A Prophet - Chapter 23 (Part 2)

Chapter 2 - Grandfather Ingeniously Acquires the Secret Manual of "Military Horse"

Inside the interrogation room, the ultra-powerful illumination lamp shone so brightly that Qian Yuelin could not open his eyes. Next to it, chili water was boiling furiously, and the iron brands inside the stove were burned to a glowing red.

"Confess," the prison guard said.

Qian Yuelin was in a daze: "Confess to what? I am not a Communist!"

The prison guard nodded with a smile: "Admirable! Truly admirable! Someone come, first give Elder Qian a bowl of chili water to moisten his throat!"

Two guards rushed forward, pinched Qian Yuelin's nose, and forced a ladle of chili water down his throat.

"Cough, cough, cough!" Qian Yuelin was choked so badly that his throat felt like it was burning with fire, and he shouted, "I really am not a Communist!"

The prison guard smiled again: "Why torture yourself? How much did the Communist Party give you?"

"I... I am just a fortune-teller wandering through the countryside."

"A fortune-teller? Oh! Then did you calculate that you would be arrested by us today?"

"This... This is an undeserved disaster. It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. The official has misunderstood," Qian Yuelin said with a forced smile.

The prison guard suddenly changed the subject: "Where is the 'Military Horse'?"

Qian Yuelin felt a jolt in his heart. How did he know about the "Military Horse"? Yet with his mouth, he said: "What 'Military Horse'? Is it Chinese chess?"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Old Qian, you shouldn't be a fortune-teller; you should be an actor." After saying this, the prison guard turned his head and shook his head at the two guards, "Don't just stand there, bring out the hot iron. Go ahead and warm Elder Qian's belly."

The glowing red iron was pressed against Qian Yuelin's belly, and a scent of roasted meat instantly permeated the entire room.

Qian Yuelin bared his teeth and let out a wild howl: "Ah! Ah..."

The prison guard leaned in closer: "Don't hold out so stubbornly. Let me tell you, everyone who falls into my hands ends up spilling the truth. The 'Military Horse' is your underground organization roster. As long as you hand over the 'Military Horse,' the Nationalist Government will not only spare you trouble, but will also heavily reward you."

Qian Yuelin was confused. An underground organization roster? When did the "Military Horse" become a roster?

Seeing that Qian Yuelin seemed lost in thought, the prison guard asked: "Finally starting to get it?"

"Get what?"

"Brand him! Brand him! Keep branding him for me! Brand him until he confesses the 'Military Horse'!" the prison guard shouted.

The two guards, each wielding a hot iron, front and back, wantonly swept across Qian Yuelin's belly and back, the sizzling sound of roasting flesh ringing out one after another.

Qian Yuelin truly could not bear it anymore and shouted: "Stop! Stop!"

"Figured it out?" the prison guard asked.

Qian Yuelin nodded and said: "Figured it out! Please bring paper and pen, I will write."

"That's right! If you had done this earlier, none of this would have happened!"

Qian Yuelin picked up the pen, his brain racing frantically, and then in one breath wrote down over a hundred names: Yang Biyun, Chen Fengkao, Zhang Xiaoting, Xu Huashan...

After finishing, he presented it: "This is the 'Military Horse' roster!"

The prison guard looked at it and scratched his head: "What is this?"

"The roster!"

"My ass! Would the Communist Party's underground organization roster be written this retarded? Are you playing with me? Brand him! Brand him! Keep branding him!"

Qian Yuelin was completely dumbfounded, thinking to himself, what on earth is going on here? How on earth did I end up becoming an underground Communist?

"Official, may I ask? Who said I am a Communist?" Qian Yuelin asked.

The prison guard frowned: "Are you interrogating me, or am I interrogating you? Brand him! Brand me!"

After another round of torture, Qian Yuelin was bruised and battered all over. Amidst the pain and dizziness, he retained a shred of sobriety—something must have gone wrong; the Kuomintang mistakenly thought I was a Communist. Should I reveal all the secrets of the "Jiangxiang Sect" to prove my innocence? No! If Grandfather and the others are also captured, I am completely done for. As long as I do not leak the secrets of the "Jiangxiang Sect," Grandfather and the others will remain safe, and that way they will find a way to rescue me. If they don't rescue me, they will also worry that I might break under pressure and spill the secrets of the "Jiangxiang Sect," at which point everyone will be completely finished! As for the "Military Horse Chapter," speaking of it won't hurt; outsiders simply cannot understand it anyway.

Thinking of this, Qian Yuelin opened his eyes and said: "Official, to tell you the truth, I don't even know myself that I am a Communist. But the 'Military Horse' you mentioned is something I truly know. If you really have some understanding of the 'Military Horse,' you will know whether what I write next is the real deal. Bring me the pen!"

Qian Yuelin finally wrote out the complete "Military Horse Chapter." Ever since inheriting the "Military Horse," this brilliant old fox had firmly memorized it in his mind, and all paper texts had been burned by him.

The prison guard took the "Military Horse Chapter" written by Qian Yuelin and carefully reviewed it: "Hmm, once you enter the military horse, ten thousand people are killed, not even the old Emperor of Heaven is afraid... This part sounds real, but I will still have to trouble Elder Qian to explain in detail how to decipher the underground organization of the Communist army from these lines!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Yuelin felt a wave of dizziness: "Official, this thing is my ancestral fortune-telling method. As for whether it has anything to do with the Communist Party's underground organization, I truly have no idea!"

"Brand him! Brand him! Keep branding him!" The prison guard grew frantic again.

"Wait!" Cai Xuezhong walked in with several people.

"Captain!" The prison guard hurriedly saluted.

Cai Xuezhong looked at the dying Qian Yuelin and said: "Oh my, I am so sorry. The Master has suffered. My subordinates are incompetent and made a mistake."

A ringing buzzed in Qian Yuelin's ears: Made a mistake? Made a mistake?

Cai Xuezhong turned around, pointed at the prison guard's nose, and said: "You lot, you hear wind and take it for rain. The real 'Military Horse' has already been caught in Nanjing. Look at how you've beaten the Master; quickly find a doctor for him. This is a guest of Mr. Tieziban, how am I supposed to answer to Mr. Tieziban!"

Qian Yuelin understood the last sentence: Grandfather had stepped in to help.

All of this was a conspiracy concocted jointly by Grandfather and Zeng Jingwu.

Ever since Fang Jiyu's sixth concubine, Shen Xiaoluan, took down Fang Jiyu and his associates, the underground organization led by Zeng Jingwu began working to eliminate this Military Statistics Bureau scorpion.

For decades of confrontation between the Nationalists and Communists, both sides had planted countless secret agents and insiders within each other's ranks. After Dai Li's death, the Military Statistics Bureau suffered a heavy blow. At this moment, the red secret agents led by Li Kenong showed off their formidable skills. On this hidden front without the smoke of war, Li Kenong made indelible contributions to the birth of the new China. In the perilous struggles between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, his precise intelligence and unfathomable deployment saved the lives of many veteran Chinese Communist Party leaders.

People who study nameology say that Dai Li's style name is Yurunong; whereas the Communist Party's intelligence chief was called Li Kenong. One is Yurunong, the other is Kenong—Dai Li was always kept in check by Li Kenong. Therefore, throughout the decades of confrontation between the Nationalists and Communists, Li Kenong was always one move ahead and superior in skill, until Dai Li turned to ashes and vanished, while Li Kenong assisted Mao Zedong in founding the brand-new People's Republic of China.

The highest realm of an intelligence agent is being a double agent—both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party treat him as one of their own, and only he knows in his heart which side he actually belongs to. For instance, long ago the Communist Party planted a chess piece inside the Kuomintang; this person remained utterly loyal within the Kuomintang ranks for many years, was tempered and regarded as a confidant by the Kuomintang, and then the Kuomintang dispatched this person to infiltrate the Communist Party. He would then continuously send all kinds of intelligence back to the Kuomintang under the identity of a Nationalist agent. Aside from a few top CCP leaders, no one knew that this Nationalist agent was actually one of the Communist Party's own people.

Once the war was settled and the world was at peace, the double agent would remove his mask and reveal his true face. At that moment, whether it was the Kuomintang or the Communist Party, both would give this person a thumbs-up. The winning side would feel they won as a matter of natural justice; the losing side would lose with wholehearted conviction.

Therefore, if a person became a double agent, it was the ultimate glory. But if a person was not a double agent and yet was arbitrarily slapped with the label of a double agent, it would be thoroughly disastrous. Under a false reputation, dying a miserable death, dying in a manner both mystical and completely inexplicable.

Shen Xiaoluan was precisely such a person. This person joined the Communist Party in 1933, and after the failure of the Fifth Encirclement Campaign, she defected and surrendered to the enemy, turning in twelve underground organizations in the Gan region at once, leading to the execution of dozens of Communists. After the War of Resistance, she secretly infiltrated Shanghai under the arrangements of the Military Statistics Bureau, hiding in a women's vocational school under the guise of an instructor. She successively lured and captured over a dozen underground Communist backbone members, and ultimately murdered Fang Jiyu, who was unwilling to cooperate with the Kuomintang.

Zeng Jingwu was enraged: This person must be eliminated!

Just as Zeng Jingwu was contacting his superiors to plan and layout the strategy, Grandfather suddenly paid a visit, wishing to request Zeng Jingwu's assistance in setting up a scheme to force Qian Yuelin into handing over the northern faction's secret manual, the "Military Horse Chapter." Grandfather detailed his initial motivation and told Zeng Jingwu the thoughts deep within his heart. After listening, Zeng Jingwu repeatedly praised: "Grandfather has put in painstaking effort!"

Thus, taking advantage of the opportunity to eliminate Shen Xiaoluan, Zeng Jingwu intentionally released a false rumor in Shanghai: An internal Communist operative disguised as a fortune-teller had come from north of the Yangtze River to Shanghai to make contact, and this person carried the underground organization roster of the Jianghuai region, named "Military Horse."

After intercepting this intelligence, Cai Xuezhong first thought of Grandfather. He sought out Grandfather late at night and asked: "How much does Grandfather know about the fortune-telling factions north of the river?"

Grandfather naturally boasted: "If we're talking about other things, I might not know. When it comes to fortune-telling, nothing can be kept from me."

"Have you heard the news recently that a fortune-teller from north of the river is coming to Shanghai?"

Grandfather feigned surprise: "Ah? Could it be the northern fortune-telling master Qian Yuelin?"

"Yes, yes! It's precisely this person! Does Grandfather know him?"

"Of course I know him! This person has always operated within the Communist Party's territory, and occasionally travels south to spar and exchange pointers with us as peers."

Cai Xuezhong nodded and said: "That's right."

"Right?"

"Mhm. Grandfather might not know, but this person is a Communist. The identity of a fortune-teller is merely a disguise. Does Grandfather know who he is contacting?"

Grandfather was stunned for a moment and said: "Me, actually."

Cai Xuezhong smiled: "Grandfather, stop joking."

Grandfather said: "It truly is me. Not long ago, he sent me a letter saying he would be taking a trip to Shanghai soon. I felt that since we are all peers in the same trade, coming and going to look after one another is only human nature, so I told him I would definitely host a banquet for him. For this reason, I even specially invited several prominent fortune-telling masters to accompany him."

"Mhm. It seems this old fox is hidden extremely deep," Cai Xuezhong said.

"Captain Cai isn't mistaken, are you? Qian Yuelin couldn't possibly be a Communist, could he?" Grandfather asked.

Cai Xuezhong said: "Why not? Anyone could be."

"Then... wouldn't I be unable to escape culpability either? I have had plenty of dealings with Qian Yuelin, and our friendship is quite good," Grandfather said with a smile.

"Heh. Grandfather jokes. You are a talent of the Nationalist Government, personally appointed by Commander Bai back then as the 'Kunlunguan Defense Deputy Chief of Staff,' and personally verified by Section Chief Liu. You cannot be wrong."

Grandfather smiled and said: "Captain Cai trusts me this much?"

"Heh, I don't trust you, I trust your wisdom. If you were truly entangled with the Communist Party, would you still be able to practice this fortune-telling trade? With gleaming silver dollars scattered all over the ground, would Grandfather not pick them up? Grandfather has no grudge against silver dollars, right? Grandfather sits securely in Jianghuai, and although you don't declare a political stance, everyone in the world knows Grandfather is the 'Master' of the Nationalist Government, and you lot are precisely the group of people who least希望 the Communist Party to sweep in."

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Grandfather laughed loudly, raising his thumb to say: "Captain Cai, brilliant! Brilliant!"

Cai Xuezhong smiled and said: "This time I will still have to trouble Grandfather to promptly inform me of the time Qian Yuelin arrives in Jianghuai and find a way to steady him. If this matter succeeds, Grandfather will have rendered a great meritorious service."

"To serve the Nationalist Government is my utmost honor!"

"I won't disturb you any longer." Cai Xuezhong raised his backside, preparing to leave.

"Hold on!" Grandfather stood up, pulled a stack of banknotes from his sleeve, and handed them over.

"This?" Cai Xuezhong was startled. "Didn't you already give this month's share?"

"Captain Cai is being too formal. Recently, the fortune-telling parlor business has been booming, all thanks to the Captain's wise protection. Now that Captain Cai is going to arrest communist bandits, you will inevitably have to tax your subordinate brothers; consider this small sum as drinking money for the brothers. To defeat the communist bandits, the military and the people share one heart—those with money contribute money, those with strength contribute strength."

Cai Xuezhong's eyes narrowed into a slit: "A master is always a master; your political awareness is simply top-notch! Then I will accept it respectfully rather than decline. Grandfather can rest assured, from now on, as long as there are any unruly rabble making trouble at your estate, whether they are ruffians, scoundrels, or gangsters, with me around, Grandfather has nothing to fear."

"Indeed, indeed."

Just like that, Cai Xuezhong, burning with a desire to achieve merit, believed he had mastered top-secret intelligence and attempted to use this battle to make a name for himself. This led to the farce during the four major branches' evening banquet where the police suddenly charged in and Qian Yuelin was arrested.

Meanwhile, the double agent planted by the Chinese Communist Party in the upper echelons of the Kuomintang cooperated with Zeng Jingwu to intentionally leak some true and false information to Shen Xiaoluan in Nanjing, and then purposely used the telegraph to leak a "secret telegram," painting Shen Xiaoluan as a CCP secret agent embedded within the internal ranks of the Kuomintang.

After Dai Li's death, on the eve of the Kuomintang-Communist Civil War, Mao Renfeng, who was undergoing a massive reshuffle of the Military Statistics Bureau, acted under the principle of "absolute purification of the ranks" and detained Shen Xiaoluan. It wasn't until the Kuomintang completely collapsed and retreated that Shen Xiaoluan was released, and shortly thereafter she was sentenced to death by the new government for the crime of "counter-revolution."

Grandfather set up this layout with the intention of acquiring the "Military Horse Chapter"; he did not wish to wipe out Qian Yuelin then and there. Because Grandfather knew deeply that once Qian Yuelin died, the northern faction would plunge into chaos, and leaderless A-baos without rules would roam about causing havoc everywhere. Gathering this crowd together again would no longer be easy.

When Cai Xuezhong received the secret order sent by the Secrecy Bureau stating that the "'Military Horse' had already been arrested in Nanjing," he couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat. It turned out Shen Xiaoluan was a Communist! Why is the intelligence on my end always so unreliable!

Looking further down, the secret order stated: One must not lower one's guard against various fortune-tellers like Qian Yuelin either; a circuitous strategy may be adopted to release him first and observe his subsequent actions. Especially Mr. Tieziban—the nature of this person remains unclear, so observe him with caution and avoid startling the snake in the grass.

At the same time, Grandfather also received news from Zeng Jingwu's side that Shen Xiaoluan had been taken into custody. Only then did Grandfather feign complete ignorance, coming to visit the prison under the identity of a national studies peer: "Captain Cai, has Qian Yuelin's identity been verified yet?"

Cai Xuezhong went with the flow of the current: "Verified, not a Communist. A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."

"Then what about the so-called 'Military Horse' roster?"

"What roster! It was just a bunch of messy nonsense. Material concerning fortune-telling."

A tremor went through Grandfather's heart: "Might this humble one take a look?"

"Look at what. Take it, take it!" Cai Xuezhong snatched up Qian Yuelin's confession transcripts from the desk and tossed them over to Grandfather.

Grandfather felt as if he had obtained a supreme treasure, his heart pounding with emotion. For so many years, the object of his dreams had finally fallen into his hands! He flipped through the sheets of confessions, feigning calmness as he said: "These are some fortune-telling techniques, somewhat useful."

Cai Xuezhong smiled: "The insider looks at the doorway, the outsider watches the excitement. With Grandfather acquiring this material, wouldn't it be like adding wings to a tiger?"

"This still requires thanking Captain Cai." Saying this, Grandfather drew a jade pendant from his sleeve, "This small trinket is said to be from the Song Dynasty; I hope Captain Cai will graciously accept it with a smile."

Cai Xuezhong's eyes lit up, and he said: "Oh my, Grandfather, you are always so polite. You and I truly feel like we met too late."

"Just a small token, not expressing my full respect."

"Grandfather can rest assured, with this Cai around, Shanghai won't be turned upside down. As long as the Nationalist Government doesn't perish, your fortune-telling parlor can stay open indefinitely."

"Then... this humble one will take his leave."

Grandfather picked up Qian Yuelin from the prison, hired a rickshaw, and pulled him back to Yuanyua Road.

Qin Baichuan, Jiang Feiyan, and the others were waiting anxiously. No one knew what Qian Yuelin's actual identity was, and they were even more worried that he might have leaked the secrets of the "Jiangxiang Sect."

When everyone saw Grandfather supporting the battered and bruised Qian Yuelin back, the weights hanging in their hearts finally dropped.

"Grandfather, what happened?" Qin Baichuan stepped forward to ask.

"Alas, it's a long story. Let's help Elder Qian inside the room first."

Grandfather then had Second Old Wu invite a traditional doctor to treat Qian Yuelin's injuries.

Two days later, Qian Yuelin slowly regained his vitality, let out a long sigh, and tears fell: "Alas... an undeserved disaster. How on earth did they manage to turn me into a Communist?"

Grandfather feigned blank confusion: "Did Elder Qian have dealings with the Communist Party in the north?"

Qian Yuelin shook his head: "Dealings? I avoided them like the plague!"

Qin Baichuan slanted his eyes and asked: "What did they ask Elder Qian about?"

Qian Yuelin said: "As soon as they came up, they claimed I was an underground agent of the Communist army and told me to hand over the 'Military Horse'!"

Qin Baichuan was startled: "'Military Horse'? What do they want that for? To study fortune-telling?"

"No! They kept insisting that the 'Military Horse Chapter' was an underground party roster. This old man has inherited the 'Military Horse' since the first year of Xuantong [1909]. Back then it was still the Great Qing's realm, how on earth did it become a Communist roster!"

The more Qin Baichuan listened, the more wrong it felt. He glanced sideways at Grandfather, then asked Qian Yuelin again: "So Elder Qian actually confessed the 'Military Horse Chapter'?"

Qian Yuelin wore a helpless expression: "I wanted not to confess, but I simply couldn't hold out any longer. Those scumbags burned me with hot irons; if I hadn't confessed, I probably would have turned into a charred sparrow!"

Qin Baichuan was greatly shocked: "This... has the secret manual of our 'Jiangxiang Sect' been leaked just like that?"

Qian Yuelin smiled: "I still kept an ace up my sleeve. The core twelve-line 'Liancheng Oral Formula' was something I didn't write down. Even if outsiders get their hands on the 'Military Horse,' without these twelve lines to thread the needle, that 'Military Horse' becomes a heavenly book, completely unusable!"

Qin Baichuan cast a glance at Grandfather and nodded insidiously.

Listening from the side, Grandfather understood clearly: The "Military Horse Chapter" totaled a full twelve hundred characters, divided into three parts. The first part was the exposition of the five elements, totaling two hundred characters, which formed the basic knowledge of the five elements' stems and branches; without this foundation, the phrases that followed would be left hanging in the air. The third part consisted of specific fortune-telling divinatory phrases, containing six major categories: fame and official career, lifespan, official fortune, wealth, marriage, and children, totaling nine hundred and eighty-eight characters. And the second part was the essential key linking the preceding and the following—to put it plainly, it was the mental skill on how to link the five elements knowledge of the first part with the specific fortune-telling divinatory phrases of the third part. Although there were only twelve lines, each line was worth a thousand gold pieces. Just like martial arts, if one only knew the moves without applying the mental methods, when facing an enemy in battle, one could only become flustered and bungle things through clumsiness.

Fortunately, Grandfather had already learned these priceless "Liancheng Oral Formulas" from Zhang Dancheng in his early years. Unfortunately, Zhang Dancheng only had these dry twelve lines, and had never acquired the subsequent nine hundred and eighty-eight lines of practical battlefield divinatory phrases; this had been his lifelong regret. Now Grandfather had finally helped him fulfill this wish.

Zi water occupies the leader's fame, a rushing, endless sentiment; if the destiny matches the pattern, it naturally sends forth the sound of rivers and seas. [Transfers to the Fame Department.]

Chou earth turns to double yang, rooster and snake have their methods; Qian can give birth to all things, cold metal encounters deep concealment. [Transfers to the Fame Department.]

Gen palace seen in spring, three yang gather at Yin; transcending the mortal meets Geng Wu, a post horse of lakes and rivers. [Transfers to the Wealth Department.]

Thriving wood possesses deep spring, grieving metal fails to form a grove; encountering clashes brings falling geese, the person returns as a wandering ghost. [Transfers to the Lifespan Department.]

Chen earth is warm in heaven and earth, nurturing the roots of all trees; if the tomb opens its treasury, a mountain of gold crushes a golden basin. [Transfers to the Wealth Department.]

Early summer fire increases brilliance, upright yang overflows in four directions; three punishments have little harm, top-rank Zhuangyuan scholar. [Transfers to the Official Career Department.]

Wu fire blazes upward, six yang positions are improper; seeing earth altars forms official salary, peach blossom splendor does not last. [Transfers to the Marriage Department.]

The future fire sees decline, official status is hidden while salary is not; if pigs and rabbits arch together, a wanderer's form easily perishes. [Transfers to the Children Department.]

Vajra Shen branch encountered, longevity is in this palace; what spirit comes to protect, long buried it regains its bright blade. [Transfers to the Children Department.]

You thriving metal flows like water, wind and moon need no worries; rivers and mountains lack all interest, evil arises toward the Jade Pool. [Transfers to the Marriage Department.]

Xu dog's nature is stubborn, containing a tiger it battles literary skill; clashing the Dragon King's Temple, the tomb of the leader transforms into rivers and oceans. [Transfers to the Lifespan Department.]

Hai position deep water hidden, five lakes combine three images; universe grand transposition, establishing life in the imperial court. [Transfers to the Official Career Department.]

The twelve lines of oral formulas respectively link to several hundred divinatory phrases concerning lifespan, children, marriage, fame, official fortune, and wealth. In this way, the "Military Horse Chapter" came alive; used properly, it was invincible.

This was why ordinary fortune-tellers could never beat the "Jiangxiang Sect." Ordinary fortunetellers relied on basic theories, whereas the "Jiangxiang Sect" relied on taking flexible and mobile scam tactics based on mastering theories. Disciples of the Jiangxiang Sect shuttled through the world like netherworld ghosts, confusing people's minds and seizing their souls. A book of the "Book of Changes" was whipped up by them into demonic winds, and the bright, clear universe was distorted by them into bizarre illusions. Reaching high up to the ninefold heavens of the azure firmament, descending low down to the eighteen winding paths of the yellow springs—in the evil world of the "Jiangxiang Sect," there was no worst, only worse.

Whether history gave Grandfather an opportunity, or Grandfather gave history an opportunity, was hard to say. As the final Grand Master, a man who had drifted for so long between good and evil, the three hundred years of blood, tears, grudges, and hatred of the "Jiangxiang Sect," along with his own decades of life-and-death struggles, gave him a sudden awakening: he had to thoroughly and cleanly eradicate the Jiangxiang Sect.

This was a blood debt, a blood debt that the "Jiangxiang Sect" owed to the world for three hundred years. For three hundred years, the kindness and ignorance of ordinary people had achieved the unique prominence of the "Jiangxiang Sect" amidst piles of white bones. The A-baos who devoured human flesh and blood each widened their bloody basins of mouths, vowing to carry evil through to the end. The net of heaven is vast, and karmic affinity meets; the "Jiangxiang Sect" had finally waited for Grandfather. His dragon-tail swing and counterattack would inevitably proclaim the causal truth that heaven has eyes.

Only with the destruction of the "Jiangxiang Sect" could Grandfather and his brothers be reborn.