Against the Current - Chapter 208

Chapter 208 - Disaster (Part 3)

After sounding the bell in the tower for a while, Xianglan looked around and saw lights flickering in the nearby rooms where the monks lodged. Yet behind her, she could vaguely make out a few torches heading toward the bell tower. Panicked, Xianglan stumbled down the stairs and bolted in the opposite direction of the Sutra Depository. Her breath was coming in ragged gasps, her lungs felt as though they were about to burst, and her legs felt heavy as if filled with lead, while the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder and louder nearby.

Xianglan could no longer run a step further, but the surroundings were completely bare, lacking even a single hiding spot. Leaning against a wall, she managed to skirt around to the back of the meditation rooms and caught sight of the characters "Fragrance Kitchen" hanging over a structure behind them—it was the monastery's kitchen. Stumbling over, Xianglan discovered to her surprise that the door was unlocked. She pushed it open immediately and rushed in to find a hiding place, only to be startled by a sharp clattering sound. Looking over in alarm, she saw two young novice monks, seven or eight years old, clutching jujube cakes and other pastries as they crouched down in a panic to hide.

As it turned out, because the women of the Lin family had come to the temple to perform Buddhist rites, the kitchen had prepared the finest, most exquisite vegetarian pastries. Aside from those offered to the noble guests, the leftovers were kept in the kitchen's five-compartment cupboard. Two novice monks, tempted by the sight, had sneaked out to steal a bite when they heard the bell ringing earlier, never expecting to run straight into Xianglan. One novice monk stood there dumbly, while the other crouched tremblingly between two large water vats, wearing a look of utter terror.

By now, the sound of footsteps and shouts was drawing ever closer. There was no longer time for Xianglan to run back out. With a loud bang, the door was kicked open, and Xianglan instantly spun around, shielding the novice monk behind her.

Four masked, burly men instantly flooded into the room. One of them, seeing a young monk standing there, swung his saber down in a single arc, and the novice monk collapsed instantly into a pool of blood, splattering red blossoms across the floor. Xianglan let out a piercing scream, nearly fainting away. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs, and her legs trembled so violently that she had to brace her hands against the edge of a water vat just to keep from collapsing to the floor.

At the head of these four men was none other than Dubin. Brandishing a torch, he charged in with a murderous aura, only to catch sight of a beautiful young maiden with disheveled hair shrinking into a corner. Her face was deathly pale, yet a pair of crystalline eyes shone with startling brilliance. Though forcing herself to stay calm, she could not conceal her panic, and her entire body shook uncontrollably, making her look exceptionally frail and pitiful.

Dubin froze. Feeling his throat go dry, he was nailed to the spot, unable to utter a word for a long time.

The man standing beside him asked in a low voice, "Is this woman from the Lin family?"

Dubin licked his lips. He had half a mind to seize Xianglan, but seeing her shivering form, a pang of reluctance stayed his hand—he could not bear to violate such a stunning beauty. Turning his face slightly, he whispered, "You lot wait outside the door; I have my own arrangements." The three men promptly withdrew.

Dubin thought to himself, As Huamei mentioned, this woman has an extremely stubborn spine. If I make her feel this kind of terror and hatred right off the bat, it'll ruin the fun. Since she's spending the night out here, her reputation is already compromised anyway. If I keep her hidden for a few days, the situation will become even murkier. She'll have to realize that, given this alone, Lin Jinlou will never take her back, which means she might as well follow me. If I coax her smoothly first, it will earn me her favor on one hand, and make her devoted to me heart and soul down the line on the other. With these thoughts, he stepped forward. Xianglan desperately wanted to duck away, but remembering the novice monk hiding behind her, she clenched her teeth hard and stood her ground, trembling like an autumn leaf in the wind.

Dubin walked right up to her, pulled down the black cloth covering his face to reveal a remarkably handsome visage, and offered her a slight, gentle smile. "Have no fear, my lady. I am a guard under General Lin, and upon hearing the bell just now, I came specifically to rescue you. Might I ask if you know where the Mistress and the young misses are currently located?"

The moment Xianglan caught sight of that face, her heart gave a heavy lurch. Isn't this man Lin Dongling's lover? What is he doing here? As she looked him up and down and noticed he was dressed entirely in black, another thought struck her: This man was wearing a mask just now. If he were one of Lin Jinlou's guards, why would he be dressed like this? Besides, he shouldn't have seen me before; how did he instantly conclude I wasn't a young miss of the Lin family, and instead ask me where the Mistress and young misses are... Everything about this man reeks of suspicion. Could it be that his clandestine affair with Lin Dongling was exposed, prompting Lin Jinlou to punish him with harsh severity, leading him to return tonight with cutthroats to exact revenge? Fired by wild speculations and gripped by caution, Xianglan kept her mouth shut, letting tears well up in her eyes as she lowered her head and shook it.

Dubin hastily smiled and said, "Could it be that you don't trust me, my lady? I have a camp tally right here." With that, he drew a plaque from his bosom and handed it for Xianglan to inspect. It was a command token engraved with the character "Lin" in seal script. Glancing down at the floor, he saw that the novice monk had already breathed his last, still clutching a pastry in his hand, and realized the boy had come here to steal a bite to eat. He deliberately excused it: "Just now, my men thought there was an enemy in the room attempting to harm you, which is why they struck so heavily. Ah, it is a pity for this little master; I will see to it that ample silver is paid later to bury him properly."

Daring not take another glance at the corpse, Xianglan choked back her tears and said softly, "It... it isn't that I disbelieve the military officer, but I truly have no idea where the Mistress and the young misses are right now. In the pitch black of the moment, we became separated..." With that, she let out another soft, sobbing cry.

This tearful display only made her all the more endearing.

The longer Dubin looked, the more enamored he became, thinking to himself, Though the Marquis isn't one to cultivate delicate beauties, a stunner like this is something no man could pass up. If I present her to him, she'd likely have no chance of returning. It's better to keep her hidden away for myself; the Marquis's true target is Lin Jinlou's mother, so missing a single concubine won't affect the grand scheme. Adopting a soft tone, he coaxed, "Do not cry, my lady. Why not come away with me first? There is a carriage waiting outside, perfectly set up to accommodate you and take you safely back to the estate."

Racked with anxiety and needing to buy time, Xianglan blinked through her tears and said, "I was running so hurriedly just now that I sprained my ankle; I'm afraid I can't walk. Would the military officer be so kind as to let me rest a moment?" She added hastily, "Fortunately, the Buddha preserved me, letting me cross paths with the military officer so I didn't fall into the hands of those bandits..." Tears fell fresh with every word she spoke.

Dubin grew intensely impatient, wanting to carry Xianglan off by force, but seeing her sorrowful tears softened his heart somewhat. Catching sight of those burly men sticking their heads in through the doorway, he reasoned, If she's sprained her ankle, hauling her out will indeed be awkward. Besides, dragging a person out in plain sight might make it difficult to give an account to the Marquis later. It's better to leave her here for now and spirit her away covertly later on. The men following me are sworn brothers who've shared life and death, so I needn't worry about the secret leaking. What's pressing right now is finding Lin Jinlou's mother. He said aloud, "Then rest here for a moment, my lady; I shall step away and return shortly." With that, he swept through the kitchen once more and glanced into the water vats. Xianglan pressed her body flat against the wall, and because the novice monk was small in stature, Dubin failed to spot him. Convinced no one else was hiding inside, Dubin strode out, leaving a fellow behind to stand guard at the door. Seeing a lock hanging on the outside, he picked it up and snapped it shut with a sharp clack.

Treading on tiptoe, Xianglan reached the doorway and peered through the crack. Seeing someone standing watch outside, her heart sank by half, and she reached out to give the door a push—sure enough, it was locked tight. As anxiety gripped her, a tearful voice whispered from behind her, "Female benefactor..."

Turning around, Xianglan saw the novice monk standing there timidly, trembling all over with tear tracks covering his face. She sighed and said, "Little Master, the man from before is a bandit. If he comes back later, make sure you hide quietly and make no sound."

The novice monk's face went white, and he blurted out, "Then let's hurry and escape!"

Xianglan smiled bitterly, "The doors are locked, and someone is guarding them. Where could we possibly escape to?"

Stammering, the novice monk replied, "I... I swiped the key from my senior kitchen brother so I could sneak in here to steal some food..." He added, "Female benefactor, follow me." With that, he walked over to the stove in the inner room, unhooked a ring of keys from his waist, and after trembling and fumbling through several attempts, finally managed to unlock the back door.

Xianglan urged, "Let's hurry and go." She grabbed the novice monk and bolted outside.

Being thoroughly familiar with the monastery's terrain, the novice monk led her in dodging and weaving until they reached the eastern side gate. They lifted the door bolt, scrambled out of the temple in a panic, and ran for a distance until Xianglan could walk no further. The two of them hid behind a cluster of bushes to catch their breath, faintly hearing the sound of approaching hooves. Supporting herself against a tree, Xianglan cautiously stood up and saw a line of fiery dragons lighting up the distance. Clearly, the nearby monks had heard the bell, realized something was wrong, and were hurrying over en masse. In addition, over a dozen mounted guards dressed in Lin family military uniforms had already arrived at the temple gates. However, because the front gates remained tightly shut, their shouts and pounding went unanswered. As it turned out, these guards were the ones who had escorted Old Madam Lin back at noon; upon returning in the afternoon to find the temple gates closed, they had taken up temporary quarters in the nearby monks' lodgings and had rushed over immediately upon hearing the bell at night.

Xianglan hurriedly said to the novice monk, "Little Master, I can't walk any further. Please, lead the men on horseback around to the side gate and tell them that bandits have broken into the temple—there are about fifteen or sixteen of them. The Second Madam and Third Young Miss have likely already been captured, while the Eldest Madam and Fourth Young Miss are hiding in the Sutra Depository."

Hesitating slightly, the novice monk clearly still bore lingering fear.

Pleadingly, Xianglan begged, "They are all guards from the Lin family and will never harm you. Little Master, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda; I beg you to do a good deed."

Only then did the novice monk agree, stumbling forward through the uneven terrain to deliver the message. That goes without saying.

While the sounds of slaughter echoed wildly inside Qixia Temple, an atmosphere of warm, intoxicating cheer filled the Yihong Courtyard.

Within the lavishly painted chambers and prime white-silk, jade-latticed windows, five young gentlemen sat clustered around an Eight Immortals table. The table was piled high with delicacies from land and sea, while several heavily made-up, beautiful courtesans attended them. A beauty dressed in a bright red brocade jacket with connected sleeves and a delicate green satin skirt held a pipa, strumming and singing in soft, modulated tones that possessed a rather refined elegance.

Lin Jinlou leaned back lazily against his chair. The beauty finished her song, sat down beside him, and signaled a little maid to bring over a silver basin. After meticulously washing her hands, she began peeling prawns, dipping the shelled meat in seasoning and lifting it with a pair of tiny silver chopsticks to feed Lin Jinlou.

Liu Xiaochuan looked on with a trace of envy, remarking, "Brother has certainly been practicing self-cultivation lately. The rest of us invited you time and again with hardly any luck. It's thanks to this little beauty here that you finally consented to grace us with your presence. Just for that, we must toast Mistress Yunzhu." Saying this, he raised his cup in a toast.

Yunzhu blushed slightly, casting a covert glance at Lin Jinlou. Seeing that the corners of his mouth still held a smile and showed no sign of irritation, she raised her own cup in return, saying, "It is this servant who should toast you gentlemen; how could it ever be proper for Lord Liu to toast me?" With that, she drained half her cup.

The company burst into roars of laughter and good-natured teasing.

Lin Jinlou tapped Liu Xiaochuan on the head with his chopsticks. Raising his gaze to meet the eyes of Marquis Yongchang, Lu Shaotang, he said with an ambiguous smile, "You thought I was someone anyone could just summon out? You lot alone lack quite enough weight; if not for the Young Marquis's face, do you think I would have come out to drink this wine of pleasure?"

Lu Shaotang raised his cup in a distant salute, downed the remaining half-cup of wine, and was just about to speak when Liu Xiaochuan chimed in, "Oh, come now, isn't Mistress Yunzhu's face enough? Brother Lou, you're simply too honest; saying things like that, aren't you afraid the beauty will shed tears of sorrow upon hearing them?"

Ignoring him, Lin Jinlou half-squinted his eyes and watched Lu Shaotang with a smiling expression. A few days prior, Lu Shaotang had sent an invitation post asking him out, and Lin Jinlou hadn't even deigned to respond. Later on, the fellow had begged Liu Xiaochuan and the other childhood friends to intervene, and out of consideration for his friends' faces—and wondering what trick this scoundrel had up his sleeve—Lin Jinlou had finally come out to socialize. He and Lu Shaotang were of a similar age; when they were young, they had been the closest of buddies, but later on, that fellow suddenly underwent a change of heart and began picking fights with him at every turn. Lu Shaotang was vicious—at age twelve, he planted iron spikes under Lin Jinlou's saddle, causing him to be thrown from his horse and nearly trampled to death. Lin Jinlou wasn't one to let it go either; once he found out who did it, he gave the fellow surnamed Lu a thorough lashing with a whip until Lu couldn't even recognize his own father, causing him to wet his pants on the spot and fall gravely ill at home for a month without getting out of bed. Ever since, the two had been sworn enemies.

Later on, Lin Jinlou earned military merits across several campaigns, rising rapidly to prominence among the younger generation of generals, while Lu Shaotang inherited his title after his father died, holding independent command within the military by virtue of the lingering incense-fire loyalty planted by the late old marquis. Even so, Lin Jinlou firmly kept Lu Shaotang suppressed. Nowadays, the Lin family leaned toward the First Prince's faction, while Lu Shaotang openly declared his allegiance to the Second Prince. The two of them engaged in overt and covert struggles on a daily basis, the perils of which were too profound to recount to outsiders, and their rivalry had now grown as irreconcilable as fire and water.

Lu Shaotang possessed thick brows and phoenix eyes, standing tall and lean—about an inch shorter than Lin Jinlou—with an imposing bearing and natural authority that rivaled Lin Jinlou's. He merely smiled at Lin Jinlou: "I had no idea my face carried such weight. Hearing you say it, Brother Lin, it almost sounds as though your words carry a hidden meaning intended to put me down. I sent an invitation post to Brother Lin several years ago, and since you didn't even acknowledge it back then, I assumed you looked down on me."

K

Showing his quick wit, Chu Dapeng personally picked up the wine flagon to pour a cup for Lu Shaotang, laughing as he said, "We all grew up together as kids, what's this about looking down or not looking down? You still don't know him? Busy all day long as if his life depended on it; even the rest of us hardly ever catch a glimpse of him."

Lu Shaotang chuckled inwardly while maintaining a spring-breeze smile on the surface. Looking at Chu Dapeng, he said, "You boys are the same; over the years, you've grown increasingly distant from me."

Xie Yu raised his cup with a smile: "That's not how it is, but since brother has put it that way, it must be our fault. I'll penalize myself with a cup." As he spoke, he kicked Liu Xiaochuan under the table.

Liu Xiaochuan hurriedly picked up his wine cup to toast Lu Shaotang as well. Having had a bit too much to drink, his head felt somewhat foggy, and with a thick tongue, he blurted out, "To tell you the truth, if you ask me, since we're all childhood friends, what is there that can't be talked out? We might as well just drink a cup of wine and wipe away old grudges." Turning to Lu Shaotang, he added, "Earlier on, I thought you must have taken the wrong medicine—why on earth would you go offending the Lin Tyrant? Over the years, the underhanded tricks he's played on you have been enough to give you a headache... Whoops!"

Xie Yu kicked Liu Xiaochuan hard under the table, sobering him up by a full three parts, and Liu promptly shut his mouth.

Both Lin Jinlou and Lu Shaotang acted as though they hadn't heard a thing. The corners of Lin Jinlou's mouth retained their smile as he asked, "Spit it out, then. Why on earth did you invite me here today?"

Lu Shaotang smiled faintly in return: "Nothing much. It's just that it's been many years since we sat together at the same wine table, and I wanted us brothers to catch up on old times."