Zhao Xiaowan

Li Banfeng sat in the chair, the shadow of his hat concealing his face. The man before him, Luo Zhengnan, had spoken some truths and some lies. The lies were easy to spot. He had claimed to bring only two subordinates, but in reality, there were more. Sun Xiao'an of the Medicine King Hall's second branch was right here in the fort selling sundries, yet Luo Zhengnan hadn't mentioned him. The truths were harder to sift, but a few things he said were undoubtedly accurate. If he could sneak into Tiemenbao, others could too. The dwelling spirit Zhao Xiaowan was an obvious magnet for trouble. Once the news leaked, Tiemenbao would inevitably become Xuemenbao—a fort of blood. Yet what was to be done about this? Getting rid of Luo Zhengnan wouldn't be hard, nor would brushing off the Jiangxiang Gang. But Zhao Xiaowan was so formidable that even the wife might not be a match for her; she was not someone Li Banfeng could deal with as he pleased. After sitting in silence for a moment, Li Banfeng said to Luo Zhengnan, "Please come back in three days. I'll give you my answer then." "I await your word." Luo Zhengnan rose and took his leave. Li Banfeng added a word of caution: "Take all your people with you—not just those two selling vegetables. If they don't leave now, I'll be seeing them out myself in a moment." Luo Zhengnan started, not expecting Li Banfeng to have noticed the others as well. Cupping his hands once more in salute, he stepped out of the room. He took a stroll along the street, and the three men who had accompanied him understood his signal, leaving Tiemenbao one after another. This was how sensible people dealt with one another: once the truth was laid bare, neither side put on airs. *** Late at night, after the fort's main gates were locked, Li Banfeng asked Wu Yongchao, "Do you know who Zhao Xiaowan is?" "Of course! The Flying General Zhao Xiaowan, whose single spear settled the realm!" Speaking of Zhao Xiaowan, Wu Yongchao grew immensely excited. "What era did she live in?" "Ancient times. If you ask which dynasty, there are no records left to verify it." "How did you come to know of this general? Wasn't it from history books?" "Well, this..." It was hard to explain. Wu Yongchao had attended school, but the school he attended did not teach history. Nowhere in all of Puluo Province offered any systematic study of history. Most historical texts were hoarded by prominent, aristocratic families. The occasional copy that surfaced on the market was not only exceedingly rare, but also nearly impossible to authenticate. How did Wu Yongchao know about Zhao Xiaowan? The origin was even more complicated. According to legend, Zhao Xiaowan was a renowned general from a certain dynasty in Puluo Province. Leading an army of tens of thousands, she had defeated the Motu people who invaded Puluo Province. Many tales about her had been handed down. Storytellers spun yarns about Zhao Xiaowan, and theatrical troupes large and small staged plays about her. From celebrated numbers performed by dance hall divas to the bawdy tunes of pleasure-house girls, from serialized classics in newspapers to popular novellas sold at street stalls—wherever stories were told, Zhao Xiaowan was there. "Zhao Xiaowan's martial skills were supreme, and her beauty was peerless. Whenever she appeared before the battle lines, the war was won without even fighting." Li Banfeng was startled. "Won without fighting? How?" Wu Yongchao slapped the table, just like a storyteller striking his gavel, and declared with dead seriousness, "Half were charmed to death by Lady Zhao, and the other half were scared to death by General Zhao!" Li Banfeng was at a loss for words. Seeing that Li Banfeng didn't believe him, Wu Yongchao grew disgruntled. To Wu Yongchao, Zhao Xiaowan was an entity beyond desecration. "Fort Lord, I didn't make this up out of thin air. I have evidence right here." Li Banfeng's eyes lit up. "What kind of evidence?" "Wait right here." Wu Yongchao retreated to his room. Before long, he ran back carrying a wicker trunk. "Fort Lord, take a look." He carefully opened the trunk. Inside, neatly categorized, were sixteen novels and more than fifty portraits. Li Banfeng unrolled a portrait and asked, "This is Zhao Xiaowan?" Wu Yongchao nodded with solemn reverence. Li Banfeng flipped through the more than fifty portraits one by one. Fifty-some "Zhao Xiaowans," each with different facial features, different makeup, different garments, and different postures. "Is this the same person?" Wu Yongchao said nothing, his expression turning uneasy. Li Banfeng didn't press further, realizing he had misspoken. To a Dwelling Cultivator like Wu Yongchao, certain things were sacrosanct and not to be questioned. Li Banfeng examined them closely for a long while and finally found a single commonality among the portraits. Whether set in a lady's chamber or on a battlefield, whether in armor or in gorgeous robes, every "Zhao Xiaowan" had a red-tasseled spear at her side. "That is Xiaowan's weapon," Wu Yongchao explained in meticulous detail. "Twelve feet the spear stretches, seven inches seven the blade gleams; the red tassel rides the wind—who could rival the Flying General? Where the Flying General stands, the red tassel remains; where the red tassel remains, the bandits tremble in dread! Zhao Xiaowan and her red-tasseled spear never part by an inch." "What a fine patter!" Li Banfeng praised. It was rare to see Wu Yongchao display such eloquence. Zhao Xiaowan and her red-tasseled spear never parted by an inch. Was that why she had transformed into a red-tasseled spear after her death? Truth be told, out of the fifty-plus scrolls, only that spear was drawn virtually the same across them all. The portraits' usefulness ended there; trying to determine Zhao Xiaowan's actual appearance from them was simply an impossible task. Li Banfeng looked at the sixteen novels. "Could you lend me these books to read for a couple of days?" Wu Yongchao looked conflicted. "If the Fort Lord wishes to borrow them, by rights I shouldn't hesitate, but I'm just afraid you might not treasure them..." "Don't worry. If even a corner is folded or a page torn, I'll compensate you with a brand new copy." Wu Yongchao hung his head. "These books aren't easy to buy. The Fort Lord had better be careful with them." The books stayed; Wu Yongchao left. Li Banfeng opened the volumes and skimmed through them one by one. Admittedly, these writers had quite decent prose; he sat in his room reading for hours without growing bored. Yet none of the books mentioned the key information he was searching for. Li Banfeng couldn't determine which dynasty Zhao Xiaowan had lived in, only that she fought for Puluo Province. In those days, Puluo Province still had an emperor, but in the novels, this was merely glossed over. The enemies she faced were called the Motu people, which was what Li Banfeng cared about most. If Zhao Xiaowan had been the wife's mortal enemy in life, then the wife might very well be one of the Motu people. Yet reading the novels' description of the Motu people, Li Banfeng found it very difficult to associate the wife with them. "Ten feet in height, ten girths around the waist, with dense beard and hair, indistinguishable between male and female..." Could it be that... Li Banfeng chased the disturbing image from his mind and continued searching the books for Zhao Xiaowan's ending. Among the sixteen novels, Zhao Xiaowan met three different ends. The most common ending: after repelling the Motu people, Zhao Xiaowan was adopted by the emperor as his daughter, became an imperial princess, married an imperial son-in-law, and lived happily ever after. Nine of the novels shared this conclusion, more than half of them. The second ending: the Motu people temporarily retreated, and Zhao Xiaowan remained stationed on the border, waging war against the Motu people for the rest of her life. A total of six books used this ending. By Li Banfeng's deduction, this was Wu Yongchao's favorite, evidenced by how dog-eared and tattered the pages of these six books were. The likely reason Wu Yongchao loved it so much was that no imperial son-in-law appeared in it. The third ending was utterly tragic. The pages bore many watermarks, which were probably stains from Wu Yongchao's tears. Only a single book used this ending. It told of how Zhao Xiaowan, having repelled the Motu people, aroused the court's suspicion because her military achievements overshadowed the sovereign. Fabricated charges were concocted against her, casting her into prison, where she suffered humiliating torture. Later, when the Motu people invaded once more, the shameless emperor called upon Zhao Xiaowan to march out again. Placing the nation above herself, Zhao Xiaowan went to war once more, ultimately falling on the battlefield. This ending could hardly be called peaceful, but Li Banfeng suspected it might be closest to Zhao Xiaowan's actual fate. Putting the novels away, Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode. When all was said and done, the one who best understood Zhao Xiaowan's identity was the wife. There were things she was reluctant to talk about, but one matter had to be verified with her. Li Banfeng entered the Portable Abode, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Dear wife, have you ever heard the name Zhao Xiaowan?" *Chiss, chiss...* The gramophone was silent for a moment before asking, "Dearest husband, why do you suddenly ask about that person?" Li Banfeng spoke the truth. "I suspect the fierce dwelling spirit in the side building is Zhao Xiaowan." *Da-da-da, tai—* Tapping out a slow tempo on her clappers, the wife sang slowly, "Oh, my dearest husband, what do you intend to do with that dwelling spirit?" Li Banfeng said, "I want to subdue her and take her in." "Subdue her? How do you intend to do that, husband?" "I want to call out her name to her face," Li Banfeng revealed his plan. "I'm a Dwelling Cultivator. If I speak her name directly before her, as long as she doesn't resist, it will be equivalent to forming a covenant with me. And so long as the dwelling doesn't object, she'll become my dwelling spirit." *Chiss, chiss...* The wife chuckled. "Could it be that you have grown tired of me, husband, and want to claim her as your dwelling spirit instead?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'll claim her as a dwelling spirit only to bring her back into our home. With husband and wife working together, we'll definitely be able to kill her." "Why does my husband want to kill her?" Li Banfeng replied, "Because she is your enemy. This vengeance must be settled. While I'm still in Tiemenbao, let me fulfill this wish for you." *Chiss, chiss...* Flames blazed and steam coiled as the gramophone swung its horn around to gaze at Li Banfeng. She was observing whether Li Banfeng was telling the truth. Li Banfeng truly meant what he said. He wanted to take in Zhao Xiaowan for two reasons: on one hand, he didn't want the dwelling spirit to bring disaster upon the fort; on the other, he genuinely wanted to avenge his wife. No matter how calm and relieved she appeared on the surface, the blood debt of her death had to be repaid. The wife fell silent for a long time, her large horn swaying gently side to side. The stylus dropped onto the record, and the tender strains of "Dearest Treasure" softly began to play. Singing while speaking—she had two turntables: "My precious husband, to hear such sentiments from you fills this humble servant with boundless gratitude. I have entrusted my very life to you, willing to serve you all my days. "Yet as for revenge, now is truly not the time. That dwelling spirit is both blind and deaf; even if you speak her name, how could she hear it? "Moreover, for a dwelling spirit to accept a master requires mutual consent. That spirit harbors immense rancor; one careless step that angers her, and you would find it difficult to escape unscathed." Li Banfeng said, "Her master just died, so while she's feeling empty and lost, wouldn't taking her in now be the perfect opportunity?" *Chiss, chiss...* The gramophone chuckled. "When my husband speaks like that, it makes this humble servant jealous. Even if that wench were willing to agree, you haven't yet formed an affinity with that side building, so you might not be able to bring her out anyway. "Husband, you are my heart and soul. If any harm should befall you, this servant would not wish to go on living alone in this world. Let us put this matter aside for now." The wife might wish to put it aside, but would the Jiangxiang Gang let it drop? Li Banfeng sighed and stepped out of the Portable Abode. "Hahahahaha!" A crisp, hearty burst of laughter suddenly rang out from the sixth room. "Bitch, what are you laughing at?" the gramophone spat venomously. The Red Lotus shook all over with laughter, trembling until it was covered in dew. *** The Jiangxiang Gang might not let it drop, but Luo Zhengnan was ready to. He wasn't as obstinate as Xiao Zhenggong. His view was simple: if this fort lord was willing to sell Zhao Xiaowan, he would pay the silver and take her; if the fort lord was unwilling, he would drop the matter right then and there, writing the trip off as a wasted effort. He was an easygoing man—do your best, but never risk your neck. Yet He Jiaqing was not so broad-minded. The fortune teller had sent him word that Luo Zhengnan had already slipped into Tiemenbao. "Not good. Luo Zhengnan actually gets things done!" He Jiaqing instantly grew anxious. "We can't wait any longer. Old Wan, go to Donggang Stronghold and find a man named Han Juncheng. "He's a tier-six Dwelling Cultivator. Find a way to bring him into Tiemenbao and have him take Zhao Xiaowan out." The fortune teller was somewhat concerned. "Zhao Xiaowan is no ordinary figure. Relying on a single tier-six Dwelling Cultivator might not be safe enough." He Jiaqing said, "I know it isn't safe, which is why I held him back all this time. But the situation is urgent now; we can't afford to be so cautious. "Han Juncheng is aloof and arrogant, foul-mouthed, and lacks practical experience. Humoring him a bit will be necessary. "He is a hidden pawn I've kept concealed for many years, meant for far greater uses in the future. Don't sweat the small stuff with him, but watch over him in important matters. Once the deed is done, take the goods and leave Puluo Province immediately. He will remain behind in Tiemenbao."