The Grandmaster Strategist

Volume 6, Chapter 43: Regret for Never Meeting¹

After returning, he was bedridden and unable to rise. As the hostilities in Chuzhou were about to begin, he was carried on palanquin to Xuzhou to convalesce. He took years to recover, and since then, he had no interest in worldly affairs. He sent in a retirement petition, but the Yong emperor refused.—Southern Chu Dynastic Records, Biography of Jiang Suiyun

While Wei Ying and Ling Yu were fighting hard on the cliffs, the mountain road below was all silent. Everyone on the cliffs thought the toxic smoke wreaked havoc and left no survivors, so none of them paid any attention to the movements below. They didn’t know there was a hidden area in the toxic smoke. The moment the man who was dressed as a royal guardsman ran up to Lady Lu and revealed his identity, Wei Ying conducted the poison attack, and toxic smoke billowed in every direction and blotted out the sun.

Before the smoke reached the bottom of the cliff, Lady Lu and the other frail women were on the verge of collapse. The guardsman didn’t care to explain and pulled out a jade vial from his breast and dumped out some pills. He rapidly said, “This is a medicine the Cold Courtyard secretly manufactured. It can treat hundreds of poisons. Please take it quickly, My Lady.”

Lady Lu now understood the man was an expert Jiang Zhe had dispatched to protect her son and her. Although she was a noble lady of Southern Chu, she had often heard her husband talk about Jiang Zhe, so she didn’t overtly reject Jiang Zhe. However, her thoughts shifted as she thought about how, if she took the antidote, she would be accepting the kindness of Great Yong. Hesitation flickered in her eyes.

Although everyone in the Lu entourage grabbed the antidote, they were all looking at Lady Lu and waiting for her order. The toxic smoke was drifting over at this time, and everybody was on the verge of collapse, but not even the underage children took the antidote.

The guardsman lamented the sight in his head, but he didn’t say anything to convince her. He was one of the eight elite operatives, Quhuang. He had always been the one who knew the most about the friendship between Jiang Zhe and Lu Can, master and disciple. Although they parted ways in middle age, they were still concerned about each other. Now, Jiang Zhe had fallen gravely ill due to Lu Can’s death. As such, Quhuang may have respected Lu Can’s conduct, but he got jealous, so he purposely didn’t say anything. He was trying to test Lady Lu.

The look in Lady Lu’s eyes transformed, revealing anguish, and she placed the antidote into her mouth. Seeing her acceptance, the Lu entourage finally took the medicine, but two children didn’t have the strength to swallow the pills. Their companions beside them helped them swallow the antidotes.

Quhuang watched everyone take the antidote and was relieved. This antidote was extremely precious. Even the eight elite operatives only had ten pills at most for self-defense. This time, his master had ordered someone to send an additional twenty pills as a reserve. He had thought it was unnecessary at the time. He didn’t expect them to truly be used. If they hadn’t been sent, the antidote pills on his person would absolutely not be enough to go around. Looking at the seven antidotes still in the vial, Quhuang slightly shook his head and was about to put it away.

Ding Ming had gone to the front by this time. If a martial artist encountered danger, their first reaction would be self-defense. When the toxic smoke descended, he held his breath to resist it and took some antidotes he always carried. However, it wasn’t the right medicine and was extremely ineffective. He saw his compatriots beside him who’d survived bloody battles collapsing due to the poisoning. But he was powerless. Fortunately, the women of the Fengyi Sect were panicking.

Ding Ming gave the order to break out. When he retreated with his men to the bottom of the cliffs, he wanted to encourage and support the Lu entourage in charging out, but he saw Lady Lu and the others safe and sound. He had not noticed the events occurring behind him, so when he saw the strange situation, he was taken aback. His mind was shaken, and he felt a little unsteady on his feet.

Although Lady Lu still felt a little sick after taking the antidote, she no longer felt chest pain and dizziness. Seeing Ding Ming and the others arrive, she hurriedly asked Quhuang, “Please, sire, do you have any more antidotes?”

Quhuang’s eyes darted over. He saw Ding Ming and the numerous people behind him holding their breaths and turning a little blue from the exertion. Realizing they had not striven to escape and were rescuing others first, he respected them. He thought of how he was going to send them to their deaths without receiving orders for it and sighed softly. He gave out the remaining pills.

Ding Ming saw how Lady Lu was safe and sound and knew the pill was effective. Although he didn’t know why the guardsman had the antidote, he took them and handed them out to everyone. However, there were only seven pills remaining. Including Ding Ming, eight people had survived until now. Ding Ming hesitated for a split second, then speedily shoved the last pill into the mouth of a compatriot who was falling unconscious.

Because he had held his breath for too long, his face and ears were reddening. Unable to hold out any longer, he breathed in half a breath of toxic smoke and instantly felt the world spinning and a chill surge over his entire body. He went limp, but someone caught him, then stuffed a pill into his mouth. A moment later, he gradually regained consciousness. He saw the tranquil royal guardsman gazing at him with a vastly different look. He whispered, “Many thanks, sire, for saving my life. Who is sire?”

Quhuang sighed gently and replied, “Please don’t blame me, Swordsman Ding. I had no more antidotes. The medicine I gave you fights fire with fire. No matter how toxic, it can suppress it for some time, but afterwards, if you don’t receive treatment from a famous doctor, I’m afraid your life can’t be saved. I’m not afraid to tell you my identity either. This one is Quhuang, a named disciple of Marquis Jiang. This time, I have orders to protect Lady Lu and family as they migrate south. Because it wasn’t appropriate to let Lady Lu know, this one thought of a way to make a royal guardsman not come and sneaked in as him among the escorting royal guard. I was compelled by circumstance to divulge my identity. Swordsman Ding needs to remember we’re all in the same boat. How about waiting to argue until we’ve ridden out the storm?”

Ding Ming may have been surprised, but he vaguely felt like this should be done. Everyone in Jiangnan knew about the Marquis of Chu of the third rank, Jiang Zhe, paying his respects in Guangling. Lu Can was dead, so Jiang Zhe was no longer hostile toward the Lu family. It was a matter of course for him to act to protect the descendants of the Lu family. Although he was still wary of hidden tricks of the guardsman who called himself Quhuang, he didn’t care much about it right now. He said in a low voice, “They’re fighting up above, so shall we escort Lady Lu away from here?”

Although he could hear a conversation on the cliffs, he knew Wei Ying intended to take the Fengyi Sect down with him. However, when he thought about how Wei Ying didn’t discriminate between friend and foe, he still felt some hatred and didn’t want to go up to help him. Besides, even though he’d temporarily suppressed the poison, he lacked energy.

Although everyone had eliminated the toxin, they still felt their blood and breathing roiling, and they had no ability to fight. Everybody discussed and decided to stealthily leave the area under the guidance of Quhuang.

The mountain road was full of fallen Fengyi Sect disciples whose living state was indeterminable. Ding Ming and the others were surprised. If not for Quhuang’s assistance, they would probably not have escaped from the harmful toxic smoke. Even though everyone was still on guard and showed their doubts, they followed Quhuang out.

After walking for a long time, it had grown almost completely dark. Going south on the mountain road was perilous. In the pitch dark, it was easy to lose one’s footing, even with the support of Ding Ming and the others. Quhuang realized they had walked a long distance and took out a string of luminous pearls from his breast.

The glow of the pearls was not especially bright. If someone were in the distance, it would be difficult to spot the light, but they were bright enough to illuminate an area several zhang wide. However, the string of luminous pearls was incredibly valuable. Besides the fact each pearl was about the same size, they were all perfectly round, sparkling, and translucent, utterly unblemished. They were truly worth a king’s ransom.

Ding Ming and the others were blinded at first, but everyone was persevering and resolute, or else they wouldn’t have survived the killing field. They overcame it, but they didn’t understand why that man would flaunt the luminous pearls.

Quhuang didn’t seem to notice everyone’s expression and ripped the string of pearls apart, giving a luminous pearl to each person. Afterwards, he was the first continue on, which made everyone understand Quhuang’s goal.

Walking at the very back, Ding Ming gave a mental sigh. Although he was just borrowing the light of the pearl, the heroic magnanimity was something he was used to seeing from Southern Chu heroes. He was filled with heartfelt admiration. The man was reticent and anonymous but had such presence. Great Yong conquering the world was likely a matter of course.

Not long after, Quhuang led everyone into a valley, in which many tents had already been erected. The disturbance of soil was still fresh. It was obvious they had just been put up. It probably hadn’t even been an hour since. In the tents, bedding, hot water, and steaming hot food were already laid out, but there wasn’t a person there. Quhuang invited everyone into the tents to rest.

Ding Ming furrowed his brows without saying a word. That man had prepared everything here. Could it be that Quhuang had planned his misfortune? However, it wasn’t convenient to ask questions at this time, so he allowed Quhuang to manage everyone. He noticed the man was plain in appearance and looked normal, but he had a calm demeanor and firm control. It seemed that his appellation as Jiang Zhe’s disciple wasn’t a lie.

A cry of pleasant surprise suddenly rang out from Lady Lu’s tent. Ding Ming was shocked and sprinted over, ignoring taboos. He brushed aside the curtain to see Lady Lu embracing Lu Ting, tears streaming down her face. Lu Ting’s complexion had improved a good deal, and he was wiping away the tears on his mother’s face with his small hands.

Ding Ming was also immensely and pleasantly surprised, but he hurriedly withdrew. Right then, he saw Quhuang smiling, and he was about to ask a question when Priest Bitter Bamboo scorned, “Did you people team up with Wei Ying again? No wonder Wei Ying fought the Fengyi Sect.”

Quhuang’s face became frosty, and he took on a stern bearing. He thinly said, “What is sire saying? Wei Ying is a traitorous minister. How could my master cooperate with him? It’s just that Master dispatched an abundance of people and linked up with Wei Ying long ago merely to find an opportunity to rescue young master Lu. That’s all. If not for this one receiving a communication from a partner and learning of the poison attack, this one wouldn’t have been in time to rescue everyone here. I only learned of young master on the road, as well. Someone had already diagnosed him. The treatment was on the writing desk in the tent, and the medicine was prepared. I could have Lady Lu’s maids decoct the medicine and give it to him. It could presumably treat the hardships young master Lu is unused to.”

Priest Bitter Bamboo was stunned speechless. Ding Ming said with a sigh, “Marquis Jiang has startling methods, as expected. No wonder I constantly heard bird calls on the cliffs by the road. I also vaguely sensed people spying on me in the dark. Most likely, this area was already under sire’s control?”

“The jianghu of Southern Chu is most fond of measuring others, even gentlemen, from the viewpoint of a vile character,” Quhuang sneered. “What kind of man do you think the Marquis is? How could he capitalize on another’s precarious position? You people aren’t even in his considerations. The Marquis has toiled painstakingly, and this one has risked life and limb, just for the safety of Lady Lu and her son.”

Ding Ming was silent. He knew at heart everything the man said was true. How would people like him ever be considered by important ministers of Great Yong like Jiang Zhe? However, if Yong agents controlled Lady Lu and her son, it would impact the morale of Southern Chu. But he couldn’t bring up any objections. The struggle for survival throughout the journey was enough to make anyone refuse to go farther.

At this moment, a gentle yet firm voice came from behind the two men. “My son and I are forever indebted to Marquis Jiang’s kindness, but my late husband lectured that a widow cannot submit to an enemy nation for the sake of living.”

The two men looked back at the voice and saw Lady Lu standing a bit away, her expression placid, like she was simply speaking common sense. It was like she wasn’t letting go of her chance to live.

Quhuang felt even more reverence. He stepped forward, saluted, and stated, “Your Ladyship, Southern Chu is no longer a paradise, and Dingyuan is a land of subtropical diseases. Both Your Ladyship and youngest young master are worth their weight in gold. You cannot stay in a dangerous place for long. The Marquis has already made the appropriate arrangements. As long as Your Ladyship is willing, you can set sail immediately for the north. The Marquis has also promised to never use Your Ladyship and young master’s statuses to cause any harm to Southern Chu.”

“The Marquis’s word is gold, so this widow will believe him,” Lady Lu lightly said. “Presumably, Great Yong has no need to use son and widow to drum up sentiment. It’s just that the Lu family are subjects of Southern Chu and must die in Southern Chu if necessary. Although the court failed the loyal and honest, the Lu family would never fail the court. Even though Dingyuan is a perilous region, it is the will of the court, so this widow cannot disobey the decree.”

“This one admires the self-sacrifice of the Lu family. It’s just that the foolish ruler and treacherous prime minister of Southern Chu are self-destructive, forgetting loyalty. Why must Your Ladyship constantly keep this sort of court in mind? The Marquis doesn’t hope for Your Ladyship to betray your homeland. He simply remembers the old friendship between master and disciple and doesn’t wish for the Grand General’s lineage to decay,” Quhuang gravely replied.

Lady Lu curtsied and said, “Sire spared not his life to go through hell and high water to save this widow and her youngest son. Your servant is forever indebted to you for this grace. Even if sire wants this widow to die for him, your servant won’t have any complaints. There is only one thing I absolutely will not do. My late husband died for the sake of loyalty. Your servant dares not speak of inheriting her late husband’s unfulfilled mission, but she also cannot abandon her country and seek only ease and comfort.”

Ding Ming stepped forward at the words and saluted, stating, “Your Ladyship’s words are full of wisdom.² The Grand General died by the treacherous prime minister’s hand. We were all chilled to the bone, and many volunteers and patriots even left the army. Hearing Your Ladyship’s words today, I now realize none of us have as deep an understanding of loyalty as Your Ladyship. If this one returns alive to Wuyue, I will be certain to pass on Your Ladyship’s words to the people. Even if I die on this battlefield, I absolutely will not permit the Yong heavy cavalry to gallop south.”

Tears glimmered in the eyes of Lady Lu. “If my late husband knew of Swordsman Ding’s conviction, he surely would have peacefully gone to the underworld.”

The expression on Quhuang’s face constantly fluctuated. Eventually, he said, “Swordsman Ding knows his life is still in our hands. Even if this one allows the master swordsman to return to Wuyue, the toxin in sire’s body still hasn’t been eliminated. Skilled physicians who can treat sire can mostly only be found in Great Yong. We don’t need to think much to determine that sire won’t live for long.”

Ding Ming smiled calmly. “Being able to live this much longer is already a precious gift from sire. Although people cling to life and fear death, if sire is trying to drive me to death, sire has underestimated this one.”

Quhuang smiled at the words and replied, “If one defies death, how can one fear death? Swordsman Ding has underestimated this one too much. After the events here conclude, this one will return to give a debriefing. Although Duan Yue died, I took the document on his person. Swordsman Ding can escort Lady Lu to Dingyuan and report on the completion of the mission on his behalf. As for the latent peril in sire’s body, this one can do nothing about it for some time. However, if sire has the time, it won’t hurt to try to visit southern Fujian’s Yue family.” Then he saluted in an easygoing manner and walked away. In the blink of an eye, he vanished.

Ding Ming and Lady Lu were both taken aback. The two of them knew that man had gone through a lot of effort and assumed he wouldn’t give up without achieving his goal. In fact, the two of them had decided to face whatever the outcome was with composure. They didn’t expect the man to let them go as he said he would. Such carefree breaking of contact was admirable. The two of them exchanged a glance, both with worry in their eyes. After a long time, Lady Lu softly sighed and returned to her tent.

Quhuang flew like a bird through the night. Before long, he saw dim, pearlescent light before him. He was happy and quickened his pace. When he approached, he saw a young man in threadbare clothes standing on the mountain ridge. If not for the pearl shining his hand, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call him a beggar.

Quhuang saw the young man’s handsome and haggard face and sympathized with him. Coming to a stop behind the man, he said, “Yulun, why are you making yourself suffer? You’re neither willing to return to the Secret Camp nor will you follow us south to protect Lady Lu and her son. Are you not afraid Lord Chen will kill you too?”

Yulun didn’t look back, asking in a low voice, “Is Lady Lu safe and sound?”

Quhuang shrugged and replied, “She’s right as rain. Lord Chen has presumably gone to negotiate with Xiahou Yuanfeng, lest he seize the opportunity to intervene and make things difficult for Lady Lu. Yulun, what do you plan to do now?”

Yulun sighed. “I promised the Grand General I wouldn’t interfere with the conflict between the two nations. If I stay in Jianye, I can’t avoid this affair, so I might as well go south and protect Lady Lu and her son. If I can keep them safe and sound, meeting Grand General just once won’t have been in vain. Since everything is fine now, please return the pearl to Baiyi for me. I’m leaving and won’t be bidding him farewell.”

Quhuang sighed. “You’re still just as odd. In the past, you said you wanted to return to Jianye, so you refused to stay with the Secret Camp. Now you won’t return to Jianye, so why aren’t you willing to return?”

Embarrassment suddenly appeared on Yulun’s face at the words.

Quhuang knew him quite well and was surprised. He stepped forward and asked, “Yulun, what’s on your mind? Can you tell me about it? We were blood brothers for many years. Why not tell me about it? Maybe I can help you think of something.”

Yulun hesitated for a while before finally murmuring, “I had thought I’d only been treating her as a replacement, but for the past several days, I’ve always been thinking of her.”

Quhuang rejoiced on the inside and said, “So you wastrel were moved too. But that Lady Liu, you were her zither teacher for a long time. So you were actually in love with her and couldn’t help yourself. Since that’s the case, why haven’t you already proposed to her? A gentleman would do well to match with a gentle and graceful lady. Liu Rumeng is the Most Popular Courtesan of Jiangnan, whose looks and talent are rarely seen in the world. Your appearance and talent are also hardly equalled, so you two are a perfect match to live in marital bliss. If you feel like you don’t have an ample betrothal gift and are afraid to speak about us, us brothers will lend you a helping hand. We’ll absolutely ensure you can marry that beautiful woman in a wonderful fashion.” As he spoke, he racked his brains about what Yulun meant by “replacement.”

Yulun didn’t know what he was thinking about and said sadly, “I’ve always had this thought I’ve been afraid to put to words that Rumeng most admired the valiant, of whom Grand General is one. If she learned I took part in framing the Grand General, I fear she wouldn’t forgive me.”

Quhuang’s expression shifted. He cracked a smile and said, “You’re too closely involved. Lu Can’s death was due to Shang Weijun. You simply added fuel to the fire or just executed your orders. How can you be blamed for this? To the contrary, you came to the rescue of Lu Can, and now you’re traveling south to protect Lady Lu and her son. If Lady Liu knew, she’d only admire you. Besides, nobody knows about you offering advice except for Shang Weijun and his son. As long as you don’t talk about it, who will learn of it?”

The look on Yulun’s face turned gloomy, and he shook his head. “‘If you don’t want others to know, don’t do it. Otherwise, you can’t hide it from people.’ Moreover, I watched Grand General commit suicide on the day of. I often think if he and I had gotten acquainted before then, I never would have suggested to frame him.”

Seeing him become melancholy, Quhuang sighed. “It truly is a pity to the extreme. I’ve been in Jiangnan for many years, and though I’ve met him before, I never truly got to know him. It was just a chance meeting, yet you’re remorseful and saddened to this degree! I assume that man must be a first-rate personage in the world!”

“In terms of talent and skill, he naturally falls short of Master, but in terms of magnanimity and will, nobody in the world compares,” Yulun briefly said.

Quhuang’s expression shifted a tiny bit. Eventually, he said, “Master has decided he won’t get involved in mundane matters anymore. The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets has also vanished into thin air. If you wish to stay in Jiangnan, I’m afraid it’ll be very difficult for us to protect you.”

Yulun didn’t make a sound. Cold indifference filled his eyes.

Footnotes:

1. Likely a reference to the poem “Seven Love Poems: Yuan Lushan” (七爱诗·元鲁山) by Tang Dynasty poet Pi Rixiu (皮日休) that shows the poet’s appreciation of the poet Yuan Dexiu (元德秀)
2. 醍醐灌顶, tihu-guanding – lit. anoint one’s head with the purest cream [nirvana]; fig. enlighten someone with perfect wisdom, be filled with wisdom