#but yu is there in the room as well listening and empathising and i think it was a moment that really

[outpostsofbabel]

Demigods and Semi-devils, Chapter II (XII)

Duan Yu heard two people enter the hall. A man’s voice said: “Madam.” Duan Yu peered out through the crack between the door and wall. He saw a man in his thirties who was dressed like a servant, and who looked anxious and frightened. There was another man, all in black, who was very tall and thin. He was looking outside, and Duan Yu could not see his face. This man’s hands, hanging by his sides, were as large as small fans. The backs of his hands were covered with green veins. Miss Zhong’s father has such large hands, Duan Yu thought.

“Jin Xier is dead? What happened?” Mrs Zhong asked.

The servant replied: “Master sent the two of us to the north dwelling to welcome guests. He told us that there would be four guests. This afternoon, the first guest arrived. He said that his name was Yue. Master had told us that the one named Yue was to be addressed as ‘Third Master’. Jin Xier went forth to greet him, and politely addressed him as such.

“But the man leapt up in anger and shouted: ‘I am Second Master Yue! Why did you call me Third Master? You disrespected me on purpose!’ He struck Jin Xier, who fell to the ground, bleeding.”

Frowning, Mrs Zhong said: “How unreasonable! When did Third Master Yue become Second Master Yue?”

“Third Master Yue has always had a bad temper, and he is quite deranged,” said Mr Zhong, turning around.

Duan Yu’s eyes widened in shock. Mr Zhong had a long, horse-like face. His eyes were set very high up on his head, while his large round nose and mouth were squeezed together near the bottom. Because of this, there seemed to be a large swathe of empty space between his eyes and nose. Who would have thought that the pretty Zhong Ling’s father would be this ugly? It was lucky that she took after her mother, and did not resemble her father at all.

Mr Zhong had looked rather displeased, but as he turned around to meet his wife’s eyes, his expression softened. His ugly face took on a certain tenderness as he said: “A lout such as Third Master Yue might scare you. I have not let him into the valley because of this. Don’t bother yourself over such small matters.”

Mrs Zhong was terrified when she heard her husband coming, Duan Yu thought. But he is looking at her with nothing but love and reverence.

“How is that a small matter?” Mrs Zhong replied. “Jin Xier has been a loyal and honest servant for many years, and now he has gotten killed by your brutish friend. It is hard for me to take.”

“Yes, yes, you empathise with the servants,” said Mr Zhong, smiling. “It is your good heart.”

Addressing the servant, Mrs Zhong said: “Lai Fuer, what happened next?”

“Jin Xier was still alive after his beating,” Lai Fuer said. “I cried out: ‘Second Master, Second Master, do not be angry!’ The man named Yue laughed. I helped Jin Xier up, and brought the guest food and drink.

“He asked me: ‘Why... why has Zhong not come to receive me?’

“I said: ‘Our master did not know of Second Master’s arrival, or he would have come to receive you in person. I will bring him the news right away.’

“The man nodded, and he looked at Jin Xier who was standing in a corner trembling. He said to him: ‘You’re silently cursing me for that blow I gave you just now, aren’t you?’

“Jin Xier quickly said: ‘No, no! I would not dare, I would never dare.’

“The man went on: ‘You must be thinking that I am a wicked man, as wicked as they can get. Ha!’

“Jin Xier replied: ‘No, no! Second Master is a great good man, and not wicked at all.

“The man scowled then, and shouted: ‘Are you saying that I am not at all wicked?’

“Jin Xier was so frightened that he was shaking all over. He said: ‘You... Second Master... is not at all evil, not... not even a bit.’ At this, the man bellowed in rage. His hand suddenly shot out and broke Jin Xier’s neck...” The servant’s voice was quavering, and he was obviously still shaken by the incident.

Mrs Zhong sighed and waved her hand. “You have had a fright. Go and rest a while.”

“Yes, madam,” Lai Fuer said, leaving the chamber.

Mrs Zhong shook her head and sighed again. “My heart is greatly unsettled. I need some quiet.”

“Yes,” her husband replied. “I am going to see Third Master Yue, and make sure that he doesn’t cause any more trouble.”

“Please, call him Second Master Yue.”

Mr Zhong snorted. “He may be fierce, but I am not afraid of him. He has come from afar to aid me, and for that I will not quibble with him over the Jin Xier matter.”

His wife shook her head again. “We two have lived here in this valley for ten years, and in that time, I have not set foot out of the valley once. Why are you still not satisfied? Why must you invite the Four Brigands here, creating such a rumpus? You... always speak to me with sweet words and a honeyed tongue. You actually don’t care about me at all.”

“How... how have I not cared about you?” Mr Zhong said hurriedly. “Have I not invited these four men here because of you?”

Mrs Zhong made a small noise of disapproval. “For me? Well, I thank you then. If you really wanted to do something for me, you would listen to me and send the Four Brigands packing.”

In the next room, Duan Yu was listening to this conversation with some incredulity. That Third Master Yue killed someone for no reason at all, and indeed that is the height of wickedness. Could there be three other people as wicked as he?

Mr Zhong strode up and down the room, saying angrily: “The one named Duan has disgraced me. If I, Zhong Wanchou, do not avenge that wrong, how will I ever face the world?”

So your name is Zhong Wanchou? Zhong of Ten Thousand Grievances? Duan Yu thought. Now that is a rather inappropriate name. As they say, feuds are easy to start but difficult to end. It is a terrible thing to bear one grudge - what more ten thousand? No wonder you have such a long face. For someone with your looks to marry someone as beautiful as Mrs Zhong is a great blessing. You should change your name to Zhong Wanxin, Zhong of Ten Thousand Blessings.

Frowning, Mrs Zhong replied coldly: “It is me you hate, and not him. If you wanted to make things difficult for him, you could go to his home. Victory could be decided with your fists. You’re getting help from other people. Even if you win, what glory will there be in it?”

Green veins stood out on Mr Zhong’s forehead as he cried: “Do you know how many footsoldiers and petty generals he has under him? Even if I wanted to spar with him in single combat, he is always hiding away somewhere. What can I do about that?” Mrs Zhong bowed her head and said nothing, tears falling onto the silk of her tunic.

“I’m sorry, Bao, there now, don’t be angry,” Zhong Wanchou said hurriedly. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you.” Mrs Zhong was still silent, although the tears fell faster. Mr Zhong scratched his head, grimacing in distress. “Bao, please don’t be angry. I couldn’t control myself, it was terrible of me.”

“You have never forgotten what happened then,” Mrs Zhong said in a low voice. “My life barely has any meaning. Why don’t you just kill me now and end it here? Then you won’t be so unhappy all the time. Just go and marry another beautiful woman.”

Mr Zhong hit himself twice on his face. “I’m sorry, it was terrible of me.”

Duan Yu could not help but let out a chortle when he saw the man hit himself on his long, horse-like face. But the moment the sound left his mouth, he knew he was in trouble. He hoped that Zhong Wanchou had not heard it, but the man shouted: “Who is that?” He kicked the room door open with a crash and stormed into the room.

Duan Yu felt a hand grasp him by the scruff of his neck and haul him out of the room. He fell heavily on the floor and stars swam before his eyes. He felt as though every bone in his body had been broken.

Zhong Wanchou hoisted him up again with one hand, bellowing: “Who are you? What were you doing hiding in my wife’s room?” A cloud of suspicion came across his face as he saw that Duan Yu was young and good-looking. He turned to his wife. “Bao, you... you... again....”

“What do you mean, ‘again’?” Mrs Zhong said, annoyed. “Let him down; he came here bearing news.”

“What news?” Zhong Wanchou roared, still holding Duan Yu high above the ground. “You foppish little dandy, you’re clearly up to no good. What were you doing skulking around in my wife’s room? Spit it out! If you even try to lie, I’ll smash your head to smithereens, just like a pumpkin seed.” He slammed his hand down with a crash, breaking a pearwood table nearby.

Duan Yu was still sore from the fall. Now he had been lifted, struggling, into the air, and Mr Zhong seemed to suspect that something was going on between him and his wife. Furious, he shouted: “My surname is Duan, and if you want to kill me, hurry up and do so. What nonsense are you spouting?”

Zhong Wanchou brandished his fist. “You little wretch, you’re called Duan as well?” he shouted. “Duan again... Duan again!” His rage suddenly melted into misery and tears welled up from his large round eyes.

Duan Yu suddenly felt pity for this large man. He must know that he was unable to match up to his wife in terms of looks or talent, which explained his jealousy of a complete stranger. It was, in fact, rather pathetic. Duan Yu forgot that his life hung in this man’s hands. In a gentle, comforting voice, he said: “My surname is Duan, but I have never seen Mrs Zhong before today. There is no need for you to be suspicious or upset.”

The big man’s face lit up. “Really?” he said in a hoarse voice. “You’ve never... you’ve never seen Bao before?”

“I have not been in this place for more than an hour,” Duan Yu replied.

Zhong Wanchou’s mouth cracked open in a grin, and he laughed. “Right, right, Bao has not left this valley for ten years. Ten years ago, you were just eight or nine years old. Naturally, you couldn’t have... couldn’t have...” But still he held Duan Yu suspended in the air.

Mrs Zhong’s face was flushed. “Put Young Master Duan down!” she said.

“Of course, of course,” Mr Zhong said hurriedly. He gently lowered Duan Yu to the ground. Then suddenly, his face clouded over with suspicion again. “Young Master Duan? Young Master? Who... who is your father?”

If I lie again, it would seem as though I had a guilty conscience, Duan Yu thought. So he said: “I did not tell Mrs Zhong the truth earlier on. I should not have hidden the truth. My name is Duan Yu, styled Heyu. I am from Dali. My father’s name is Zhengchun.”

Zhong Wanchou had not fully absorbed what Duan Yu said about his father when Mrs Duan burst out in a shaky voice: “Your father is... is Duan... Duan Zhengchun?”

Duan Yu nodded. “Yes!”

“Duan Zhengchun!” bellowed Zhong Wanchou in a voice that shook the rafters. His face had turned red and he was trembling violently. “You... you are the son of that dog, Duan Zhengchun?”

“How dare you insult my father?” Duan Yu cried furiously.

“And why shouldn’t I dare?” Zhong Wanchou shouted back. “Duan Zhengchun, you dog, you scoundrel, you bastard!”

Duan Yu realised it then. The sign outside saying: “Those named Duan who enter this valley will die,” must have been put up because he hates my father. He has extended that hate to all who share his name. He said out loud in a stern voice: “Mr Zhong, if you bear a grudge against my father, you should confront him and settle it there. If you have the guts, insult my father to his face. What kind of hero or good man insults someone behind his back? My father is in Dali City. It is only too easy to track him down. Why hang such a sign outside your own door, saying that those named Duan who enter this valley will die?”

Zhong Wanchou’s face paled, then reddened again. Duan Yu’s words seemed to have struck him to the quick. Staring daggers at Duan Yu, he raised his fists to kill the younger man. But then, with two loud crashes, he took out his rage on nearby chairs instead. At the same time, he lashed out with his foot, kicking a hole in the wall.

“I’m not afraid of losing to your father,” he cried. “I... I’m just afraid... afraid that your father will find out... find out that Bao is living here...” His voice took on the quality of a sob, and he hid his face in his hands. “I’m a coward, I’m a coward!” He ran from the room. Crashes from beyond sounded as though he was stumbling into many bookshelves, flowerpots and benches along the way.