Scholar' Yu, under orders to investigate thewhereabouts of Wen Tailai, made discreet enquiriesalong the road as he went. But he discovered no clues,and in less than a day arrived at Liangzhou, aprosperous busy city and one of the largest in Gansuprovince. He found a room in an inn, then went to atavern and drank alone, bemoaning his fate. He thoughtof Luo Bing's voice and smile, and a tide of longingrose within him. He knew it was hopeless, and the morehe drank, the more melancholy he became. He was justabout to leave when two men came in. Yu knew he hadseen one of them before and quickly turned his headaway. He thought frantically and placed him as one ofthe Yamen officers he had fought at Iron Gall Manor.

　　Luckily, the man and his companion paid no attentionto him.

　　They chose a table near the window which happened tobe just next to Yu's and sat down. Yu sat with hishead on the table, pretending to be drunk.

　　The two men chatted for a while, then one said:

　　"Brother Rui, it's remarkable How you captured thatfellow. I wonder what sort of reward the Emperor willgive you?""I'm not concerned about the reward," Rui replied. "Ifwe can get him to Hangzhou nice and safely, I'll behappy. When we left Beijing, there were eight of usbodyguards, and now I'm the only one left. It was thatfight in Suzhou. I'm not selling myself short, but Istill get the shivers just thinking about it.""You're with Master Zhang now," the other said. "I'msure nothing more will be wrong.""That's true," Rui replied. "But it means that theImperial Guardsmen get all the credit. What do weImperial Bodyguards get out of it? But tell me, oldZhu. What are they doing sending him to Hangzhouinstead of to Beijing?""My younger sister is from the family of Great ScholarShi, as you know," Zhu replied, lowering his voice.

　　"She told me quietly that the Emperor plans to go downsouth. Perhaps he wants to question him himself."Rui grunted and drank a mouthful of wine. "So the sixof you rushed out from Beijing to see that theImperial command was complied with?""And to give the rest of you some help. The Red FlowerSociety is very powerful in the south. We have to beespecially careful."As he listened, Yu groaned inwardly at the sheer luckof it all. If he had not happened to be there and hearthem, the Red Flower Society heroes would have beenracing to Beijing to save Wen when he was really beingtaken to Hangzhou.

　　"Brother Rui," Zhu said. "Exactly what crime has thisfellow committed that the Emperor wants to questionhim personally?""How would we know?" Rui replied. "We were just toldthat if we didn't catch him, we would all be removedfrom our posts. I just hope I can keep my head on myshoulders."The two laughed and drank, and their conversationturned to the subject of women. Finally, they paid thebill and stood up to leave. Rui looked over at Yuprostrate on the table.

　　"Scholars," he said and laughed harshly. "Three cupsof wine and they can't even walk."Yu waited until they had gone, then hastily threw fivesilver coins onto the table and dashed out of thetavern. He spotted the men entering the city Yamen. Hewaited for a long time but didn't see them re-appear,and decided they must be lodging there.

　　He returned to his room and as soon as it was dark, hechanged into a set of dark clothes, stuck his goldenflute into his belt then ran over to the Yamen. Makinghis way round to the back, he clambered over the wall.

　　All was pitch black in the courtyard except for ashaft of light coming from a window in the easternhall, and as he crept closer, he heard voices comingfrom inside. He wet the tip of his finger with a dropof saliva, then lightly moistened the window paper andmade a small hole. Looking through, he started infright.

　　The hall was full of people. Zhang Zhaozhong wasseated in the middle with the bodyguards and Yamenofficers on either side of him. A man standing withhis back to Yu cursed angrily, and he knew from hisvoice that it was Wen Tailai.

　　"You can curse to your heart's content," a voice offto the side said darkly. "I may not be as proficientin the martial arts as you, but you will still get ataste of my hand."Yu was distressed. "They are going to humiliate FourthBrother," he thought. "He is the person Fourth Sisterrespects and loves most. How can I allow him to beinsulted by these villains?"He saw a tall, thin middleaged man wearing a blue gownadvancing on Wen with his hand raised. Just as the manwas about to strike Wen, Yu inserted his flute throughthe hole in the window paper, and with a puff, shot asmall arrow into the man's left eye.

　　The man fell to the ground in agony and there was amoment of confusion in the hall. Yu shot another arrowinto the right cheek of one of the bodyguards, thenkicked open the main door of the hall and ran straightin.

　　"Don't move!" he shouted. "The Red Flower Society hascome to the rescue!"He raised his flute and struck the Yamen officersbeside Wen, then pulled a dagger from his legwrappingsand cut the ropes binding Wen's hands and feet.

　　Zhang Zhaozhong thought a largescale attack was inprogress and immediately drew his sword and went tothe hall door to prevent Wen and Yu from escaping andthose outside from getting in.

　　As soon as Wen's hands were free of the bonds, hisspirits surged. An Imperial Bodyguard lunged towardshim and Wen struck him hard with his fist, sending himreeling away. The others were so afraid of Wen's powerthat for a while they did not dare to get too close tohim.

　　"Fourth Brother, let's get out!" Yu said.

　　"Are the others here?""No," Yu replied quietly. "There's only me."Wen nodded once. The wounds on his right arm and thighhad not yet healed, but he ran for the door with hisright arm resting on Yu's shoulder.

　　Zhang strode foward a step. "Stop!" he shouted, andjabbed at Wen's stomach with his long sword. Wen wasslow on his feet, so using attack as his defence, hestruck out at his opponent's eyes with the index andmiddle fingers of his left hand, and Zhang was forcedto retract his sword.

　　"Good!" he exclaimed. The two men were incrediblyfast, but Wen only had the use of his left arm andafter a few more moves, Zhang hit his right shoulder.

　　Unable to keep his balance, Wen sat down heavily onthe floor.

　　"I shouldn't have done this," Yu thought as he foughtoff the Imperial Bodyguards. "I will save FourthBrother and then let the Eagle's Claws kill me so thatFourth Sister will know that I, Yu Yutong, am not anunchivalrous oaf."He saw Wen fall to the ground and flipped round tostrike out desperately at Zhang.

　　"Fourth Brother, get out quick!" Yu shouted. Wenrested a moment and then with difficulty clambered tohis feet. The golden flute flew and danced, completelyneglecting to defend or parry. Yu was completelyunconcerned about his own safety. Even with his superbswordsmanship, Zhang was forced to move back severalpaces in the face of his suicidal attack. Wen saw anopening and shot out of the door, with the mob of thebodyguards and officers howling after him.

　　Yu blocked them at the door, ignoring his own safety.

　　"Don't you want to live?" Zhang shouted. "Who taughtyou that kung fu style?" Yu was using the traditionalstyle of the Wudang School, the school to which Zhangbelonged, and Zhang had so far spared him because ofit.

　　"It would be best if you killed me," Yu said, smilingsadly. After a few more moves, Zhang's sword struckhim once more, this time on the right shoulder, so Yushifted the golden flute to his left hand andcontinued the fight without retreating a step.

　　The mass of the bodyguards charged forward again andYu's flute danced, hooting strangely as the windwhipped through it. A bodyguard chopped at him withhis sword, and gashed Yu's shoulder. His body was nowcovered in blood, but he continued the fierce battle,and there was a sudden crack as the jawbone of anotherbodyguard was shattered. The bodyguards pressedforward, knives, swords, whips and clubs all thrustingtowards Yu simultaneously. Yu's thigh was hit by aclub and he fell to the ground. His golden flute keptup its dance for a few moments, then he fainted away.

　　There was a sudden shout from the door: "Stop!"The bodyguards turned and saw Wen walking slowly backinto the hall. He ignored them and went straight overto Yu. Seeing his bloodied body, he couldn't stop histears. He bent down and was relieved to find Yu wastill breathing.

　　"Treat his wounds quickly," he ordered.

　　The bodyguards were so fearful of his power, that theydid as he said. Wen watched them bind Yu's wounds andcarry him through to the inner hall, then placed bothof his hands behind his back.

　　"Tie me up," he said. One of the bodyguards lookedover at Zhang, then walked slowly over.

　　"What are you afraid of?" Wen asked. "If I was goingto hurt you, I would have done so long ago."The bodyguard bound his hands and took him back to thedungeons. Two bodyguards were left to guard him.

　　Early the next morning, Zhang went to see Yu and foundhim in a deep sleep. He was told by a guard that thedoctor had visited Yu and prescribed some medicine.

　　Zhang visited him again in the afternoon and Yuappeared to be more alert.

　　"Is your teacher surnamed Lu or Ma?" Zhang asked him.

　　"My teacher is surnamed Ma, his given name is Zhen.""So that's it. I am your martial uncle, ZhangZhaozhong."Yu nodded slightly.

　　"Are you a member of the Red Flower Society?"Yu nodded again.

　　"Such a nice young man," Zhang sighed. "What a pitythat you have fallen to such a state. What relation isWen Tailai to you? What were you doing risking yourlife to save him?"Yu closed his eyes and was silent. A moment passed.

　　"In the end I did save him, so I can die in peace," hefinally said.

　　"Huh! Do you really think you could snatch him awayfrom me?"Yu was startled. "Didn't he escape?" he asked.

　　"How could he? Stop day-dreaming!"Zhang tried to interrogate him, but Yu took no notice,and after a while he began to sneeze.

　　Zhang smiled slightly. "You stubborn boy," he said,and left.

　　He ordered the Imperial Bodyguards to organise anambush with Wen as bait. After dinner, Wen was broughtout of the dungeon and interrogated once more, in thesame manner as the night before when Yu hadunexpectedly burst in and disrupted the proceedings.

　　This time, however, heavily-armed troops were hiddenall around the Yamen, waiting to catch any Red FlowerSociety rescuers. But they waited in vain.

　　The next morning, Zhang received a report that thewaters of the Yellow River were rising rapidly, andthat the current at the point where they intended tocross was very strong and ordered an immediatedeparture. He had Wen and Yu placed in separatecarriages and was just about to start out when OfficerWu and the Zhen Yuan Agency Lead Escorts raced intothe Yamen. Zhang hastily questioned them, and OfficerWu breathlessly told him how they had been attackedand captured by the Muslims and the Red FlowerSociety, and how Lead Escort Yan had been killed by ayoung Muslim girl.

　　"Brother Yan was a very tough fighter," Zhang said.

　　"Extraordinary." He raised his hand. "We will meetagain in Beijing."Zhang immediately went and told the Liangzhou Militarycommander that he wanted four hundred crack troopstransferred to his command to help escort criminalswanted by the Emperor. The commander did not darerefuse and also dispatched Colonel Cao Neng andChief-of-Staff Ping Wangxian to lead the escortingsoldiers until they reached Lanzhou, the provincialcapital, where provincial troops would take over.

　　Zhang's column surged out of the town, stealing andpilfering from the common people in the usual way asthey went.

　　They travelled without incident for two days. Then,about ten miles from a village named Twin Wells, theycame upon two bare-breasted men sitting beneath a treeby the side of the road with a pair of fine horsesstanding nearby. Two of the soldiers went over.

　　"Hey!" one shouted. "These two horses look likeofficial horses. Where did you steal them from?""We are peaceful citizens," said one of the men. "Wewouldn't dare to steal horses.""We are tired of walking. Lend them to us," the secondsoldier replied.

　　The two men stood up, walked over to their horses anduntied the reins.

　　The soldiers walked haughtily over and were just aboutto take hold of the reins when the two men kickedtheir behinds, leapt onto the horses and galloped overto one of the carriages.

　　"Is Fourth Brother in there?" one shouted.

　　"Ah, Twelfth Brother!" Wen answered.

　　"Fourth Brother, we're leaving," the............