Stir-Fried Bamboo Shoots with Meat

"It hurts, it hurts—it's killing me!" The pain jolted A'Zi awake. She rolled twice across the ground, then suddenly remembered that she had been poisoned before she fainted. She hurriedly pulled out a porcelain bottle and swallowed the antidote to the poison powder. A moment later she sat on the ground, her face deathly pale, clutching her wound and begging for mercy. "Hero Qin, I'll never poison you again. Hurry and give me the antidote..." Qin Zheng said, with a look of sympathy, "Heart-Piercing, Bone-Gouging Powder has no antidote. Bear the pain for two more days and you'll be fine." A'Zi's eyes widened, and she turned terrified at once. "I still have to be in pain for two more days? How could you invent something like this? Aren't you afraid someone will use it on you?" Qin Zheng's expression turned odd. "That I truly never thought of. Oh—just now I glimpsed a carved character, Duan, on your shoulder. Are you Duan Yanqing's daughter?" A'Zi's eyes darted. Using a great name as her banner, she said, "That's right! I am Duan Yanqing's daughter! My father is the greatest villain under heaven. You'd best let me go, or you'll be sorry!" At these words, A'Zhu's mind could not catch up for a moment. Just now, while applying medicine to A'Zi, she too had seen that character Duan on A'Zi's shoulder. By rights, shouldn't A'Zi also be Duan Zhengchun's daughter? How had she suddenly become Duan Yanqing's daughter instead? Could it be... that carving characters into one's own daughter's shoulder was a tradition of the Duan clan of Dali? Ruan Xingzhu's expression was complicated. Looking at A'Zhu and A'Zi, she thought for no clear reason of the two daughters she had given away. Sorrow all over her face, she said, "Brother Chun, the moment I see her I think of our daughters. Go plead for her. Ask Hero Qin to spare her." Duan Zhengchun nodded, guilt written on his face. He stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Qin Zheng. "Hero Qin, this A'Zi is of my Duan bloodline. I truly cannot bear to see her die here. I beg you to show mercy and hand her over to me to deal with." Qin Zheng glanced at him and said, "You'll regret it." Duan Zhengchun said firmly, "I won't. Even if Duan Yanqing kills me tomorrow, I will not regret saving this girl." "Wuu, wuu... you really are such a good man..." Moved, A'Zi threw herself into Duan Zhengchun's arms. A smile appeared on his face, but before he could open his mouth to comfort her, he suddenly felt a stab of pain in his arm. Sensing something was wrong, he shoved A'Zi away. A black scorpion dropped from his arm to the ground. Then his vision went black. Trembling, he pointed at A'Zi. "I kindly pleaded for you. How could you repay kindness with enmity..." A'Zi smiled in triumph, tilted up her little face, and said, "Who asked you to plead? Hero Qin never meant to kill me in the first place. How you flatter yourself!" Qin Zheng said teasingly, "You're quite clever. I really hadn't planned to kill you just now. Prince Duan, do you regret it now?" Duan Zhengchun used his internal energy to force out the scorpion venom. Shaking all over with rage, he glared at A'Zi. "What a venomous girl. In a little while I'll have someone send you to the Dali imperial palace, and let the palace matrons discipline you properly on your parents' behalf!" A'Zi made a scornful face. "I'm not afraid. If you dare seize me, I'll have my father kill you!" "You..." Duan Zhengchun was too angry to speak. He stepped forward to grab A'Zi. Seeing that Duan Yanqing's name could not frighten him, panic flashed across her face, and she hurriedly cried, "My master is the Old Immortal of Xingxiu, Ding Chunqiu! If you dare seize me, I'll have my master poison everyone in your family to death!" Duan Zhengchun said furiously, "No wonder you're steeped in poison. So it was Old Freak Ding who taught you. Then I must reform this vile temper of yours all the more, lest you harm the martial world someday and bring shame on my Duan clan!" A'Zi's heart lurched. She hurriedly explained, "I'm not Duan Yanqing's daughter. You can't seize me!" Duan Zhengchun flew into a rage. "To avoid punishment, you won't even acknowledge your own father! You girl—today I'll teach you the Duan clan family rules properly!" With that his hand shot out like lightning. In one strike he sealed A'Zi's acupoints, bent her over a stool, fetched a bamboo strip, and lashed her hard across the bottom. Even as he struck, he made her recite the Duan clan family rules. Half a shichen later, A'Zi had finally memorized the Duan clan family rules. Supported by A'Zhu, she went into the bedroom to have medicine applied. Feeling the pain in her shoulder and her bottom, A'Zi could not stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks. She sobbed, "Is there any justice left in this world? I already said I'm not Duan Yanqing's daughter. I was telling the truth—why won't any of you believe me? Wuu, wuu..." "I believe you..." A'Zhu murmured it, staring at the gold lock pendant on the bed. Beside A'Zi's clothes lay a gold lock pendant, inscribed with a line of small characters: Bamboo by the lake, green and graceful; may peace be with you, and joy abound. The style was identical to the gold lock pendant she herself wore. They were clearly a pair! Duan Yanqing's daughter? A'Zi was plainly her own little sister! Deeply moved, A'Zi took her hand, eyes brimming with tears. "You're the only good person here. The only good person..." A'Zhu's heart ached as she looked at A'Zi, but she did not acknowledge her on the spot. She went on carefully applying the wound salve. This little sister of hers had been corrupted by the Old Freak of Xingxiu. Without a heavy hand, she certainly could not be set right. Let Father keep teaching her this way for now. It was what he ought to do anyway. A moment later, A'Zhu helped the hobbling A'Zi out. A'Zi caught a wave of cooking fragrance, and her appetite stirred. Swallowing, she said, "What dish is that? It smells wonderful!" Qin Zheng said, "Stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat. I made it specially for you, so you can build yourself back up." A'Zi's face changed sharply. "No need for bamboo shoots. Just get me some slices of meat!" Qin Zheng handed her the bowl and chopsticks and said with a smile, "Where I come from, children who are picky eaters get their bottoms spanked." A'Zi gave a frightened shiver and hurriedly said, "I'm not picky. I'll eat anything!" With that, she took up the bowl and ran over to Xuzhu's side. She could not sit because her bottom hurt. Xuzhu, who ate only vegetarian food, had seated himself alone on a bamboo stool off to one side. Seeing the oil-braised bamboo shoots in Xuzhu's bowl, A'Zi's eyes darted. She picked up two slices of meat and dropped them into his bowl. "Little monk, they've shut you out and won't let you sit at the table. You look so pitiful—here, have some extra meat!" A bitter smile appeared on Xuzhu's face. "Thank you for the kindness, Benefactor, but this humble monk eats only vegetarian food. Not to mention meat—I don't even eat food cooked in animal fat." "That's being picky! Where I come from, picky eating gets your bottom spanked!" A'Zi reached out, snatched up the bamboo strip beside her, and meant to go on teasing Xuzhu. Qin Zheng spoke up and cut her off. "Ding Chunqiu's Divine Wood King Cauldron is on you, isn't it? Lend it to me for a few days." A'Zi looked puzzled. "What Divine Wood King Cauldron? I've never even heard of it!" Qin Zheng explained with a perfectly straight face, "It's that little cauldron Ding Chunqiu uses to cultivate the Energy-Dissolving Art—the one that makes a beard grow faster if you keep it on you too long. It's because Ding Chunqiu carried the Divine Wood King Cauldron every day when he was young that he went from a peerless beauty to the flowing-bearded figure he is now." A'Zi's pupils contracted sharply. "Ah—this thing is that sinister? No, wait. Ding Chunqiu used to be a woman?!" Qin Zheng hummed assent and went on, "If you carry it for no more than a month, so long as you learn the Northern Darkness Rebirth Art, you can change back to your normal appearance. Pity Ding Chunqiu lacked the talent and could never learn it." A'Zi's heart lurched. Jiumozhi was hunting Ding Chunqiu precisely for the secret manual Qin Zheng had just named. She knew that well enough. Seeing him speak so convincingly, down to every detail, she hurriedly pressed, "If one hasn't learned this martial art, is there still a way to be saved?" Qin Zheng said, "First brace both hands on the ground and go into a handstand. I'll teach you the formula." A'Zi hurriedly set down the bowl and chopsticks and went into a handstand right where she stood. Right after, a little cauldron dropped from her person, and the atmosphere in the room turned strange in an instant. A'Zi's body went stiff. She watched Qin Zheng walk over beaming, bend down, and pick up the Divine Wood King Cauldron. In the next moment she crumpled completely and toppled to the ground. She had been tricked. No wonder Duan Yanqing had been frightened off. The villain before her was worse than Ding Chunqiu and Duan Yanqing put together!