Chapter 8 Elder Zhiming: Indescribable, Indescribable

"Swish!"
Cai Fu drew his broadsword!
"Hum!"
Cai Qing raised his water-and-fire staff!
"Whoosh!"
Yan Qing leveled his crossbow, the short bolt already notched and aimed directly at the old monk's gleaming, bald head!
"Stop!"
Lu Junyi cried out in a panic, tumbling from his saddle and prostrating himself before the old monk. "Your nephew pays his respects to the Elder!"

Nephew?
Cai Fu, Cai Qing, and Yan Qing were suddenly struck by the realization: Lu Junyi knew the old monk. No wonder he had been recognized even with his face painted like Justice Bao.
The old monk helped Lu Junyi up with both hands, asking in surprise, "Nephew, what is the meaning of this?"
"Elder, it is a long story..."
Lu Junyi sighed, first introducing the old monk to Cai Fu. "Elder, this is my sworn elder brother, 'Match for Xuan-De' Cai Fu, formerly the prison warden and executioner at Daming Prefecture... Brother, this Elder is a close and trusted friend of my master, a high monk from Mount Wutai, Elder Zhiming..."
"A pleasure, truly a pleasure!"
Cai Fu bowed to the old monk with a smile, though his heart was churning with turbulent waves.
It was actually him!
This Elder Zhiming was a reclusive master from the *Complete Story of Yue Fei*, a terrestrial immortal capable of knowing the past and the future. Yue Fei’s legendary weapon, the Li-Quan Spear, as well as his mastery of spear techniques and military strategy, all stemmed from this Elder Zhiming.
Of course, this alone would not have left Cai Fu in such turmoil. What truly shocked him was the realization that this was not merely the world of *Water Margin*, but a fusion of *Water Margin* and *The Complete Story of Yue Fei*.
Yet, it made sense; many characters from *Water Margin* appeared in *The Complete Story of Yue Fei*. Figures like Huyan Zhuo, Yan Qing, Fan Rui, and An Daoquan. There were also many descendants and relatives, such as Zhang Guoxiang (son of Zhang Qing and Sun Erniang), Dong Fang (son of Dong Ping), Ruan Liang (son of Ruan Xiaoer), Han Qilong and Han Qifeng (grandsons of Han Tao), Guan Ling (son of Guan Sheng), Fan Cheng (son of Fan Rui)... and of course, Zhou Tong, the master of Lu Junyi, Shi Wengong, and Lin Chong.
The timelines of the two books were essentially a continuous lineage, with many overlapping characters. Since Elder Zhiming had appeared, could Lu Junyi’s master Zhou Tong and junior brother Yue Fei be far behind?
Cai Fu recalled that in *The Complete Story of Yue Fei*, Zhou Tong taught Yue Fei martial arts in Qilin Village, Neihuang County, Daming Prefecture. His close friend, Elder Zhiming, practiced on Li-Quan Mountain, near Qilin Village. Cai Fu and the others had chosen the most desolate paths, only to stumble upon Li-Quan Mountain by accident.
As the first disciple of Zhou Tong, it was only natural that Lu Junyi would know his master's closest friend.

"...Forget it, it is better that you do not know, Elder."
In truth, after experiencing so much in a single day, Lu Junyi longed to confide in someone. But he did not want to implicate this reclusive master. After hesitating, Lu Junyi decided against telling Elder Zhiming.
"I only wish to stay the night, Elder, and will leave at first light tomorrow. Please, just pretend I was never here."
"My dear nephew..."
Elder Zhiming looked deeply at Lu Junyi, then closed his eyes slightly and began to calculate on his fingers, muttering:
"The nation is consumed by wood and family, soldiers and weapons dot the water and labor; traversing thirty-six— Pfft!"
Cai Fu was eavesdropping, trying to hear what the old monk was chanting, when suddenly the old monk spat out a mouthful of blood!
Lu Junyi rushed forward to catch him. The old monk’s fingernails were blue, his lips purple, his face sallow, and his eyes had lost their luster. He appeared to be at the end of his strength, his life like a lamp flickering out in the middle of the night.
"Master—!"
The young novice shook the old monk’s shoulders desperately, causing his bald head to sway.
Cai Fu stood by with an anxious expression, but in his heart, he was dissecting the words he had heard: *The nation is consumed by wood and family, soldiers and weapons dot the water and labor...*
Could those lines be hiding the name "Song Jiang"?
It seemed the old monk had calculated something, but why would that cause him to cough up blood?

"Disciple..." Elder Zhiming opened his eyes and pressed his hand on the novice. "It is enough... it is enough..."
The old monk tremblingly took a small jade bottle from his robe, swallowed a pill, and soon regained a hint of color.
Lu Junyi asked concernedly, "Elder, what is the meaning of this?"
A flash of fear crossed the old monk’s face, and he waved his hand repeatedly. "Cannot say, cannot say..."
Cai Fu understood: the old monk had truly seen something!
Elder Zhiming’s expression was complex. After a long silence, he said, "Nephew, you... ah, take care of yourself."
Lu Junyi looked back at Cai Fu, bewildered. Cai Fu quickly put on a look of total confusion.
Elder Zhiming caught his breath, sat back down on his cushion, and asked cautiously, "Nephew, where are you headed tomorrow?"
Lu Junyi instinctively looked at Cai Fu, who paused for two seconds.
"From where the cause began, to where the result leads."
"Oh?"
Elder Zhiming had not expected Cai Fu to speak in Zen riddles and could not help but calculate again.
Within two seconds, with lightning speed, the old monk spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Pfft—"
"Master—!"
The novice shook him again, but this time, no matter how hard he shook, the old monk would not wake up.
"Hiss—"
Cai Fu gasped. Could it be that the old monk coughed up blood because... of me?
He checked the old monk's breath and sighed in relief. "He’s just fainted again. Where is that little bottle? Quickly, give him another pill!"
The novice followed his instructions. Though Elder Zhiming did not wake, his complexion improved.
Lu Junyi carried the old monk to his bed, and the novice arranged lodging for the others. Cai Fu and Cai Qing shared a room, while Lu Junyi and Yan Qing shared another.
Lying on the creaky wooden bed, Cai Qing finally could not help but ask, "Brother, why?"
"Listen to me, brother..."
Cai Fu told Cai Qing everything that had happened since Lu Junyi’s imprisonment, from meeting Li Gu to his encounter with Chai Jin. Cai Qing had already understood on the journey that Song Jiang and Wu Yong had framed Lu Junyi.
Now, it all clicked. "Their final goal is to rescue Lu Junyi! If we let Lu Junyi go, we become rebels too! If we don't, the rebels will kill us first! Brother, Liangshan Marsh is trying to force us into a corner!"
"Exactly! We cannot be puppets, and we cannot sit and wait for death! Brother, we must take our destiny into our own hands!"
Cai Fu patted Cai Qing’s foot. "Brother, I’m sorry I didn't have time to consult with you before making my choice. But believe me, I would never harm you."
"Brother, what are you saying!" Cai Qing sat up, moved. "We are brothers of the same blood; if I cannot trust you, who can I trust?"
They were blood brothers, after all. Cai Fu felt relieved. Just as he was about to speak more from the heart, his expression suddenly shifted.
"Brother, listen!"