Capítulo 3: Yangzhou City
Editor: Lucas
Chapter 3: Yangzhou City
Spring rain fluttered about recklessly and covered the ancient Yangzhou citadel.
In the old districts of Yangzhou City, near the window of the second floor of Willow Tea House, the bespectacled Teng Qingshan was quietly seated. On the desk in front of him was a glass of soya milk and a bowl of buns. “My whereabouts were leaked, so the hitmen might be able to find me within one or two days.” Teng Qingshan was acquainted with the powerful influence of the number one international intelligence organization known as the “Hand of Darkness”. The An Yi County was just a small county under the rule of Yangzhou. Last night, he arrived in this urban area, which was only one hundred kilometers away from the county. It’s not that he couldn’t escape; it’s just that he didn’t want to escape! This was because there was a person in Yangzhou City who he really wanted to see!
“Qing He!”
Teng Qingshan gazed at an old two-story house in the distance.
After finishing his buns and soya milk, he ordered a cup of tea and drank it while waiting. When his cup of tea was refilled for the third time, it was already eleven o’clock. However, Teng Qingshan still had not found the person he wanted to see.
“Let’s go back,” he thought to himself.
Teng Qingshan immediately left the tea house and returned to his temporary residence in Yangzhou….
This was a house in the Xi Cheng District of Yangzhou. The monthly renting fee of this type of house was about one thousand RMB, and Teng Qingshan wanted to live there for approximately three months. However, he had actually paid the owner ten thousand RMB. As a result, the owner did not ask to see Teng Qingshan’s identity card, nor did he ask any questions. He paid the owner so much money that the owner had no reason to be worried. In the living room, Teng Qingshan had just made a cup of tea and laid back on the couch when his phone rang.
Teng Qingshan frowned. He had just bought this phone and only intended to use it temporarily. There were only two people who knew his phone number: one was Lin Qing, the other was aunty Liu at the orphanage. This phone was originally bought with the sole purpose of contacting the orphanage.
“Hey, Teng Qingshan, let’s eat lunch together today.” A familiar voice rang.
Teng Qingshan smiled helplessly, shaking his head, and started talking. “I’m sorry, Lin, I have already left the county.”
“What?” Lin Qing asked, with surprise in her voice.
“Why did you leave? Weren’t you still here yesterday?” Lin’s voice was somewhat urgent.
“Lin Qing, my brother called me yesterday and told me that my family had an urgent matter. Therefore, I was in a hurry to return to my hometown. It was late then, so I didn’t want to bother you.”
Teng Qingshan had just made up an excuse, as he did not want these ordinary people to get involved in his world.
“Oh…” Lin Qing lowered her voice; it was obvious that she was slightly disappointed. After being silent for a second, she continued, “Teng Qingshan, where is your hometown? Perhaps I’ll travel there when I have time. ”
“My hometown is located in a remote mountainous area, so you won’t know even if I tell you,” Teng Qingshan answered. “Lin Qing, if I come back to An Yi county in the future, I will come meet you then. Oh, I need to go have lunch now. Let’s talk next time.” With this, Teng Qingshan hung up the phone.
Teng Qingshan had a self-deprecating smile on his lips as he tossed the phone onto the table.
Then, he took out a small cauldron which was hanging around his neck, about the size of a fingertip. He gently caressed the cauldron, just like a man comforting his lover.
“Little Cat, isn’t your man very charming? Getting chased by girls within such a short time.” Teng Qingshan stared at the tiny tripod cauldron as he whispered to himself, “Cat, I have lived in An Yi County for almost a week. I also met the headmistress; she was still as kind as she was so many years ago. I have fulfilled my wish, which was to meet Headmistress granny. Now, I only have one wish left, which is to meet my brother Qing He. Qing He is now living in Yangzhou. I guess that I should be able to meet him.”
“After I meet my brother Qing He, I will no longer have any regrets!”
“Then, I can travel everywhere, to the north and south of our country, pursuing martial arts. Of course, you will be with me throughout this entire journey!”
Although Teng Qingshan looked like a young man who had just graduated from the college, he was in fact nearly thirty years old. It was only because he had achieved an extremely high level in the Internal Martial Arts he practiced that he looked so young. Many years of practicing assiduously had caused his calluses and dead skin to fall off. Thus, his whole body was rejuvenated and he looked much younger than his real age.
He picked up the backpack next to him and took out a laptop.
After connecting his computer to the power supply, he turned it on and opened the music player. He then placed the laptop on the table in front of him.
“I am a wolf from the north, walking in the wilderness, howling in the mournful northern breeze….” The melodies of the Chyi Chin’s song “Wolf” echoed in the room. It was his absolute favorite song as, for two decades, he had only one name – Wolf!
It was the same as the woman he loved; she also had only one name – Cat!
Ever since the day he had been taken to Siberia, the name ‘Qing Shan’ had become part of his past. After many life-and-death trainings, harsh screenings, and walking out of piles of corpses, he then earned the right to have a code name – “Wolf”!
Before he was seven years old, he was just a carefree child in the orphanage. The year he turned seven, he was adopted. He thought his life would get better, but he actually entered hell. He became a potential hitman candidate of a hitman organization. In the first round of screening, a large group of children fought with each other for scraps of food, and only one-hundred and thirteen among three-hundred and sixty children survived. After that, he was sent to the horrible Siberian training camp.
The year he turned ten years old, only thirty-eight people among the one-hundred and thirteen were still alive. He overcame everything thanks to his immensely strong will and was bestowed the code name “Wolf”! In the same year, he met his mentor, a master of Xing Yi Martial Arts called “Teng Bo Lei”. Teng Bo Lei accepted only four people, but the other three were just disciples by name. Only he alone was Teng Bo Lei’s direct disciple! This was something that even the hitman organization did not know.
In the year that he turned sixteen years old, he returned to the hitman organization and truly began his journey as a hitman. Camouflage, hiding, etc….he had continued to learn more of those skills during his dangerous missions, and he continued to refine these skills.
During those long days, a girl who was the same age as him, Cat, was always besides him. They came from the same group of three-hundred and sixty people who had experienced incredibly dangerous training; they studied with master Teng Bo Lei together, and were in the hitman organization together… they supported and helped each other.
One day in their long journey, they realized that they could never live without each other.
They had originally made a plan: when the day arrived, they would quit the organization and live a free life together. But when he turned twenty-nine, a nightmare descended…
The flames from the explosion had pushed Teng Qingshan into complete despair. The other half of his life, Cat, had died! That was his most beloved woman, the most important person in his life! The death of Cat turned Teng Qingshan into an absolute madman. He became a vengeful lone ‘Wolf’, a crazy and lonely ‘Wolf’, who promised to get his revenge, regardless of anything!
Kill! Kill all of the top senior administrators of that organization, those who designed that plan! He was ready to die in that vengeful battle. However, at the last instant, his knife skills saved him. He actually escaped from the headquarters alive.
…
Cat‘s death completely changed Teng Qingshan’s mood. He returned to his hometown this time, hoping to have a chance to meet the motherly headmistress, ‘Granny’, and his younger brother, ‘Qing He’. After those two wishes of his were fulfilled, Teng Qingshan would have no worries and could spend his entire strength and soul pursuing martial arts.
…
Teng Qingshan finished listening to the song. He took a deep breath, then carefully put the small cauldron back into his collar and closed the music player. Simultaneously, he accessed the internet and adeptly opened a foreign website. All the articles there were written in English, but he entered the site and clicked around very familiarly. He then skillfully typed in the English letters.
“Every time that I want to contact Elena, it’s always so troublesome. This “beetle” software needs to be re-downloaded again and again.” After Teng Qingshan finished downloading the “beetle” software, he installed it on his computer. The software was a chat tool, similarly to Yahoo or QQ chat.
However, the “beetle” software was programmed by “Elena” – who was one of Teng Qingshan’s closest friends.
While QQ had millions of user accounts, the “beetle” chat software had only two users – one was Elena, the other was Teng Qingshan. This software was programmed for only them to chat with each other.
He started to run the software.
The entire screen suddenly became dark. Next, poignant drops of blood appeared on the screen. Then a sign-in box popped up, which allowed the users to enter their usernames and passwords, and he logged in. “Elena!” Teng Qingshan entered the English words, and waited for a response from Elena.
After a moment, she responded. “Wolf! Oh, now I should call you Teng Qingshan, shouldn’t I?” In a place very far away, in a villa located in the suburbs of London, a beautiful, blonde-haired barefoot girl who was wearing a nightgown was typing on her keyboard. Her eyes showed her excitement.
“Elena, last time you told me that there was an orphan called Qing He, who is now living in Yangzhou, right?” asked Teng Qingshan.
“Of course, are you doubting my intelligence? He was called Qing He when he lived in an orphanage. Later, he was adopted and was renamed “Qin Hong” by his adoptive parents. After graduating from high school, he entered the army and joined a Special Operations Organisation. Now, he is responsible for the Yangzhou region. The address I gave you is absolutely correct. ”
Elena had no doubt.
Teng Qingshan nodded. Today, he had only waited for half a day. Although his brother had not come, that didn’t mean he was not currently in Yangzhou.
“And Wolf, I have to remind you again! The powerful Redmayne family will not let you live. What you did was tantamount to a fierce slap to their face. The Death Scythe organization was hired to kill you, and two super-strong hitmen have already snuck into China. You have to be extremely careful. If your whereabouts are leaked, you must flee immediately. ”
”Oh, two super-strong hitmen from Death Scythe? Are they ‘Sharpshooter’ Sun Ze and ‘Body Crusher’ Dolgoterov?” Teng Qingshan typed in response.
“You’re very smart. Yes, it’s them. Those guys are S-rank hitmen. Neither one is weaker than you, so you cannot be careless,” Elena reminded him.
Teng Qingshan’s eyes lit up. “Except for those two hitmen, I don’t really have to worry about anyone else in Death Scythe. However, since they have come, It would be a good fight! ”
“So arrogant? Tsk tsk, you are indeed the Lone Wolf of the flying knives. You are as famous as them, and everyone knows that your ability is not worse than theirs. However, you are alone and there are two of them. The cooperation between a melee and a ranged hitman will at least double their power. Wolf, as your friend, I must tell you one more time: once your whereabouts are leaked, you must run away immediately,” Elena tried to persuade him.
“Your reminder is late. My whereabouts were leaked yesterday.” Teng Qingshan’s face was showing a special smile. Since his wife’s, Little Cat‘s, death, he had focused mostly on training his martial arts. Having the chance to fight with some super-strong hitmen was what he had been dreaming of.
“What? Leaked? You’d better run away now!” Elena urged.
“Haha, why do I have to run away? I’m now in Yangzhou, waiting for them to come… to fight!” Teng Qingshan’s look became incredibly sharp. With his wife dead, he had nothing to worry about. At this point, what should Teng Qingshan be afraid of? No matter how many people might come, he would be willing to give a warm welcome to all of them.
If worst comes to the worst, he would simply risk everything he had. He planned to silently wait in this small city for the arrival of the world’s super-strong hitmen. If one person came, he would commit a murder. If two came, then he would leave a pair of corpses!
Teng Qingshan’s eyes were as sharp as knives. “I want to find out just who it is that think they can kill me!”
Capítulo 4: Eyes Filled with Emotion
Editor: Lucas
Chapter 4: Eyes Filled with Emotion
On the fourth day, Teng Qingshan was in the courtyard of his rented residence located in Yangzhou City.
He sat cross-legged in the courtyard. The night had passed and when the first ray of sunlight shone down on Yangzhou City, Teng Qingshan opened his eyes almost at the same time. His mind was calm like water, and his spirit reserved. He stood up and faced the rising sun as he took in a deep breath. With a calm expression, he started performing the Twelve Forms of Xing Yi.
The Twelve Forms of Xing Yi were the forms of Dragon, Tiger, Eagle, Monkey, Horse, Swallow, Harrier, Chicken, Bear, Sparrowhawk, Alligator, and Snake.
Each stance had its own profoundness.
When Teng Qingshan was performing the Dragon Form, he was like a swimming dragon bursting from the water, moving through great waves. He was quick as lightning, spinning and gaining force from his momentum. Suddenly, he thrusted his fist out and a sharp sound that sounded like an electric drill spinning and piercing through the air rang out. The Dragon Form and the Xing Yi Five Element Fists ’s ‘Drilling Fist’ combined almost perfectly.
When he was performing the Tiger Form, his body moved so quickly that it made one felt as if it was the flash of an illusion. With both his palms and feet on the ground, he suddenly leaped out like a ferocious tiger descending from the mountains. A low whistle rang out. His left fist twisted and turned while his right fist was sent out as if it was a missile, causing the sounds of firecrackers crackling. His left and right fists crossed paths and then he launched out his left fist again… The cycle repeated as he attacked in turns with his left and right fist. He was like a tiger descending from the mountains with claws tearing out incessantly, appearing to have the desire to tear his prey into pieces.
...
After performing the fist technique for one round, the sun had already completely leaped out from the horizon.
Facing the rising stance, resolve!
As Teng Qingshan watched the rising sun, his gaze appeared unmoved and firm like a rock. Ever since his wife passed away, Teng Qingshan only pursued ‘martial arts’ with an extremely strong determination. This resulted in the improvement of Teng Qingshan’s comprehension of the Xing Yi Martial Art. Each improvement of his understanding of the Xing Yi Martial allowed Teng Qingshan to sense the profundity of the martial art.
“It has been three days, but I’ve yet to see Qinghe!” Teng Qingshan frowned. However, he then smiled as he thought to himself, “However, the efficiency of the ‘Hand of Darkness’ is really low to have only discovered my traces yesterday evening.”
Teng Qingshan had initially thought that the Hand of Darkness would be able to track him down within a day, considering that Yangzhou City was only over a hundred kilometers away from Anyi County City. Yet, who would have thought that they were only able to find him on the third evening. However, this was not surprising either because the Hand of Darkness had originally thought that Teng Qingshan would escape somewhere far away immediately after his location was exposed. Therefore, they spent a large part of their energy on somewhere else.
They didn’t expect that Teng Qingshan would have no fear of death and actually continued staying in Yangzhou City.
“It’s been three consecutive days and I still haven’t found Qinghe… As a member of the country’s special department, Qinghe might have been held up by something important.” As usual, Teng Qingshan left his residence, took a taxi, and headed straight for Old City District’s Willow Tea House.
Under normal circumstances, Teng Qingshan would stay in Willow Tea House during morning and then stay at the White Cloud Cafe nearby in the afternoon as he could see his younger brother’s house from within the White Cloud Cafe.
******
In the Willow Tea House in the Old City District in Yangzhou City:
“Sir, you’re here. Please come in.” The waiter led Teng Qingshan to the seat next to a window on the second storey with great familiarity. “Sir? Is it still soya milk and xiaolongbao?” For three consecutive days, Teng Qingshan had sat at the same spot, ordered the same food, and stayed for the entire afternoon. Of course the waiters knew well of what Teng Qingshan was going to order.
Teng Qingshan nodded slightly, “That’s right. Thank you.” He then turned and looked out the window towards the house of his younger brother, Qinghe.
“Mmm, Qinghe hadn’t gone home at all for the past few days. What’s going on?” Teng Qingshan frowned slightly. This was his fourth day of observing. After a few consecutive days of observation, Teng Qingshan was now very familiar with his younger brother’s home. He would be able to differentiate if anyone had touched the doors, windows, and curtains with just one glance.
There were no changes!
Through his observations, he realized that Qinghe’s place had not housed anyone for that few days
“In a few days, ‘Sharpshooter’ Sun Ze and ’Body Crusher’ Dolgoterov will be here. I hope that I’ll be able to see my younger brother before this battle with them.” Teng Qingshan thought to himself.
“Sir, here’s your soya milk and xiaolongbao.”
The waiter served up a basket of xiaolongbao and a big cup of soya milk. Teng Qingshan began eating his breakfast as he waited quietly...
……
A slight breeze blew as a Land Rover’s Range Rover SUV drove along the streets of the Old City District. This domineering and manly car was being driven by a delicate short-haired beauty. When a beauty drives a car like this, it emanated a different charm, causing the eyes of many people along the streets to lit up as they gasped in admiration.
Lin Qing drove the Land Rover silently.
She had long gotten used to the gazes along the streets. Her face now only had a faint lonely expression.
“I had thought that I’d just live my life muddling along without any aim, but the heavens gave me the chance to meet him… Teng Qingshan, he’s like a gust of wind, coming abruptly, bringing colors to my life once again. However, also like a gust of wind, he left without a sound.” Lin Qing’s gaze appeared cold. Suddenly, her eyes spotted a tea house along the streets—Willow Tea House.
In Yangzhou City, Willow Tea House’s reputation was far a match for that of the Rich Spring Tea House, but it also had a long history and its prices were much cheaper in comparison.
Making the usual turn, Lin Qing parked her Land Rover in front of the tea house and stepped into Willow Tea House.
“Miss Lin,” When the waiter saw Lin Qing, he immediately welcomed her warmly, “It’s been awhile since you last came.”
“I went travelling.” Lin Qing smiled faintly and said as she headed up the stairs.
……
Teng Qingshan had already finished his breakfast and was having some tea as he continued focusing on his younger brother Qinghe’s house.
“Teng Qingshan!” A slightly trembling voice rang out.
Teng Qingshan froze for a moment. In Yangzhou City, not many people know him. Puzzled, he turned and saw a short-haired lady dressed in a white blouse and a pair of long black pants—Lin Qing! When Teng Qingshan met Lin Qing’s gaze, he suddenly felt his calm heart quivered.
Lin Qing’s gaze appeared angry and anxious, containing a hint of joy and a hint of annoyance. What kind of eyes were those that they were able to hold so much emotions?
“Little Cat…”
Teng Qingshan could still remember the scene which happened when he was twenty years old. Back then, he was on a mission with his wife ‘Cat’ in Lebanon, a middle-eastern country. In a state of emergency, he had taken off Little Cat’s clothes and removed the bullet from her wound. During that time, Cat also looked at him like how Lin Qing did...
It was both angry and anxious and the hint of both joy and anger.
It was the same exact gaze!
It was also after that time that Cat and him and taken the crucial step forward and became lovers.
“Teng Qingshan, didn’t you say that you have some important things to tend to and need to rush back to your hometown? You even said that you live in the mountainous area and I wouldn’t know about it. Why are you still in Yangzhou?” Lin Qing sat down opposite Teng Qingshan as she demanded an explanation. However, she realized that Teng Qingshan remained silent and was just staring at her.
Staring at her eyes!
It was very rude for one to meet a lady’s glance.
“What are you looking at?” Lin Qing could not help but asked. Although she said this, there was a hint of joy in her heart. Teng Qingshan, this blockhead, has finally noticed her charm.
“Your eyes...they look very much like my wife’s.” Teng Qingshan let out a soft sigh, drew back his gaze, and took a sip of tea.
Lin Qing was stunned.
“Your wife?” Earlier, Lin Qing was still infuriated and wanted to ask why Teng Qingshan had lied to her. However, when she heard the word, ‘wife’, she was completely stunned. “You...Didn’t you just graduated and left university? Why do you have a wife?”
“University?”
Teng Qingshan shook his head as he answered, “I have never attended a university before.”
In actuality, even the spectacles were fake and was just a tool for the disguise.
“You, you…” Lin Qin was absolutely confused.
“I’m sorry to have deceived you all this while. I lied when I said that I stayed in the mountainous area; I also lied when I said that I had just graduated from university.” Teng Qingshan smiled faintly and said, “Lin Qing, I really do have an important matter, but it’s inappropriate for you to get involved in it. That was why I have been lying to you all this while. There are many things that are too complicated to be explained. The best solution is for you to take it as if you have never met me before.”
Lin Qing had felt that Teng Qingshan was mysterious to begin with. It was because of the shocking power and physical abilities he had displayed in the northeastern Great Xing An Mountain. And right now, Lin Qing felt that Teng Qingshan was more mysterious than ever before.
“Take it that I haven’t met you before?” Lin Qing stared at Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan nodded.
Lin Qing could sense that the apathy Teng Qingshan had hidden in his heart seemed to be rejecting other people from coming into contact with him and understanding him!
“You’ve been lying to me all this while. Don’t you plan to make it up to me?” Lin Qing asked.
“Make it up to you?” Teng Qingshan frowned.
“Are you busy today?” Lin Qing asked.
Teng Qingshan nodded slightly, “I’ll be staying at the cafe next door for the entire afternoon.”
“Excellent,” Lin Qing smiled and nodded, “My request won’t be difficult. I just want to keep you company when you are enjoying your tea here. When you head for the cafe in the afternoon, I’ll join you too. If you have to meet someone else, I won’t interrupt. I want to be with you for the entire day. What do you think?”
Teng Qingshan was a little puzzled. It was only so that she could stay next to him for a day?
If she were to insist to be stay next to him, there was no way he could stop her.
“Alright.” Teng Qingshan nodded and Lin Qing broke into a smile.
[1] Xiaolongbao is a type of steamed bun (baozi) from the Jiangnan region of China, especially associated with Shanghai and Wuxi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongbao
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