This monk is bold… dare I ask if several years ago your distinguished self had been to Mobei?2 If we are truly old friends, could you…"

"There are tens of millions of people unwilling to reveal their true ident.i.ties, how would you know if I appear like your old friend?"

Shan Chao wanted to say something but hesitated.

Xie Yun gave a laugh. His face was rather terrifying due to the ice-cold mask, but this laugh was unhurried, and under the moonlight the corners of his light red lips raised an indescribable feeling in the hearts of people.

"They say that if one enter Buddhism one should be free from human desires and pa.s.sions, monk, yet you keep thinking about an old acquaintance, I'm afraid you're not that free."

"……"

"That old friend of yours, could it be an old lover?"

No one could expect that this high-ranking and powerful Court official could speak such coquettish words so naturally, even Shan Chao was distracted for a start, and then he immediately said: "You jest, sir. It is true that this old friend of mine is important to me, but absolutely not in the manner to which you refer. If you must ask, that friend ought to be my master."

"Merely so?"

"Indeed so."

Xie Yun was like the hunter pushing a trapped beast into desperate straits, turning a circle around Shan Chao with great interest, his gaze filled with undisguised study. And Shan Chao simply knelt and looked forward, under the moonlight it could clearly be seen that his broad and level expression was calm, without even a trace of diffidence or evasion.

"So," Xie Yun stopped walking, looking down from behind to the side of Shan Chao's ear, the curved corner of his mouth almost stuck to the side of that st.u.r.dy neck:

"―your master, why doesn't he want you anymore?"

His breath was tepid, his meaning sorrowful, yet the final syllable seemed to carry an ice-cold teasing and ridicule.

If not leaning close enough, n.o.body would find out that the monk's fine and heroic straight back had shook in shock.

"It's a joke, young master should not mind it." Sensing Shan Chao's intent to speak, Xie Yun interrupted him with a smile, getting up to look towards the guards: "The night wind is cold, we should not linger anymore. Is there hot water in the carriage? Pour a cup of tea for the young master."

The subordinate's movements were quick, immediately retrieving a bra.s.s pot from the carriage, pouring out a full cup of hot tea and carefully delivering it over. Xie Yun stood behind Shan Chao with one hand receiving the cup, while his other hand shook his sleeve, and from it slipped out a white flower bud.

The subordinate had good eyes, and recognised that this was the strange flower stolen from the Liu family's secret room previously which was said to be capable of curing all poisons and extend life, and could not help but be stunned in his heart, on top of wonderment as to when had Xie Yun taken the flower out of its brocade box and hid it in his hand.

While he still had doubts, he saw Xie Yun consciously drop the flower into the hot tea, and with a nearly-inaudible plop, the flower dissolved into the water in the blink of an eye.

The subordinate was greatly alarmed, yet did not dare to disclose it, staring helplessly as Xie Yun handed the cup to Shan Chao. "Young master, please."

Shan Chao had some hesitations, but with Xie Yun's ident.i.ty as a Court official, and being polite and well-mannered at that, he could only receive it and drain the cup in one gulp.

Xie Yun asked: "How is the taste?"

For some reason there seemed a significant meaning in those words, yet Shan Chao did not know, and prudently replied: "A rare scent."

"Do you know why?"

The corners of Shan Chao's thick dashing eyebrows puckered up.

"Because this pot of tea, was brewed for me by the currently popular maiden of Golden Swallow House on invitation of the Yu family when I left Vice-Minister Yu's manor." Xie Yun asked with a smile: "Monk, what do you think of the fragrance from the brothel's leading lady?"

This person is incredible, being able to speak such frivolous words one after another to the face of a monk, with an att.i.tude so natural it seemed that it ought to be so, leaving people confused if he had no apprehensions due to his high position, or if his true nature was dissolute and indulgent, and thus he had no scruples.

Shan Chao refuted gravely: "The flavour is fragrant, with a lingering aftertaste, she is in all likelihood a woman of peerless elegance, what about it?"

Xie Yun raised his head in a long laugh.

Shan Chao did not have any intention to stand up - after all he had been the one top provoke first, and to have picked such a deep and unfathomable person, to get up by force may deliberately complicate the issue, so he may as well continue kneeling with his back straight on the green flagstones, only to see the long line of Xie Yun's neck outlined particularly distinct under the moonlight, this person was obviously someone to whom it was impossible to have a favourable impression of, and yet he had an ineffable wanton attraction.

"―monk," he asked with that mocking smile, "Don't you Buddhists claim that 'form is emptiness and emptiness is form'3? How do you still have an opinion towards women and song?"

The sharp tips of Shan Chao's brows twitched.

"You claim to be a monk, a façade of equality for all things in the world, with the appearance of a pure heart and few desires, yet you keep in mind constantly the charming and gentle fetters of this mortal world. You can taste fragrance and colour, and speak about beauties, old friends and past events forming an obsession in your heart, clearly your entire mind is concerned of worldly affairs, why do you still discuss Buddhism?"

Shan Chao wanted to justify himself, yet before he had even spoken he was relentlessly interrupted by Xie Yun: "You dare to stop my horse in the middle of the street and force me from my carriage, relying on only martial skill, and a good weapon, only it has no effect before me as I am stronger - monk, in this world there is nothing which is so easily gained, and for one who had withdrawn from worldly affairs to seek answers from the mortal world, unless they hold a position above others, and great power."

"And if you cannot do this, besides becoming a chess piece to be arranged at the will of others, what can you do?"

The echo of his words gradually dissipated in the cold night, yet the meaning in his words seemed to stab deeply into Shan Chao's heart like nails: "No, there's a misunderstanding, I…"

Xie Yun only straightened one index finger, making a gesture of silence, turning around to leave with a smile.

The white sleeves noiselessly traced an arc in the moonlight, Xie Yun's movements a strange coincidence with the dream scene, in that instant Shan Chao's pupils constricted, and without thinking he rose and restrained the arm: "Wait-"

Not far off the high-strung guards came forward: "What are you doing?" "How audacious, let go!"

Xie Yun raised his hand to stop them, "Hmm?"

Shan Chao's breathing was slightly heavy, but he still looked straight at the eyes behind Xie Yun's mask, speaking word by word: "…I have heard the words of advice from your distinguished self, and I am very grateful, I just have a doubt."

"Why does your distinguished self hide your true face?"

Xie Yun seemed to raise his eyebrows, yet with the mask it was unclear, only that an interesting expression floated on his face.

"It's immoral to check on the secrets of people, monk." He said with a smile, "I was injured in my youth, and cover it up because my face could terrify others, only for the convenience of the world."

And then he reached up to take off the mask, and so easily, did he nod towards Shan Chao.

No matter how stable Shan Chao's mood, that instant was enough to loosen the hand that caught the arm.

― only to see the upper half of Xie Yun's face looked as if singed by fire, the criss-crossed scar leaving the skin uneven, in the moonlit night it was the exact image of a ghost, with one look it was enough to make a coward yell in fear!

"Now do you think I look like your old acquaintance?"

Shan Chao choked right there and then.

Xie Yun was unconcerned, winking in a manner of ridicule, and then wore back his mask, turning around with a long laugh.

That coquettish and dissolute Court official under the Chang'an moon, was like an absurd dream, that on the morning of the second day when Shan Chao awoke, for a moment he could not tell if that was real or merely a hallucination.

Yet reality did not give this young monk a chance to mull over it - this day was the Ghost Festival, and in adherence to rules the current Crown Prince would descend to Ci'en Temple to offer incense in prayer. After daybreak and morning readings, the entire Ci'en Temple had already started burning incense in silent awaiting under the direction of the eunuchs dispatched from the Palace, only until the hour of the horse4 did they hear the great doors open, the ritual music begin, and the warm and brilliant ceremonial weapons of the imperial household appear at the end of the long street.

Every monk up and down Ci'en Temple lowered their heads in kowtow, Shan Chao was close to the front, quietly gazing at the gold bricks beneath his feet which had been permeated with fresh water this morning. From the corner of his eyes he could only see horses and ceremonial weapons of brilliant yellow pa.s.s by, until a horse-hoof suddenly stopped before his line of sight.

And then, above his head there came a light laugh.

― that sound was so fast as to be misperceived, yet Shan Chao's breathing stopped immediately.

Within the entourage someone murmured in reminder: "Commander Xie."

The hoof continued to advance, completely as if nothing had happened, also n.o.body else noticed this little incident. Only Shan Chao stood there, a fragment of surprise in his eyes, an indescribable feeling spreading through his thoughts:

So that was not a dream.

…His surname is Xie.

1 ZH: 玄铁, no particular translation, but it refers to a fictional metal most prevalent in Jin Yong's books.

2 ZH: 漠北 - referring to Outer Mongolia, or literally 'north of (the Gobi) desert'. Here is a fair approximation.

3 ZH: 色即是空空即是色 - a phrase from the Heart Sutra.

4 ZH: 午时 - old Chinese time division for the time of 11am-1pm

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