Chapter 2

Settling his grudge on a snowy night, a calf battles a tiger.
Falling in love in the spring countryside, a swallow pecks at flowers.

After lunch, it was still early in the day, and the snow continued to fall. Ma Zhixian said exasperatedly, “Even with such heavy snowfall, I still have to go to Bao Village early tomorrow morning!” When he went to the front of his shop, he saw Xiaohe and the young apprentice with nothing to do. The young apprentice was squatting next to the furnace, and Jiang Xiaohe was standing in the corner staring into space with a face full of disquiet. Seeing him so miserable, Ma Zhixian patted his small shoulder and said, “Stop thinking about it! Here, let me give you some money so you can go down to the tavern and have a drink! Drinking some wine will relieve your worries and protect against the cold.” He proceeded to take out a few strings of cash and handed them to Xiaohe. Xiaohe departed with his head lowered. The layer of snow on the ground was now six or seven inches deep. Most of the shops on the main road had already boarded up their entryways, leaving only the glass at the tavern frosted up with ice crystals. It appeared to be bustling still, since the hubbub of people’s voices could be heard from inside.

Jiang Xiaohe stepped heavily upon the snow on the ground as he touched the knife tucked at his chest. He had already come to a resolution: he was going to leave the city, go to the Bao Village and kill Bao Zhenfei to avenge his father. At the same time he thought, I may be young, but Bao Zhenfei is very old. How could I not be able to defeat him? At this, he felt as if killing Bao Zhenfei would be extremely easy. After I kill him, I’ll run somewhere far away if I can and never come back. But it doesn’t matter if I can’t; it’s a life for a life after all! Even if I died avenging my father, people would still say that I was a good man!

He took large steps all the way out of South Village. Seeing that it was still early, and since he was a bit cold, wearing only single layers of a cotton shirt and pants, he dipped into a tavern on the road outside of the city. Upon seeing that he was a child, the waiter at the tavern asked him, “Who are you looking for?” Jiang Xiaohe said, “I’m not looking for anyone. I’m here to drink!” As he said this, he found a seat and plopped down into it. He placed his elbows on the table and cocked his head just like a little delinquent. The patrons sitting in the tables nearby all laughed, as did the waiter as he walked over and asked, “How much are you drinking?”

Jiang Xiaohe took out the money he had with him and dropped it on the table with a clank, saying, “Count it up! Give me as much wine as I can buy!” The tavern waiter counted the money and said, “This’ll buy you four ounces. Can you drink that?” Jiang Xiaohe swayed his head and said, “I can drink twice that!” The tavern patrons sitting nearby all guffawed loudly. The waiter laughed as well and brought him four ounces of wine. Xiaohe filled his own cup and drank, all the while saying to the patrons beside him, “I go drinking every day at Third Liu’s tavern in the city. A half-pint or even twelve ounces is nothing to me, but I’ve never been here before, so you guys don’t know me, that’s all!”

Someone to the side said, “Little brother, where in the city are you from? Why do you look familiar?” Xiaohe said, “I’m from the Ma smithy.” He regretted saying at once. He thought of the kindness that Ma Zhixian had shown him these two years, and were he to kill Bao Zhenfei, a connection back to Ma Zhixian would be unavoidable. Thus, he felt a wave of sadness. After glumly downing the four ounces of wine, he left the tavern. The chill wind blew, but his body felt warm. Without a bit of drunkenness, he walked south through the snow with the wind at his back.

The snowy wind was now blowing more insistently and the world was dark with dusk. Not only could he not see the Southern Mountains ahead of him, but even the villages, trees, and bridges seemed to be buried in snow. There was no one traveling on the road; it was just him, making deep tracks in the spotless, fresh snow. This road was familiar, however, and after walking a while, he reached the Bao Village. Everything in the village looked puffed up, and not only was it silent and empty of people, but he didn’t even see a single dog. He passed by his old house and saw that there was a little lamplight coming from within. He knew that one of his uncles from the clan was living here now. He dared not linger a moment as his heart pounded, walking straight into the village and to the gate of the Bao house.

The fury in his heart was burning fiercely and he cared about little else. He went to the base of the wall and leapt, grabbing onto the short wall as a large amount of snow fell down. He then pulled himself up and over, jumping down to the bottom. Happy that he hadn’t made a sound, he saw both the southern and northern houses lit up with lamps. Xiaohe pulled out his knife and stepped slowly through the snow. He went to a window of the southern house and peeked in, seeing only a young wife doing needlework. Xiaohe thought to himself, This isn’t old man Bao’s house, and reversed his course. He went to the northern house and peered inside through a crack in the door, seeing old master Bao in the outer room next to the lamp, talking to a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl. His old visage was full of smiles, as if what he was saying was making him happy.

Impelled by the ire in his heart, Jiang Xiaohe was no longer in control of his body. He pulled open the door and went inside, rushing ferociously toward old master Bao with knife in hand. The girl yelled out in fright and picked up a very short saber that was beside her and slashed it toward Xiaohe. Xiaohe hastily dodged it and rushed again at the old master with his knife pointed toward him. Old master Bao was both astounded and angry as his foot flew up and kicked Jiang Xiaohe in the stomach. Jiang Xiaohe tumbled over, but the knife remained in his hand. He rolled over and sat up, and was about to jump up and take another stab when the girl swung her saber over his way.

Old master Bao suddenly stopped his granddaughter and said, “Don’t kill him!” Then, after Jiang Xiaohe stood up, the old master swiftly snatched his knife away. Jiang Xiaohe straighten up, and though he was empty-handed, still sprung at the old master, ready to give his all. With a sweep of his foot, the old master sent Jiang Xiaohe falling to the ground once more, and this time Jiang Xiaohe didn’t get back up. The old master impeded his granddaughter with one hand, and with the other he pointed at Jiang Xiaohe and said, “You little thug! How dare you scheme against me! If I hadn’t seen that you were young, I would have killed you immediately!” From behind the old master, Aluan pointed her saber angrily at Xiaohe and yelled, “You dare try to harm my grandfather? Don’t think so much of my uncle not being home! I’m here to protect my grandfather!”

Jiang Xiaohe sat on the floor and bawled, saying, “I have to kill you all! I have to avenge my father!” He then jumped again and bounded toward the old master like a tiger cub with both his hands outstretched. The old master reached out unceremoniously and grasped onto Jiang Xiaohe’s hands, holding them tightly while asking heatedly, “What grudge do you have against me? Tell me!” Upon saying this, he suddenly glimpsed Jiang Xiaohe’s face in the lamplight and was extremely surprised. His countenance changed at once and his hands trembled slightly.

The old master gaped for a moment before saying, “Ah! So, it’s you!” His killing intent rose up immediately and he reached a hand over to take the saber from his granddaughter’s hands. However, Jiang Xiaohe suddenly reached out and twisted a portion of the old man’s white beard in his hand, as he glowered and said, “I’ve been so muddle-headed these past two years. It wasn’t until today that someone told me it was you who killed my dad. I have to avenge my father’s death!” The old master’s hand was at the hilt of his granddaughter’s saber, but a well of sadness abruptly rose up in his heart. He took his hand away from the saber, and his expression gradually calmed down. He said, “You silly child, you’ve been tricked. How could I have killed your father?”

Jiang Xiaohe tensed his grip on the old master’s beard and kept holding onto it as he glared and said, “Everyone says that you were the one who killed my father! You still won’t admit it?” Aluan walked over and punched Jiang Xiaohe’s lower back. By this point, Aluan’s mother and the old master’s second daughter-in-law had both heard noises and come. The old master chided, “It’s nothing. Go back to your houses!” Not daring even to step inside, his two daughters-in-law returned to their houses.

The old master pushed Jiang Xiaohe’s hand away and said, “Don’t be in such a hurry. If we have things to discuss, we should do so slowly!” After straightening his beard, he picked that knife up off the floor and examined it under the light. A boundless reminiscence floated up into his heart. He handed it over to Xiaohe and smiled wryly, saying, “I still recognize this knife; it was the one I gave you some time ago. I’d never thought you would use it to come here today to take your revenge! It’s a pity you’re still young and your martial arts need another few years of work!”

Jiang Xiaohe was still glowering at the old master. However, when he took the knife back, he didn’t rush at the old master again. Old master Bao approached him and stroked the top of Xiaohe’s head, saying, “Good child! I’ve never met a boy as strong as you before. Though you’ve come today to harm my life, I don’t hate you. But I have to tell you, I wasn’t the one who killed your father. I had no such intention. It was just that Long...”

The old master stopped here, waved it away and said, “I don’t need to tell you the man’s name, since his martial arts are very powerful; you’d be no match for him. If you were to go find him, not only would you fail to avenge your father, but you’d pay with your life. He’s not as forgiving as me.”

Seeing old master Bao being so amiable, the hatred in Jiang Xiaohe’s heart slowly faded away. He thought, Perhaps it was one of the Long brothers from Ziyang County that killed my dad. He thought this over a few times in his head and after abruptly changing his mind, he stamped his foot and said, “All right, I’m done here! I’m leaving.” When he finished, he headed out carrying the knife. The old man became anxious and said to Aluan, “Go and open the gate for him. Don’t stop him from going!” The girl Aluan assented and picked up her short, light saber once again. She exited and saw Jiang Xiaohe out the gate.

Holding onto the knife and creasing his brow, Jiang Xiaohe was still looking resolute as he stepped out of the gate and into the snow. Not having gone even ten steps, he suddenly heard a delicate voice behind him say, “Stop there, you little thug!” Jiang Xiaohe looked back and saw that it was that girl running towards him with a saber in her hand. Jiang Xiaohe gripped his knife and puffed out his chest, saying angrily, “What is it? Even the old man fears me, yet you dare fight me?”

Aluan scoffed coldly, “My grandfather doesn’t fear you. He sees that you’re young, so he couldn’t bear to kill you. Otherwise, you’d already be dead! My grandfather’s been in a good mood lately. He chants Buddhist scriptures every day. If this was a few years ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill someone far more powerful than you! But even though he’s spared you, I can’t. What right have you got to jump over our wall on this snowy day and try to kill my grandfather?” As she finished, she sprung towards him and chopped downward with her saber.

Jiang Xiaohe quickly jumped a couple steps back, and with his knife in his hand, he waved his hand, saying, “Stop, stop! Good guys don’t fight with girls!” Bao Aluan refused to listen to him and came at him with her saber again and again. Jiang Xiaohe could only display his own blade skills and clash with her upon the snowy ground. The two went back and forth for more than ten exchanges with no one coming out ahead or falling behind. Jiang Xiaohe jumped to the side and breathing heavily, said to Aluan, “This doesn’t count as using your abilities. Your saber is long, and my knife is short. Do you dare see how you fare against my fists?”

Aluan responded heatedly, “I’m not afraid of your fists!” She then tossed her saber into the snow. She walked towards him in a fighting stance and threw a punch at Xiaohe. Xiaohe used his own moves to meet her, while watching her intently. He saw that Aluan’s hand technique wasn’t much different than that taught to him by Ma Zhixian, so he wasn’t the least bit afraid. They rushed at each other fiercely and attacked solidly, back and forth. Though the snowy ground wasn’t very favorable under their feet, the two still fought very tensely. Aluan landed two sound blows on Xiaohe’s body, but they didn’t hurt him at all. He often found gaps in Aluan’s technique, and figured that he could prevail after another moment or two.

After another four or five exchanges, Aluan switched up her technique: instead of going for Xiaohe’s body, she was jumping up now to strike at Xiaohe’s face. Xiaohe used this opportunity to wait for her to leap, and when she did, he suddenly raised his leg for a kick. The kick landed right on Aluan’s stomach, and with a shout, she fell down into the snow. Jiang Xiaohe used this chance to hold Aluan down and hit her a few times. At this time, he heard someone behind them laughing loudly. It turned out to be old master Bao, standing at the gate watching.

Jiang Xiaohe pulled the knife out from inside his shirt. Aluan had flipped over and crawled back up, taking up her own saber from the snowy ground. Old master Bao approached them and laughed, “You young heroes can stop fighting!” Carrying her saber, Aluan was so angry she started tearing up, saying, “Grandfather, he bullied you, and then he bullied me!” Old master Bao waved his hand and smiled, saying, “Don’t worry about it, getting bullied by a child doesn’t amount to anything!” He came over and pulled at Jiang Xiaohe’s hand, asking him, “Your bladework and hand technique are of the Kunlun School. Did you learn your martial arts from Ma Zhixian?” Jiang Xiaohe shook his head and said, “No, I learned it from my dad a while ago!”

Old master Bao nodded and said, “Your dad’s martial arts were exceptional. He only studied with me for three years, but his skills were stronger than those of my disciples who’d been studying for five or six years. It’s a shame he went astray and died so early. If he hadn’t died and continued studying with me, I think he would have already long completed his training by now!”

At old master Bao’s mention of his father, Jiang Xiaohe couldn’t help but wipe his tears with his sleeve. The old master sighed and said, “It’s already quite late and the city gates have already closed, so you won’t be able to get back into the city. Why don’t you stay at my house tonight? Wait until it stops snowing tomorrow before you go.” Jiang Xiaohe refused, saying, “No, I have other places to go!” Old master Bao asked him, “Where is that?” Jiang Xiaohe said, “I’m going to find a master and learn martial arts!”

The old master smirked and said, “You certainly have the temper of a child. No one can accept a boy like you with no background. Not to mention that when it comes to learning martial arts, I can say that in the three provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Henan, excluding Li Zhenxia of Huazhou and Gao Qinggui of Kaifeng, there is only me, Bao Kunlun. You want to go elsewhere to find a master, but wouldn’t it be easier to learn your martial arts from me!?” Saying this, he cheerfully pulled Jiang Xiaohe back through the gate. Once inside, he urged Xiaohe to settle down, and then told him to live at his place and learn martial arts from him starting tomorrow.

There were a couple spare rooms in the southern house where disciples had lived before. Today, old master Bao brought a blanket and some cushions over and told Xiaohe to sleep there. Bao Zhilin had been sent to Ziyang by the old master, so old master Bao was the only man here. He instructed Aluan to go to her room and sleep, and quietly directed the wives to close their doors firmly. He contemplated things in his room, and the more he thought about it, the bigger a matter it became. He reasoned to himself, I, Bao Zhenfei, have made my way around Jianghu for over 40 years and encountered more than my fair share of tough opponents. More than one have died by my hand, and I’ve never hesitated or been afraid before. Now, I’ve got a mere thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy giving me a headache! If I don’t kill him now, he’ll grow bigger and taller, and eventually become a problem. But if we’re talking about killing him, I like the boy too much; I really couldn’t bear to do it.

After thinking it over for quite a while in his room, he went outside slowly and walked through the snow to the front of the southern house. He stood outside of the window and held his ear up toward it. He heard the soft sound of breathing; it seemed the child was sleeping very soundly. Old master Bao thought it adorable, and silently smiled to himself, I’ve been worrying too much! How much could this one boy do? Starting tomorrow, I’ll keep him here and look after him. First, I’ll hold him back, so that he doesn’t go off somewhere to learn martial arts. I’ll get him to herd the pigs and feed the horses, and all the while teach him some trifling martial arts. After another couple years, I’ll find him a wife. When that happens, not only will he forget about vengeance, but he’ll pretty much be my grandson. He delighted at this thought.

When the old master woke up early the next day, the snow had already stopped. He was sitting in his room sipping tea, when Jiang Xiaohe entered and with his brow still furrowed, said to him, “I’m leaving!” The old master quickly blocked his way and asked, “Where are you going? Are you heading back to Ma Zhixian’s smithy?” Jiang Xiaohe shook his head and said, “No. Yesterday I came to find you because I heard my dad was killed by you, and I wanted to kill you to avenge my father. But after I heard you say that my foe was surnamed Long, that was enough! I have no grudge with you, so I’m leaving. I’m going to find a famous master to learn martial arts from, and then in two or three years, I’ll have my revenge on the one named Long!”

Hearing the boy’s words, the old master was startled, but he preserved the smile on his face. He rubbed the top of Jiang Xiaohe’s head and said, “How could a small boy like you go off on his own? Wouldn’t it be better to stay at my house and do some chores? I can pass all of my martial arts onto you, and I guarantee that within three years you will be proficient in martial arts. Then, I’ll identify your enemy to you and even help you take your revenge.” He then continued, “You need to understand that you are only a child, and you have no money to your name. When you go out there, you’ll starve to death for sure. Not to mention that the mountain paths on your way are lined with bandits. If you don’t listen to me, I certainly won’t care if you’re killed up in the mountains!”

He said these things very frighteningly and with the utmost severity. Jiang Xiaohe creased his brow and lowered his head, thinking it over for a while. He then said, “I suppose I could stay here! But I don’t want to be considered one of your disciples. No matter what I do, you can’t manage me.” The old master smiled frostily and said, “Even if you wanted to be one my disciples, I wouldn’t accept you!” He took a thick metal fire poker out from the inner room and held it with both hands. He bent it forcefully, and it immediately took on the shape of a plow handle. He then knocked it vigorously against his left knee, and with a pop, it broke into two. He smiled and said, “Do you see that? Unless you have that much ability, you won’t be able to take your revenge. Otherwise, you’d just be giving up your short life for nothing!” Following this, he rubbed Jiang Xiaohe’s head again and said kindly, “Good boy, go outside and help them sweep the snow away! It’ll be time for breakfast soon!”

At this time, Aluan came into the room with her saber. Seeing Jiang Xiaohe standing stationary with a face like a blank piece of paper, she glared viciously at him with those bright eyes of hers. She pulled on her grandfather and looked up at him, saying, “Grandfather, put on your leather robe. It’s cold outside!”

Jiang Xiaohe walked outside slowly. It wasn’t until then that he understood how powerful the old man Bao was and that he hadn’t stood a chance! When he exited, he saw that the few people there had already finished sweeping the snow off of the grounds and were putting down the weapon rack. Ma Zhixian had already come.

Upon seeing Jiang Xiaohe, Ma Zhixian was so alarmed his eyes went wide. He hurried over and asked, “I looked for you yesterday until late into the night. How did you end up all the way out here?” Before Jiang Xiaohe could reply, old master Bao came out, tugging his granddaughter Aluan behind him. Seeing old master Bao, Ma Zhixian didn’t dare continue his conversation with Xiaohe, and quickly asked, “Master, have you gotten up?”

Old master Bao nodded and walked onto the grounds. Seeing that his other disciples, Lu Zhizhong, Chen Zhijun, Liu Zhiyuan, and Qin Zhibao, were all present, old master Bao gestured toward Jiang Xiaohe and said to the group, “Do you still recognize this child or not? This is Jiang Zhisheng’s son Jiang Xiaohe. I don’t know where he heard it from, but someone told him that his father was killed by me!” When he said this, he glanced over at Ma Zhixian.

Ma Zhixian was so scared his entire body started trembling. He stepped forward hastily and said, “Please allow me to speak, master! Since this boy’s father died and his mother remarried, he has been staying in my home. Because we are family, he has been helping me manage business at the smithy for these two years. I never said anything to him. On yesterday’s snowy day, he suddenly hurried away. I had no idea he had come here.”

Old master Bao smiled and said, “Don’t be scared. I didn’t mean to say that you told him to come kill me. I’m saying to the spirits and gods of the world that it wasn’t I who killed Jiang Zhisheng, so there is no guilt in my heart. In fact, I quite like this boy. Even though he suddenly jumped over my wall late last night and tried to kill me with a knife, I’m not the least bit mad. From now on, I would like him to live at my house and learn a bit of martial arts from me. But he’s not going to be one of your disciple-brothers. Let’s just say he’s my new foster grandson.”

After he finished, the old master laughed loudly. The group laughed with him, and Liu Zhiyuan and Chen Zhijun expressed their joy toward the old master. Though Ma Zhixian was also smiling on the outside, he was terrified in his heart. After he was done speaking, the old master told them to start training, and the girl Aluan amused herself with her saber on the grounds as well. Jiang Xiaohe was the only one standing at a distance with a vacant expression on his face. He couldn’t take anything up himself and start practicing, but he did watch other people’s fist technique and bladework carefully. He felt that they were all much stronger than he was, and therefore, that revenge was going to be even more difficult than he’d imagined.

Jiang Xiaohe spent his days watching other people train, and when they were done, they got him to do their work for them. Old master Bao treated his disciples very strictly, but treated Xiaohe very kindly, often smiling and rubbing his head. Xiaohe was likewise very grateful to the old master, believing for certain that his father had not been killed by him. At first, the girl Aluan would glare at him whenever she caught sight of him, but gradually she stopped glaring, and instead would smile when she saw him.

The two often played with each other. Whenever Aluan’s mother, Fang-shi, spotted the two together, she would call Aluan inside and scold her, forbidding her to play with Xiaohe again. However, it wasn’t like this for old master Bao. He didn’t get in the way of the two children playing together at all, and even seemed to take some pleasure in it. Sometimes, after dinner the old master would drink a bowl of tea, light three sticks of incense at his Buddhist altar, and then take Aluan and Xiaohe outside to play. Ma Zhixian came daily, and after he trained, he did some chores and left. He could only look on helplessly at Xiaohe, as if he hid in his heart many things that he wanted to say to him, but couldn’t because there were always people around.

After a dozen or so days, old master Bao’s second son, Bao Zhilin came back from Ziyang County. He met with his father and reported to him the details of what he had accomplished, and old master Bao told him about taking in Xiaohe. Bao Zhilin didn’t make a big deal of it, but when he went to his room, he started going off on his wife. He said, “Look how mixed up my dad is! That bastard Jiang Zhisheng stole another man’s wife and broke the rules of our school. He even injured me and Qin Zhibao. Then my dad called in Long Zhiteng, Long Zhiqi and Jia Zhiming from Ziyang County, chasing Jiang Zhisheng into the mountains in the north and killing him. If it were up to me, I’d eliminate the problem completely and see it through to the end by quietly ending the son’s life too. But dad just doesn’t want to do that, and instead takes the kid in to raise him. I see that kid as nothing but a wolf cub; when he grows up he’ll start eating people up!”

His wife, Lü-shi said, “Why do you care! If father wants to take him in, what can you do to stop him? Plus, he’s nothing, just a little boy who can help out around here. The first thing you talk about when I see you is killing people. They’ve killed his father, and now you want to kill the son too. Don’t think that if the government doesn’t find out about it that it’s not a crime. The spirits and gods all have eyes!”

Bao Zhilin swung his hand and slapped Lü-shi across the mouth, yelling, “If everyone had a woman’s heart like yours, no one in Jianghu would have anything to eat! Do you know what my dad sent me to Ziyang County to do? The Long brothers of Ziyang are bodyguards and when they were traveling through the Jianmen Mountains in Northern Sichuan, they encountered a dozen or more bandits and the two sides started fighting. Since the Long brothers’ martial arts are strong, they killed eight or nine people in the fight, and brought their security wagons safely to Chengdu. However, on their way back they ran into Xu Lin the renowned Xia of Langzhong from Northern Sichuan, and because of an argument, they got into another fight. The Long brothers weren’t a match for the Xia of Langzhong, and they ended up having to leave both of their horses. The Long brothers couldn’t quiet their anger, so they hurried to Xu Lin’s house to steal his horses. They didn’t get any, but they did kill two from Xu Lin’s household.”

Having been hit, his wife Lü-shi frowned and cried, saying, “And your brothers call other people bandits? In truth, you guys are even more vicious than bandits! I assure you that you guys won’t meet with a good end!” Bao Zhilin was so angry he was about to hit his wife again, but looking at his wife’s delicate face, he put his hand down. He yelled nastily at her instead before throwing the door open and walking out. When he was outside, he saw Jiang Xiaohe there feeding the horses. He went over and kicked Jiang Xiaohe onto the ground, spewing vitriol from his mouth, “How the fuck are you feeding the horses? Using this kind of hay, are you trying to fill them up until they die?”

Jiang Xiaohe was not about to take this from him, but Lu Zhizhong and Chen Zhijun came over to talk them down. Lu Zhizhong pulled Jiang Xiaohe aside, and Chen Zhijun asked of Bao Zhilin, “Brother, did you go see the Long brothers in Ziyang? Did they get hurt on the way back from Northern Sichuan?” Bao Zhilin shook his head and said, “No, they didn’t. It would be quite serious if one of our Kunlun School were to get hurt! Though Long Zhiteng and Long Zhiqi lost two horses on their trip through Northern Sichuan this time, they raised their already big reputation quite a bit, winning honor for our Kunlun School! I stayed with them for a dozen or so days, and every day they talked with me about what had happened to them. They greatly admire Xu Lin the Xia of Langzhong, saying that it was fortunate he ran into them. The disciples of our Kunlun School can hold our own against the Xia of Langzhong, but if it’d been anyone else, then it would’ve been all over for them!”

When Bao Zhilin spoke, he gestured with his hands and feet and made blustery facial expressions. Liu Zhiyuan, Lu Zhizhong, Ma Zhixian, Qin Zhibao and even Jiang Xiaohe came over to listen to him talk. Bao Zhilin recounted the story of the Long brothers going to Northern Sichuan, killing a bunch of people, and then fighting together against the Xia of Langzhong. He then said, “Although, the Long brothers did seed a lot of grudges down in Northern Sichuan. If they go back down there for escort work in the future, just the two of them, I think it would be hard to avoid a thrashing. So Long Zhiteng asked me to come back and discuss with my father about sending some guys over there to help them.”