336 First Meeting in Former Times
Mandate of Heaven Shop.
Jiu Jiudao's body lay there quietly, covered by a white cloth.
Sitting to one side was a despondent Dugu Gudu, as well as Hu Dan and Wu Daidai with tear-stained faces. The four of them were born in poverty and grew up together on the streets of Heavenly Revelations City. When they were young, Jiu Jiudao listened to lots of stories and got the rest of them together, calling themselves the Four Youths of Heavenly Revelations or whatever. At the time, because of this nickname, they were often ridiculed or got into fisticuffs. But, the four of them survived it all, becoming the true "Four Youths of Heavenly Revelations".
Among the four of them, Dugu Gudu was the most staid and was responsible for making important decisions. Hu Dan was the least courageous, but he was meticulous and the only one among the four who was born from a noble family so he was responsible for accounting. Wu Daidai had a pretty face, but she was the youngest so she was placed in charge of the Canvass Moon Restaurant. Actually, this restaurant was one of the most famous black markets in Heavenly Revelations, and there were countless under-the-table transactions going on inside. As for Jiu Jiudao, he was always friendly and had a knack for making deals with people, so he was also the most popular amongst them. The other three, the oldest brother was wooden, Hu Dan was timid, and Wu Daidai faced a lot of obstacles as a woman, so most of the time, they relied on Jiu Jiudao to do the legwork outside.
But now, this person was lying inside.
Xiao Se and Lei Wujie arrived at this moment.
"Your Highness." Dugu Gudu stood up and greeted.
Xiao Se walked up to Jiu Jiudao’s body and lifted the white cloth.
"Killed instantly by one sabre move, pierced right through the heart," Dugu Gudu said.
Xiao Se frowned. "I've seen Jiu-ye's skill. If he fought one-on-one, he’s really not that strong but it’s not difficult for him to escape alive."
"I've looked. Xiao-Jiu already released his flying blades and he had also dispersed the poison powder. I also checked the corpse. His final move was the “Swallow Take Flight” movement skill. He was about to escape. But his opponent was faster than him and they used only one sabre move. Swift and ruthless," Dugu Gudu explained calmly.
"Can I take a look?" Lei Wujie walked over and Xiao Se stepped aside. Lei Wujie leaned over and observed the wound carefully as a frown furrowed between his brows. "I've seen this sabre move before. But… that’s impossible."
Hu Dan said anxiously, "Young Master Lei, where have you seen the sabre move that killed Jiu-ge? If you can tell me who it is, I’ll definitely cut him into pieces!"
Lei Wujie examined the wound again carefully, and looked up at Xiao Se. "No mistake. It’s definitely him, but he’s dead. You killed him."
Xiao Se had a brief thought. "Xie Qidao."
"Yes, this is his sabre move. I’m certain of it." Lei Wujie covered Jiu Jiudao’s body with the white cloth again.
"But since this Xie Qidao person is dead, how can he still appear in Heavenly Revelations?" Wu Daidai asked.
Xiao Se looked at Dugu Gudu. "Where was Jiu-ye's body found?"
"This morning, a horse carriage was parked right in front of the Mandate of Heaven Shop, but nobody alighted from it. Some disciples got curious and went ahead to check. That’s when they discovered Xiao-Jiu’s body lying inside the carriage," Dugu Gudu said.
"Where did Jiu-ye go the day before?" Xiao Se followed with another question.
"Xiao-Jiu said he was going around to ask about the monk," Dugu Gudu replied.
Xiao Se froze for a moment, and sighed softly. "Dugu-xiong, I’ll trouble you to prepare a list for me. List all the places that Jiu-ye may have visited that day. We will definitely make sure there’s justice for Jiu-ye."
"The list is already prepared. We were about to go investigate." Dugu Gudu took out a list from his shirt. "According to Xiao-Jiu's habits, he will personally ask around at these places."
"All of you must not go." Xiao Se accepted the list and handed it to Lei Wujie. "The one who killed Jiu-ye is Hidden River."
"Hidden River?" Dugu Gudu started. Why would the number one assassin organisation under Heaven suddenly want to kill Jiu Jiudao?
"Furthermore, this sabre technique must have been imparted by the Hidden River former Head of Xie House, Xie Qidao, and this man was no less skilled. Such a killer would be a difficult opponent to deal with, even for a martial expert in the Unfettered Heavenly Realm. You must be careful over the next few days," Xiao Se warned in a low voice.
Dugu Gudu hesitated for a moment, then he nodded. "I’ll remember."
Xiao Se immediately led Lei Wujie out, and after walking out of the front door of the Mandate of Heaven Shop, Xiao Se whispered to Lei Wujie, "You stay here and watch them for the next few days."
"Why are we watching them? It couldn't be that they killed Jiu-ye?" Lei Wujie was confused.
"Idiot. Considering their friendship with Jiu-ye, do you think they would really let this matter go and leave us to handle it?" Xiao Se said wryly. "Although Dugu Gudu gave me his word, he will definitely investigate this matter personally. When the time comes, with their level of martial arts, they will be no match for the top killers of the Hidden River. Lei Wujie, you have to remember this. Since the Hidden River has entered Heavenly Revelations, then everything will have changed."
Lei Wujie nodded. "No matter how naive I am, I understand this principle."
"They are assassins of the darkest night. Once they’ve stepped into this Heavenly Revelations, everything will become chaotic. As long as they’re willing, they can turn Heavenly Revelations City into hell on earth," Xiao Se said seriously.
"The Hidden River… Are they really so scary?" Lei Wujie inhaled a cold breath.
"In this world, we have laws. But, the Hidden River only follows their own laws," Xiao Se said evenly.
Inside the Mandate of Heaven Shop, Hu Dan said anxiously, "Da-ge, are we really staying out of this investigation?"
Dugu Gudu sighed softly. "Staying out?"
When Dugu Gudu first met Jiu Jiudao, he was an eleven-year-old boy. The then nine-year-old Jiu Jiudao asked Dugu Gudu, "What’s your name?"
Dugu Gudu shook his head. "I don't have a name."
"Then I will pick one for you." Jiu Jiudao grinned. "I see you sitting there all by yourself every day, looking very lonely. How about I just call you Dugu Gudu? You could put such a name in any story and he’d be an awe-inspiring hero."
"Then what's your name?" Dugu Gudu glanced at him indifferently.
"My name is Jiu Jiudao, because one day, these nine-by-nine of eighty-one streets of Heavenly Revelations City will all know my name." Jiu Jiudao grinned widely and added, "I don't want to be a hero. I just want to be an ordinary famous person."
The first time Hu Dan met Jiu Jiudao, it was the day his father died of illness. His mother was a concubine so he was kicked out of the house by the Residence’s eldest son. That year, he was twelve years old, and he walked along the streets in the wind, hungry and cold, until he finally fainted. Jiu Jiudao and Dugu Gudu picked him up from the side of the street. When he woke up, he found himself in a dilapidated but warm hut, while Jiu Jiudao eyed him wickedly. "He’s so good-looking. I wonder how much we can sell him for, if we sell him to those officials in the brothels."
Hu Dan was so scared that he cried.
Jiu Jiudao sighed and laughed as he scolded, "You’re as cowardly as an egg. What’s your surname?"
"My surname is Hu."
"From now on, your name is Hu Dan." Jiu Jiudao grinned.
"My name is not Hu Dan, it’s Hu Hanlin," Hu Dan said as he wiped away his tears.
Jiu Jiudao walked over and trampled him onto the floor. "Hu Dan!"
The day Wu Daidai became Wu Daidai, she was indeed in a daze. But, she looked really beautiful when she was in a daze, so much so that Jiu Jiudao watched her for an entire afternoon without blinking. Afterwards, Wu Daidai asked him helplessly, "What are you staring at?"
Jiu Jiudao smiled and said, "I'm staring at you sitting there in a daze. How about I change your name?"
Wu Daidai was already acquainted with Jiu Jiudao for many years, and she said wryly, "Why are you so keen on giving names to people? You’ve been listening to too many stories, right."
"You look so beautiful when you’re in a daze, so I'll call you Wu Daidai from now on. Matches Jiu Jiudao really well."
"Why is it five?"
"Because all the books say, nine and five reign supreme. In the stories they tell, nine in the fifth position, the flying dragon soars, an audience with the sovereign. We match really well." Jiu Jiudao looked intoxicated. "Wu Daidai, when you grow up, can I marry you?"
If not for Jiu Jiudao, they would not be the persons they were today.
Dugu Gudu said in a solemn voice, "This vengeance is ours. Naturally, we will take our revenge ourselves!"
*
Non-poetry note:
Refer to notes in Ch 313 regarding the four names. As for the references to nine and five, Wu means five, and Jiu means nine.
九五，飞龙在天，利见大人
nine in the fifth position, the flying dragon soars, an audience with the sovereign
This line is from 《易经·乾卦》 (Yi Jing·Qian Hexagram, or Book of Change). The qian hexagram (䷀) is the first chapter of the book, and an unbroken line is called ‘nine’ (九). Therefore, the six unbroken lines are named from the bottom as, nine in the beginning (初九), nine in the second position (九二), nine in the third position (九三), nine in the fourth position (九四), nine in the fifth position (九五), and nine at the top (上九). Nine in the fifth position represents the zenith of the dragon’s constellation in the sky, representing the most auspicious and peak of power for the emperor.
References: I Ching (Wikipedia), I Ching (Wilhelm Translation), Baidu