Chapter Three: The Diplomatic Murder Case, Part Two. Fourth Update, Seeking Recommendations.

The autumn sunlight was faint and cold.

In the bamboo garden, the leaves were withering little by little, scattered across the wooded path. Thick layers of fallen grass and the green bamboo leaves added a touch of chill to the place. Mao Wang carried a large broom, carefully sweeping the fallen leaves from the path.

Deep in the bamboo grove, Yan Qing held a pair of sabers in his hands, the larger one forward and the smaller one behind, hidden beneath his elbow. He moved like lightning through the forest. The space he used was not large, only between six green bamboo stalks. With a fierce slash, the saber struck a bamboo trunk with a dull thud. In the blink of an eye, he drew the blade back, and the smaller saber darted out from beneath his elbow, leaving a sharp carved mark on the trunk.

The Cross Saber technique, to be exact, was much like the paired mother-and-child blades of later ages.

One blade specialized in offense, the other in defense. Attack and defense changed without pause; sometimes the great saber hacked down, sometimes the smaller blade thrust and swept. The eight basic methods of saber use were fused together to form the fierce, vicious, and cunning edge unique to the Cross Eight Methods.

Wang Zheng watched from the side, nodding now and then.

"Yan Qing, shorten your steps a little. Strike harder.

Imagine that you are on a battlefield, surrounded by enemies pressing in on you with spears and swords. If you do not kill them, they will kill you... Yes, yes, faster, harder... Do not chop with your hand like that; thrust! Yes, exactly like that..."

Xiong Dachui and Zheng Shi'an both watched, and could not help furrowing their brows.

After one full round of saber practice, Zheng Yanqing was drenched in sweat, yet Wang Zheng still seemed unsatisfied. He stepped forward and carefully corrected Yan Qing's posture, explaining every detail in full. Yan Qing kept nodding.

"Brother Tiger, take a break," Xiong Dachui could not help saying. "It's been almost half an hour. If you're not tired, the boy is."

Wang Zheng let out a breath and patted Zheng Yanqing on the shoulder. "All right, that's enough for today. When you get back, reflect well on what it means to be a lion pouncing on a rabbit..."

Zheng Yanqing bowed in formal thanks to his teacher, then walked over with Wang Zheng.

Mao Ya... no, she should now be called by her proper name, Mao Xiaonian, came forward quickly with a towel and handed it to Yanqing.

"Young Master, please rest a while."

Truth be told, Zheng Yanqing's build was far better than that of boys his age. Three years of bitter training in the guiding health-preservation art had left him full of stamina. Even so, after a daily round of martial practice with Wang Zheng, he still felt a trace of fatigue. Yet the more tired one was at such a time, the less one should rest immediately. He slowly walked within the bamboo grove to settle the flow of blood and qi in his body.

On the other side, Xiong Dachui could not help grumbling, "Brother Tiger, is it really necessary?"

"If he is stern with himself today, then when danger comes tomorrow, he will have one more measure of safety. This child has exceptionally fine foundations; now is the best time to refine his breath and strengthen his bones. In my own day, I had neither such conditions nor such fortune. Otherwise, how could I have come to what I am now? So it is not wrong to set higher demands... Only, it is a bit regrettable."

"Regrettable?" Xiong Dachui scratched his head. "What is regrettable?"

"This Cross Eight Methods was created by the Great General on the battlefield, and it carries the killing intent of war. Yan Qing has never experienced battlefield slaughter, so in the end he cannot truly understand what it means to strike like a lion hunting a rabbit, with full force, to kill with one blow. His techniques are already quite skillful, but if he lacks that murderous edge, he will never unleash the full power of the Cross Eight Methods."

Zheng Shi'an's mouth twitched twice, and he said softly, "I would rather he never understand it... I only hope he can live a happy life. If he can avoid the battlefield, that is surely a blessing. On the battlefield, blades and spears spare no one."

Wang Zheng froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

Yes. If one could live safely and peacefully all one’s life, why go to the battlefield at all?

The three elders had all personally endured the cruelty of war, and Zheng Shi'an had even been left with a lifelong crippled body and lifelong humiliation because of it. Now the realm was at peace, and life had improved. As long as their sons and grandsons could live in safety all their lives, that was enough for them.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

Just then, Mao Wang came running in hurriedly from outside the grove with a giant of a man.

"Xiong Wei, why are you here?"

Xiong Dachui recognized the giant as Xiong Wei and stepped forward in surprise. He no longer managed the smithy much himself; most matters were handled by Xiong Wei these days. Seeing Xiong Wei so flustered, Xiong Dachui could not help feeling odd.

Xiong Wei panted as he rushed up. "Uncle, something terrible has happened. Da Heizi killed someone!"

"What?"

The words stunned everyone present.

Even Zheng Yanqing was taken aback. He hurried forward and asked, "Da Heizi killed someone? Who did he kill? Why on earth would he kill anyone?"

Da Heizi was Xiong Dachui's grand-nephew, Xiong Dahai. He was helping out at the smithy now, and in ordinary times he was honest and unassuming, rarely going out to cause trouble. In Yanqing's memory, he was the sort of fellow who could not be provoked into anger even with three blows of a club. How could he suddenly have the nerve to kill someone? Had he gone mad?

Xiong Wei caught his breath and said, "Today a group of strange men came to the Capital Gate, with pale faces, no eyebrows, and black teeth. Da Heizi happened to be delivering goods that way. Unexpectedly, the horses of those strange men were startled and knocked over an old man. Da Heizi went up to stop them, and somehow they started fighting, and in the end he killed someone..."

Pale faces, no eyebrows, and black teeth?

Zheng Yanqing thought to himself: could there really be such bizarre people in this world?

Xiong Dachui became anxious too. "And then what?"

"Then men from the authorities came and arrested Da Heizi... People say those strange men seem to be some kind of envoys. The one Da Heizi killed was one of the envoys' attendants. If this goes badly, he could be sentenced to death, and the authorities might chop off his head."

"Envoys?"

Zheng Yanqing's heart jolted.

What? If this had turned into a diplomatic incident, then Xiong Dahai would be in grave danger.

Everyone knew that Emperor Yang Guang was a man hungry for glory and bent on achievement, and since the beginning of the Great Undertaking era he had been campaigning in the western regions. This year he had even defeated the Tuyuhun people, causing the states of the western regions to panic. For the past two years, envoys from the west had often been sent here.

Yang Guang also cared greatly about appearances and the dignity of a great civilized empire. If this were not handled properly, Xiong Dahai might truly lose his head. Yanqing had a good impression of Xiong Dahai, a simple, honest, and sturdy fellow. Over the years, whenever there was work to do in the bamboo garden, Xiong Dahai would come to help.

Zheng Shi'an asked, "Where was Da Heizi taken?"

"I heard people from the Heralds' Office accompanied the officers from Luoyang and took Da Heizi away."

Even the Heralds' Office had gotten involved?

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yanqing also grew anxious. The Heralds' Office was responsible for receiving imperial orders, carrying out diplomatic missions to comfort and pacify, and bearing imperial tokens to inspect and confer authority. In plain terms, it was somewhat like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in later times. It seemed this had truly become a diplomatic dispute.

"Grandfather Dachui, don't panic yet."

Seeing that Xiong Dachui was beginning to lose his composure, Zheng Yanqing hurried forward to comfort him. "Since the Luoyang officers were the ones who came, Da Heizi will certainly be taken to the Luoyang prefectural office and held there. How about this: you and Uncle Xiong should not rush in. Grandfather, your face is familiar to them, so go with Grandfather Tiger and first inquire at the Luoyang prefectural office. Even if it costs some silver or silk, do not let Da Heizi suffer in prison. Tell him to stay calm. I will go at once to find the Eldest Young Master and see whether we can learn anything."

After hearing this, Zheng Shi'an and the others gradually steadied themselves.

"Dachui, you stay here and do not go anywhere. Xiong Wei, go home and watch the house; do not let trouble break out.

Listen to the boy's instructions. Grand Tiger and I will go to the prefectural office to ask about things. Yanqing will go to the Zheng residence and see whether he can ask the Eldest Young Master to step in and smooth things over."

A moment later, Zheng Yanqing's expression softened slightly as he looked at the worried faces around him. Then, from the quiet bamboo grove, a cold wind seemed to pass through once more.