manynovel Chapter 331 bears traces of a loving mother's old thread.
Chapter 331 bears traces of a loving mother's old thread.
Chapter 331 bears traces of a loving mother's old thread.
Inside the Tongtian Hall, dozens of gazes turned in unison, the clamor of the hall subsided, and only the crackling of candlelight and the fluttering of curtains remained. Everyone watched with bated breath.
The hand that Zhao Banshan was tightly gripping Hongdou's wrist drew everyone's attention, as if drawn by a magnet, to the red-clad woman and the middle-aged, wealthy-looking man in the hall.
Hongdou tried to struggle slightly, but Zhao Banshan's Tai Chi had already reached the level of "not even a feather can be added, not even a fly can land." Before Hongdou could exert her strength, Zhao Banshan already knew her intentions and naturally trapped her in place. Seeing that she could not break free, she stopped moving.
"Third Master Zhao, how long are you going to hold this young lady's hand in public?"
Hongdou spoke first, her demeanor somewhat affectedly alluring, but her clear, cold voice betrayed no emotion, each word carrying through the silent hall.
It's not that the two were complete strangers. At least during the discussions in Guangzhou, Hongdou had accompanied Hong Xiguan to greet Zhao Banshan. However, with the turmoil in Guangzhou, Zhao Banshan, as the third leader of the Red Flower Society, was fighting on the front lines, while Hongdou stayed far from the chaos and remained in the rear. The two would not have had any further contact.
Zhao Banshan's brocade robe trembled slightly as he said urgently:
"You just said that you had seen my unique hidden weapon, the Flying Swallow Silver Shuttle, before? How did you manage to catch it?"
"So what if I've seen it?"
Zhao Banshan tightened his grip on her wrist slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed twice.
He had roamed the martial world for decades, remaining unfazed even when surrounded by experts or riding on iron cavalry. Yet now, facing those almond-shaped eyes, his voice trembled uncontrollably.
"These Flying Swallow Silver Shuttles are the first pair I forged by hand, based on a pattern I drew myself when I was thirty. The way you caught the dart just now was unique. There is only one other person in the world besides me who understands this unique technique of rebounding and striking acupoints."
Red Bean began to realize that something was wrong.
From the age of three, her mother, Zhu Xiaoqian, forced her to practice throwing darts, weapons, soft skills, and lightness techniques every day. In particular, Zhu Xiaoqian taught her how to catch hidden weapons for fifteen years, until every trick in the book and every angle of attack was etched into her bones.
In the sixteenth year, Zhu Xiaoqian solemnly taught her a technique of using hidden weapons to strike acupoints. However, to maximize the power of this technique, a unique hidden weapon was needed. But Zhu Xiaoqian repeatedly refused to pass on this unique hidden weapon, citing the fear that teaching a disciple would starve the master.
Hongdou was also a rebellious child who had tried every means to steal a hidden weapon from Zhu Xiaoqian. Therefore, she knew very well that the two Flying Swallow Silver Shuttles in her hands, which were burning hot from being squeezed in her palms, were exactly the same as the silver shuttle that her mother, Zhu Xiaoqian, had kept close to her body for more than 20 years.
With the same right-angled shape, the same exquisitely polished edges, and the same hair-thin spiral pattern at the end, she understood the moment her fingertips touched the shuttle body as she caught the two flying shuttles in mid-air. The technique for using these hidden weapons was exactly the same as the one her mother had taught her.
"Who?"
Hongdou pressed for more details, clearly a little confused.
"Although this person's skill with hidden weapons is slightly inferior to Zhao's, her skill in catching darts is unparalleled. Back in the day, she was known as the most beautiful woman in the Jiangnan region."
Zhao Banshan looked into her eyes and said, word by word, "Twenty years ago, she was also known in the martial arts world as the Thousand-Hand Guanyin."
Upon hearing those four words, Hongdou's body trembled violently. Why did that name sound so familiar?
Her mother was none other than Zhu Xiaoqian, the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, who had disappeared from the martial arts world for over twenty years.
Over the years, the mother and daughter have wandered around. Although Zhu Xiaoqian often boasts about her past adventures in the martial arts world and boasts about her own reputation when she's drunk, Hongdou has never taken Zhu Xiaoqian's words seriously.
Especially the phrase "the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world"—it sounds like self-praise coming from the mouth of an old, faded woman.
The only thing she kept close to her body was the Flying Swallow Silver Shuttle. Even when the mother and daughter chatted for half the night, whenever Hongdou asked about it, Zhu Xiaoqian would only say that it was a gift from an old friend and would not say another word.
A low murmur immediately arose among the heroes in the hall.
Those present were all seasoned veterans; in the Jiangnan region, who hadn't heard of "Thousand-Armed Buddha" Zhao Banshan? However, very few knew the name "Thousand-Hand Guanyin."
"This name sounds familiar..."
"It's not just familiar, it's legendary! The one who stole the salt licenses of the eight major salt merchants of Dongguan Street in one night twenty years ago!"
"Now that you mention it, I remember you, Wu Jia Pi. Didn't you go there to befriend him because of his reputation, only to get drunk and beaten up halfway there?"
Only a few old drunkards from the Drunken Eight Immortals gathered together to discuss and recall that more than twenty years ago on the Qinhuai River, there seemed to be a master of hidden weapons. It was rumored that he came from Yangzhou and was not only exceptionally beautiful, but also had mastered a set of tricky, agile, and unpredictable martial arts skills. He was famous in the martial arts world, but later, for some unknown reason, he suddenly disappeared from the world.
Talented people emerge in every generation, and the road to drunkenness is safe and easy to visit often. Once the former fame is blown away like gold dust, only a few old men are left to reminisce about the past. The drunkards sighed that if Zhao Banshan hadn't suddenly mentioned this person today, they wouldn't have realized that twenty-four years had passed in the blink of an eye.
"You know my mother?"
In Hongdou's voice, she couldn't hide the bewilderment that had been hidden for so long.
Zhao Banshan slowly released his grip and took a half step back.
“Of course I know her. Not only that Flying Swallow Silver Shuttle, but seventy percent of the skill she uses in her ‘Thousand-Hand Guanyin’ hidden weapon technique comes from my Zhao Banshan’s skills.”
He raised his eyes and swept over the assembled heroes in the hall. His voice was clear and resonant, carrying both openness and an unyielding sense of melancholy, as he slowly drifted into the misty rain of Jiangnan twenty-four years ago.
"That was in the ninth year of Chongzhen's reign, at Tiger Hill in Suzhou Prefecture. Seeing that the world was already in chaos, I was ordered by the chief of the Red Flower Society to contact the heroes of Jiangnan. I had just turned thirty that year and had earned the name 'Thousand-Armed Buddha' with my skill in using hidden weapons. It was at that Tiger Hill gathering that I first met her."
Zhao Banshan's voice gradually softened, and a very faint smile appeared on his face, but his eyes were full of soreness.
"She was only eighteen that year, dressed in red, and with a single swift stone, she beat three constables who were oppressing the people until their faces were black and swollen. Her technique was very cunning, but her accuracy was superb. Every strike hit the pressure points, injuring people but not killing them. Afterwards, I deliberately followed her around and struck up a conversation. We became familiar with each other after a while. She knew I was a member of the Red Flower Society. Not only was she not afraid, but she also helped us pass on messages and gather information. Several times she helped us evade the government's pursuit."
"I saw that she was a rare talent, so I taught her all the hidden weapon techniques I had learned in my life that were suitable for women. She was extremely talented and grasped them immediately. In just half a year, ordinary martial arts masters could no longer get close to her."
“We practiced darts on fishing boats on Taihu Lake and honed our skills in the rainy alleys of Yangzhou. She thought my nickname ‘Thousand-Armed Buddha’ was too old-fashioned, so she gave herself the name ‘Thousand-Hand Guanyin’ and said that she would definitely compete with me in the future and catch all my hidden weapons without missing a single one.”
At this point, his voice suddenly stopped, he let out a long sigh, and the smile on his face vanished, leaving only a heavy sense of guilt.
"But in the winter of the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, the Tartars entered the pass for the fourth time. Emperor Chongzhen urgently summoned Governor Lu, who was in charge of military affairs in Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi, to defend against the enemy. Although the Red Flower Society was far away in Jiangnan, they also learned that the Tartars had ordered all the best guards in the palace to come out."
"The Grand Master issued an urgent order, instructing me to set aside past grievances with the government and rush to Hebei to provide immediate assistance. The situation was so sudden that I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to her in person. I only left a letter at her residence, along with a pair of silver shuttles I had personally crafted, telling her that I would return to her as soon as I finished my business..."
Jiang Wen thought to himself, "Very well, since you've said that, there's no reason why something won't happen."
"But I never imagined that this trip would turn everything upside down. Commander Lu led the Tianxiong Army in a fierce battle against the Tartars at Jia Village in Julu, but due to the disparity in troop strength and the obstruction of treacherous officials in the court, he was cut off from reinforcements and supplies, and ultimately died a bloody battle, with his entire army wiped out. My Red Flower Society also suffered heavy casualties in that bloody battle. We risked our lives to retrieve Commander Lu's body, only to receive a reprimand from the court, saying that he had mismanaged the troops and was deceiving the public for fame..."
"The martial arts practitioners were disheartened and scattered one after another. Only Chief Yu led us through several provinces, dealing with the Tartars for three whole years. When I finally escaped the ravages of war and returned to Suzhou, the place was deserted. I asked all the martial arts practitioners in Jiangnan, but no one knew where she had gone. Some said she was captured and beheaded by the government, some said she got married and retired, and some said she... later died in the Jiangnan slave rebellion."
"For the past twenty years, I have traveled all over the country and tried to find out more, but I have never heard a word about her. I thought I would never see anyone related to her again in this lifetime."
Zhao Banshan's gaze returned to Hongdou's face, and he felt that the contours of her eyebrows and eyes, and the stubbornness in her pursed lips, were exactly like those of Zhu Xiaoqian when she was young.
He softened his voice, his tone filled with cautious anticipation: "Young lady, how old are you this year?"
Hongdou felt a chill run down her spine from the stare, but she still forced herself to say, "Twenty-two years old."
Twenty-two years old.
That was exactly the year he left Suzhou.
Zhao Banshan's body jolted, and he staggered back half a step.
"It's my fault for letting her down...it's my fault for letting you and your daughter down..." he murmured to himself, his voice filled with endless regret.
The hall was completely silent. No one in the bloodthirsty audience made a fuss or interrupted. Part of the reason was that people in the martial arts world valued loyalty and righteousness the most. Even the most rugged men couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the sight of this scene. Another reason was that they were all memorizing their lines, thinking that they would definitely be able to tell them vividly when they got back.
Jiang Wen listened intently and realized that Zhao Banshan was indeed speaking from the bottom of his heart. Originally a mature and prudent person, he was now calling the people of the martial arts world "Tartars" one after another, as if the word "rebellion" was written all over his face. He also spoke frankly about the secret operation of the Red Flower Society, just to make Hongdou believe that what he said was true.
Jiang Wen had no doubt about Zhu Xiaoqian's identity as "Thousand-Hand Guanyin," because when Chen Jinnan came to Wuyishan, he had mentioned the old woman's immense reputation in her youth. Even he, the later leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, hadn't caught her eye back then.
When Chen Jinnan said this, he actually carried a hint of relief at surviving a disaster. Jiang Wen could only lament the fleeting nature of beauty. In any case, what Jiang Wen saw was a nagging, prematurely aged old woman.
Looking back at the same time period, Chen Jinnan, the leader of the Tai Chi Sect, was just a young man who had just decided to abandon his studies and pursue martial arts, and was just starting out in the martial arts world. Zhao Banshan, who was in his thirties, was already a famous figure in the martial arts world with the titles of "Master Disciple of the Tai Chi Sect" and "Thousand-Armed Buddha". Not to mention that he was also extremely wealthy and generous, which made him extremely attractive to female warriors.
Everything seemed so logical, so perfect, so legendary, except for one tiny flaw, like two dark clouds looming over the completed edifice of physics…
Thinking of this, Jiang Wen suddenly sped up and came to the two of them. Sure enough, he heard Hongdou shake her head and say hesitantly.
"But my mother said I'm an orphan she picked up, with no father or..."
Jiang Wen quickly interrupted her statement, laughing and smoothing things over: "Parents lying to their children like this doesn't count, it doesn't count! In my opinion, it's all the father's fault for being so irresponsible, running away for so many years!"
Jiang Wen was in a hurry!
The father and daughter recognizing each other at the martial arts tournament, and the reunion of blood relatives after twenty years, is such a wonderful story that it could be featured in several episodes on "Golden Eye" (a popular Chinese news and information platform). It's far more exciting than any story about inviting someone to a banquet, beheading someone, or accepting someone as a dog. It must become a legendary tale of the Wuyishan martial arts tournament and spread far and wide, making our sect's reputation shine the brightest.
Jiang Wen was genuinely afraid that Zhu Xiaoqian was so unreliable that she might pick up an orphan after breaking up with him and mistake him for her father today. In that case, all the atmosphere that Zhao Banshan had created earlier would have been for nothing!
Zhao Banshan was also taken aback at first, but after hearing Jiang Wen's words, he gave a wry smile and slowly shook his head.
He knew Zhu Xiaoqian too well. That girl was the most stubborn and headstrong. Back then, when he left without saying goodbye, she must have hated and resented him to the extreme, which is why she told the child that she was adopted and never mentioned a single word about Zhao Banshan.
Therefore, he had no intention of forcing her to acknowledge her as his relative. Instead, he went along with her words and spoke in an even gentler tone: "Alright, alright, you say you were adopted, so you were adopted. I was being presumptuous, please don't take offense, young lady. After this matter is settled, you can take me to see her, okay? No matter if she wants to hit me, scold me, punish me, or blame me, I will accept it without any complaints."
Looking at him like this, and then at Jiang Wen's anxious appearance, Hongdou felt a little confused about her own background, so she nodded in agreement.
Just then, a boy of about ten years old, dressed in a black, narrow-sleeved outfit, with a tall and straight figure and handsome features, walked steadily to Hongdou and stood in front of her, gently calling out "Mother".
Zhao Banshan stared at the child, momentarily stunned. Then, his gaze swept over the child standing with Hongdou, and a thought flashed through his mind: Could this child be Hongdou's son? Then wouldn't he be... my grandson?!
Logically speaking, Hong Wending was ten years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), which means that Hongdou gave birth at the age of twelve. This sounds a bit outrageous, but given the context of that era, it's no wonder that Zhao Banshan would misunderstand.
According to the Ming Dynasty book "Taiquan Township Rituals", it was considered early marriage for men under 16 and women under 14. However, the population declined sharply during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, so the government adopted measures such as lowering the marriage age to encourage childbirth and early marriage. Often, men could get married at the age of 14 and women at the age of 13. Therefore, it is not impossible for Hongdou to have a child of such an age.
Once the thought crossed his mind, Zhao Banshan seemed to be set ablaze. He tried his best to smile kindly, and reached into his pocket to pull out things. As if by magic, he pulled out treasures from his pocket, waist, and sleeves, stuffing them all into Hong Wending's hands.
First came two ten-tael gold ingots, their golden light gleaming in the candlelight. Then came a brocade pouch, which, when opened, contained a dozen or so smoothly polished Bodhi seeds, as well as several exquisitely crafted coin darts.
After being given money and toys, he kept taking out more and more things, such as soft jade safety locks, cooling fragrance beads, and even brocade belts that could hide hidden weapons. He wanted to take out all the treasures on his body.
Hong Wending was caught off guard by this sudden enthusiasm. His hands were stuffed full, and he could only look at Hongdou with a blank expression.
Hongdou was about to explain, since this wasn't her biological son, when a soft cough came from the side, stopping her from revealing the truth.
Jiang Wen strolled over again, his face bearing that gentle, semi-permanent smile. He was relieved that the two dark clouds had dispersed, yet worried that, like in the history of physics, the sky that originally had two dark clouds had, through the tireless efforts of generations of physicists, now been covered with dark clouds.
But his gaze fell precisely on the two gold ingots in Hong Wending's hand, and his eyes immediately brightened.
He first put his arm around Hong Wending's shoulder, then bowed to Zhao Banshan and said, "Third Master Zhao, congratulations! To hear news from an old friend and to be reunited with family is truly a joyous occasion. As his master, I am genuinely happy for my disciple."
Zhao Banshan quickly stood up and returned the greeting: "Thank you for your kind words, Sect Leader Jiang! It turns out that this child has actually joined the Wuyi Sect. No wonder he has such a gentlemanly demeanor! I have already received your help today, Sect Leader, and my grandson has unintentionally received your sect's protection. I am truly grateful!"
"Easy to say, easy to say."
Jiang Wen waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the broken bluestone slabs on the ground and the pile of wood chips from the rosewood wine table. He sighed with feigned heartache, "It's just a pity about my Tongtian Palace. Teng Yilei just smashed more than a dozen of my century-old bluestone slabs, and Jiao Wenqi smashed one of my rosewood wine tables that had been passed down for three generations. All in all, the loss is not small."
Zhao Banshan was incredibly perceptive; he understood immediately.
He laughed heartily, and without saying a word, he took out a gold ingot from his pocket, which weighed at least twenty taels, and stuffed it directly into Jiang Wen's hand.
"Sect Leader Jiang is right! Today's disturbance was all caused by me, Zhao. The thieves damaged your sect's property, so they should compensate you! Sect Leader Jiang, please take this money to repair the main hall. If it's not enough, I, Zhao, will make up the difference later!"
"Excellent! Master Zhao is indeed a chivalrous and generous man. I admire him! Don't worry, I'll take care of the child from now on. I will make sure he becomes a capable hero."
Jiang Wen spoke enthusiastically, then quickly slipped the gold into his sleeve with a flick of his finger, his smile widening even further.