The Tang Sect Crisis

Chapter 1

How Strange! The Nine Killers’ Deathly Appearance

(1)

What kind of place is “this place”?

The answer would disgust you at the sight of it.

This place was called Evil Valley.

Evil Valley was originally called Safe & Sound Valley, and for the past 2,000 years all the way up to two years ago it was always peaceful.

But now all that had changed.

Ever since Great Person Sha came to Safe & Sound Valley it ceased to be safe and sound.

No one ever called it Safe & Sound Valley again, because Safe & Sound Valley had become a hotbed for evil.

Sha Dashan’s surname was Sha and his name was Bu’e (not evil). He liked people to call him a “great person”.

And so those who liked to play up to the powerful all called him Great Person Sha.

But what good things did Great Person Sha do?

Nothing.

Wouldn’t even give a single copper coin to a beggar.

Whenever he saw a beggar he would have two of his men kick the beggar out far away.

So for two whole years, there were no more beggars in Evil Valley.

There were no poor people in Evil Valley?

It looked that way, because if these poor either left or were killed by Great Person Sha.

There had originally been 325 households here, but now there was not even a tenth of that left.

Bu the inns here went from just one to more than six in just two short years.

Before when there was only one inn, the rooms were used to raise mosquitoes.

But now even the mosquitoes seemed to have been driven away by the liveliness, as these six inns were usually packed full.

These six inns never competed for business, because they all had the same boss.

That boss of course was Sha Bu’e!

× × ×

What did Evil Valley have to attract so many guests here?

Gambling dens?

Newly constructed grand taverns?

Or Flower Blossom Loft, full of beautiful young courtesans?

Yep, these were all major factors in Evil Valley’s “abnormal prosperity”.

But there was a fourth reason, which was that here there were nine people who sold themselves.

As long as you could pay the price, these nine people would do anything for you.

Even if you wanted to assassinate the old man majestic thearch himself, as long as you could pay, they would absolutely not so much as frown or shrink back. Because their lives simply didn’t belong to them.

× × ×

Late at night, all was silent.

Experience told Old Tian that in the nest three days there would be a rainstorm.

The weather recently had been too hot and stuffy. Old Tian wasn’t fat, but he disliked heat even more than Fatty Wang in the kitchen.

Old Tian was the shopkeeper of Golden Lotus Tavern.

The Golden Lotus had been open for eighteen months and all that time he had seldom gone outside.

But this evening, while business was booming, he suddenly left the Golden Lotus.

No one knew.

The tavern’s waiters only knew that when he went out he would repeatedly mop the sweat from his forehead with a piece of cloth.

It was too hot, so it was unavoidable that he’d sweat profusely.

But if the waiters had known that his sweat was ice cold, then they would know that something was definitely a bit wrong with Old Tian.

Was something a bit wrong with Old Tian?

No.

Not a bit wrong, a lot wrong.

× × ×

For the people who lived here, even if they suddenly came into money they would never patronize the Golden Lotus.

First off, they loathed Sha Bu’e to the extreme, and at the same time, the Golden Lotus was where Sha Bu’e’s men assembled.

Old Tian didn’t look like a man of the martial world on the outside, but in Evil Valley, everyone knew that he was Sha Bu’e’s most trusted old general.

Old Tian’s surname actually wasn’t Tian.

It was Miao, and his given name was Jiutian (nine fields), and in the jianghu his nickname was the Old Burning Sky General.

In dealing with foes, his favorite method was attacking with fire.

The number of people he had burned to death was more than the number of hairs in his goatee.

Naturally, people were terrified at the sight of a person like him.

× × ×

Flower Blossom Loft was not far from Golden Lotus Tavern.

But on the way from the Golden Lotus to Flower Blossom Loft, Miao Jiutian’s heart jumped at least 900 times.

But once he stepped foot in Flower Blossom Loft, his heart seemed to stop beating at once.

Because he saw a face, a face that was usually affable but had now become like a block of ice, or like a red-hot sheet of iron.

No matter whether you felt the face was like ice or like a sheet of iron, it was a stifling feeling either way.

Too cold or too hot were equally unbearable.

× × ×

The face that Miao Jiutian saw was of course Great Person Sha’s face.

Sha Bu’e’s face ordinarily was “not evil” (bu’e).

But with the expression on his face right now, even if eight ferocious lions pounced on him they’d all be bitten to death one after the other.

A person who could devour even a lion of course could eat a person, and not just that but eat him and spit out the bones.

Miao Jiutian wasn’t stupid. Of course he knew that given Boss Sha’s mood, he was looking to eat somebody up to vent his anger.

That thought made Miao Jiutian hear his heart thumping again.

Actually his heart had never stopped beating, it was just that seeing Boss Sha just then made him somewhat overcome with vertigo, so he just now heard his heart beating.

Miao Jiutian’s renown among the jianghu was not puny, but in the face of Sha Bu’e, Old Burning Sky General’s power and prestige was completely swept away.

In Evil Valley, everyone thought he was Sha Bu’e’s most trusted “great general”.

But Miao Jiutian knew full well his position in Sha Bu’e’s eyes.

Without a doubt, Sha Bu’e did trust “Old Tian” well enough, but if you think that made him Sha Bu’e’s most capable right-hand man, then that would be underestimating Sha Bu’e.

Just like a big tree and Miao Jiutian was merely one of the roots, and that root was above ground so that everyone could clearly see it.

Still, it was not at all the main root.

The root that really supported the whole big tree was thicker and stronger and buried underground where no one could see it.

You could say that Miao Jiutian, the Old Burning Sky General, was just a curio displayed outside an antique shop.

The real valuable antiques were forever stored in the shop’s most secret area inside!

× × ×

Boss Sha of course knew martial arts, and was in fact a masterhand among masters.

But very few people knew just how good the martial arts were that he kept hidden within.

That’s because Boss Sha rarely fought.

Of course, in the past two years there had been some who had come to Evil Valley looking to cause Boss Sha trouble, but Boss Sha had only fought himself one time.

The others were handled by his two golden-garbed bodyguards he kept by him.

Boss Sha always had two golden-garbed bodyguards armed with jewel-encrusted sabres hanging from their waists.

Their personalities could only be described with three words.

They always seemed to be “set to kill”.

Even when they were eating, they were gnashing their teeth, as if they held a deep, personal grudge against even their plain rice.

Miao Jiutian would never dare have dealings with people like that, much less offend them.

Behind their backs people called them “gods of plagues”.

But those who called them gods of plagues would soon really be seeing the God of Plagues.

Because these two were not only cruel and merciless, they had especially long ears. People talking behind their backs could hardly avoid them hearing it.

They rarely spoke, but they regularly killed with their sabres.

Miao Jiutian only knew their names. The older one, around 35-36, was surnamed Chou, named Tiejun, and the one around two or three years younger was surnamed Fang, named Xi.

Aside from their names, Miao Jiutian also knew: Their sabreplay was such that they could at any time easily cut his head off.

When Boss Sha lost his temper, they often killed people on his behalf.

Miao Jiutian felt his head was in somewhat “imminent danger”.

Even though he was advanced in years, he didn’t want to die yet.

But in a split second everything before him seem to go pitch-black.

In the pitch blackness, innumerable souls of the wrongly accused called to him, and innumerable hands burned by fire were reaching out to strangle his neck…

He had a terrified look on his face, but he soon learned that this was all a hallucination.

Hallucinations can’t kill people.

But if Sha Bu’e wanted to kill him, it would be easier than sneezing.

Don’t think that sneezing is an easy thing to do. Sometimes when you have a cold, when you want to sneeze but can’t, it’s not a satisfying feeling.

× × ×

Sha Bu’e didn’t sneeze, but he suddenly heaved a long sigh.

Miao Jiutian’s face went a little green.

Not just a little pale, but a little green.

His face had long ago paled, not a trace of complexion in it.

Sha Bu’e heaved his long sigh, then said slowly to Miao Jiutian, “Do you want to see their bodies?”

Miao Jiutian nodded.

Right now the only way he could express himself was by nodding.

Sha Bu’e said, “Their bodies are in Biling’s room.

In Biling’s room?

Miao Jiutian was surprised. Biling was Flower Blossom Loft’s most popular courtesan.

Sha Bu’e added, “Biling’s sick today. She’s in her room resting.”

Biling really was sick, terribly sick.

She was suffering from lovesickness, and the one she longed for was a handsome, carefree and aloof vagabond.

There are many kinds of vagabonds.

In the present day martial world the most resoundingly famous vagabond was of course the Snowblade Vagabond Long Chengbi. But she wasn’t longing for Long Chengbi but for a vagabond who had experienced an even more vagrant life than Long Chengbi.

Sha Bu’e sympathized with her.

He knew that longing was by turns bitter and sweet, but in the end it was a bit more bitter and painful.

He didn’t want her to suffer too much, so he had her take a “Departing Elixir” pill.

Within ten days she would “depart.”

“Departing” meant “depart for the Western Paradise”.

(2)

Miao Jiutian had seen Biling before, but he had never been in her room at Flower Blossom Loft before.

That was simply a place he shouldn’t enter.

Biling wasn’t promiscuous.

Her face was delicate and pretty as a daffodil growing among pebbles.

Biling had been at Flower Blossom Loft for a whole year, but it was said that there was only one guest who could be enter her curtain.

This person was by no means old, no wrinkles on his face at all, yet he looked much more mature than an older man.

Biling hadn’t forgotten this man.

Miao Jiutian hadn’t forgotten either.

This person’s name was weird. He was called Water Cat.

× × ×

Water Cat.

Did that mean a cat in the water, or was Shui (water) his surname and his name was Mao (cat)?

Miao Jiutian didn’t know.

But he thought that this person called Water Cat ought to be called Gold Cat.

He had so much gold leaf on him it was like the hairs on a cat’s body, he could carelessly squander hundreds of pieces of gold leaf without batting an eye.1

He tipped people at least ten pieces of gold leaf.

Evil Valley was a place you could spend money like water, but Water Cat was the first of his kind to be so generous.

But that wasn’t the most shocking thing.

The most shocking thing was the silver drafts he carried.

In addition to his gold leaf, his silver drafts struck people dumb.2

The first silver draft of his that Miao Jiutian saw was for 9,000 taels of silver.

9,000 taels of silver was not a small amount.

But Water Cat surprisingly said to Miao Jiutian, “I give this to you as a small token of my kindly feeling.”

Miao Jiutian knew what was up. He knew that Water Cat wanted to find the Nine Killers in the valley.

He wasn’t wrong.

Water Cat’s second silver draft note appeared before his eyes at once.

It was a silver draft for 180,000 taels of silver.

Water Cat told him plainly, “I want nine killers to go kill someone.”

Miao Jiutian took him at once to the cashier’s office. “Kill who?”

Water Cat just said two words: “Cat Shell.”

× × ×

Just those two words from Water Cat and Miao Jiutian had that feeling of “an old man’s eyes blurring, old ears muffled”.

What sort of person was Water Cat, and moreover what was Cat Shell?

Clamshell, turtle shell, he had heard of these before and had seen them personally, but a cat shell…

Water Cat might be surnamed Shui (water) and named Mao (cat), but there was no way there was someone surnamed Mao (cat) and named Ke (shell).

Was it just a given name without a surname?

But with all the good auspicious words there were like Shou (longevity) or Gui (esteemed), they didn’t use those but instead Cat Shell?

Or maybe Cat Shell was just a nickname?

That would be even more baffling. What did Cat Shell represent?

But since Water Cat was willing to spend 180,000 taels to buy the nine killers’ lives and have them go kill Cat Shell, how could Miao Jiutian refuse?

The lives of the nine killers belonged to Boss Sha, but Boss Sha had long ago gave the order that the nine killers were to be under Miao Jiutian’s jurisdiction, and that all “business” was to be conducted by Miao Jiutian. Boss Sha wouldn’t get involved.

Boss Sha’s only stipulation was that for every time each killer was dispatched, Boss Sha would take back 10,000 taels of silver from Miao Jiutian. So Miao Jiutian had long ago agreed with these killers on a set price.

No matter which of these killers the client wanted to hire for a hit, Miao Jiutian would take 11,000 taels! 10,000 of that was for Boss Sha, and the other 1,000 was for the killer and Miao Jiutian to split.

Even though Miao Jiutian’s cut was far far less than Boss Sha’s he was still satisfied.

He wasn’t a person who spent money without restraint, and he had put some money aside to save.

He even had plans to retire from the jianghu.

But he never expected now to be at such a crossroads.

He had accepted the two silver drafts equaling 189,000 taels, and it had all been cashed, but today Boss Sha’s nine killers were brought back in a horse carriage.

They had been sent to kill Cat Shell.

Water Cat had given some information to Miao Jiutian detailing where Cat Shell was currently living, as well as a portrait of Cat Shell.

It was a detailed drawing, including a clear depiction of every minute feature of Cat Shell’s face.

Water Cat had asked Miao Jiutian if this information was enough to have Cat Shell killed?

Miao Jiutian nodded.

But the result was that Cat Shell was not dead, but rather Boss Sha’s most trusted and favored nine killers all came back lying down.

× × ×

Biling’s suite was suffused with a nauseating smell.

This smell was heavy and awful like the stench of a coffin.

Nine killers were now nine corpses.

The corpses didn’t smell. Their bodies had been smeared with a yellow, fragrant powder.

Miao Jiutian looked at the nine bodies woodenly.

Boss Sha though was coldly looking at him, as if he were looking at the tenth corpse.

“This deal was one you accepted.”

Miao Jiutian took a deep breath, then after a long pause said, “But…”

“But they all came back to see my lying down!” Boss Sha’s ten fingers were flexing, making cracking sounds.

Miao Jiutian couldn’t argue with that.

When Boss Sha lost his temper, any argument was absolutely uncalled for.

The suite suddenly became frighteningly quiet and still.

Boss Sha suddenly lifted one of the bodies and asked Miao Jiutian, “Can you tell where the fatal wound is?”

Miao Jiutian took a good look.

His first impression was that the killer had experienced a great fright just before death, his face frozen in frightful flight. It was ghastly.

This killer’s name was Mai Dasha. His specialty was smacking someone once in the back of the head, the famous signature move of the bygone Yan Kong of Ghost Domain Mountain, called Deadly Ghost Hand.

Yan Kong had been dead for more than 80 years. He had only one disciple during his lifetime, but that person too had been deceased for 60 years. Mai Dasha was only 32, but somewhere he had learned the wicked Deadly Ghost Hand martial art.

Miao Jiutian had once seen Mai Dasha use his Deadly Ghost Hand to kill someone.

Mai Dasha’s hand seemed able to suddenly grow one or two spans at any time and strike at the back of someone’s head from an unimaginable angle. Not even the head of a black bear could withstand the force of this smack.

× × ×

Miao Jiutian looked and looked, but still couldn’t tell where the fatal wound was.

Boss Sha suddenly twisted his hand.

The body flipped over. Miao Jiutian had been looking at Mai Dasha’s face, but now he was looking at the back of him and the back of his head.

The back of his head was gone. There was only a terrible bloody hole left!

× × ×

In that split second, Miao Jiutian took three steps back one after the other.

“The Deadly Ghost Hand!” he cried out.

Boss Sha sneered and put down Mai Dasha’s body. “That’s right, the Deadly Ghost Hand.”

Then Boss Sha lifted another body.

Miao Jiutian gasped. This one was Shao Wuxin.

Shao Wuxin used a Heartpiercing Gimlet. this gimlet was only a span long, but that was more than enough to bore out a person’s heart. This Heartpiercing Gimlet was not made of metal but instead was carved from an extremely hard piece of peachwood.

This wooden gimlet was inconceivably hard, so much so that even a famous sword or precious sabre might not be able to cut it.

Miao Jiutian almost cried out in alarm when he saw Shao Wuxin’s body.

Boss Sha sighed to himself.

Miao Jiutian was old. He used to have such courage he could kill people like they were flies, but that courage seemed to have faded away with the passing years and vanished.

Miao Jiutian saw that in Shao Wuxin’s chest was sticking out his signature weapon—the Heartpiercing Gimlet. The Heartpiercing Gimlet had not bored Cat Shell to death, but Shao Wuxin instead.

NOTES

Gold leaf, 金葉子, was a form of currency. It was a sheet of gold foil folded in alternate accordion folds. A convenient way to carry around a lot of money. More common in wuxia novels than it was in real life.Silver drafts 銀票 were paper money, common for a time in the Ming dynasty until they were devalued to the point of uselessness. They were drafts to be paid out in silver, hence the name. Common in wuxia novels as a convenient form of currency.