Cheng Mo’s expression changed and he blurted out: “Then listen to me, no one should go!”
Zi Xiao did not pay attention to him and he said: “I’ll be fine, the Yun family’s traps can’t stop me.”
Cheng Mo pleaded: “No, don’t go. The Lustful Heart Gu still needs to be fed tonight and tomorrow morning, you-”
“It is enough if we leave one person behind to feed the Gu,” Shu Changhua interrupted, “Or is one person not enough for Leader Cheng and you need two people to be satisfied?”
Cheng Mo’s face turned red and he exclaimed: “Nonsense!”
Shu Changhua chuckled: “Don’t be anxious. I won’t go if you say not to go. I’m just joking with you.”
Cheng Mo turned to look at Zi Xiao: “Zi Xiao?”
Zi Xiao said: “If you aren’t at ease, then I won’t go.”
Even though both of them had promised not to go, Cheng Mo still felt uneasy. The table had been cleared of their dishes and a pot of tea was served. Cheng Mo served tea for everyone and placed the cups in front of them. Counting the hours, it was almost time. According to the schedule the three of them had been following, it was Shu Changhua’s turn to nourish the Gu. However, Cheng Mo was worried that Zi Xiao would sneak out behind his back to visit the Yun family and Shu Changhua did not mention that they should feed the Gu so Cheng Mo did not know what to say. Suddenly, there was a soft sound in the air and Zi Xiao immediately moved to draw his sword. When his sword was unsheathed, something appeared on the stone table. It was a palm sized brocade box, placed squarely in the middle of the table. Cheng Mo was stunned and he moved to open the box, but Zi Xiao blocked Cheng Mo’s hand with the hilt of his sword. At the same time, he heard someone say from outside: “Don’t worry, you can open it and take a look.”
Cheng Mo stood up immediately and called out: “Hui Ji Gege.”
Hui Ji strolled into the room. Cheng Mo looked at the box and asked in surprise: “Is this the white jade glazed bead?”
Hui Ji walked up to Cheng Mo and wrapped an arm around his waist. With his other hand, he opened the box. The inside of the box was covered with a deep red satin and there was a snow-white round bead resting on the satin. The bead was not translucent, it was pure white. Shu Changhua couldn’t help but look at it intently: “Is this the white jade glazed bead?”
Hui Ji nodded: “This is one of the white jade glazed beads.”
Cheng Mo stretched out his hand and carefully picked it up with his fingers. He looked at it intently and said: “It doesn’t seem to be special. Hui Ji Gege, are you certain that this is the white jade glazed bead?”
Hui Ji sneered: “The four major families stole them from my parents that year. How could I not know?”
This was the first time Cheng Mo heard Hui Ji mention that past incident and he was surprised. He wanted to ask further about it, but he realised that there was something else hidden amongst the satin. He reached out to uncover the object and his ears turned red. It was a pair of pearl earrings. Cheng Mo recalled the pair of pearl earrings that Hui Ji put on him by the lake outside the cave at the Shaolin Temple and his earlobes seemed to throb in pain. Hui Ji did not say anything. He picked up the pair of pearl earrings and kept it in his pocket. Cheng Mo placed the white jade glazed bead back into the brocade box and said: “It’s a pity that Mr Qin is not here. He would be the happiest one.”
Hui Ji said: “I know. You don’t have to hesitate about this. We have to take a look at the Yun family estate tonight.”
Zi Xiao and Shu Changhua looked at him at the same time. Hui Ji took out a parchment roll and threw it onto the table, stating: “It’s because the second white jade glazed bead is with the Yun family.”
Cheng Mo was shocked and he quickly picked up the parchment on the table and unrolled it. He found that the sheepskin was densely covered with writing and it was signed Jiang Fang. Jiang Fang was Jiang Wanrou’s father and he was one of the heads of the four major families in the south of the Yangtze river that year. Cheng Mo asked in surprise: “Where did you get this from?”
Hui Ji replied casually: “It was together with the white jade glazed bead. I dug it out from the thief’s grave. It is written clearly here. That year, one of the white jade glazed beads was given to the Luoyang Yun family by the Lu family.”
Cheng Mo looked at the tiny writing on the parchment, but there were too many records written down and he was unable to figure it out for a while. At this time, Hui Ji said: “So we have to search the Yun family’s estate. And we need to search it without anyone finding out. I wonder what Taoist Zi Xiao and Sect Leader Shu think about this?”
Shu Changhua tapped his fingers on the table and replied: “To me, it is better for us to separate into two groups. It is best for Master Hui Ji and I to have a look tonight. Tomorrow, Taoist Zi Xiao will accompany Cheng Mo to visit the Yun family in an upright manner.”
Hui Ji nodded and looked at Zi Xiao, asking: “What about you?”
Zi Xiao replied slowly: “If we were to divide into two groups, this arrangement is indeed more suitable.”
Hui Ji said: “That’s settled then. We shall head off at midnight.”
Shu Changhua responded: “Good.”
Cheng Mo was still staring at the parchment. The grievances between Hui Ji and the four major families that he had pestered Hui Ji about many times previously were all recorded in detail on the parchment. According to Jiang Fang, everything started because the Xu family obtained the four white jade glazed beads from an unknown source.
Cheng Mo’s expression changed and he blurted out: “Then listen to me, no one should go!”
Zi Xiao did not pay attention to him and he said: “I’ll be fine, the Yun family’s traps can’t stop me.”
Cheng Mo pleaded: “No, don’t go. The Lustful Heart Gu still needs to be fed tonight and tomorrow morning, you-”
“It is enough if we leave one person behind to feed the Gu,” Shu Changhua interrupted, “Or is one person not enough for Leader Cheng and you need two people to be satisfied?”
Cheng Mo’s face turned red and he exclaimed: “Nonsense!”
Shu Changhua chuckled: “Don’t be anxious. I won’t go if you say not to go. I’m just joking with you.”
Cheng Mo turned to look at Zi Xiao: “Zi Xiao?”
Zi Xiao said: “If you aren’t at ease, then I won’t go.”
Even though both of them had promised not to go, Cheng Mo still felt uneasy. The table had been cleared of their dishes and a pot of tea was served. Cheng Mo served tea for everyone and placed the cups in front of them. Counting the hours, it was almost time. According to the schedule the three of them had been following, it was Shu Changhua’s turn to nourish the Gu. However, Cheng Mo was worried that Zi Xiao would sneak out behind his back to visit the Yun family and Shu Changhua did not mention that they should feed the Gu so Cheng Mo did not know what to say. Suddenly, there was a soft sound in the air and Zi Xiao immediately moved to draw his sword. When his sword was unsheathed, something appeared on the stone table. It was a palm sized brocade box, placed squarely in the middle of the table. Cheng Mo was stunned and he moved to open the box, but Zi Xiao blocked Cheng Mo’s hand with the hilt of his sword. At the same time, he heard someone say from outside: “Don’t worry, you can open it and take a look.”
Cheng Mo stood up immediately and called out: “Hui Ji Gege.”
Hui Ji strolled into the room. Cheng Mo looked at the box and asked in surprise: “Is this the white jade glazed bead?”
Hui Ji walked up to Cheng Mo and wrapped an arm around his waist. With his other hand, he opened the box. The inside of the box was covered with a deep red satin and there was a snow-white round bead resting on the satin. The bead was not translucent, it was pure white. Shu Changhua couldn’t help but look at it intently: “Is this the white jade glazed bead?”
Hui Ji nodded: “This is one of the white jade glazed beads.”
Cheng Mo stretched out his hand and carefully picked it up with his fingers. He looked at it intently and said: “It doesn’t seem to be special. Hui Ji Gege, are you certain that this is the white jade glazed bead?”
Hui Ji sneered: “The four major families stole them from my parents that year. How could I not know?”
This was the first time Cheng Mo heard Hui Ji mention that past incident and he was surprised. He wanted to ask further about it, but he realised that there was something else hidden amongst the satin. He reached out to uncover the object and his ears turned red. It was a pair of pearl earrings. Cheng Mo recalled the pair of pearl earrings that Hui Ji put on him by the lake outside the cave at the Shaolin Temple and his earlobes seemed to throb in pain. Hui Ji did not say anything. He picked up the pair of pearl earrings and kept it in his pocket. Cheng Mo placed the white jade glazed bead back into the brocade box and said: “It’s a pity that Mr Qin is not here. He would be the happiest one.”
Hui Ji said: “I know. You don’t have to hesitate about this. We have to take a look at the Yun family estate tonight.”
Zi Xiao and Shu Changhua looked at him at the same time. Hui Ji took out a parchment roll and threw it onto the table, stating: “It’s because the second white jade glazed bead is with the Yun family.”
Cheng Mo was shocked and he quickly picked up the parchment on the table and unrolled it. He found that the sheepskin was densely covered with writing and it was signed Jiang Fang. Jiang Fang was Jiang Wanrou’s father and he was one of the heads of the four major families in the south of the Yangtze river that year. Cheng Mo asked in surprise: “Where did you get this from?”
Hui Ji replied casually: “It was together with the white jade glazed bead. I dug it out from the thief’s grave. It is written clearly here. That year, one of the white jade glazed beads was given to the Luoyang Yun family by the Lu family.”
Cheng Mo looked at the tiny writing on the parchment, but there were too many records written down and he was unable to figure it out for a while. At this time, Hui Ji said: “So we have to search the Yun family’s estate. And we need to search it without anyone finding out. I wonder what Taoist Zi Xiao and Sect Leader Shu think about this?”
Shu Changhua tapped his fingers on the table and replied: “To me, it is better for us to separate into two groups. It is best for Master Hui Ji and I to have a look tonight. Tomorrow, Taoist Zi Xiao will accompany Cheng Mo to visit the Yun family in an upright manner.”
Hui Ji nodded and looked at Zi Xiao, asking: “What about you?”
Zi Xiao replied slowly: “If we were to divide into two groups, this arrangement is indeed more suitable.”
Hui Ji said: “That’s settled then. We shall head off at midnight.”
Shu Changhua responded: “Good.”
Cheng Mo was still staring at the parchment. The grievances between Hui Ji and the four major families that he had pestered Hui Ji about many times previously were all recorded in detail on the parchment. According to Jiang Fang, everything started because the Xu family obtained the four white jade glazed beads from an unknown source.
