Chapter 184 — Secret Orders

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed since the monkey Xiaohui's return to Great Zhu Peak, and during that time, one could hardly tell that it had been gone from Great Zhu Peak for nearly ten years: the monkey still seemed utterly familiar with every tree and blade of grass here. All day long, Xiaohui frolicked and played with Da Huang, running east and west, and the ordinarily quiet Great Zhu Peak seemed over these past few days to have grown livelier still.

Dog barks and the monkey's shrill cries and chatter echoed across Great Zhu Peak at every hour, lending the place a good measure more vitality.

In the early morning, the disciples of Great Zhu Peak emerged one after another from their lodgings, and at the sight of the monkey and the dog already romping about the open ground outside the Shoujing Hall, they could not help but smile.

He Dachuan turned his head, grinning at the others: "Ever since our young junior sister was married off that year, it's been a long time since this place was so lively."

Everyone nodded, quite taken with the sentiment, when all at once a cough was heard from the direction of the Shoujing Hall—a voice full of authority—and the startled crowd saw Tian Buhui standing there, and hurried forward to salute and pay their respects to their master.

Tian Buhui waved his hand carelessly, as good as dismissing them all, but then his gaze too was drawn to the dog and the monkey. After watching a while, he gave a snort and said, "Two ignorant beasts, howling like madmen at the break of day—clearly set on keeping honest folk from their sleep."

The disciples were taken aback, but held their tongues out of respect for their master's dignity. Tian Buhui went on grumbling a few more curses, to the effect that he'd fed this stupid dog for years for nothing, and in the end it was still this useless, and had even got so thick with the clumsy monkey into the bargain... The disciples found it funny, though of course they dared not laugh aloud.

Yet before long, Da Huang, who had been playing in the distance, suddenly began barking loudly toward the Shoujing Hall, toward Tian Buhui:

"Woof woof woof, woof woof, woof woof woof..." The stream of barks cut shrilly through the morning air, and from the insolent look on the dog's face, tongue lolling, it seemed greatly displeased with Tian Buhui—as though it had caught wind of his curses and taken offense.

The disciples all thought to themselves: could Da Huang truly have acquired some cultivation? Otherwise, at such a distance, no matter how keen a dog's ears, it could hardly have heard clearly; but if it were a dog of attainment, then naturally that was another matter.

While they were all turning this over in their minds, Tian Buhui was so enraged by Da Huang's sudden insolence that his face flushed red. "Outrageous, outrageous! Now even the dogs dare leap out and howl! Old Six!"

Du Biyan, standing among the others, started as if jolted by a shock, then hurriedly stepped forward and said:

"Master, your disciple is here. What are your orders?"

Tian Buhui, seeming ready to explode with rage, jabbed a finger toward the distant spot where Da Huang and Xiaohui were still barking loudly: "At noon today, slaughter that stupid dog for me and stew up a pot of dog meat!" With that, he turned away in a huff and stalked back into the Shoujing Hall.

Du Biyan stood rooted to the spot, cold sweat streaming down, and blurted, "What? Master, this—"

Before he could finish, Tian Buhui had vanished from sight, and a moment later the crowd behind Du Biyan burst out in a great roar of laughter, Song Dayi and the rest nearly choking on their mirth. Du Biyan, frantic and furious, cried, "What are you laughing at? This—this is what the master ordered! What am I supposed to do now?"

Song Dayi stepped forward, wiping the smile from his face; though his eyes were still brimming with mirth, his expression turned proper and he put on a grave, earnest look. He clapped Du Biyan on the shoulder and said solemnly, "Junior brother, this is a weighty charge the master has entrusted to you. You must see it through properly."

Du Biyan was on the verge of tears. "Who are you trying to fool? Everyone here knows the master's favorite has always been Da Huang! Never mind slaughtering it—if we so much as pull a single hair off that dog, the master won't give us a kind look. And now, if I really take the master at his word, and then he regrets it later... will I even be alive then?"

Song Dayi chuckled and turned to go; beside him Wu Dayi, the second disciple, walked over and nodded emphatically at Du Biyan: "Old Six, you're a clever fellow indeed, understanding the master's true meaning. In that case, just don't obey the master's order."

Off to the side, He Dachuan tilted his head to the sky and strolled off slowly, but as he went he remarked, whether deliberately or not: "Still, I hear the master hates nothing more than disciples disobeying his orders. Once he learns Old Six dared treat his words as so much wind past the ear, well, that..."

His laughter drifted over on the wind, but the man himself had gone far. Du Biyan paced in circles where he stood like an ant on a hot pan; turning around, he saw that everyone had already headed for the kitchen, and could not help but shout angrily at the backs of his senior brothers: "You bunch of disloyal wretches, you'll get yours sooner or later!"

His voice carried far, though whether Song Dayi and the others heard it was unclear; all he could see from afar was Song Dayi, without so much as turning his head, raising his right hand and waving it in the air, and faintly, it seemed their laughter drifted back...

"Stupid dog, dumb dog, dead dog..."

"Woof woof woof, woof woof!"

"What, you dare bark back at me now!" Du Biyan ground his teeth and cursed at Da Huang, who was tied to the wooden post. "It's all your doing, causing trouble—got me stuck with this cursed errand from the master."

Toward noon, under the gloating gazes of his senior brothers, Du Biyan finally caught Da Huang, who had been running all over the mountain, and tied him to the post outside the kitchen door. Nearby, Xiaohui hung from a branch by its tail, seeming not to understand what Du Biyan was up to, swaying and swinging back and forth in the tree as it watched the man and dog quarrel below.

As for Da Huang, it plainly had no fond feelings for Du Biyan just then: its dog face fierce, it barked at him without pause.

Du Biyan cursed Da Huang without cease, but he absolutely dared not actually slaughter the dog and stew its meat as Tian Buhui had said. It was just that his master's temper was strange and unpredictable; who was to say he wouldn't come out later, see Da Huang there, and vent his anger on Du Biyan instead? At these thoughts, Du Biyan was truly worried sick, not knowing what to do.

Da Huang was plainly quite displeased at being tied to the post; its jaws gaped wide, baring sharp fangs, and it roared at Du Biyan. Fretful and distracted, Du Biyan glared at Da Huang, shook his head, and muttered to himself: "Enough, enough. Count it as my bad luck, I'll just go cook first. Here's hoping the master's in a better mood later."

With that, he turned back toward the kitchen, face pinched with worry, and paid Da Huang no more heed. By the time he was inside the kitchen, Da Huang's barking still came drifting in, but presumably barking all alone was not much fun, for it soon quieted down.

To please Tian Buhui, Du Biyan put his whole heart into this meal, truly single-minded in his efforts. Now and then he heard a few barks from outside the kitchen, which then sank low and gave way to what seemed a soft whining "wu wu" sound; Du Biyan paid it no mind, wholly absorbed in cooking.

At any rate, none of his senior brothers, nor the master or mistress, would be coming here now, and he was glad enough of the quiet.