An action-packed chapter as the trap is sprung…
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Ch. 9.2
Xu Jianzhang could not stand it any longer and questioned, ‘Why won’t you tell me clearly why he was willing to save me?’
Jingwan stared hard at him. After a prolonged pause, she smiled sweetly and then observed, ‘That’s right, why was he willing to save you? Since you already have your suspicions, why not just air them?’
Xu Jianzhang was full of regret, but he had seen for himself the extreme deference the warden had paid to Hé(/həʳ/) Xu’an when he had come to the prison to release him and it was clear that Hé(/həʳ/) Xu’an was a very important person. Yet this man was also unusually respectful towards Jingwan. For a mere woman to command this degree of deference from such a highly placed figure in the Cheng army naturally left one astonished. Besides that, their exchanges kept mentioning Murong Feng which showed just how unusual a relationship she had with him. The suspicions plaguing Jianzhang grew ever deeper, roiling his mind, and he felt as if he were on the brink of exploding. He was terribly upset but Jingwan did not appear particularly concerned about him and instead repeated to Hé(/həʳ/) Xu’an, ‘I want to see Sixth Marshal.’
Hé(/həʳ/) Xu’an said doubtfully, ‘Miss Yin, it’s not permissible.’
Jingwan was already at a loss and did not even know how to start sorting out the multitude of thoughts running through her mind. The one thought which kept recurring was that ever since becoming his sworn sister, he had always treated her with respect and that he had planned and prepared so meticulously for her even when the situation had become perilous for him. Now that he was in danger himself, she certainly could not walk away¹ just like that. Resolved in that instant, she told Hé(/həʳ/) Xu’an, ‘Since matters have come to such a pass, my mind is made up and I hope you’ll help me.’
¹ 一走了之 yīzǒuliǎozhī. If you’re not reading this chapter at hiding in plain sight, it has been stolen and reproduced by novelscraping sites.
Hé(/həʳ/) Xu’an had always thought of her as delicate and timid but having heard her words, he approved of her inwardly and felt that she valued friendship highly enough to have no regard for life and death. He said, ‘Sixth Marshal gave me orders which I cannot disobey. But of course, I cannot force you to go to the train station if you’re unwilling.’
Jingwan smiled faintly and told Xu Jianzhang, ‘Wait here for me a while. I’ll be back soon.’
Xu Jianzhang said, ‘I’ll come with you.’
Jingwan knew that the situation was unclear and the future unpredictable; a glance at the clock showed that it was already twenty past twelve but Third Mistress still had not sent someone to invite her to take her seat at the banquet, which could only mean that Murong Feng still had not returned. There was no way to explain everything to Xu Jianzhang nor was she willing to delay any longer so she merely stated, ‘You can’t go. I’ll be back shortly.’
Xu Jianzhang was about to argue but she was already saying to Hé(/həʳ/) Xu’an, ‘Mr Hé(/həʳ/), kindly stay here with him.’
Hé(/həʳ/) Xu’an replied affirmatively.
Incensed, Xu Jianzhang grasped her arm and questioned, ‘Jingwan, why?’
She asserted, ‘I haven’t let you down. If you trust me, you’ll know I won’t let you down.’ Her eyes were impassioned as they gazed into his.
‘Jianzhang, I definitely won’t let you down.’
Seeing the martial light of fierce resolution in her eyes, Xu Jianzhang realised that she would definitely not change her mind in her current mood. Deep down, he also could not bear to entertain such unpalatable thoughts and so he persuaded himself that she must have her reasons for acting like this. He slowly relaxed his grip on her and conceded, ‘All right, I’ll wait here for you.’
Jingwan walked outside. Third Mistress was currently fretting and asked her quietly, ‘Sixth Marshal said that he would definitely come, so why isn’t he here yet?’
The former replied, ‘I’m thinking of going to the commander-in-chief’s residence to personally invite Sixth Marshal over.’
Third Mistress smiled and said, ‘Good idea,’ then ordered for a car to send her there.
Jingwan’s heart had already begun hammering wildly like a drum as she sat in the car. It took only a few minutes to reach the commander-in-chief’s residence. From a distance, she could see that the security arrangements outside the residence looked the same as always and, although still uneasy, she forced herself to remain calm.
She got down outside the front door. The servant recognised her and said smilingly, ‘You’re here, Miss Yin. Sixth Marshal is still in a meeting at the back.’ Not knowing what the situation was like, Jingwan merely made a sound of acknowledgment before walking along the corridor to that black-bricked building. Shen Jiaping happened to be coming out of the building and could not help smiling when he caught sight of her although he greeted her composedly, ‘Hello, Miss Yin.’
Jingwan responded in kind before asking, ‘Where’s Sixth Marshal?’
Shen Jiaping replied, ‘Just finished his meeting. Division commander Chang is complaining to Sixth Marshal. Division commander Xu is also here and all three of them are still talking.’ While answering, he cast her a significant look.
Jingwan’s heart was thumping madly as she passed through the big hall and beyond to the back where the small reception room was. An attendant pushed open the door for her and she complained coquettishly as she walked in, ‘Sixth Marshal, how can you possibly be so forgetful about the promises you’ve made?’
Murong Feng was being detained by Chang Degui. He was afraid that if he tried to make his excuses and leave, it would arouse the suspicions of the shrewd Xu Zhiping. When he heard Jingwan’s voice, whom he had not been expecting, he did not know whether he felt astonishment or happiness more, but he was certainly deeply worried². Upon seeing her enter, he lost his smile and demanded, ‘Why are you here? I’m in the middle of something important.’
² 憂心如焚 yōuxīn-rúfén. Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.
Jingwan replied with a laugh, ‘The dishes are being served as we speak, the opera is at its most entertaining, all the guests have already arrived, and yet you’re still sitting here despite promising to throw a birthday feast for me.’
She then said smilingly to Chang Degui, ‘Division commander Chang, be sure to drink a lot on my behalf with Sixth Marshal today. He’s always praising your ability to hold your drink.’ Pouting slightly, she cast Murong Feng a sideways glance out of limpid eyes and insisted, ‘Come along, otherwise I’m really going to be cross.’
Without allowing for further explanation, she pulled him along by the arm and began walking out. She turned her head round to smile charmingly at Xu Zhiping and urged, ‘Commander Xu, do come along as well. Everyone’s waiting for the banquet to start.’
Seeing Murong Feng’s resigned expression as he was being led towards the door, Xu Zhiping had a sudden thought and called out, ‘Sixth Marshal, I have something else to tell you!’
Jingwan, secretly anxious, hurriedly interposed, ‘You can talk all you want at the banquet. Let’s hurry up and take our seats.’
Xu Zhiping was not quite convinced but given her delicate appearance, he felt that even if there was some trap in all this, it would not be sprung by such a dainty woman. Even as he was thinking this, he saw Chang Degui striding out of the room. Xu Zhiping hesitated fractionally before following them out.
As soon as Murong Feng walked out of the parlour, he took out a cigarette case, flipped it open and said, ‘Someone, give me a light.’
The men lying in wait along both sides of the corridor came swarming out the moment they heard this signal and threw themselves on Xu and Chang. Before Chang Degui could recover from his shock, they already had him pinned to the ground. Seeing that things were going wrong, Xu Zhiping gave a shout, pulled out a pistol from the back of his waist and rushed towards Murong Feng. Shen Jiaping leapt up and grabbed hold of him tightly, then they both went rolling on the floor as numerous other guards rushed over.
As generals of the Cheng Army were prohibited from carrying their guns with them when entering the commander-in-chief’s residence, Xu and Chang had surrendered their holstered guns earlier before entering. However, Xu Zhiping had actually hidden another pistol on himself. Murong Feng was still very calm despite the chaos as he kept Jingwan behind him while they retreated quickly. The sight of Xu Zhiping’s having been subdued by three to four soldiers and relieved of his pistol caused Murong Feng’s tension to ease slightly when they heard a sudden enraged roar from Chang Degui before he flung all the guards off him. He was a noted general in the Cheng Army and with this leap, the soldiers were unable to keep him pinned down. His arm flew up the next moment: he had actually been hiding a pistol as well! Three shots rang out like sudden claps of thunder even as an aide sprang to shield Murong Feng who only felt something impact him violently. Jingwan screamed involuntarily as warm blood ran down his hands. The guards had already pinned Chang Degui down a second time and were tying his hands and ankles up.
Chang Degui continued to rage while lying on the ground, ‘Murong Feng, you b—–d! I worked like a dog to help your old man amass half of the country³ yet you dare do this to me! Take me on one-to-one if you have the guts! I won’t die satisfied until I kill you today…’ He was then effectively silenced when two unshelled walnuts were stuffed in his mouth.
³ 半壁江山 bànbì-jiāngshān. Please consider reading from hiding in plain sight rather than from novelscraping sites.
Both of them were already trussed up like dumplings as a panic-stricken Shen Jiaping rushed over to see the blood on Murong Feng’s hands, demanding, ‘Sixth Marshal, where are you hurt?’
Murong Feng, however, grabbed the front of Shen’s jacket and roared, ‘Get a doctor, get a doctor now!’
Only then did Shen Jiaping see Jingwan lying in his arms, deathly pale, blood soaking the front of her dress — she had actually been seriously wounded. An aide was already rushing off to make the telephone call. Murong Feng clutched Jingwan desperately. He resembled a beast that had fallen into a trap and seemed to have lost his mind. A terrifying gleam flashed in his eyes and with one move, he snatched Shen Jiaping’s pistol who was only in time to cry out, ‘Sixth Marshal!’
Murong Feng was already taking aim at Chang Degui’s head to Shen Jiaping’s great shock and two loud bangs later, Chang Degui’s head was a pulverised mess. Murong Feng then swung the gun at another target: Xu Zhiping’s body convulsed but he couldn’t move an inch. Murong Feng fired one shot after another until all the bullets were used up before flinging the pistol down on the ground. Then, as if abruptly recalled to his senses, he lifted Jingwan into his arms. She was on the verge of death, her breathing so feeble it was inaudible. He staggered once, then ran unsteadily like a madman to the back of the house while carrying her.
(Approx. 1885 words)
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Translated and edited by 12
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