"What did he say?" asked Chen. A cold wind suddenly blew down on them and they all shivered.
"He said 'Tell Brother Lu and Yu Yutong to avenge my death!' Just then, some people outside who had heard the fighting started shouting, so I helped Twelfth Brother out and we returned to our lodgings. The next day, I went back to have a look and saw Master Ma's body had already been taken away. Twelfth Brother had been hit by five golden needles, but I extracted them for him and he's now convalescing in Twin Willows Lane in Beijing.
"Zhang said the Emperor wanted him to come to the Northwest to look for someone, and I thought perhaps it could be your teacher, Great Helmsman. I remember you said once that there were two important items relating to the Emperor being kept by your teacher, Master Yuan. So I came out with the others to warn him."
"How is Twelfth Brother?" Chen asked.
"His wounds are serious, but luckily not fatal," Wei replied.
By now, the cold wind was blowing hard, and thick, leaden clouds were gathering above them.
"It's going to snow soon," Princess Fragrance said, and moved even closer to Chen.
Zhou Qi could control herself no longer. "What did she say?" she demanded.
Chen was surprised by her outraged tone. "She said it's going to snow."
"Huh! How would she know?" She paused for a moment, then suddenly added: "Great Helmsman, just who it is that you love? Sister Huo Qingtong is a nice girl and I won't allow her to be cheated."
"Mistress Huo Qingtong is indeed a nice person and we all have a great deal of respect for her…" Chen began.
"Then why did you cast her aside as soon as you met her beautiful sister?" Zhou Qi interrupted.
Chen blushed, and Luo Bing came to his rescue. "The Great Helmsman, like the rest of us, has only met Sister Huo Qingtong once. She is just an ordinary friend. You can't start talking about whether he loves her or not."
"What are you supporting him for?" Zhou Qi demanded, even more agitated. "She gave him an antique dagger, and the way the Great Helmsman looked at her, it was plainly a case of love at first sight…"
Princess Fragrance listened to them talking excitedly and looked on with her big round eyes, full of curiosity.
"Mistress Huo Qingtong already had a suitor before she met me," Chen said. "Even if I had such an intention, what would be the point of unnecessarily making things difficult for myself?"
Zhou Qi stared at him in surprise. "Is that true?"
"Why would I deceive you?"
"Well, that's all right, then," she said, immediately changing her tone. "You are a good man. I was wrong to accuse you. I'm sorry." The others laughed at her frankness. Zhou Qi took Princess Fragrance's hand and squeezed it. Suddenly, they felt a wave of coldness on their faces and looked up to see snow flakes as big as goose feathers floating down towards them.
"You were right," she said. "It's snowing!"
"If we don't get reinforcements to rescue us, we are going to die here," said Luo Bing.
"Master Muzhuolun will certainly send out scouts to look for his daughter and the Great Helmsman when they fail to return," Xu replied.
"I`m sure they have," Chen said. "But we have come so far south, I'm afraid they may have difficulty finding us."
"Well then, we will have to send someone out to get help."
"I'll go!" volunteered Xin Yan.
Chen thought for a moment and then nodded. He asked Princess Fragrance to write a note to her father, and Xin Yan took a writing brush and some ink from his knapsack and gave them to her.
"Take Sister Luo Bing's white horse," Chen said to Xin Yan. "We will make a diversionary attack to the east, and you can make a break for it to the west." He then gave him directions to the Muslim camp. On the signal, the heroes leapt out of the pit and charged eastwards with shouts and battle cries leaving only Zhou Qi and Princess Fragrance behind. Xin Yan led the white horse out of the hole, jumped onto its back and galloped off westwards. The Manchu troops loosed off a few arrows but none came even close to hitting him. Once the heroes were sure Xin Yan had escaped, they retreated back to the pit.
By this time, the snow was falling heavily and the ground about them had been transformed into a vast white carpet. They settled down for the night, but all slept badly except for Princess Fragrance was still fast asleep when dawn broke. Her hair and shoulders were covered with snow which shuddered slightly as she breathed. Luo Bing laughed gently. "This child is not the least bit concerned," she said.
Time dragged by and Xu frowned deeply. "Why is there still no sign of a rescue attempt?" he asked slowly.
"Could Xin Yan have met some trouble on the road?" said Wen.
"What I'm worried about is something else," replied Xu.
"What is it?" Zhou Qi demanded. "Stop mumbling and get on with it."
"Great Helmsman, who makes the decisions in the Muslim camp?" Xu asked. "Master Muzhuolun or Mistress Huo Qingtong?"
"Both, apparently. Master Muzhuolun discusses everything with his daughter."
"If Huo Qingtong refused to send out soldiers, then… things would be difficult," Xu continued. The others saw what he was getting at.
"How could you say such a thing about Sister Huo Qingtong?" Zhou Qi demanded, jumping up. "Doesn't she already have a suitor? And even if she was jealous of her sister, would she refuse to save the man she loved?"
"When women become jealous, they are capable of anything," answered Xu. Zhou Qi began shouting angrily, and Princess Fragrance woke with a start. The heroes had only met Huo Qingtong once and although she seemed nice, they knew very little about her. Xu's words seemed not unreasonable.
9
After breaking out of the ring, Xin Yan followed the route Chen had indicated, galloped to the Muslim camp and presented the letter to Muzhuolun. The old man had been frantic with worry, and jumped up joyfully as he read his daughter's note.
"Call the troops together!" he ordered.
"How many Manchu troops were there surrounding you?" Huo Qingtong asked Xin Yan.
"Four or five thousand altogether."
Huo Qingtong bit her lip and paced from one side of the tent to the other, deep in thought. Horns sounded outside as the soldiers began to gather, and Muzhuolun was just about to go out to join them when Huo Qingtong suddenly turned to him.
"Father, we can't go," she said.
Muzhuolun looked at her in astonishment, uncertain if he had heard correctly. "What…what did you say?"
"I said we can't go."
He was about to fly into a rage, but then remembered how clear-thinking and intelligent his daughter usually was. "Why?" he asked.
"Zhao Wei is a very capable general. He would not dispatch four or five thousand troops just to capture our two envoys. It must be a trap."
"Even if it is a trap, how can we stand by and let the Manchus kill your sister and our Red Flower Society friends?"
Huo Qingtong hung her head and said nothing. "I am afraid that if we go, we will not only fail to rescue them, but will sacrifice several thousand more lives as well." she said finally.
Muzhuolun slapped his thigh in exasperation. "But she is your own flesh and blood!" he cried. "And we owe Master Chen and the others a great debt. Even if we died trying to save them, what would it matter? You…you…" He was both angry and hurt by his daughter's ungratefulness.
"Father, listen to me. It may be possible to save them and win a great victory as well."