Twin Heroes

Chapter 24

Rapidly, Xiao Yu’er thoughts has turned seventeen, eighteen rounds. He was flabbergasted and doubtful, but even if he felt disbelief, the truth is right in front of his eyes.

Master Zhao poured another cup of wine and raised his cup, smiled, “My good brothers and Old Master Tie are heroes of today, Zhao Xiang Ling has neither merit nor capability, and yet the three of you does not belittle me, come… come…, let me propose another toast to the three of you.”

The two brothers immediately raised their wine cups, but Tie Wu Shuang did not even move a muscle.

The fatty seated on the left chair turned his eyeballs, and immediately said with a smile, “My brother and I are juniors in Jiang Hu, unknown minors, how would we dare to be placed together with Old Master Tie. If not for Master Zhao inviting us, my brother and I will not even be qualified to drink with Old Master Tie.”

The other person laughed, “Indeed, if the people in Jiang Hu were to hear that Luo San (Luo Three) and Luo Jiu (Luo Nine) were able to drink together with Old Master Tie, I really would not know how envious they would feel.”

Tie Wu Shuang laughed heartily and immediately raised his cup, “The two of you are too modest, an Old Man like me is not deaf, I’ve heard that the Luo Brothers in Jiang Hu are heroic and chivalrous, ha ha….. ha ha, let me offer a toast to my good brothers.”

Xiao Yu’er laughed to himself, “This is really ridiculous, irrational, Tie Wu Shaung deemed himself as a cut above the rest but could not withstand a few words of exaltation. These Luo Brothers are such adept bootlickers; they are unlikely to be someone good.”

He heard Zhao Xiang Ling laughed, “The three of you do not have to be so modest, Old Master Tie is without a doubt of noble character and standing, respected by all, but the Luo Brothers are also outstanding men of today.”

He turned towards Tie Wu Shuang and smiled, “Old Master Tie might not know, these two Luo Brothers may have appeared in Jiang Hu only in recent years, but once they striked, they heavily injured the Seven Ghosts of Lake Tai, followed by the Five Tigers of Qi Lu. On Mount Tai Xing, the two Brothers single handedly fought with the Three Sabers and the Eighteen Invaders, that was an enormously magnificent battle.”

Tie Wu Shang commented, “That’s weird, all these big events, I actually do not know.” Zhao Xiang Ling continued, “Old Master does not know, these two brothers does not want others to know, so no matter what they did, they did not wish to publicize. To have such mentality is very rare.”

Tie Wu Shuang laughed, “Good, good, this kind of friends, I must make acquaintance of, but… since the two of you are twins, why are one of you called San (Three), and the other Jiu (Nine)?”

Luo San chuckled, “Your junior were named after numbers, it has nothing to do with order of birth.”

Luo Jiu smiled, “Actually I am the elder, he is the second.”

Tie Wu Shuang clasped his hands and laughed, “This is astonishing, if others hear your names, they would never expect Luo Jiu to be the older brother, and Luo San is the younger brother.”

He continued, “The two of you are so capable, but I do not know which famous teacher taught you? And I also do not know why you debuted so late, that I only heard of your names three years ago.”

Luo Jiu smiled, “My brother and I have loved martial arts since young, so we learnt a few paltry strokes on our own at home, we don’t really have a teacher. At forty years old, our mother was still alive, so we dare not venture too far, until she passed away.”

Tie Wu Shuang replied joyfully, “Not only are the two of you heroes, but filial sons as well.”

Luo San smiled, “We wouldn’t dare.”

Tie Wu Shuang asked, “But, the Seven Ghosts, Five Tigers, Three Sabers, Eighteen Invaders, are all famous fighters in the underworld, yet the two of you could actually defeat them. I find it hard to believe that you are not taught by some famous school.”

Luo Jiu assured, “In front of Old Master, your junior would not dare to lie.”

“In that case, the two of you can be considered rare talents. The martial arts you invented can be so amazing; I wonder if you could demonstrate…”

Luo San replied, “In front of Old Master, your junior would not dare to flaunt.”

Tie Wu Shuang insisted, “You must give me some face.”

Luo San answered, “Your junior really would not dare.”

Pretending to be offended, Tie Wu Shuang said, “The two of you look down on me, that you would not even give me face?”

Zhao Xiang Ling quickly laughed, “Old Master Tie is known as ‘Values talent as much as one’s life’, and on hearing about such rare talents as the Luo Brothers, must have been moved. The two of you really should not spoil Old Master Tie’s enthusiasm.”

Luo San smiled bitterly, “Master Zhao also…”

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Continuing, Zhao Xiang Ling continued, “To tell the truth, I myself would like to see your skilful performance.”

Luo Jiu stood up and smiled, “In that case, your junior shall obey your orders, forgive us if we are not up to par.”

These two brothers may be fat, but they are very tall. The two of them pulled on their sleeves slightly, and showed off their moves in the reception hall.

At this point in time, not only was Zhao Xiang Ling and Tie Wu Shuang were concentrating on the moves, even Xiao Yu’er, who was outside the window, was staring with unblinking eyes.

Both Luo Jiu’s palms were fluttering, executing the “Double Plated Palm”, while Luo San’s punches were mighty, and displaying a set of “Da Hong Fists”.

The palms and fists of the brothers were swift and solid, and their skills full of vigor, but there were nothing spectacular to be noted about the strokes.

It is known that “Double Plated Palm” and “Da Hong Fists” were the most common skills seen in Jiang Hu, so much so that even cart drivers and sedan pullers would know a few strokes.

Tie Wu Shuang was simply stumped. He was not shocked at how proficient their martial arts are, but surprised at how appalling their skills are. To display such skills, it really is not ‘up to par’.

After executing their moves, their faces seem to have reddened, and clasping their fists, smilingly asked, “Old Master please give us your guidance.”

Tie Wu Shuang replied, “Hmm… hmm….”

Zhao Xiang Ling smiled, “The martial arts of the Luo Brothers is really unyielding. This kind of martial arts may not look polished, but is very practical… what does Old Master think?”

Tie Wu Shuang answered, “Hmm…. indeed…indeed.”

Although he was saying ‘indeed’, he could not disguise the disappointment in his voice. Facing these two men, he simply has no more interest.

But Xiao Yu’er’s became even more interested in these two men.

He was secretly alarmed, “These two brothers are so well adept at concealing their real skills that even a senior in Jiang Hu like Tie Wu Shuang had the wool pulled over his eyes and could not see that their martial arts are more than meet the eye. By doing this, they not only concealed their martial arts background, but also eliminated any misgivings others might have, so that their guard will never be up against them. They would rather be looked down upon. I must really be wary of people like this.”

Although Xiao Yu’er has deduced that these two people have some secret plot, he could not guess what it could be about; naturally he could not guess their background.

Zhao Xiang Ling raised his wine cup again, “We may not have a good night’s rest because of this baffling case, but to be able to behold the Luo Brother’s skills, and to drink the night away with Old Master Tie, it is indeed a blessing in disguise.”

Xiao Yu’er questioned himself, “Baffling case?... What baffling case?”

Just then, the sounds of a horse carriage could be heard from outside the villa.

Tie Wu Shuang pushed his cup aside, and his countenance changed, “Don’t tell me it’s here again!”

As he spoke, he fled outside. There was indeed a horse carriage approaching the villa. The main door opened and the carriage came right through, but there was no one driving the carriage.

Zhao Xiang Ling instructed his servant to remove the packages from the carriage. On opening the package, a strong herbal scent gushed towards the nose; in the package were Monkshood, cinnamon, rhinoceros horn, bear’s gall…

Xiao Yu’er secretly took a better look, and was really surprised. Under the light, he saw Zhao Xiang Ling, Tie Wu Shuang’s expression changed too.

Zhao Xiang Ling exclaimed, “What is this all about? Seven, eight times in a night, sending these herbs over for no rhyme or reason, is this someone’s idea of a joke, a prank?” Furrowing his brows, Tie Wu Shuang continued, “These herbs are rather expensive, who would use such pricey herbs as a prank?”

Zhao Xiang Ling queried, “What would Senior’s views on this be, what is this all about?”

Tie Wu Shuang sighed, “This might be an evil plot.”

Zhao Xiang Ling replied, “But these herbs are not poisoned, and some are extremely nourishing, sending these herbs over does no harm to us at all… Brother Luo, can you guess what might be the reasoning behind this?”

Luo Jiu smilingly replied, “Old Master Tie has seen many things and is knowledgeable, what he said must have a reason.”

Tie Wu Shuang heaved a sigh, “I must admit I am bewildered as well.”

He may be bewildered, but Xiao Yu’er had guessed it all.

“Well, so you guys wanted to frame him, by sending the antidote here, Hua Wu Que will think that the person who put the poison was Tie Wu Shuang. So this is a series of plotting… what a venomous plot, but what a pity, consider yourselves extremely unlucky to have met me, Jiang Xiao Yu.”

He rolled his eyes and left quietly. Taking advantage of the night, he looked for a shop selling powder and chalk (cosmetics) and jumped over the wall. When he left, his arms were filled with big and small packages.

And so, when the day breaks, he has already changed his look. With a pale, white face, eye bags, a mouth like a pig, he looked just like a pimp from a brothel. The art of disguise he learned from Du Jiao Jiao really did not go to waste.

Xiao Yu’er found a very busy teahouse, and had an enormous meal. He ate two trays of crab buns, four sets of fried dough fritters, and a large bowl of soup before stopping. He knows that he will use up a lot of energy today, and a man has to have a full stomach before he has the energy.

Outside the teahouse is a marketplace, bustling with people walking about. A tall man with a medicinal plaster stuck on his temple, holding a bird cage in one hand was walking around in the crowd, and the loose silver in other people’s pocket soon became his.

Xiao Yu’er followed him to where there were less people, and suddenly tapping his shoulder, smilingly enquired, “Friend, you have fast hands and legs.”

That green faced scoundrel turned around and angrily cried out, “Little bastard, have you eaten too much and feeling bloated?”

With a flip of his hand, his palms extended to strike Xiao Yu’er’s face. But he can forget about touching Xiao Yu’er’s face in his lifetime. Using two fingers, Xiao Yu’er lightly caught hold of his wrist, lightly twisted, and this seemingly large guy was in immediate pain.

Grinning, Xiao Yu’er asked, “Who’s the little bastard?”

The green faced rascal broke out in cold sweat from the pain, “I…. I am the little bastard, the typical little bastard, Little Grandfather, Little Ancestor, please let this little bastard go, I will give everything in my pouch to you.”

Xiao Yu’er replied, “As long as you answer my questions truthfully, not only will I not take your pouch, I might even fill it up, so what do u reckon?”

“Fine…. Fine of course…”

Still holding his wrist, Xiao Yu’er asked, “Do you know of this place ‘Heavenly Fragrance Pond, Earthly Spirited Villa’?”

The green faced replied, “If lowly me does not know that place, how can I hang around in this city?”

Xiao Yu’er continued, “What kind of a person is that Master Zhao?”

“Master Zhao is a millionaire, with friends over the four seas, in both the underworld and orthodox world, but… ever since Duan He Fei arrived, his business is always over taken by Duan He Fei. When he wanted to venture into the martial arts realm, who knows that Duan He Fei also kept some friends in Jiang Hu, and their status are much higher when compared.”

Rolling his eyes, Xiao Yu’er mumbled, “Right… Zhao Xiang Ling sought Tie Wu Shuang to make use of his reputation to suppress Duan He Fei, but ended up being made use of by others instead.”

The green faced could not hear clearly what Xiao Yu’er was talking about, but just pleaded, “Little Grandfather, can you let go of your hands now?”

Xiao Yu’er smiled, “You roam around everyday, you must be very familiar with this city, and there must be someone you know from Zhao Villa. If you bring me to that person, and let me stay in the Villa for a day, I will give you three hundred taels of silver, will you do it?”

What is there to ‘will’ or ‘will not’? For three hundred taels of silver, this green faced will literally sell his own wife.

A place like Zhao Villa, there is sure a mix of every kind of people, good or bad. Naturally there would be some scoundrels among the servants, and these people would obviously be the friends of this green faced.

With his skills, Xiao Yu’er soon mixed with them. Within two hours, these people have already treated him like their good friend.

What Xiao Yu’er did not expect is that Zhao Xiang Ling is already at the reception hall early in the morning, looking energetic and contented, without a trace of having been drinking the night away on his face.

After a while, there were people coming in from the outside, one after another. They looked like merchants, and were all respectful when they saw Zhao Xiang Ling.

Standing afar, Xiao Yu’er stopped a servant and asked, “Who are all these people? Why are they here so early?”

The servant replied, “All these are the Storekeepers our Master sent to tend to the shops outside. They have to come to the villa every morning to report the business situation for the day. Besides them, our Master never sees anyone else in the morning.”

Xiao Yu’er smiled, “Some guests, your Master will have no choice but to meet.”

The servant of course could not catch the hidden meaning behind Xiao Yu’er’s words, and laughed, “This, ‘Heavenly Fragrance Pond, Earthly Spirited Villa’, would there be anyone who dares to force their way in?”

Xiao Yu’er blinked, “What about Duan He Fei?”

The servant replied triumphantly, “That fat pig, my Master has long made roasted meat out of his fat body and eaten it.”

“So your Master and that Duan He Fei have such great enmity.” commented Xiao Yu’er.

The servant replied, “He knows where our Master’s shops are, and will open a similar shop right opposite, he knows who are the major clients of my Master, and will try his best to befriend them. The hatred between ‘Heavenly Fragrance Pond’ and Duan He Fei is as deep as the sea.”

Xiao Yu’er smiled, “I never expect the business field is just like a battle field, it seems like the enemies made on the business field, are so much more wicked than the enemies made on the battle field.”

The servant continued, “In business ability counts. A person like Duan He Fei who uses such underhand methods, is not fit to be a man.”

While they were talking, Zhao Xiang Ling had already sent the store keepers away after a few words with them. Picking up his teacup and taking a few sips, he instructed, “Take a look at the guests, if they are awake, invite them to the reception hall for tea.”

Xiao Yu’er sat on a boulder under the shade of a tree outside the door, mumbling, “If my guess is correct, I’m afraid he should be arriving.”

Just then, sounds of conversation could be heard from the door, “Please hand this name card to your Master, and tell him that I have come to pay a visit.”

The doorkeeper replied, “My apologies, my Master has never before noon…” The voice suddenly halted, as if he has seen the name on the name card and was startled.

Xiao Yu’er heard that voice, full of excitement and joy, “Arrived, arrived, really arrived.”

That servant hastily went to the reception hall to present the name card! Zhao Xiang Ling furrowed his brows and received it, but on seeing the card, his expression changed and he whispered, “The Hero of Jiang Nan Jiang Bie He has arrived.”

Tie Wu Shuang hurriedly stood up and before he could speak, a laughing voice could be heard from outside, “Jiang Bie He has come visit Master Zhao, would he not see me?” Two persons strode past the stone steps in front of the hall, the person in front appearing calm, and was none other than Jiang Bie He, while the person following behind was a handsome young man.

Further behind there were four large men carrying a green soft carriage. The carriage was so deep that one cannot see who is actually sitting in it.

Zhao Xiang Ling rushed forward to welcome them, and clasping his fists, smiled, “Junior is not aware that Hero Jiang has arrived, please forgive me for any inhospitality.”

Jiang Bie He lightly smiled, “This is Master Hua, Hua Wu Que.”

He deliberately said that nonchalantly, but Zhao Xiang Ling, Tie Wu Shang, Luo Jiu and Luo San were unable to repress the change in their countenance on hearing the three words Hua Wu Que.

Sweeping his gaze up and down, Tie Wu Shuang smiled, “This brother is actually the recently famous ‘Master Wu Que’, really a dashing young man, outstanding, it’s really a pleasure to meet you.”

Hua Wu Que replied coldly, “My pleasure.”

Zhao Xiang Ling continued with a smile, “This is Old Master Tie, I’m sure the two of you have forgotten about, but these two Luo brothers…” and immediately introduced Luo Jiu and Luo San, bragging about their virtues.

Hua Wu Que does not seem to have heard, his nose seem to have smelt something, suddenly he flapped his sleeve, and glided out of his seat.

Everyone only felt a shadow brush past, and he has already flown into the reception hall at the side. In the blink of an eye, he has flown out from the reception hall, a fistful of herbs in his hand, and face even paler, said, “It’s really here.”

Zhao Xiang Ling asked, “Could these herbs belong to Master? Junior is not aware who sent it here, last night…”

Jiang Bie He replied on behalf with a faint smile, “Master Zhao really does not know who sent it?”

Zhaoo Xiang Ling glanced at him, and glanced at Hua Wu Que’s expression, and knew that something serious must be going on, and with forced laughter, replied, “What… what is this all about?”

“This is a very simple matter, someone poisoned Master Hua’s future wife, and bought all the herbs needed for the antidote from the market, what is this about?” Jiang Bie He explained.

Zhao Xiang Ling replied, “This is to ensure that Master Hua’s future wife does not survive.”

Jiang Biehe continued, “Correct, so to say, the person who bought the herbs, will he be the same as the person who put the poison?”

“Of course!”

Smiling faintly, Jiang Bie He agreed, “Then that’s it.”

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Xiang Ling’s expression suddenly changed, and asked hoarsely, “Those…. Those herbs are now in the reception hall?”

Jiang Bie He bit out every word, “That’s right!”

Zhao Xiang Ling jumped up, “But… but Junior really does not know this… someone sent those herbs here yesterday.”

Jiang Bie He questioned, “Who sent it?”

“Junior does not know either” Zhao Xiang Ling replied.

Jiang Bie He laughed coldly, “Do not know? Would anyone give away such expensive herbs for no rhyme or reason? Master Zhao, by saying this, aren’t you treating me like a kid?”

It must be said that this affair is really absurd, absolutely impossible. Zhao Xiang Ling was dumbfounded, and beads of sweat flowed down his head.

Tie Wu Shuang stood up and shouted, “I can state my reputation to vouch for Master Zhao, the herbs were sent by others, Master Zhao really does not know who that person is!”

Jiang Bie He threw him a glance, and said calmly, “If Master Zhao does not know, then you must have known.”

Tie Wu Shuang flared, “You… what did you say?” Jiang Bie He smiled icily, no longer looking at him, and not answering either.