HSDS Book 4

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Yi Tian Tu Long Ji
(Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber) by Jin Yong
Translators: Athena, Meh, Faerie Queen, Huang Yushi, SmokeyTheBear, Qiu Shuyi, Efflix, Hugh (aka IcyFox), Huang Rong, Frans Soetomo Editors: Han Solo Elif Kaya
Disclaimer
This work is an unofficial fan translation of Jin Yongs Yi Tian Tu Long Ji. The Copyright owner is Jin Yong and the publisher of his original Chinese text. The copyright owner of the English translations posted here is the respective translator(s). No part of this translation may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner(s) nor be otherwise circulated for commercial purpose. This translation is from the 2nd Edition.
Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saberi
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Table of Contents
Chapter 31 Saber and Sword Lost, People Perish ....................................................... 839 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................... 839 Chapter 32 Ignorant Grievance, Vain Anxiety, Conceited Desire ................................. 879 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................... 879 Chapter 33 Long Flute, Short Zither, Flowing Yellow Clothes ...................................... 907 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................... 907 Chapter 34 The Bride Tore the Red Dress Barehanded ............................................... 933 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................... 933 Chapter 35 Casualties of the Lion-slaying Assembly .................................................... 975 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................... 975 Chapter 36 The Three Withered Pine-trees Sprouting Green Leaves ........................ 1011 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................. 1011 Chapter 37 No Hero Under the Heavens Able to Withstand ....................................... 1045 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................. 1045 Chapter 38 A Gentleman is Vulnerable to Deceit ....................................................... 1079 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................. 1079 Chapter 39 The Hidden Military Strategy Manual ....................................................... 1113 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................. 1113 Chapter 40 Didnt Know This Zhang Fellow was The Mr. Zhang ................................ 1149 (Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)............................................................. 1149
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Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber
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Chapter 31 Saber and Sword Lost, People Perish

(Translated by Foxs, Edited by Eliza Bennet)
Zhou Zhiruo said, What if I wrong you or offend you, will you hit me, scold me, kill me? Zhang Wuji kissed her left cheek gently while saying, You are such a gentle and cultured lady, a dignified, worthy, warm and virtuous wife; how can you make a mistake?
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Even after the Persian medication was applied, Yin Lis high fever did not subside; she kept talking in her sleep incessantly. During these past several days on the sea, she had been exposed to cold weather on top of her sickness. The medication was only for external wound, it was not effective to treat internal injury, or even a common cold. Zhang Wuji was very anxious. Toward the afternoon of the third day, he saw a small island in the distant to their east. He instructed the sailor to take them to that island. Once they were ashore, their spirits lifted up. The islands circumference was no more than several lis; and it was covered with shrubs and short trees. Zhang Wuji asked Zhou Zhiruo to look after Yin Li and Zhao Min, while he went around looking for some medicinal herbs. However, the flora on that island was greatly different from the one in the Central Earth that Zhang Wuji did not recognize most of them. He walked farther and farther away without any result until the sky gradually turned dark, he had no choice but to return to their original position. He mashed whatever herbs he could find and fed them to Yin Li. Six people gathered around the fire, eating and drinking. The air was heavy with the fragrance of the flowers and the freshness of the grass and the forest. It was quite different surroundings from the cramped cabin. Yin Li was also in good spirits. Ah Niu Gege, she said, Why dont we spend the night here, and not return to the ship? They discussed her proposal and decided that it was a wonderful idea. They saw the water on that small island was warm and clear, also, there were no wild beasts around; everyone went to sleep peacefully. As Zhang Wuji woke up early the next morning, he got up and took a step, but he staggered and almost fell down. He felt his legs were weak, which was quite unusual. He rubbed his eyes and saw the Persian ship was gone. His heart skipped a beat. Rushing to the shore he looked around without seeing any trace of the ship. This time he was really shocked. Yifu, he called out, Are you all right? But Xie Xun did not answer. Hastily Zhang Wuji ran to the place Xie Xun slept and saw he was still asleep peacefully, which took most of his anxiety away. The previous night, Zhao Min, Zhou Zhiruo and Yin Li went to sleep behind a large rock some distance away. He rushed to take a look, and saw Zhou Zhiruo and Yin Li were still sleeping side by side; but Zhao Min was nowhere to be seen. In a glance he noticed that Yin Lis face was full of blood. Stooping down to look closer, Zhang Wuji saw there were more than a dozen sharp blade cuts on her face, but she stayed unconscious. Hastily he reached out to check her pulse and was relieved when he felt faint pulses. Turning his attention toward Zhou Zhiruo, he saw that a large clump of her beautiful hair was cut, along with a piece of her left ear. Her blood had not congealed yet, but her face was smiling, as if she was having a happy dream. Under the light of the dawn, she looked like a sleeping hypericum in the spring; extremely tender and beautiful. His heart was painful was he called out, Miss Zhou, Miss Zhou, wake up! Zhou Zhiruo stirred, but did not wake up. Zhang Wuji gently shook her shoulder and finally Zhou Zhiruo yawned and turned around, but she was still asleep. Zhang Wuji knew she must be drugged. There were too many strange things that happened the previous night; he fell into a deep sleep and this morning he felt weak and tired. He was certain that they were drugged. After calling Zhou Zhiruo for a while without any result, he rushed back to Xie Xun and called out, Yifu, Yifu!
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Xie Xun sat up in daze, What is it? he asked. Its terrible! Zhang Wuji said, We have fallen into a sinister plot. Briefly he told him about the missing Persian ship and the cuts suffered by Yin Li and Zhou Zhiruo. What about Miss Zhao? Xie Xun asked in alarm. I did not see her, Zhang Wuji grimly said. Taking a deep breath, he tried to circulate his internal energy, but felt that his limbs were devoid of any strength; he could not transmit his energy at all. Yifu, he blurted out, We are poisoned by the shi xiang ruan jin san [ten fragrance muscle softener powder]. Xie Xun had heard Zhang Wujis narration on how the masters of the Six Major Sects were poisoned by Zhao Min with shi xiang ruan jin san and how they were held captive in the Wan An Temple. He stood up and felt as if he was floating; as his legs were devoid of any strength. Calming himself down, he asked, Did she take away the Tulong Saber and the Yitian Sword as well? Zhang Wuji looked around and sure enough, he did not see either the Saber or the Sword. He was so enraged that he almost cried. Never would he imagine that Zhao Min was capable of doing this, taking advantage when he was in grave danger and employed such a sinister plot when he was down. He was lost in thought for a moment. Then he remembered Yin Li and hastily went back to where Yin and Zhou, two women were sleeping. He pushed Zhou Zhiruo aside, but she was still fast asleep. He thought, My internal energy is the deepest, hence I was the first to wake up. Yifu was next. Miss Zhous internal energy is far below ours. It looks like she wont wake up for a while yet. Immediately he ripped a piece of his clothes to wipe the blood from Yin Lis oval face. He saw seven horizontal and eight vertical thin cuts crisscrossing her cheeks. Apparently, she was cut by the Yitian Sword. Yin Li had lost a lot of blood after being injured by Zi Shan Long Wang Jin Hua Popo. As a result, the poison of the thousand spiders accumulated in her blood was also dispersed along with her blood, causing the swelling on her face to subside considerably. Hence, for these last several days, her face had slightly returned to its former look; the pretty look Yin Li had when she was younger. But right now, with these dozen of cuts, her face looked severely fearsome. Zhang Wuji was both grieved and angry. Gnashing his teeth he said, Zhao Min, oh, Zhao Min, if you fall into my hand and I spare you, then Zhang Wuji has lived in vain. Calming himself down he went to the hillside to gather some medicinal herbs to stop the bleeding. He chewed the herbs and applied it on Yin Lis face, also on Zhou Zhiruos scalp and ear. Zhou Zhiruo yawned and opened her eyes. Suddenly she saw Zhang Wuji was reaching out and groping her head. Her face turned red from shyness. Reaching up to shove his arm away, she angrily said, You what are you Before finished speaking, she had felt the pain on her ear. Immediately she touched her ear and cried out, Ah! and jumped to stand up. What ? she said, but suddenly she felt her knees weaken and she fell into Zhang Wujis bosom. Zhang Wuji reached out to support her. Miss Zhou, he comfortingly said, Dont be afraid. Seeing Yin Lis terrifying face, Zhou Zhiruo hastily lifted up her hand to touch her own face and asked in fear, I Am I also ?
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No! Zhang Wuji said, You only suffer some minor wounds. Did those evil Persians do this? I Why didnt I feel anything? Zhou Zhiruo asked. Zhang Wuji sighed and quietly said, I am afraid I am afraid Miss Zhao did this. She poisoned our food and drink last night. Zhou Zhiruo stared blankly for half a day. She stroked what remained of her ear and broke into tears. Zhang Wuji tried to console her, You are lucky that the injury is not heavy. Your ear is damaged, but you can always put your hair down to cover it, others wont be able to see. Still talking about hair? Zhou Zhiruo snapped, My hair is also gone. Zhang Wuji said, You only lost some on top of your head; if you arrange the hair on both sides of your head Why do I want to arrange the hair on both sides of my head? Zhou Zhiruo angrily said, Up this moment you are still trying to protect your Miss Zhao. This time Zhang Wuji bumped into a wall; he did not know what to say, so he became defensive, I am not trying to protect her! She is cruel and merciless, harming Miss Yin this way. I I am not going to forgive her. Looking at Yin Lis face, he could not hold tears from coming down his eyes. Facing this situation Zhang Wuji was at a loss; he sat down and tried to circulate his internal energy, and he realized that the degree of his poisoning was not shallow. Actually, the shi xiang ruan jin san could only be neutralized by the antidote from Zhao Mins faction; but this time he tried to disperse the poison relying on his profound internal strength. Slowly he pushed the poison from his four limbs, condensed it into his dan tian, and then bit by bit he forced the poison out of his system. After working hard for almost two hours, he felt that his effort had brought the desired effect. He was optimistic. Only, this technique required him to have the Jiu Yang Shen Gong foundation, which ruled out the possibility of him teaching it to Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruo. He was hoping that after the poison in his system was flushed completely, he would be able to help Xie and Zhou two people driving the poison out of their systems. This technique sounded simple, yet actually extremely complicated. Toward the afternoon of the seventh day, he only managed to drive out approximately 30% of the poison. Fortunately, this poison only prevent the victim from exerting their internal energy but harmless to their bodies. For the first several days Zhou Zhiruo was angry, but afterwards she gradually got used to it. She helped Xie Xun catching fish and shooting birds, boiling water and cooking their meals. At night she slept alone in a cave on the eastern end of the island, far away from where Zhang Wuji and the others lived. Zhang Wuji was secretly ashamed, thinking that he was partly responsible for this disaster brought by Zhao Min. This Miss Zhao was obviously a Mongolian princess, an archenemy of his Ming Cult. Countless martial art experts of the Wulin world had fallen under her hands; yet surprisingly he did not guard against her at all. He felt he was so stupid. Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruo did not blame him; they did not even mention this problem to him, but he felt very bad in his heart. Sometimes when Zhou Zhiruo was looking at him, he felt as if she was saying, You are blinded by Miss Zhaos beauty, resulting in this great calamity.
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Yin Lis condition was getting worse. This little island was located on the Southern Sea [nan hai], most of the flora was not found in Hu Qingnius medical manual. His medical knowledge might be profound, he did know perfectly well how to treat Yin Lis condition; but he did not have any medication in his hand. The trees on the island were short and small, barely enough to be used as firewood; otherwise, he would have had built a raft early on and braving the danger he would sail away to the sea. Alternatively, he would not be this anxious if he did not know any medical skill. This time he felt like tens of thousands sharp daggers gouging and cutting his heart day and night. It was late in the evening one day; he chewed some medicinal herbs to be fed into Yin Lis mouth. This time the herbs entered Yin Lis throat with difficulty. His heart was broken; tears streaming down his face, dropped onto Yin Lis face. Suddenly Yin Li opened her eyes, smiled faintly and said, Ah Niu Gege, dont feel bad. I am going to the underworld to see that heartless, short-lived little rascal Zhang Wuji. I want to tell him that in this world there is an Ah Niu Gege who treats me this well; who is a thousand times, ten thousand times better than Zhang Wuji. Zhang Wujis throat choked; in that moment he was contemplating whether he should reveal to her that he was Zhang Wuji. Yin Li grabbed his hand and said, Ah Niu Gege, I have never agreed to marry you, do you hate me? I think you are lying to me because you only want to make me happy. I am ugly, my temperament is strange, why would you want to marry me? No! Zhang Wuji said, I am not lying you. You are a good and kind-hearted girl. I consider myself lucky if I can take you as my wife. Why dont we wait until you are well, all things are settled, and then we can get married? What do you say? Yin Li reached out and gently caressed his cheek. Shaking her head she said, Ah Niu Gege, I cannot marry you. I have given my heart early on to that ferocious heartless Zhang Wuji Ah Niu Gege, I am a little bit scared; will I meet him when I get to the underworld? Will he still be hateful towards me? Zhang Wuji realized she was speaking clearly, her cheeks were red; he was inwardly alarmed, This is the symptom of the last ray of light, could it be that she is going to die today? He was lost I thought that he did not hear what she said. Yin Li grabbed his hand and asked him again. Zhang Wuji tenderly said, He will forever treat you well, as if you are his precious darling. Will he treat me half as good as you did? Yin Li asked. Heaven is my witness, Zhang Wuji said, Zhang Wuji eagerly and sincerely loves you with all his heart. He has early on regretted that when he was little he treated you cruelly. He his feelings toward you are exactly the same as mine; there is not the least bit distinction. Yin Li sighed; a smile appeared on the corners of her mouth. Then she said, Then I am happy Her grip on his hand gradually loosened, her eyes slowly closed, finally she stopped breathing. Zhang Wuji hugged her body tight, thinking that until the moment she died, she did not know that he was Zhang Wuji. All these times she had been losing her consciousness that he was unable to reveal the truth to her. Just before her death, when her consciousness was very clear, there was not enough time to talk. Actually, things had come this far, it really did not make any difference whether he revealed the truth or not. His heart was so much in pain that he cried without making any sound. He thought, If Zhao Min did not cut her cheeks, her injury might not necessarily be
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incurable. If Zhao Min did not abandon us on this deserted island, we would have reached the Central Plains [zhong yuan] in a few days; surely I would have found a way to save her life. Bitterly he muttered, Zhao Min, your heart is like a serpent and scorpion. There will come a day when you will fall into my hand. Zhang Wuji will not spare your life in any way. Suddenly he heard a cold voice behind him, When you see her beautiful, jade-like face, you wont have a heart to do anything to her. Turning around, he saw Zhou Zhiruo was standing in the breeze, her face showed contempt. Zhang Wuji was grieved and ashamed at the same time; he said, I have made a vow by my cousins body, if I do not punish that witch, Zhang Wuji wont have a face to live on this world. That would be the spirited pledge of a real man, Zhou Zhiruo said. She rushed a few steps forward and wept bitterly while stroking Yin Lis body. Xie Xun also heard the noise of crying and went over. As he learned about Yin Lis death, he could not help but feel heartbroken. Zhang Wuji went to a small hill to dig Yin Lis grave. The soil on that island was so shallow that he only dug for about two feet, and had already met hard rocks underneath. He did not have any shovel, so he had no choice but lay Yin Lis body in that shallow hole. He was about to heap dirt on her when he saw the blood traces on her swollen face; he thought, Gravel and dirt piled on her face might scratch her. Thereupon he took some branches and weaved them above her body, then he carefully piled stones and rocks on top of the branches, as if she was still alive and he was afraid the stones might hurt her. Finally, he cut a tree trunk, peeled the bark, and then using Yin Lis dagger he carved these words on it: The Tomb of my Beloved Wife, ZhuEr Yin Li and below it he wrote: Zhang Wuji Sincerely Stated. Everything was ready so at last he threw himself down and cried loudly. Zhou Zhiruo consoled him, Miss Yins feelings toward you were so deep and you also have showed her profound kindness. Only, do not forget what you have sworn today: you must kill Zhao Min to avenge her death; then Yin Jia Meizi [lit. (younger) sister of the Yin family] in the underworld will also smile. Due to his intense grief, the poison that had been concentrated in Zhang Wujis dan tian [pubic region] was dispersed once again, wasting his several days worth of effort. As a result, he had to work hard for more than ten days to gradually condense the poison and expel it out of his system. The weather on that small island was sizzling hot; but it had plenty of wild fruits, which they could pick without any trouble to satisfy their hunger, so their lives were not terribly difficult. Zhou Zhiruo was aware that Zhang Wuji was grieved over Yin Lis death, angered over Zhao Mins craftiness, and regretted Xiao Zhaos departure; so she treated him gently with consideration. After Zhang Wuji transferred his divine internal energy to help Xie Xun expel the poison in his body, he sould have done the same to help Zhou Zhiruo driving the poison out of her body. But this method of transferring energy required him to put one palm on her lower waist, and the other palm on the navel above her lower abdomen; how could a young man and a young woman touch each other in such intimate places? Yet without transferring his Nine Yang Divine Energy, how could he help her? He contemplated for several days without being able to make any decision. That particular evening Xie Xun suddenly said, Wuji, how many more days do you think we are going to stay on this island?
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Zhang Wuji was startled. That is hard to say, he said, I just hope there will be a ship sailing by and rescue us and take us back to the Central Earth. We have been here for more than a month, Xie Xun said, Have you seen any shadow of a ship even from a distant? I have not, Zhang Wuji replied. Exactly, Xie Xun said, Perhaps tomorrow there will be a ship coming by, but then again, perhaps there will never be any ship passing by in a hundred years. Zhang Wuji sighed, This uncultivated island is outside the sailing route of the ocean ships; whether or not we can return to the Central Earth, is extremely uncertain. Hmm, Xie Xun said, The antidote is hard to come by. Other than weakening the four limbs, if the shi xiang ruan jin san remains in the body, does it have any other adverse effect? If it is not too long, then there is no adverse effect, Zhang Wuji said, But this kind of poison invades the muscle and erodes the bones; if it stays in the body too long, all the internal organs would unavoidably receive some damages. Thats so, Xie Xun said, Then why dont you think of some way to expel the poison from Miss Zhous body as soon as possible? You said Miss Zhou and you have known each other since your childhood. At that time xuan ming han du [the cold poison of Xuan Ming palm] was still inside your body, and she had shown kindness to you. Where else would you find gentle and virtuous woman like her? Could it be that you dont like her because she is not beautiful enough? No, no, Zhang Wuji said, If Miss Zhou is not beautiful then there is no beautiful women in the world. Let me make the decision for you, then, Xie Xun said, Marry her. Then you dont need to worry about this man-woman propriety anymore. Zhou Zhiruo was around when they started talking; suddenly hearing her name being mentioned, she was shy and blushed. She stood up and walked away. Xie Xun leaped and opened up his arms, blocking her way. Dont go, dont go! he said with a laugh, Today I am the matchmaker, and I have made my decision. Xie Laoye Zi, Zhou Zhiruo angrily said, You do not act your age! We are seeking a way to return to the Central Earth; how can you speak such nonsense in time like this? Xie Xun laughed heartily. The joining of a man and a woman is an important matter of a lifetime; why did you say it is nonsense talk? Wuji, your parents were also on a deserted island when they bowed to the heaven and to the earth to become man and wife. If at that time they did not strictly follow the secular propriety and tradition, how in the world would there be a young fellow: you? Much less today you have your Yifu presiding at the wedding for you. Dont you like Miss Zhou? Dont you want to repel the poison in her body? Zhou Zhiruo covered her face and was about to walk away. Xie Xun pulled her sleeve while laughing, Where are you going? Dont you think we are going to see each other tomorrow or the next day? Ah, I know! You dont want to call a blind man as your father-in-law. No, no, its not that, Zhou Zhiruo replied, Xie Laoye Zi is a hero of this age
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Do you agree, then? Xie Xun asked. Zhou Zhiruo simply replied, No, no! You think this Yizi [foster child] of mine is not a good husband material? Xie Xun asked again. Zhou Zhiruo was taken aback. Zhang Gongzis martial art skill is unquestionably outstanding, his name is revered within the Jianghu, she said, To to have him as a husband, what else can I ask for? Only only Only what? Xie Xun asked. Zhou Zhiruo cast a quick glance toward Zhang Wuji and said, He in his heart he really likes Miss Zhao. I know that. Xie Xun clenched his teeth. That lowly person Zhao Min has treated us this cruelly, how can Wuji still persist in his own wrong doing? Wuji, I want to hear it from your own mouth. Zhang Wujis heart was torn; he remembered Zhao Mins cheerful talks and her touching actions. He felt if he could take Zhao Min as his wife and be with her forever, then that would be his entires life happiness. But as he remembered the seven horizontal and eight vertical sword cuts on Yin Lis face dripping-with-blood, he hastily said, Miss Zhao is my archenemy. I want to kill her to avenge Biaomeis [younger female cousin] blood. Thats more like it, Xie Xun said, Miss Zhou, are you still jealous? In a low voice Zhou Zhiruo said, I am not convinced, unless unless you tell him to make a vow. Otherwise, Id rather die with poison in me than asking him to help me drive the poison away. Wuji, quickly make a vow! Xie Xun said. Zhang Wuji dropped down on his knees and said, I, Zhang Wuji, if I ever forget Biaomeis deep hatred, let me not be forgiven by the Heaven and the Earth. Zhou Zhiruo said, I want you to state clearly; what are you going to do to that Miss Zhao? Wuji, state it clearly at once, Xie Xun said, What forgiven by the Heaven and the Earth? Too ambiguous. In a loud and clear voice Zhang Wuji said, That witch Zhao Min works for Tartars imperial family, makes our peoples live miserable, harms my fellow Wulin warriors, stole my Yifus precious Saber, and harmed my Biaomei Yin Li. As long as I live, Zhang Wuji will not dare to forget this deep enmity. If I violate my vow, let the Heaven loathe me, and the Earth curse me. Zhou Zhiruo smiled sweetly; she said, I am afraid when the time comes, you wont have a heart to make your move. Listen to me, Xie Xun said, There is no particular day that is better than any other day. We are Jianghus warriors. We dont fuss over detailed formalities and womenfolks mumbo-jumbo. As long as you, two young people, agree, then you can bow to the Heaven and the Earth to get married today. The sooner you get rid of this shi xiang ruan jin san, the better. No! Yifu, Zhiruo, please listen to me, Zhang Wuji said, Miss Yin had a very deep feeling toward
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me; she had always wanted me as her husband since she was young. In my heart I have also regarded her as my wife. Although there was no ceremony, we could be considered husband and wife. Now that her body and her bones are not yet cold, how can I tie another joyous relationship immediately? Xie Xun hesitated before saying, Thats true. What do you suggest, then? In your childs opinion, Zhang Wuji replied, Child will agree on an engagement with Miss Zhou today, and immediately help her repel the poison from her body; this will be much more convenient. Supposing the Heaven granted us returning to the Central Earth someday, Child will put Zhao Min to the blade and recapture the Tulong Saber, and return it to Yifu. At that time the marriage with Miss Zhou can be consummated. That way we satisfy both sides. Xie Xun laughed and said, That sounds very good; but what if within ten years, eight years, we still are not able to return to the Central Earth? Zhang Wuji said, After three years, no matter whether we can leave this island or not, Child will ask Yifu to preside over our marriage. Xie Xun nodded and asked Zhou Zhiruo, Miss Zhou, what do you say? Zhou Zhiruo lowered her head without answering. After half a day she finally said, I am a lone orphan, what idea do I have? Ill leave everything on Laoye Zis hand. Xie Xun laughed heartily and said, Very good! Very good! Its settled. You two are engaged. No need to worry about custom and tradition. Wuji, drive the poison from my daughter-in-law away. After saying this he walked to toward the back of the hill in big strides. Zhiruo, Zhang Wuji said, That difficulty was caused by me, can you forgive me? Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said, Because I am ugly, you tried to refuse in every possible way. If it was Miss Zhao, I am afraid tonight you would have Speaking to this point, she turned her head around as she felt uncomfortable to continue. Zhang Wujis heart skipped a beat as he thought, When we were adrift on that small boat, I was foolishly and presumptuously thinking of marrying four beauties. Actually the one my heart really loves is that wont-stop-at-any-crime, evil-and-sly little witch. People call me a hero in vain; in my heart I cannot differentiate good from evil, easily infatuated by a pretty face. Zhou Zhiruo turned her head back. Seeing he was lost in thought as if in a trance, she stood up to walk away. Zhang Wuji reached out to grab her hand and pulled her down. Unexpectedly Zhou Zhiruos internal energy was gone; her feet were weak. She staggered and stumbled back into Zhang Wujis bosom. After struggling hopelessly, she angrily said, Must you bully me for my whole life? Seeing her frowning and a bit angry, Zhang Wujis heart was touched; he hugged her tender and soft body and said in a low voice, Zhiruo, when we met on the River Han when we were both little, I have never imagined there will come a day like today. On the Brightness Peak I was alone facing four elders from Kunlun and Huashan, two sects; you gave me directions and saved my life. At that time I appreciated your loving care to me, but I did not dare to have any absurd thoughts. Leaning on his bosom, Zhou Zhiruo said, That day I stabbed you with a sword, dont you hate me?
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You did not stab me on the chest, Zhang Wuji replied, Thats why I knew that you secretly have a feeling toward me. Pei! Zhou Zhiruo spat, her cheeks blushed, she said, If I knew early on that you are going to say that, Id stab your chest, kill you neat and clean, so Id avoid being bullied by you later on, listening to your nonsense. Zhang Wuji embraced her tighter and said, Hereafter my love to you will be doubled or tripled, we are husband and wife, two people one body; how can I mistreat you? Zhou Zhiruo leaned some more to look at his face; she said, What if I wrong you or offend you, will you hit me, scold me, kill me? Zhang Wujis face was only several inches apart from her egg shaped face, he felt her breath was like an orchid; he could not restrain from kissing her left cheek gently while saying, You are such a gentle and cultured lady, a dignified, worthy, warm and virtuous wife; how can you make a mistake? Zhou Zhiruo gently caressed the back of his neck. Even a saint erred, she said, Since I was little I had never had a father and a mother to instruct me. It would be difficult not to mess up sometimes. Whatever your mistake is, I can advise you nicely, Zhang Wuji said. Will you always be faithful to me? Zhou Zhiruo asked, Are you sure you wont ever kill me? Zhang Wuji kissed her gently on her forehead; Dont have absurd ideas, he said in a tender voice, How can there be such thing? With a trembling voice Zhou Zhiruo said, I want you to promise me with your own mouth. All right! Zhang Wuji laughed, I will always be faithful to you. I wont ever kill you. Staring at his eyes, Zhou Zhiruo said, I dont want you to joke around. I want you to take this seriously. Zhang Wuji laughed, I wonder how many weird thoughts are in this small head of yours? he said, while thinking in his heart, Because I have shown feeling towards Zhao Min, Xiao Zhao and Biaomei that it is difficult for her to trust me. But from now on, how can there be this matter? Thereupon he wiped the smile from his face and solemnly said, Zhiruo, you are my beloved wife. Formerly I was double-minded [lit. three hearts two intentions]. I hope you wont blame my past. From now on, I will always be faithful to you. Even if you make any mistake, I wont blame you or scold you. Wuji Gege [big brother Wuji], Zhou Zhiruo said, You are a real man; you must remember your own words to me tonight. Looking at the rising bright moon she said, The moon in the sky is our witness. Thats right, Zhang Wuji said, You are totally correct, the moon in the sky is our witness. Still holding Zhou Zhiruo in his bosom, he looked at the bright moon on the horizon and said, Zhiruo, all my life I have suffered a lot because of other peoples deceits, I dont know the amount of pain I have endured since my childhood; I lost track already. It was only on the Binghuo [ice and fire] Island, when I was with Father, Mother and Yifu, that I enjoyed peace without falling into other
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peoples deceitful schemes. The first time I arrived at the Central Plains [zhong yuan], I met with a beggar with a snake. He deceived me into poking my head into his sack to take a closer look; unexpectedly he covered the sack over my head and kidnapped me. How could I guess that after going through life and death situation together, sharing the same trials and tribulations; on the very first night we arrived on this little island, Zhao Min has put violent poison in our food? Forcing a smile Zhou Zhiruo said, You are a will-not-stop-until-you-reach-the-Yellow-River type of person; but by the time you reach the Yellow River, it is too late to regret. [Translators note: I know that I translated this passage rather literally; but I believe the readers will appreciate the imagery of the original sentence.] Suddenly Zhang Wujis heart was overwhelmed with happiness. Zhiruo, he said, You are the only one who has always loved me. You always treated me kindly. Someday when we return to the Central Plains, you will stay by my side and help me guard against lowly peoples craftiness and deceits. With a worthy wife like you to help me, I can be spared of many hardships. Zhou Zhiruo shook her head. I am the most useless woman, she said, I am weak and incapable, plus I am dumb. Lets not talk about the extremely smart Miss Zhao, whose intelligence compared to mine is as far as the heaven from the earth; I dont have any chance against Xiao Zhao, who possesses such a profound understanding in her heart. Your Miss Zhou is a nave and dim-witted little girl; dont you know it by now? You are an honest and considerate, intelligent and virtuous girl, Zhang Wuji said, You will not deceive me. Zhou Zhiruo turned around and hid her face in his bosom. Wuji Gege, she said in tender voice, To be able to marry you, my delight is unspeakable. I only hope you wont belittle me because I am stupid and useless, and bully me because I am unworthy. I I will do my best to take care of you. The next day Zhang Wuji used the Jiu Yang Shen Gong to help Zhou Zhiruo expel the poison. At first they made a good progress; perhaps because she did not eat too much, her level of poisoning was not as severe as Xie Xun. However, toward the seventh day, suddenly he felt a resistance, which was yin [negative/female] and cold in nature, coming from her body, fighting his Jiu Yang energy. Although Zhou Zhiruo strived to control this resistance, it was difficult for the Jiu Yang energy to enter her body. In his astonishment Zhang Wuji went to consult Xie Xun. Xie Xun pondered for half a day before saying, I dont know for sure, but most likely it was because her Emei Pais masters were always women, the internal energy they train is yin rou [negative/female, and soft/flexible] in nature. Zhang Wuji nodded his agreement. Luckily Zhou Zhiruos internal energy level was far below his, so that he was able to suppress the resisting yin energy in her body; but by doing this he was required to use up a lot more energy than when he was helping Xie Xun. Zhang Wuji secretly felt that although at this moment her yin energy was still weak, but her achievement in the future would not be a small matter. Zhiruo, he praised, Zunshi [revered master] Miejue Shitai was truly an expert of her generation. The internal energy cultivation method she passed on to you is extremely profound; I can feel it even now. If you train diligently, your energy level may run neck to neck with my Jiu Yang Shen Gong; you may even surpass me. Dont mock me! Zhou Zhiruo said, How can Emei Pais martial art be compared to Zhang Da
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Jiaozhus [great cult leader Zhang] Jiu Yang Shen Gong and Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi? You have talent, Zhang Wuji said, Although you dont know too many martial art forms and stances, your internal energy foundation is excellent. My Tai Shifu [grand master, he was referring to Zhang Sanfeng] once said, in the advance study of martial art, oftentimes the level of achievement each individual is closely related to ones natural endowments. Furthermore, someone who is intelligent and possesses excellent comprehension may not necessarily capable of achieving the highest level of mastery. It was said that your sects founder, Zushi [ancestor master] Guo Nuxias [heroine Guo] father, Guo Jing Daxia [great hero] was slow, yet his martial art skill shook the world from the ancient time until today. Even Tai Shifu said that his energy level has not reached the level of Guo Daxia of the past. It seems to me that your Emei Pais internal energy cultivation technique is superior to the Wudang Pais; Ill say that your future achievement may surpass Zunshi Miejue Shitais. Zhou Zhiruo rolled her eyes; faking anger she said, If you want to flatter me, you dont need to say my martial art is good. If I can master only 10 or 20% of Shifus ability, I would be satisfied. If you can teach me one or two techniques from your Jiu Yang Shen Gong and Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi, I would be very grateful. Zhang Wuji hesitated without answering. Zhou Zhiruo continued, Do you think I am not fit to become Zhang Da Jiaozhus disciple? No! Zhang Wuji said, I only aware that your internal energy technique is entirely different than mine. Ill say our techniques took opposite approach from the start. If you learn my internal energy technique, you are facing a difficult and dangerous problem. Its all right if you dont want to teach me, Zhou Zhiruo said, The worst thing that can happen if I learn martial art skill is I fail; how can there be any danger? No, no! Zhang Wuji was serious, My Jiu Yang Shen Gong is purely yang gang [positive/male and hard/firm] in nature. Right now you are training in the Emei Pais internal energy, which takes the purely yin rou approach. If you also train my internal energy technique, then the yin and yang would collide in your body. Unless it is a martial art genius like my Tai Shifu; he might be able to combine water and fire, harmonize the firm and the supple. Otherwise, if you miss a single step, youll face a terrible, terrible disaster. Mmm, lets wait until your internal energy is strong enough, Ill teach you the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi theory and you can start training it. Zhou Zhiruo laughed, I was only joking, she said, Later on I will always be together with you; your martial art skill, my martial art skill, what difference does it make? I am too lazy, your Jiu Yang Shen Gong is very difficult to train, even if you force me to practice, I am afraid it will be too difficult for me. Hearing her saying this, Zhang Wuji felt sweetness in his heart. With love and happiness in their hearts, time was passing swiftly. Several months had passed in a flash. Zhou Zhiruos internal energy had been completely recovered; she did not feel anything unusual, hence she believed the poison had been completely expelled from her system. One particular day, they saw the peach blossom trees on the eastern side of the island were blooming beautifully. Zhang Wuji picked several branches of the peach blossom and planted them in front of Yin Lis grave. He saw the piece of wood he carved with the characters The Tomb of my Beloved Wife, ZhuEr Yin Li was laying flat on the ground; perhaps it was knocked down by some wild animals. He picked it up and re-inserted it deeply to the ground. He remembered how his cousin lived a miserable life; perhaps she did not even have a single day of happiness.
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While he was still reveling in sadness, suddenly he heard the clamoring noise of seagulls on the sea. Lifting his head up, he saw a ship in the distant sailing toward the island. He was overjoyed at this unexpected scene and loudly shouted, Yifu, Zhiruo, theres a ship coming in, theres a ship coming in! Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruo heard his shout and they rushed together to the shore. In a trembling voice Zhou Zhiruo said, How can there be a ship coming to this desolate island? Its strange indeed, Zhang Wuji said, Could it be that they are pirates? In less than an hour that ship had dropped its anchor offshore, and sent a small boat to the island. Zhang Wuji, three people, waiting for them on the beach. They saw the sailors on that small boat wear Mongolian naval military uniforms. Zhang Wujis heart was stirred, Could it be that Miss Zhao was pricked by her conscience and returned to this island? Casting a sidelong glance toward Zhou Zhiruo, he saw that her beautiful eyebrows were slightly wrinkled, while her chest was heaving up and down; apparently she was very much concerned. A short moment later the small boat landed. Five sailors stepped on to the beach. Their leader, a naval officer, bowed respectfully toward Zhang Wuji and said, Are you Zhang Wuji, Zhang Gongzi [honorable master Zhang]? I am, Zhang Wuji replied, Who are you, Officer? As that officer heard Zhang Wuji answering in affirmative, he looked delighted and relieved. Xiao Rens [lit. little/lowly person, a subordinate addressing him/herself] humble name is Pastai. I truly am fortunate to be able to find Gongzi today. I have received order to find Zhang Gongzi and Xie Daxia and take you back to the Central Earth. He did mention Zhang and Xie, two peoples names, but did not mention Zhou Zhiruo. Officer has toiled to come from afar, I wonder who has sent you? Zhang Wuji asked. Pastai replied, Xiao Ren is a subordinate of Tawa-chelu, the local naval commander in charge of Fujian defense. We have received order from General Pordu to set sail and meet you. Altogether General Pordu dispatches eight ships to search for Zhang Gongzi and Xie Daxia on the water around Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong, three provinces. I cant believe in the end Xiao Ren is the one who render this great merit. His meaning was obvious; apparently his superior had promised promotion and great reward to whoever succeeded in finding Zhang Wuji. Hearing that unfamiliar Mongolian generals name, Zhang Wuji thought the general must have received Zhao Mins order to find him at any cost. How did your honorable superior find out about me? he asked. According to General Pordus instructions, Pastai replied, Zhang Gongzi is a nobleman of high status, also a great hero of the present age. Xiao Ren was ordered that after we find you, we must serve Gongzi attentively. As for why we must find Gongzi, Xiao Rens rank is too low for the Mongolian General to explain the reason. Is this Shaomin Junzhus idea? Zhou Zhiruo interrupted. Pastai was startled, Shaomin Junzhu? he asked, Xiao Ren has not had any good fortune to see her. Zhou Zhiruo coldly said, What good fortune or bad fortune?
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Shaomin Junzhu is our Mongolias most beautiful woman, Pastai said, No, she is the worlds most beautiful woman; well-versed in both pen and sword [wen wu quan cai skilled in both literature and military], she is the Ruyang Wangyes [prince of Ruyang] qian jin [lit. thousand gold, the most valuable, honorable term for a daughter]. How can Xiao Ren have the good fortune of seeing her jin mian [lit. golden face]? Humph, Zhou Zhiruo snorted, but didnt say anything further. Yifu, Zhang Wuji said to Xie Xun, In that case, let us go aboard. Lets go back to our cave to fetch some things first before we embark the ship, Xie Xun said, Officer, please wait here for a moment. Pastai said, Let Xiao Ren and the sailors get your luggage. Xie Xun laughed and said, What luggage do we have? Please dont bother. Taking Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruos hands, he went to the back of the hill and said, Out of the blue Zhao Min sends a ship to take us back; she must have a sinister plan. How do you think we must deal with it? Yifu, Zhou Zhiruo said, Do you suppose do you suppose Zhao Min she might be on board? If this little witch is onboard, that would be better, Xie Xun said, We must watch our food and drink; and not to fall into her trap again. Thats right, Zhang Wuji said, Wed better bring the salted fish and the dried fruit we have collected, also water from this island. We must not eat the food from the ship. I think Zhao Min is not onboard, Xie Xun said, She wants to copy those Persians plot; she lures us onboard, once we are on the open sea, then shed send Mongolian navy ships to open fire and sink our ship. Zhang Wujis heart sank, with a trembling voice he said, She is she that evil? She has left us stranded on this desolate island, let us live or die on our own, without any chance to return to the Central Earth, wasnt that enough? The three of us would not bother her anymore, would we? With a cold laugh Xie Xun said, You have freed the masters of the Six Major Sects she held captive in the Wan An Temple; how could she not hate you to the bone? Besides, the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult is missing, at this moment, everybody in the Ming Cult, from the top to the bottom, is involved in the large scale search and rescue operation. There is no guarantee that they will not find this desolate island. Only by burying us in the bottom of the ocean floor would she be free of trouble forever. Firing their cannons? Zhang Wuji said, Wouldnt that mean Pastai and all these Mongolian sailors will deliver their lives in vain? Xie Xun laughed out loud, followed by a sigh, he said, Wuji, Child, those people wield power over the entire Mongolian armed forces; how can they value human lives? If they were like you, kind hearted and merciful, how can the Mongolians conquer four oceans, sweep hundreds of nations? From the ancient times, which great hero, who earned great honor, did not take the bull by its horns, if they must kill then they killed? Lets not talk about ordinary officers and soldiers, they would even kill their own father and mother, their sons and daughters.
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Zhang Wuji was silent for half a day then grimly said, Yifu is right. He had always known that the Mongolians were brutal and merciless toward their enemies, but surely they would cherish their own subordinates and people? At this moment, listening to Xie Xun, he felt as if his heart was torn in two: he wanted to return to the Central Earth, to hold command over the heroes and warriors in driving the Tartars away; but speaking about governing a country to maintain peace and security, he was convinced it was not in his power to do so. Yifu, Zhou Zhiruo said, What shall we do? What is in my daughter-in-laws mind? Xie Xun asked. Can we not board the boat? Zhou Zhiruo said, Lets tell those Mongolian sailors that we enjoy living in this island and do not have any desire to return to the Central Plains. Xie Xun smiled and said, That is a nave little girls nave idea. We do not want to go on board, do you think the enemy will let us go just like that? Lets say we kill everybody on this ship, officers and sailors alike, do you think they will not dispatch ten more, eight more ships to find us? Besides, there are a lot of important matters in the Central Plains, waiting for Wuji to attend to. How can we let him grow old and die on this deserted island? Zhou Zhiruos pretty face blushed profusely. Please give us instruction; well listen to Yifus advice, she said in a low voice. Xie Xun thought of a plan for a moment and then said, Lets do it this way. Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruo listened to his plan and agreed that it was a marvelous plan. Zhang Wuji went to Yin Lis grave to pray and shed some farewell tears before embarking the ship. To fight boredom on the island, Zhou Zhiruo had carved many little wooden horses and wooden figurines. She wrapped everything in one big bundle and carried it on her back. Zhang Wuji checked the cabin, inside and out, very carefully. Indeed Zhao Min was not onboard; he also made sure that there was nobody onboard who might do them harm. He noticed that the officers and sailors were not martial art practitioners. After the ship had weighed the anchor, when they only set sail for dozens of zhangs, suddenly Zhang Wuji reached back and grabbed Pastais right wrist, while his other hand snatched the saber hanging on Pastais belt, and pressed the saber behind his neck. Listen to my order, he shouted, Tell the helmsman to turn eastward! Pastai was shocked, Zhang Gong Gongzi, he trembled, Xiao Xiao Ren does not dare to offend you. Listen to my orders, Zhang Wuji said, If you disobey, I am going to chop your head. Yes, yes! Pastai said, and shouted his order, Helms helmsman! Quick turn the ship eastward! The helmsman turned the rudder to follow his command. The ship circled around the island and sailed to the east. Zhang Wuji shouted, You Mongolians are setting a trap to harm us. I have seen through your scheme. Quickly admit it! If you lie to me, Ill take your life. Having said that he raised his right palm and slapped the ships edge. Wood debris flew everywhere, as a big chunk of wood came off from the ships edge. The officers and sailors onboard watched with amazement.
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Pastai said, Gongzi, please understand: Xiao Ren received my superiors order to take Gongzi home; we dont have any other intention. Xiao Ren Xiao Ren only hoped to render a service and receive the rewards, we really do not have any ill-intention. Zhang Wuji knew he was telling the truth; thereupon he released Pastais wrist, walked to the bow, and lifted the iron anchor with his left hand, while his right hand also reached out and lifted another anchor. Everybody, watch this! he shouted, while throwing both anchors to the air. The Mongolians gasped and then cried out in alarm. As the anchors fell back down, using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi technique, one hand snatched, the other pushed, Zhang Wuji threw the anchors back up to the air. He did this three times, before he finally caught the anchors and gently put them down on the bow. The Mongolians have always admired brave warriors; seeing this astonishing demonstration of prowess, they bowed down in respect and did not dare to disobey. Following Zhang Wujis instructions, the helmsman drove the ship to the east. They sailed on the open sea for three days, until the only thing they could see was mighty waves whose heights reach the sky. Xie Xun anticipated that Zhao Min only dispatched battleships to search on the water around Fujian and Guangdong area; right now their ship had sailed deep into the ocean, so there was no way the battleships would find them. After five days, they instructed the helmsman to turn northward. They continued heading north for more than twenty days, so that even if Zhao Min was ten times smarter, it would be difficult for her to guess the location of the ship correctly. Thereupon, they instructed the helmsman to turn the ship westward, towards the Central Earth. During their voyage of more than a month, Zhang Wuji and the others did not touch the food from the ship; they either ate the provisions brought from the island, or caught fish from the ocean. Around the seventh hour one day [between 11am 1pm], they saw land in the distance. The Mongolian officers and sailors had been on the sea too long; as they saw they were going home, everybody cheered in delight. By the nightfall, the ship had dropped its anchor by the shore. The landscape of that area was mountainous and the seawater was really deep so the ship was able to moor right next to the stony shore. Wuji, Xie Xun said, Go ashore and find out what kind of place is this? Zhang Wuji complied and flew ashore. He explored for a while and everywhere he went, he saw green thick forest; with the snow that started to melt on the ground, turning the soil into deep mud. After walking for a while, the forest got darker. All around him were gigantic ancient pine trees, the trunks were so big that each one needed several people join hands to encircle it. He flew up a tall tree to get a better view, and no matter which direction he looked he could not see the edge of the forest. Surprisingly, in this sea of trees, he did not see any sign of other human beings either. He thought even if he went further down the forest, he would see the same thing; therefore, he decided to return to the ship. Before reaching the shore, he had already heard miserable shouts; and these extremely sad and shrill sounds were coming from the ship. He was shocked, rushed to the shore, and immediately flew to the bow. He saw the deck was full of bodies scattered around; they were the Mongolian officers and soldiers corpses, from Pastai down to the last sailor. Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruo were standing on the deck, but he did not see any trace of the enemy.
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In shock he asked, Yifu, Zhiruo, are you all right? Where is the enemy? What enemy? Xie Xun asked, Did you see any trace of them? No! But these Mongolians Zhang Wuji said. Zhiruo and I killed them, Xie Xun said. Zhang Wuji was even more stunned, I did not expect these Mongolians would dare to harm us as soon as we return to the Central Earth, he said. They did not dare to harm us, Xie Xun explained, I killed them to close their mouths. As they are dead, Zhao Min will not know that we have returned to the Central Earth. From now on, she is in the bright place while we stay in the dark. It will be easier for us to exact our revenge. Zhang Wuji sucked a mouthful of cold air, and was speechless for half a day. What? Xie Xun dryly said, Are you blaming me for my cruelty? Tartars officers and soldiers are our enemies; are we supposed to treat them with the kindness of Bodhisattva? Zhang Wuji was silent; he remembered how these people had been taking care of them attentively, without the slightest degree of carelessness. Although they were enemies, he would not have the heart to kill them in cold blood like this. As the saying goes, Xie Xun continued, Those with small hearts are not people of noble characters, those who are not cruel are not real men. We dont want to harm others, others want to harm us. That Zhao Min has treated us like this so we simply follow her way and do to her what she did to us. Yifu is right, Zhang Wuji said. But looking at Pastai and the others corpses, he could not hold tears from flowing down his cheeks. Make fire, burn the boat down, Xie Xun said, Zhiruo, search the bodies, take all gold and silver you can find. Also, get three swords or sabers for our self-defense. Two people set the ship on fire then leaped to the shore. The ships hull was really big hence it burned continuously until midnight before the fire gradually died down. The remnant of the ship, along with the bodies, slowly went down to the bottom of the ocean. It was a clean job, without the least bit of trace. Zhang Wuji had to admit that although his Yifu was merciless, he was a veteran of Jianghu, with experience far exceeding him. Three people spent the night by the shore. They continued their journey southward early the next morning. It was not until the afternoon of the second day did they finally met seven, eight ginseng pickers. As they asked the men, they found out that that place was Liaodong [East Liaoning], outside the great wall, not too far from Changbai Mountain. When they left those men, Zhou Zhiruo asked, Yifu, shall we kill those men to shut their mouths? Zhiruo! Zhang Wuji snapped, What are you talking about? These ginseng pickers do not even know who we are. Must we kill everybody we meet along the way? Zhou Zhiruo was so ashamed that her face turned completely red. In all her life, Zhang Wuji had never spoken to her like that.
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If it were me, Xie Xun said, Id kill those ginseng pickers. But since Jiaozhu is unwilling to shed too many blood, we must quickly find a way to change our clothes, to remove any trace of our identities. They immediately quickened their pace. After walking briskly for two days, they finally left the forest. But it was not after walking another day did they finally see a peasant familys home. Zhang Wuji took out some silver coins to buy clothes from the peasant, but the family was so poor that they did not have any extra clothes to sell. After going to seven, eight different homes, finally they were able to collect three sets of totally filthy clothes. Zhou Zhiruo was used to cleanness; smelling the stench accumulated over several years, she almost threw up. But Xie Xun was delighted; he instructed his two companions to smear their faces with mud. When Zhang Wuji looked at his reflection in the water, he saw a Liaodongs beggar. Zhao Min might not necessarily recognize him even if she was standing right in front of him. As they continued walking southward, they entered the Great Wall. One day they arrived at the suburb of a big town. Three people went straight to a big restaurant. Zhang Wuji took three liangs worth of silver from his pocket and gave it to the innkeeper; he said, You can settle the bill after we are done eating. He was afraid that the innkeeper would not give them any food because of the way they dressed in ragged clothes. Who would have thought that the innkeeper stood up respectfully and returned the silver with both hands, saying, We thank Masters for patronizing our humble establishment; what is some insipid wine and crude rice? Please accept it compliment of our small inn. Zhang Wuji was very surprised. As they were seated, he said in low voice to Zhou Zhiruo, Has our masquerade been exposed? Why did the innkeeper refuse our money? Zhou Zhiruo examined their clothes and appearance carefully, they did look like three beggars; which movement or expression of theirs had given them away? From the way that innkeeper speaks, I can tell that he is afraid of something, Xie Xun said, We must be careful. They heard some footsteps on the stairway as seven men walked in. As chance had it, these men also dressed as beggars. These seven men went to sit on the table by the window; their manners were haughty. The waiter appeared and respectfully greeted them, calling them Master this and Master that, as if they were people of nobility or some high-ranking officials. Zhang Wuji noticed that some of these beggars carried five pouches on their backs, while some others carried six pouches. Apparently, they were some high-ranking disciples of the Beggar Clan. The waiter took their order and went downstairs. Before he even returned with their wine and dishes, there were six, seven more Beggar Clans disciples going up the stairs. In a short period of time, the restaurant upstairs were full with more than thirty Beggar Clan disciples; among whom there were three seven-pouch disciples. Suddenly it dawned on Zhang Wuji that the Beggar Clan was having their assembly today, and the innkeeper misunderstood them as members of the Beggar Clan. With a low voice he said to better get out of here to avoid trouble. The Beggar Clan people in here are not a few. But right at that moment the waiter came back to serve them a large dish of beef and another dish of roasted whole chicken, plus five catties [1 catty is approximately equal to 1 lb or 0.5kg] of white
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wine. Xie Xun was very hungry; he had gone through the last few months without any decent meals. Smelling the roasted chicken, his index finger twitched and he said, We are just quietly eating and drinking; we are not on their way, are we? While saying that he took the bowl and with glug, glug noise he drank half bowl of the white wine, while saying in his heart, Heaven have mercy on me. Xie Xun has wandered overseas for more than twenty years, and today is the first time I can taste wine again. The white wine was actually rather strong, the way people in this area brew; but to him it was like the most refined wine. He took a deep sigh as if he was very content. After drinking one full bowl, he suddenly said in low voice, Watch out, two people of high skill have just walked in! Zhang Wuji also heard footsteps on the stairs, and sure enough, two men with high level of martial art skill went up the stairs. As soon as they appeared on the entrance, a clamoring noise was heard as the beggars stood up simultaneously. Xie Xun made a hand signal, the three of them also stood up. These three actually sat inconspicuously by the wall near the corner, but if they stayed seated when everybody else was standing, they were afraid they would draw some unwanted attention. Zhang Wuji saw the first man was of medium build and his face looked handsome with a triangularshaped beard. Dressed in beggars garments, he looked more like a failed scholar. The man behind him was muscular, with dragon-like whiskers; his face looked ferocious. If he did not have a three-pointed beard, he would look just like Zhou Cang, the warrior holding a broadsword who stood by Guan Gong. These two men were about fifty years of age, their beards had turned grey. On their back there were nine small pouches, which were too small to carry anything, so those pouches were only used to show their rank within the Beggar Clan. Zhang Wuji mused, The Beggar Clan is known as the biggest clan in Jianghu. Tai Shifu used to say that in the former days, the Beggar Clan Bangzhu [Clan Leader] Hong Qigong was a righteous hero, with a very profound martial art skill; there wasnt anyone in both orthodox and unorthodox paths who did not admire him. After him were Huang Bangzhu and Yelu Bangzhu, both were people of outstanding characters. But for the last several decades, the people who held leaderships over the Beggar Clan failed to bring the Clans prestige to its former glory. The current Bangzhu, Shi Huolong, is very seldom making an appearance in Jianghu. I wonder what kind of person he is? These two men bear nine pouches on their backs, so other than the Bangzhu, they hold the most revered position within the Clan. That day on the Lingshe Island, the Beggar Clan people came to take the Tulong Saber away from Yifu. I wonder if these two have any connection to them? The Tulong Saber and the Yitian Sword had been stolen by Zhao Min, but the six tablets of Sheng Huo Ling were still in Zhang Wujis pocket. Apparently Zhao Min was afraid that his martial art skill was too strong that even after being poisoned by the shi xiang ruan jin san he would still possess an extraordinary ability, hence she did not dare to grope around his pocket. Seeing they were among these powerful Beggar Clan people, Zhang Wuji did not dare to be careless; he reached into his pocket, tracing the six tablets of Sheng Huo Ling with his hand. The two nine-pouch elders walked in and sat on the big table in the middle. The crowd of beggars returned to their seats one after another and continued eating and drinking, reaching out to get dishes or raising their bowl to drink the soup. They were as boisterous and uncouth as a pack of wolves. Zhang Wuji and Xie Xun strained their ears, trying to hear the conversation between those two nine-pouch elders. Surprisingly, those two elders were only busy eating and drinking; other than saying something like Please take another bowl, or This beef smells so good, they did not talk
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about anything in particular. After those two leader-elders [orig. text long2 tou2 zhang3 lao3 lit. dragon head elders] finished eating and drinking and went down the stairs, and the crowd of beggars also had their fill of wine and food, they dispersed in random. Xie Xun waited until the last of the beggars had left before he said in low voice, Wuji, what do you think? With so many of their high ranking members gathered together in this place, I dont think they simply want to have a party, Zhang Wuji said. My guess is, they are going to have another meeting tonight at a secluded place to discuss proper business matters. Must be so, Xie Xun nodded, The Beggar Clan has always been the enemy of our Cult. They took part in the burning down of our Brightness Peak, they also sent people to seize my Tulong Saber. We have to investigate clearly to see whether they are planning some sinister plot against our Cult or not. Three people went down the stairs towards the counter to pay their bill. The innkeeper was flabbergasted, saying that he would not take their money, no matter what. Zhang Wuji thought, The Beggar Clan is really showing off their power here, that the inn and restaurant around here are afraid of them; they must be used to eating and drinking without paying, and run amuck without any regard of the law. Three people went out to find a small inn where they could spend the night. Although the town was teeming with Beggar Clan people, they usually did not stay at any inn, hence there was a slim chance of them meeting any Beggar Clan people in the inn. Wuji, Xie Xun said, My eyes cannot see a thing, it is very inconvenient for me to go out spying around. Zhiruos martial art skill is not high. If she goes out with you, I am afraid she will be a burden to you, so I am asking you to go alone. Certainly, Zhang Wuji said. He took a rest for a while in the inn, then left. He walked along the main street from south to north, but surprisingly did not see a single beggar on the street. Zhang Wuji mused, It was less than an hour ago they left the restaurant and suddenly not a single beggar is in sight. They couldnt have gone too far. Immediately he went to a dry goods store nearby. With menacing glance, he reached out over the counter, threatened to strike the shopkeeper while barking, Hey, shopkeeper! Where did my brethrens go? Several shop attendants saw his ferocious and mean appearance; they thought he must be one of those loathsome beggars, they were all scared to death. One of them was braver than the other, he pointed north, and said with a smile, Your noble clan friends are all heading north. Would you like to drink some tea, Master? I dont drink! Zhang Wuji barked, What damn, stinking tea is that? Turning around he walked to the north in big strides, while laughing hard inside. He had not walked far from the town when he saw a moving shadow among the tall grass by the road on his left, a Beggar Clan disciple stood up; it looked like he was about to shout some questions. Zhang Wuji quickened his step and was gone is a flash. That beggar rubbed his own eyes, he was so sure he saw somebody, but that person disappeared in a blink of an eye.
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Zhang Wuji thought the Beggar Clan set up checkpoints along the way, their meeting must be heavily guarded; therefore, utilizing his qing gong [lightness kungfu] he sped up to the north. He saw the Beggar Clan checkpoints behind trees, among the grass, in between hills and by the rock side; but instead of being obstacles, they became his guide. Rushing about four, five lis, Zhang Wuji saw there were roadblocks at every three steps and checkpoints at every five steps, the security got heavier and heavier. These peoples martial art skills were not high, but it was actually not easy to evade their sight under the bright sunny day. In the end Zhang Wuji was forced to leave the main road and continue on the narrow winding back road. Right away he saw a large temple at the end of a mountain passage on the waist of the mountain. He figured that the Beggar Clan people must be having their meeting in that temple. Thereupon he rushed toward the northeast corner, and then bypassing another beggar checkpoint to the west, he went straight to the temple side. He noticed a plaque at the front of the temple with Mi Lei Fo Miao [Buddha Maitreya Temple] written in large characters. The temple looked majestic and grand. Zhang Wuji mused, This time the Beggar Clans important leaders are here in large numbers, it would be difficult to avoid being detected if I mingle among them. Looking around, he saw a large ancient pine tree on the left of the courtyard in front of the main hall, while to the right there was an old cypress tree. Both trees stood upright and tall, their thick branches and leaves towered over the main hall, both were perfect for a hiding place. Going around the back of the temple, Zhang Wuji leaped up to the roof, and then crawled to the corner of the eaves and lightly jumped to the top of the pine tree. Positioning himself behind a large branch, he peeked outside and silently acclaimed, Lucky! because from among the thick leaves, he could see the entire mail hall clearly. He saw that the main hall floor was packed with beggars; he estimated their number to be more than three hundred. These beggars sat facing the inside of the hall, and nobody seemed to notice him jumping to the pine tree. There were five empty round meditation mats in the hall; apparently they were still waiting for some people to arrive. What was strange, though, that there were three, four hundred people, but not a single sound was heard; it was a totally different situation from the chaotic, boisterous fight over food and wine in the restaurant earlier. Zhang Wuji thought, The Beggar Clan has enjoyed several hundred years of reputation. Although their prestige is fading lately, the manner of the olden days is not gone. That scene at the restaurant was an ordinary day situation, hence the elders did not rein them the law enforcement is very strict otherwise. There was a Buddla Maitreya idol sitting in the main hall, its bare chest exposed its big belly, its mouth frozen in an eternal smile, looking so kind and benevolent. Zhang Wuji was still assessing the situation when suddenly someone in the hall was shouting, Zhang Bo Longtou [the leader in charge of the alms bowl (small earthenware bowl used by Buddhist monks to ask for alms)] has arrived! The beggars stood up at once. A nine-pouched elder who looked like a scholar with a broken bowl in his hands, slowly walked in and stood on the right side. Another shout was heard, Zhang Bang Longtou [the leader in charge of the (beggar) stick] has arrived! The nine-pouched elder who looked like Zhou Cang, lifting an iron stick high in his hands, walked in big strides, and stood on the left side. That man shouted again, Zhi Fa Zhanglao [law enforcement elder] has arrived!
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A thin and small old beggar walked in, his hand holding a worn-out bamboo mat. His steps were light and he walked without raising a single speck of dust. Zhang Wuji thought, This mans qing gong is excellent; perhaps he is only a notch below Wei Fuwang [bat king Wei]. Another shout was heard, Chuan Gong Zhanglao [instructor/teacher/coach (someone who passes on skills) elder] has arrived! This time an old beggar with white hair and white beard appeared. He was empty handed, and his level of martial art skill could not be evaluated from either his stature or his footwork. The four elders occupied the four meditation mats, but the mat in the middle was still empty. They all bowed down and shouted in one voice, Inviting Bangzhu [clan leader] to preside! Zhang Wujis heart was stirred, I heard the Beggar Clans Bangzhu is called the Jin Yin Zhang [Gold and Silver Palm], Shi Huolong [his given name means fiery dragon], he mused, But in the Wulin world, very few people have ever seen his real face. I wonder what kind of character is he? In the main hall, all the beggars bowed down together. A moment later, the sound of footsteps was heard from behind the screen, and a large man walked in big strides. He was more than six feet tall, looked healthy and strong, with a red face like a high-ranking government officer. He stopped at the middle of the main hall and stood with his hands on his waist. The crowd of beggars chorused, The disciples in attendance pay their respect to Bangzhu. The Beggar Clans Bangzhu Shi Huolong waved his right hand and said, Thats enough! You boys are well? We wish Bangzhu well, the crowd chorused. They waited until Shi Huolong took his seat on the middle meditation mat before they all sat down. Shi Huolong turned toward Zhang Bo Longtou and said, Weng Xiongdi [brother Weng], please tell everybody here about Jin Mao Shi Wang and the Tulong Saber. Zhang Wujis heart beat faster when he heard the name Jin Mao Shi Wang and the Tulong Saber being mentioned, he focused his attention to listen attentively. Zhang Bo Longtou stood up, bowed to the Clan Leader, and then turned around and said, Brethrens, the Devil Cult has been in enmity with our Clan for sixty years, the grievance between us is very deep. In the resent years, the Ming Cult has set up a new Cult Leader, by the name of Zhang Wuji. From our members who were involved in the besieging of the Brightness Peak, we learned that this man is an ignorant youngster. A child who is still wet behind the ears, whose yellow feathers have not been shed; which important achievement can he accomplish? How can he resist our Clans Shi Bangzhus heroism, ability and great accomplishments? The crowd of beggars broke into thunderous cheers and applause, while Shi Huolongs face looked pleased and proud. Zhang Bo Longtou continued, Only, they were originally split up and disunited, and killing each other; the internal strife immediately ceased after the Devil Cults new Cult Leader was appointed. This has become a big misfortune to our Clan. Within the last year or so, the Devil Cult leaders are staging numerous rebellions everywhere. In the Huai Si River region, there are Han Shantong and Zhu Yuanzhang; in the Liang Hu [lit. two lakes Hunan and Hubei provinces], there is Xu Shouhui and his company. They have repeatedly defeated the Yuan soldiers and occupied not a few of
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places. It can be said that they quite make the grade. If they succeed in this great undertaking by driving out the Tartars, then we are done. Our Clans tens of thousands brethrens might die without any burial ground at that time. The crowd of beggars angrily shouted, Must not let them succeed! The Beggar Clan swears to fight to the death with the Devil Cult. If the Devil Cult rules the world, can our Clans brethrens live? Tartars must go, but there is no way we would let the Devil Cults Jiaozhu ascend to the throne. Zhang Wuji contemplated, Who would have thought that while I was overseas for several months, the brethrens have done really great. The Beggar Clan is this apprehensive; apparently, it was not without any reason. The Beggar Clan people are numerous; there are many heroes and warriors among them; if we can join hands with them to fight the Yuan, then this important matter has a greater chance of success. Question is, how do I eradicate their suspicion, converting an enemy into a friend? Zhang Bo Longtou waited until the commotion somewhat subsided before continuing, Shi Bangzhu has always lived peacefully in the Lian Hua Shan Zhuang [Lotus Villa (a manor on the mountain)], and did not involve in the Jianghu for a long time; but with this kind of urgent matter, he does not have any choice but to preside over it personally. Also, with the Heavens blessing, our Clans eight-pouch Zhanglao [elder] Chen Youliang has made an acquaintance with a Wudang disciple and has obtained extremely important information. Raising his voice he called out, Chen Zhanglao! Here! a voice from behind the wall responded. Two men appeared, walking hand-in-hand. One of them was about thirty years of age, with a swift and fierce expression; he was none other than Chen Youliang whose life was spared by Xie Xun on the Lingshe Island. The other was a 27, 28 year-old handsome man; he was none other than Song Yuanqiaos son, Song Qingshu. When he heard Chen Youliang has made an acquaintance with a Wudang disciple, Zhang Wuji assumed it was some ordinary disciple under his martial uncles; who would have thought that it was a Wudangs disciple who could be regarded as the first among the third generation disciples? How can Song Shige [martial (older) brother] get mixed up with the Beggar Clan? he thought. Following which, he thought, Wudang Pai and the Beggar Clan are both chivalrous organizations, they have a good relationship with each other, so I should not wonder. Chen Youliang and Song Qingshu saluted Shi Huolong first, and then they greeted the Chuan Gong Zhanglao and Zhi Fa Zhanglao, Zhang Bang Longtou and Zhang Bo Longtou, before finally turning to face the crowd of beggars and cupped their fists. Chen Zhanglao, Zhang Bo Longtou said, Please tell the details of this matter to the brethrens here. Taking Song Qingshus hand, Chen Youliang said, Brothers, this is Song Qingshu, Song Shaoxia [young hero Song], he is Wudang Pais Song Yuanqiao, Song Daxias [great hero Song] son. In the future, Wudang Pais Zhangmen [Sect Leader] position will no doubt fall into his hand. That Devil Cults Jiaozhu, Zhang Wuji, can be considered Song Shaoxias Shidi [martial (younger) brother], therefore, I can say with confidence that Song Shaoxia understands the internal matters inside the Devil Cult like the back of his hands. Several months ago, Shong Shaoxia informed me that the Devil Cults big leader [da mo tou, lit. big devil-head] Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun has arrived on the Lingshe Island of the East China Sea
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Zhi Fa Zhanglao interrupted, The Wulin world has exhausted all efforts in trying to find the Jin Mao Shi Wang, but for dozens of years nobody knows his whereabouts. How did Song Shaoxia suddenly found out? The Old Man here wants to know. Zhang Wuji had always had this question lingered on his mind, Zi Shan Long Wang has forced information from Wu Lie, father and daughter, on my Yifus location before taking him south to the Lingshe Island. This is a top-secret information. How did the Beggar Clan find out and hence send some people to the island to seize the Saber?" Xie Xun and he had discussed this matter over several times, but all along they could not find a plausible answer. Now listening to Zhi Fa Zhanglaos question, he focused his attention even more. He heard Chen Youliang say, Due to Bangzhus good fortune, we struck a coincidence. On the Eastern Sea there is someone by the name of Jin Hua Popo. I dont know how, but she knew Xie Xuns whereabouts. This old granny is highly skilled in maritime and navigational skill. Unexpectedly, she managed to find the desolate island of the far north where Xie Xun lived, and took him to the Lingshe Island. On that Lingshe Island, there were two people, father and daughter, being held captives. Their names were Wu Lie and Wu Qingying; they are the descendants of Dalis Southern Emperors school of martial arts. Taking advantage of Jin Hua Popo leaving the island to visit the Central Plains [zhong yuan], they killed the guard and escaped from the island. They met some danger in Shandong area; luckily Song Shaoxia saved them. After talking for some times, Song Shaoxia learned about Jin Mao Shi Wangs whereabouts. Hmm, so thats how it is, Zhi Fa Zhanglao nodded. In his heart Zhang Wuji also said, Hmm, so thats how it is. He further considered, Wu Lie, father and daughter, are not upright people; in the past, along with Zhu Zhangling, they did a painstaking effort to cheat Yifus whereabouts from my mouth. But as luck has it, the information was passed on to Zi Shan Long Wang. Speaking about water skill and navigation technique, I am afraid not many people in the world who can surpass Zi Shan Long Wang. If not her, who in the world could have found the Binghuo Island on the boundless North Sea? Even if my father and mother were resurrected from the dead, they might not necessarily be able to do that. It was divine intervention indeed. Chen Youliang continued, Xiongdi [brother, referring to himself] and Song Shaoxia have forged a life-and-death friendship. As soon as I learned this information, I coordinated with Ji and Zheng, two eighth-pouch zhanglao, accompanied by five seven-pouch disciples, we went to the Lingshe Island to capture Xie Xun and seize the Tulong Saber to be presented to Bangzhu. Unexpectedly, the Devil Cult also sent a large army of warriors to the Lingshe Island. Although we did our best to fight, in the end we were defeated; Ji Zhanglao and four of the seven-pouch disciples have fallen. On the detail of the battle on the Lingshe Island, I invite Zheng Zhanglao to report to Bangzhu. The maimed Zheng Zhanglao stood up from among the crowd and narrated the battle between the Beggar Clan and the Ming Cult on the Lingshe Island. He did not say that the Beggar Clan people surrounded the lone Xie Xun, but he mentioned how numerous the Ming Cult people were, and how brave their own people fight the enemy, and finally he told about how Chen Youliang had placed his own life at stake to save him and to uphold justice. He was speaking fervently that his spittle flew everywhere. He said Xie Xun was very impressed with Chen Youliangs uprightness that he did not dare to fight him. As the crowd of beggars in the main hall listened to his story, they were excited, their countenances flushed and they cheered repeatedly. Chen Xiongdi is both brave and resourceful, as well as loyal [orig. yi4 qi4 spirit of loyalty and self-sacrifice/code of brotherhood]. A man like him is truly hard to come by, Chuan Gong Zhanglao commented.
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Chen Youliang bowed and said, For the sake of following Bangzhu and Zhanglaos instructions, for the sake of lifting our Clans principle of righteousness high, I am willing to go through fire or water. It was a trivial matter. I feel unworthy to receive Zheng Zhanglaos compliments. Seeing his modesty and unwillingness to receive credit, the crowd of beggars praised him even more. On top of the tree, the more Zhang Wuji heard, the angrier he was; thinking that this man was despicable and shameless, he unexpectedly dared to go this far. It was obvious that he betrayed a friend to save his own life, but he became the hero who saved his friend instead. Only, his scheme was flawless that even Zheng Zhanglao was deceived. He was indeed a great villain. Thinking of this, his heart turned sour, This traitors deceit, even Yifu was deceived, even I was deceived, he mused, Only Zi Shan Long Wang and Miss Zhao were not deceived. Ay Miss Zhao is very intelligent; its a pity her character is Zhi Fa Zhanglao stood up and coldly said, Our Clan has this many brothers harmed by the Devil Cult, this blood debt is as deep as the ocean. Are we going to let it go? The crowd of beggars responded in such a clamor, We must avenge Ji Zhanglao! Lets go to the Brightness Peak! Wipe out the Devil Cult! Slay Zhang Wuji, slay Xie Xun! Our Clan cannot coexist with the Devil Cult; we see one of them, we kill one of them, we see a pair of them, we kill a pair of them! Bangzhu, quickly issue an order to the Beggar Clan disciples under the heaven to raise our arms and fight the Devil Cult! Bangzhu, Zhi Fa Zhanglao said to Shi Huolong, Seeking revenge is an urgent matter, please give us direction on how to proceed. Shi Huolong frowned and said, This mmm, this is indeed our Clans important matter. Hmm, hmm it needs further consideration. Tell the seven-pouch disciples and under to withdraw momentarily, let us discuss this matter carefully. Yes! Zhi Fa Zhanglao complied. Turning around he shouted, Hear Bangzhus order: sevenpouch disciples and under to leave the main hall and wait outside the temple. The crowd shouted their obedience; they bowed down to Shi Huolong, and went out the temple gate. Only eight-pouch elders and the leaders remained in the main hall. Chen Youliang moved one step forward, bowed down and said, Reporting to Bangzhu: this Song Qingshu, Song Xiongdi has rendered a great service to our Clan. I am asking Bangzhus benevolence to allow him be a part of our Clan, and to confer to him a position commensurate to his skill and status, so that he would be able to contribute even greater service to our Clan in the future. This, apparently, has not Song Qingzhu said. He only said the word not when Chen Youliang cast him a sharp glance. Song Qingshu noticed his expression and immediately lowered his head and did not continue. Very well, Shi Huolong said, Song Qingshu is admitted into our Clan. For the time being, I give him the rank of six-pouch disciple, under the eight-pouch elder Chen Youliangs command. He must abide by our Clans laws and regulations, doing his utmost for our Clans benefit. His merit will be rewarded and his crime will be punished. Song Qingshus eyes showed resentment, but he strived to restrain himself. Moving forward he knelt down in front of Shi Huolong and said, Disciple Song Qingshu pays his respect to Bangzhu.
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Many thanks for Bangzhus kindness in bestowing the six-pouch disciple position to me. After that, he also paid his respect to the various elders. Song Xiongdi, Zhi Fa Zhanglao said, Since you are part of our Clan, you are subjected to our Clans rules and regulations. Someday, even though you become the Wudang Pai Zhang Men [Sect Leader of Wudang Sect], you will still have to follow our Clans order. Do you understand this? His manner of speaking was very serious. Yes, Song Qingshu replied. Zhi Fa Zhanglao continued, Although our Clan and Wudang Pai both follow the same chivalrous way, our approaches are not the same. Since someday the Wudang Sect Leader position will certainly fall into your hands, why did you want to become part of our Clan? You must answer this question truthfully. Song Qingshu cast a sidelong glance toward Chen Youliang before answering, Chen Zhanglao has shown an utmost benevolence toward me, I admire his conduct very much; therefore, I will be satisfied to follow his leadership. Cheng Youliang laughed and said, There are no outsiders here, I dont see any problem for you to say it. After the Sect Leader of Emei Pai, Miejue Shitai passed away, the newly-appointed Sect Leader is a young and good-looking lady by the name of Zhou Zhiruo. This lady and Song Xiongdi are childhood friends; apparently they are betrothed to each other. Who would have thought that the Devil Cults big devil-head Zhang Wuji appeared and stole her heart away, and took her overseas? Obviously, Song Xiongdi was furious and came to me for advice. I vow to help my brother taking that Zhou girl back. The more Wuji heard it, the angrier he was; thinking in his heart, This man spoke nonsense; when did such thing ever happen? He wanted to jump down into the main hall to confront him, but in the end decided to restrain his rage and keep on listening. Shi Huolong laughed aloud and said, Its always hard for a hero to resist a beauty. I am not surprised. One is the Wudang Sect Leader, the other is Emei Sect Leader; not only a match in social position and economic status, but also the man highly skilled, the woman beautiful. This is a perfect match indeed. Zhi Fa Zhanglao asked again, Since Song Xiongdi has this grievance, why dont you ask Zhang Sanfeng Zhenren [lit. true/real man a respectable term to address a Taoist priest] and Song Daxia [great hero Song] to mediate? Chen Youliang replied, Song Xiongdi told me: that little thief Zhang Wuji is Wudang Pais Zhang Cuishans son. Zhang Sanfeng has always been very fond of Zhang Cuishan. For that reason, Wudang Pai is in a good term with the Devil Cult lately. Zhang Sanfeng and Song Daxia are not willing to offend the Devil Cult. Presently, in the Wulin world of the Central Plains, our Clan is the only one who stands against the Devil Cult; furthermore, we are the only one who has enough power to resist those devils. Zhi Fa Zhanglao nodded. Thats true, he said, Only by destroying the Devil Cult and slaughtering that fellow Zhang Wuji Song Xiongdis desire will be satisfied and his grievance compensated only by destroying the Devil Cult and slaughtering that person Zhang Wuji. From his hiding place on the tree, Zhang Wuji recalled how in the Western Regions desert and on the Brightness Peak, Song Qingshus treatment toward Zhou Zhiruo had always been rather
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strange. Only now did Zhang Wuji realize that Song Qingshu had a deep feeling toward her. Yet he was still astonished over what had happened, A Wudang disciple wants to join the Beggar Clan; this is not right, especially without reporting to Tai Shifu and Song Shibo [martial (older) uncle] first. He is betraying his own school, betraying his own father, for a womans sake; wouldnt he make a very big mistake? Besides, Zhiruo loves me very much, although Song Qingshu received the Beggar Clans help, how can he force her to follow him? Song Dage [big brother Song] has made a name for himself in the Jianghu, he holds the reputation as the up-and coming leader of Wudang Pai. How can he make such a blunder? He heard Chen Youliang say, Reporting to Bangzhu: in Dadou [grand capital, modern day Beijing] disciple has captured an important figure from the Devil Cult. This man might be crucial to our Clans great endeavor; asking Bangzhu to give your verdict. Shi Huolong was delighted, Bring him in, he said. Chen Youliang clapped three times, Bring that devil head in, he said. From the back of the hall came four beggars with unsheathed weapons in their hands, dragging a man whose hands were tied behind his back. Zhang Wuji saw that he was a young man in his early twenties; his face looked very familiar. He remembered he had seen this man during the Ming Cult great assembly on the Butterfly Valley, but he did not remember that mans name. That man looked furious; when he walked passed Chen Youliang, he suddenly spat on his face. Chen Youliang quickly dodged while striking that mans cheek with the back of his palm, causing that mans cheek to immediately swell. The beggar behind him pushed him down and shouted, Kneel down and kowtow in Bangzhus presence! That man coughed and spat thick spittle toward Shi Huolongs face. The distance between that man and Shi Huolong was very close, to begin with, plus, he spat with all his might. Although Shi Huolong hastily ducked, he was not able to evade. Splat! the spittle landed on his forehead. Chen Youliangs leg swept away and kicked that man down, while he blocked in front of Shi Huolong. Pointing his finger to him, Chen Youliang barked, Daring crazy disciple! Are you bored of your life? That man shot back, Since I have fallen into your hand, your master does not hope to go home alive! As Chen Youliang blocked, Shi Huolong had the opportunity to wipe the spittle from his forehead. Chen Youliang moved two steps backward and said, Reporting to Bangzhu: this fellow is a top ranking expert within the Devil Cult; his martial art skill level appears to be above the four Protector Kings. We must not look down on him. Listening to him, Zhang Wuji was astonished, but he immediately understood; Chen Youliang was deliberately exaggerating that mans martial art to give face to his Clan Leader. Shi Huolong was the Clan Leader of the Beggar Clan, but surprisingly he was not able to evade this spittle attack, which was highly unlikely. Furthermore, after receiving such insult, his face did not show any indignation, but he appeared to be somewhat frightened and was at a loss. Chen Xiongdi, Zhi Fa Zhanglao asked, Who is this man?
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His name is Han Liner, Chen Youliang replied, The son of Han Shantong. Zhang Wuji nodded his head silently, Thats right. During the general assembly in the Butterfly Valley, he was always following his father around and did not speak to me at all, no wonder I did not remember his name. Ah, Zhi Fa Zhanglao was delighted, He is Han Shantongs son. Chen Xiongdi, your contribution is even greater. Reporting to Bangzhu: for the past several years, Han Shantong has repeatedly defeated the Yuan army, establishing for himself a great fame for his military prowess. The generals under his command, Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and the others, are all important leaders within the Devil Cult. By capturing this fellow, we can use him as hostage, so that we wont have to worry about Han Shantong not listening to our Clan. Han Liner opened his mouth in swearing and cursing, In your mothers dream! What kind of hero is my Father? How could he submit to your shameless coercing? My Father only listen to Zhang Jiaozhus order. Your Beggar Clan wants to contend for supremacy against my Ming Cult? You are overestimating your own capabilities too much! Your stinky Beggar Clan Bangzhu is not even fit to carry our Zhang Jiaozhu. Chen Youliang chuckled, Han Xiongdi, he said, You say your Cults Zhang Jiaozhu is such a hero, all of us admire him very much and want to see his face. Why dont you take us to see him? Zhang Jiaozhu is dealing with important matters, Han Liner said, Even our own brethrens cannot easily see him. How can he have time to see you? [Translators note: in this exchange, both Chen Youliang and Han Liner referred to Zhang Wuji as lao ren jia Senior, a polite term for someone of higher status or simply older.] Chen Youliang laughed, Everybody in Jianghu said that Zhang Wuji has been captured by the Yuan army and has been beheaded at Dadou a while ago that his leadership in all levels has been taken over in various regions, yet you are still blowing your horn? Pei! Han Liner spat angrily, Bullshit! Can Tartars capture our Zhang Jiaozhu? Even if he is surrounded by a thousand soldiers and ten thousands horses, our Jiaozhu can come and go as he wishes. It is true that Zhang Jiaozhu has gone to Dadou, but he went there to rescue the Wulin characters of the Six Major Sects. What beheading? You are but sprouting nonsense! Chen Youliang was not angered, still chuckling he said, That was what I heard from the Jianghu, its hard for me not to believe. Why else would in the past half a year or so we only heard about Han Shantong, Xu Shouhui, and some Zhu Yuanzhang, Peng Yingyu Heshang [Buddhist monk], but we have never heard about Zhang Wuji? Surely it is because he is dead. I have no doubt about it. Han Liners face turned completely red, the blue vein on his forehead bulged out. My Father, Xu Shouhui and the others are executing Zhang Jiaozhus command; how can they be compared with Zhang Jiaozhu? Chen Youliang incredulously said, This man Zhang Wujis martial art skill cannot be considered bad, but he was destined not to live a long life and will die young. Somebody who has done some divination on him says that he wont live past the beginning of this year Right at this moment, suddenly a branch of the old cypress tree in the courtyard was shaking lightly, but nobody in the main hall knew about it. Zhang Wuji, however, was able to hear a faint excited breathing noise from behind the branch, but that person immediately controlled his breath
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that the noise stopped. Turn out there is someone hiding on that old cypress tree, Zhang Wuji thought, This person must be here before I did. How come I am not aware of his presence for this long? His martial art skill must be not bad. Focusing his eyes, he saw a shadow among the branches and the leaves. He saw the corner of that persons green clothes; he knew that person was well prepared, his outfit blended very well with the color of the cypress tree. If not for Zhang Wujis astute vision, he would have had a difficult time seeing that person. He heard Han Liner angrily said, Zhang Jiaozhu has a big heart with a generous nature, the Heaven will most certainly bless him. He is still very young and I will not be surprised if he will live another hundred years. Chen Youliang gasped and said, But a mans fate is hard to predict! I heard that he was framed by a traitor and thus was captured and executed by the imperial government. I dont find that as a strange occurrence. People who have seen Zhang Wuji all said that he would not live past three times eight, twenty-four years of age Suddenly from the old cypress tree a green shadow flashed, someone jumped down and shouted, Zhang Wuji is here! Who cursed me as a short-lived man? The voice still lingered in the air, the person had already entered the main hall. Zhang Bang Zhanglao, who was standing at the door, stretched out his hand to grab the back of that persons neck, trying to capture him. With a swift and nimble movement, that person evaded to the side. Now everyone could see that he was wearing a green robe with a rectangular headband, his manner was elegant, his face was like a jade, and his eyes were as clear as water. He was none other than Zhao Min wearing a mans clothes. As he saw Zhao Min made an appearance, Zhang Wujis heart was shaken; he was startled and angered at the same time, but also felt sweetness and delight in his heart, so that he could not refrain from softly exclaiming. By this time, all the beggars in the main hall had already surrounded Zhao Min, hence nobody paid any attention to his exclamation. The Beggar Clan people had never seen Zhang Wuji, they only knew that the Ming Cults Cult Leader was a young man around twenty years of age with a superb martial art skill. Seeing Zhao Mins swiftness and agility in evading Zhang Bang Zhanglaos grab, they knew this person was a top quality martial art expert, hence they all believe the Ming Cults Cult Leader had arrived, everybody shivered in fear. Only Chen Youliang noticed that his face was too pretty, he looked too young, and there was a rather flirtatious tone in his voice. All in all, there was a difference with this mans appearance and the description of Zhang Wuji in the Jianghu. He shouted, Zhang Wuji has been dead long ago, where did this impostor come from? Zhao Min indignantly said, Zhang Wuji is alive and well, why did you keep cursing him as dead? Zhang Wuji is flooded with good fortune as vast as the sky, he will live a long life of over-ahundred-years; he will live another eighty years even after everybody in here is dead. Zhang Wuji could hear the sadness in these few sentences; it was as if after abandoning them on that desolate island, she was pricked by her own conscience. But then he thought, How can this kind of cruel and mean person have any conscience? Zhang Wuji, oh Zhang Wuji, you simply are not willing to part with her. You are simply deceiving yourself with this kind of wishful thinking.
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Who are you, actually? Chen Youliang asked. Zhao Min replied, I am the Ming Cult Jiaozhu, Zhang Wuji. Why do you hold my subordinate brother captive? Release him quickly. Whatever problem you have, I am here to deal with you personally. Huh, huh! suddenly someone from the side sneered, Miss Zhao, others may not recognize you; do you think I, Song Qingshu, dont know you? Reporting to Bangzhu: this woman is the Ruyang Princes daughter, she has many martial art experts under her command, we must guard against them. Zhi Fa Zhanglao pursed his lips and whistled loudly, Zhang Bang Zhanglao, take our brothers go out the temple to seek the enemy. Watch for enemies coming in to attack, he ordered. Zhang Bang Zhanglao responded and went out the hall. In an instant from every direction came shouts and whistles from the Beggar Clan disciples. Seeing this situation, Zhao Mins countenance changed slightly, she clapped her hands once, and from the top of the wall two men jumped down; they were the Xuanming Er Lao [Xuanming two Elders], Lu Zhangke and He Biweng. Get them! Zhi Fa Zhanglao barked his order. Immediately four seven-pouch disciples pounced on Lu and He, two elders. Xuanming Elders martial arts were exceptionally strong, in just three stances all four seven-pouch disciples were injured. The white-haired, white-bearded Chuan Gong Zhanglao stood up. With a loud shout his palm struck straight to He Biweng, creating a loud gust of wind, a sign of overwhelming power behind that strike. He Biweng used his Xuan Ming Shen Zhang [mysterious and dark divine palm] to parry the attack. With a loud Bang! two palms collided. Three palms exchanges later, it was evident that Chuan Gong Zhanglao was not He Biwengs match. On the other front, Lu Zhangke, with the deer antler staff in his hand, fought Zhi Fa Zhanglao and Zhang Bo Longtou, two people. For the time being, it was hard to decide which side had the upper hand. Seeing Chuan Gong Zhanglaos face was flushed as red as blood, while retreating step-by-step, Zhang Bang Longtou could not help from feeling alarmed. He knew Chuan Gong Zhanglaos profound power, which could be considered as their Clans number one martial art expert; how could he not able to match this old man? By the fifth palm exchange, he saw Chuan Gong Zhanglao was gasping for breath, his white beard fluttered in the air; it was clear that he was in distress. Although he knew Chuan Gong Zhanglao had never liked to be helped in fight, seeing his dire condition, in the end Zhang Bang Longtou could not let him lose his life under the enemys hand; Zhang Bang Longtou swept He Biwengs feet using his iron staff. As the Xuanming Elders appeared, Zhao Min was about to retreat, but Chen Youliang blocked her way with a sword. In the Wan An Temple, Zhao Min had learned the essence of the Six Major Sects martial art skill. With shua, shua, shuasounds her sword moved. The first stance was Huashans sword technique, the second was Kunluns, and the last one was Kongtongs. For the fourth stance, she used the Emei Pais jin ding jiu shi [golden peak nine styles]. Chen Youliang was taken by surprise and was not able to fend off. Zhao Mins sword made a circle and stabbed straight toward his chest. Clang! a sword was thrust horizontally from the left, diverting Zhao Mins sword; it was Song Qingshu.
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While the battle was raging all over the main hall, Zhang Wuji watched from the top of the pine tree. He saw Song Qingshu was able to fully utilize the Wudang sword technique. His movements were steady and fierce; apparently he had mastered the lessons imparted by is father, Song Yuanqiao. Chen Youliang also attacked from the side. Although Zhao Min possessed a vast knowledge of sword techniques, in the end diversity could not overcome purity. With one against two, already she was forced to defend herself more and attack less. Zhang Wuji was secretly anxious, but also puzzled, Why does she use an ordinary sword? If it was Yitian Sword, she would be able to cut her opponents swords and break through their siege. He noticed that she was wearing tight clothes, showing off her slim figure; it was obvious that she was not concealing the Yitian Sword on her waist. After feeling anxious for a while, Zhang Wuji rebuked himself, Zhang Wuji, this little witch killed your cousin; why are you anxious over her safety instead? You not only offend Biaomei [younger female cousin], but offend Yifu and Zhiruo as well. After fighting for a while, several more martial art masters from the Beggar Clan joined the battle, while on Zhao Mins side no other people came in to help. Realizing the unfavorable situation, Lu Zhangke called out, Jun Zhu Niang-niang [princess], Shi Di [martial (younger) brother], lets retreat to the courtyard and find an opportunity to leave. Very well, Miss Zhao said, This man surnamed Chen slanders Zhang Gongzi [young master Zhang], saying he is short-lived and will die young. I am mad at him; you two deal with him well. Will do, Xuanming Elders replied, Junzhu, please leave first. Leave this kid to us. Zhao Min also said, That Han Liner is very loyal to Zhang Gongzi, you must try to save him. Junzhu, please withdraw first, Lu Zhangke said, Leave the rescuing business to us, two brothers. These three people were talking about rescuing people while under the siege of powerful enemies, as if they did not have any regard toward their opponents. While the battle in the main hall was raging wild, the Beggar Clans Clan Leader Shi Huolong was standing quietly on the corner of the main hall. As Chuan Gong and Zhi Fa two Elders listened to Zhao Mins exchange with the Xuanming Elders, they ordered their people to intercept. Suddenly both Lu Zhangke and He Biweng left their opponents and charged toward Shi Huolong. Their movement was so fast that it was impossible for Shi Huolong to resist. Who would have thought that as Chen Youliang listened to Zhao Min and the Xuanming Elders planning their escape, he had already anticipated this tactic? He preceded everybody else by going around and was ready by Shi Huolongs side. Before the Xuanming Elders palm strikes arrived, Chen Youliang had already pushed Shi Huolongs shoulder down, and shoved him behind the Mi Le Fo image. Crack! as the Xuanming Elders palms struck down, part of the idol broke with its debris flew everywhere, while the idol itself was swaying, ready to fall down. He Biweng moved another step forward and struck two more times with his palms. The large idol flew to the air and crashed down. The crowd of beggars cried out in alarm and leaped away to evade. Zhao Min took advantage of this highly chaotic situation to leap out to the courtyard. Song Qingshu and Zhang Bang Longtou, one with a sword the other a staff, pursued together. As she was leaping over the temple gate, three staves suddenly appeared lightning fast to sweep the lower part of Zhao Mins body. Zhao Min was already busy blocking Song Qingshus sword and Zhang Bang Longtous iron staff, now she had to evade these three incoming attacks. She managed to avoid two, but failed to evade the third. She felt pain on her left shin as a staff struck her, her feet faltered and she fell down forward.
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Song Qingshu flipped his sword to strike the back of Zhao Mins head with the handle, with the intention of knocking her down and capture her alive. As the sword hilt was only less than half a foot away from her head, suddenly the iron staff in Zhang Bang Longtous hand flicked the sword hilt up, diverting Song Qingshus sword to the side. Right at that moment a shadow flew up and leaped over the wall. Song Qingshu turned around and asked Zhang Bang Longtou, Why did you let her go? Zhang Bang Longtuo was angry, Why did you pull my iron staff up? It was you who used your staff to divert my sword, Song Qingshu said, And still Its no use arguing, Zhang Bang Longtou shouted, Lets pursue her! Immediately two people leaped over the wall, only to see nearby the corner a seven-pouch disciple was lying down; his leg was broken from the fall that he was unable to crawl back up. Where did that witch run away to? Zhang Bang Longtou asked. Several seven-pouch disciples who were on guard outside the wall replied, Nobody was here; we did not see anybody. Zhang Bang Longtou was angry, Just a moment ago clearly somebody was leaping over the wall over here. Are you all blind? A six-pouch disciple stooped down to help the seven-pouch disciple whose leg was broken, he said, Just now it was this brother who leaped over the wall, there was no other people. Zhang Bang Longtou scratched his head and asked that seven-pouch disciple, Why did you leap over the wall? I , the seven-pouch disciple mumbled indistinctly, I was grabbed and thrown away. That witch used a weird technique. Zhang Bang Longtou turned toward Song Qingshu and angrily shouted, Just now you used your sword handle to pull up my iron staff, why did you do that? You have just joined our Clan, and already you pulled a stunt? Song Qingshu was shocked and angered, he said, Disciple was just going to use the sword hilt to strike down that witch, it was Longtou Dage [big brother Longtou] who used the iron staff to divert my sword hilt, letting that witch escape. Ridiculous! Zhang Bang Longtou roared, Why would I divert your sword hilt? I have been in out Clan for several decades, and have achieved this high-ranking Zhang Bang Longtou position. Why would I help an outsider? Let me ask you this: why didnt you use the sword blade to stab her but use the sword hilt, pretending to strike her down instead? Hmm, hmm my old eyes are not blind yet; you cannot deceive me. Although within the Wudang Pai Song Qingshu was only the third generation young disciple, everybody in Wudang was aware that he was the future Sect Leader, so even Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi, and the other martial uncles treated him with respect, and had never uttered even half a sentence of harsh words. He was used to being arrogant. Although he knew Zhang Bang
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Longtous position with the Beggar Clan was much higher than his, who had just joined the Clan, he felt he was being wrongly accused in this matter. Not willing to swallow an insult, he immediately retorted, Pulling up a stunt, these words were obviously carelessly said. If Longtou Dage wants to accuse me, you must have some people as witnesses. As Xiao Di [little brother, referring to himself] struck my sword hilt down, it was obvious that you used the staff to block. There are many people in here, I doubt it if nobody saw what had happened. Hearing his words, Zhang Bang Longtou understood the table was turned; now he was accused of being pulling up a stunt, by letting Zhao Min escape. His anger blazed like a raging fire. You, a mere kid, are being rude to your elder, are you flaunting Wudangs prestige in your background? He said that while striking down his staff to smash Song Qingshus head. Under his violent rage, the staff carried a tremendous amount of force. Song Qingshu did not yield for even one breath; he lifted up his sword to block. The sword and the staff collided, Clang! sparks flew everywhere. Song Qingshu felt searing pain on his palm. Surnamed Song, Zhang Bang Longtou roared, You dare to defy your superior, did the enemy send you to spy on our Clan? While saying this, his staff struck for the second time. Suddenly somebody rushed out of the temple gate, stretched out a sword to take the staff, followed it down and pushed it away, while saying, Longtou Dage, please dont be angry. This man was none other than the eight-pouch elder Chen Youliang. Where is that little witch, Zhao Min? he asked. Zhang Bang Longtou, still seething with anger, pointed his finger toward Song Qingshu and said, He let her go. No, Song Qingshu hastily said, It was Longtou Dage who let her go. While the two of them were bickering, the Xuan Ming Elders had already whisked out of the temple. They looked everywhere and did not see Zhao Min, so they figured she had already escaped. Letting out a long laugh, their four palms struck together, immediately several Beggar Clan disciples fell down to the ground. By the time Chuan Gong Zhanglao, Zhi Fa Zhanglao and the others came out, the Xuan Ming Elders, the sound of their long laughs had already dozens of zhangs away, so even if they wanted to pursue, they would not be able to overtake them. What really happened was Zhang Wuji saw Song Qingshu flipping his sword to strike Zhao Mins head. He realized the strike could be light or could be heavy; if it was light, it would knock her unconscious, if it was heavy, it would take her life away. Almost without thinking he jumped down from the ancient pine tree and using the divine skill of Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi, from behind Zhang Bang Longtou he pushed the iron staff in his hand to divert Song Qingshus sword. His mastery of the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi had already reached unprecedented level, during the past several months on the desolated island, since he had nothing to do, he researched and studied the secret Xiao Zhao translated from the Sheng Huo Ling tablets. By integrating these two techniques, his skill was ten times more ingenious than the Persian Three Emissaries strange martial art. This time he darted out from his hiding place, although Zhang Bang Longtou and Song Qingshu were such martial art masters, they were incapable to detect his movement. Zhang Bang Longtou only knew Song Qingshu strike his iron staff, while Song Qingshu clearly see Zhang Bang Longtou stretch out his staff to divert his sword. Taking advantage while those two people were startled, his left hand reached behind him to grab a seven-pouch disciple and toss him over the wall. Zhang Bang Longtou and Song Qingshu saw someone was leaping over the wall, they assumed it was Zhao Min escaping, so both of them
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pursued out. Zhang Wuji grabbed Zhao Min and took her to the top of the hall. It was the middle of the day under the sunny sky, so actually, nothing could disappear without anybody else noticing; but as Zhang Bang Longtou and Song Qingshu went out the temple gate, the crowd of beggars also noisily swarmed out the gate. Although there were many eyes, apparently nobody paid any attention to whatever was flying above their heads. Besides, as the Mi Le image collapsed in the main hall, dust and debris rose up, filling the air; everybody went out in confusion from the main hall via both front and rear doors. The martial art experts among them were busy besieging the Xuanming Elders, while those with weaker martial art skill were busy protecting themselves. Thus, it was not surprising that nobody knew what was going on. As she was rescued in a critical condition, Zhao Min felt she was being carried by a pair of strong, powerful arms. She also felt as if they were soaring amidst the cloud or rising above the fog to the top of the main hall. Turning her head around, under the dazzling sunlight she saw thick eyebrows and handsome eyes, it was Zhang Wuji. Not believing her own eyes, she gasped, Its you! Zhang Wuji reached out to cover her mouth. His eyes scanned on all directions, and saw the front, the back, left and right of the Mi Le Temple were filled with the Beggar Clan disciples. It was not difficult for him if he wanted to escape even with Zhao Min in his arms; but since he knew the Beggar Clan was secretly conspiring to harm his Cult, and Song Shige [martial (older) brother] of Wudang Pai had now joined the Beggar Clan, it would be a pity if he did not investigate clearly and simply withdrew in light of these matters. He saw Song Qingshu and Zhang Bang Longtou were still quarrelling. Zhang Bang Longtous eyes revealed an ominous look, moreover, there were some malicious people within the Beggar Clan, Song Qingshu may fall into their treacherous hands. Besides, Han Liner was very loyal and devoted, he simply must be rescued. Seeing the dust and debris were still hanging in the air in the main hall, he thought he might as well enter the hall and find someplace to hide. He darted forward toward the eaves, and then with both feet hooked to the eaves, he slowly pulled his legs and slid down toward the back of the idol from the left side. He saw in the room there were only several Beggar Clan disciples left, they were lying on the floor, groaning because of the injury they suffered when the idol fell down, but Han Liner was nowhere to be seen, and he wondered where they took him. Zhang Wuji scanned around the room, but was not able to find a good hiding place. Zhao Min pointed toward a large leather drum, supported on a large and tall wooden structure, about a zhang away from the ground, with a large bell on its right flank. Zhang Wuji immediately realized it was a perfect hiding place. Creeping around the wall, he went behind the leather drum. He leaped up and his right-hand forefinger slit horizontally on the leather drum. With a light ripping sound there was a large split on the leather. Bracing his left foot on the beam of the wooden structure, his forefinger slit vertically, making a cross-shaped split on the drum. With Zhao Min in his arms he stepped into the large drum. Although the drum was big, there was not enough room to move with two people inside. Zhao Min leaned on Zhang Wuji, breathing tenderly. The drum was very old, and inside was filled with dust. Amidst the bad smell of dust and dirt, Zhang Wuji could smell delicate fragrance coming out from Zhao Mins body. His heart was filled with love and hate, his mind was filled with countless words he would like to ask her, but with great difficulty he restrained himself from opening his mouth. He was conscious of Zhao Mins tender body leaning on his bosom, her soft and silky skin lightly rubbed against his face. Suddenly he was startled, I should not even save her, how can I be this intimate with her in here? Lifting up his hand, he pushed Zhao Mins head away, not letting her to lean against his shoulder. In her anger Zhao Min elbowed his chest. Zhang Wuji used his internal energy to rebound the
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incoming force; Zhao Min felt the pain that she could not help but crying out. Zhang Wuji had already anticipated this, so he reached out to cover her mouth. In the meantime, he heard Zhi Fa Zhanglaos voice rose up from below, Reporting to Bangzhu: the enemy has escaped without leaving any trace, subordinate is incompetent and failed to capture them, waiting for Bangzhus punishment. Its all right, Shi Huolong replied, The enemys martial art skill is very high, everybody has done his best. Damn it! Its just our bad luck, it has nothing to do with Zhanglao. Many thanks, Bangzhu, Zhi Fa Zhanglao said. After that, Zhang bang Longtou brought the accusation that Song Qingshu has let the enemy escape. Song Qingshu refuted by explaining his own reasoning. Both sides were insistent on their own version, the main hall was filled with anger. Chen Xiongdi, Shi Huolong said, What is your take on this? Reporting to Bangzhu, Chen Youliang said, Zhang Bang Longtou is a senior leader of our Clan, so what he said cannot be wrong. But Song Xiongdi joined our Clan in sincerity, that little witch surnamed Zhao is his adversary, so it would not be in his interest to let her escape. In my humble opinion, this witch surnamed Zhao possesses a strange martial art, she is able to borrow strength to fight strength, hence she pushed Longtou Dages iron staff to divert Song Xiongdis sword. In confusion, both sides did not realize it and thus this misunderstanding arose. Zhang Wuji silently praised him, This Chen Youliang is very good; he did not see what happened, but his guess is 80, 90% correct. He heard Shi Huolong said, It makes perfect sense. Both brothers, everybody is doing his best for our Clans sake, please do not damage the friendship over this minor incident. Zhang Bang Longtou furiously said, Even if he Without waiting for him to finish, Chen Youliang interrupted, Song Xiongdi, Longtou Dage is a person of good moral standing and reputation, even if he wrongly accused you, you will still benefit from his advice. Quickly apologize to Longtou Dage. Song Qingshu had no choice but step forward and cup his fists. Longtou Dage, he said, Xiao Di [little brother, referring to himself] has offended you just now, please accept my apology. That Zhang Bang Longtou was still furious, but he knew he could not lash it out, so he snorted and said, Its all right! Chen Youliangs speech seemingly placed the blame on Song Qingshu, but actually by saying that Zhao Min pushed Longtou Dages iron staff to divert Song Xiongdis sword, and Longtou Dage is a person of good moral standing and reputation, even if he wrongly accused you, you will still benefit from his advice, he placed the blame on Zhang Bang Longtou; all elders of the Beggar Clan understood it clearly. However, Chen Youliang had recently become the Clan Leaders favorite, Shi Huolong always listened to his advice; what else can they say? Chen Xiongdi, Shi Huolong said, The little witch that has caused disturbance just now, is the Ruyang Princes beloved daughter. The Devil Cult is the imperial households enemy, then why did that damned witch stand up for that little devil head Zhang Wuji?
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While Chen Youliang hesitated and did not answer, Zhang Bo Longtou said, I noticed that that Tartar Junzhu was crying with an extremely angry look on her face. When Chen Xiongdi cursed the Devil Cults Jiaozhu, that Tartar Junzhu looked like someone was cursing her father or brother. It is indeed confusing. Song Qingshu said, Reporting to Bangzhu: Subordinate has some knowledge about this matter. Song Xiongdi, you may speak, Shi Huolong said. Although the Devil Cult is opposing the imperial government, this little witch Junzhu is captivated by Zhang Wuji, Song Qingshu said, It seems to me that she wants to marry him very much. Consequently, she is always trying to protect him. Ah! as the crowd of beggars listen to this, they all exclaimed in surprise. Inside the gigantic drum, Zhang Wuji also heard it clearly; his heart was thumping madly, but in his mind he had a question, Is it true? Is it true? Zhao Min turned her head around and stared at him. Although the inside of the drum was dim, Zhang Wujis acute eyes were able to see that her eyes showed a boundless love. He could not restrain a warm feeling from overflowing his breast. His hands, which were holding her arms, tightened. He felt a strong urge to kiss her cherry lips, but suddenly Yin Lis tragic death came into his mind; immediately the warm, tender feeling in his heart changed into deep hatred. His right hand grabbed her arm and crushed it. Although he did not use strength, but it was unbearable to Zhao Min nonetheless, so much so that her vision blackened and she almost passed out from the pain, making her want to echo Yin Lis curse on him, This heartless and short-lived little rascal. In the end Zhao Min did her best to control herself not to utter any sound, but big streams of tears flowed down her cheeks and dropped onto the back of Zhang Wujis hand, overflowing to the front of his clothes. Zhang Wuji simply hardened his heart and ignored her completely. He heard Chen Youliang said, How did you know? Did such a strange thing really happen? With hatred in his voice Song Qingshu replied, This fellow Zhang Wujis appearance is only so-so, he is not the least bit handsome nor possesses an outstanding ability, but he practices the Devil Cults sorcery. He is good at captivating womens attractions that many young women are infatuated by him. Thats right, Zhi Fa Zhanglao nodded, The Devil Cults lecherous and demonic disciples really did practice this kind of flower-picking [cai3 hua1] method [Translators note: again, I know I translated this phrase rather literally, but I am sure the readers can appreciate the Jin Yongs imagery], where males and females gather together. Emei Pais disciple, Ji Xiaofu, also fell under the Devil Cult Yang Xiaos sorcery, in the end she lost her reputation and fell from grace. Zhang Wujis father, Zhang Cuisan, also fell under the demonic charm of White-browed Eagle Kings daughter. That Tartar Junzhu must have fallen under the little devil heads flower-picking incantation and thus lost her chastity to him. The wood has become the boat, the (grain) rice has become (cooked) rice [Translators note: for those of you who are not familiar with rice, in Chinese, the uncooked, grain rice is called mi3, while the cooked rice we eat is called fan4]; she is depraved and cannot extricate herself from disgrace. The crowd of beggars nodded their heads in agreement. Chuan Gong Zhanglao was filled with righteous indignation, he said, This kind of Jianghus scum, everybody has the right to punish him; otherwise, countless innocent and respectable young women will be harmed by this pervert little thief.
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Shi Huolong stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. Damn it! he said with a laugh, This pervert little thief Zhang Wujis luck is not bad! Zhang Wuji was so angry that his body, from head to toe, shook. So far he was still a virgin, yet from Emei Pais Miejue Shitai down to these people, for countless times he was cursed as a pervert little thief. He truly suffered injustice and had nowhere to appeal. As for Zhao Min lost her chastity to him, the wood has become the boat and so on, he wondered where did those things come from? Thinking to this point he was suddenly startled, Miss Zhao and I are in each other arms here, they absolutely must not find out; otherwise they will have a confirmation of their slandering. He heard Chuan Gong Zhanglao continue, Emei Pais Miss Zhou Zhiruo has fallen into this pervert thiefs hand, whether or not she can protect her chastity, is difficult to say. Song Xiongdi, please dont worry, we will certainly help you recapture your beloved wife; we cannot let the matter of Ji Xiaofu be repeated today. What Dage [big brother] said was very true, Zhi Fa Zhanglao said, Wudang Pai failed to take Yin Liting under their wings in the past, they are not able to shelter Song Qingshu today. Song Xiongdi invests his life in our Clan; if we fail to protect his interest by helping him accomplish his cherished desire, as the Wudang Pais future Sect Leader, wont his agreement to become a six-pouch disciple of our Clan be in vain? The crowd of beggars loudly responded, they all said an oath to kill the pervert thief Zhang Wuji and take Song Qingshus wife back. Zhao Min put his mouth next to Zhang Wujis ears and whispered, You are a pervert little thief who deserves to die! She sounded as if she was angered by them, but also mad at him; as if she was complaining and admiring him at the same time, yet her voice also carried a flirtatious tone. Listening to her, Zhang Wujis heart was swayed; all of a sudden he was having mixed feelings. He thought in agony, If only she wasnt this cruel and treacherous, and did not kill my cousin, I would be happy to be with her for the rest of my life; I wouldnt have anything to worry. He heard Song Qingshu vaguely express his gratitude to the crowd of beggars. Zhi Fa Zhanglao asked again, How did that pervert little thief charm the Tartar Junzhu? Do you know? As an outsider I dont know the details, Song Qingshu replied, I know that that little witch led the imperial warriors to the Wudang Mountain to capture my Tai Shifu [grand master], but when she saw that pervert thiefs face, she quickly withdrew without a fuss, and the great calamity facing Wudang Pai was thwarted. About twenty years ago my San Shishu [third martial (younger) uncle] Yu Daiyans limbs were broken by some people, and that little witch presented some medicine to that pervert thief, thus the broken bones were healed. That is so, Zhi Fa Zhanglo said, The Wudang Pai was actually a thorn in the imperial governments eyes, if that Tartar Junzhu was not captivated by the deceitful lust and has forgotten her natural disposition, she would not have presented the medicine as a gift to help the enemy. That being said, although this pervert little thiefs conduct was despicable, he still have some good feelings toward Tai Shifu and your various martial uncles. Mmm, Song Qingshu said, I prefer to think that he has not forgotten his roots. Chen Youliang said, Reporting to Bangzhu: After listening to Song Xiongdis explanation, I have an idea which will make that pervert little thief, along with the Devil Cult, from top to bottom, to meekly obey our Clans order. Shi Huolong happily said, Chen Xiongdi unexpectedly thought an ingenious plan, please explain it
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quickly. There are too many eyes and ears in here, Chen Youliang said, Even though we are all brothers, I am still afraid someone might leak the secret. The murmurs in the main hall immediately stopped; some footsteps were heard, about a dozen or so people went out the hall, leaving only several highest-level leaders of the Beggar Clan. This matter is to be treated with the highest confidence, Chen Youliang said, Song Xiongdi, both Longtou Dage, let us search around this place to make sure nobody is eavesdropping. A couple of rustling noise was heard as Zhang Bang Longtou and Zhang Bo Longtou were jumping onto the roof, while Chen Youliang and Song Qingshu went inspecting around the hall. They looked behind the idol, behind the curtain, behind the inscribed overhead board, everywhere. Zhang Wuji secretly praised Zhao Mins resourcefulness, as other than this big drum, there was no other hiding place in the main hall. Four people finished their inspection and returned to the hall. In a low voice Chen Youliang said, This matter is highly dependent on Song Xiongdi. Me? Song Qingshu asked in amazement. Thats right, Chen Youliang said, Zhang Bo Longtou Dage, please give some wu du shi xin san [five-poison losing conscience powder] and have Song Xiongdi take it to Mount Wudang, let him secretly put it into Zhang Zhenren [a respectful term to address a Taoist priest] and various Wudang heroes food and drink. We are going to wait at the foot of the mountain. If everything goes well, we are going to capture Zhang Zhenren and various Wudang heroes. Wont we then be able to coerce and disturb that pervert little thief Zhang Wuji so that he obeys our Clan? Shi Huolong was first to applaud and called out, Marvelous, marvelous! Zhi Fa Zhanglao also said, This plan is not bad. Our Clans wu du shi xin san is very fierce, but if we want to put the poison on Zhang Wujis food and drink, I am afraid the Devil Cult guard on him is too tight, so it is very unlikely for us to succeed. Song Xiongdi is a Wudang disciple, so if we want to capture Wudang people, it will be like guarding against the thief who is already in the house, truly inconspicuous, a very cunning strategy, it will be very easy. This this Song Qingshu haltingly said, It means I will have to poison my own father, absolutely impossible. Chen Youliang said, Our Clans wu du shi xin san is very effective to lose someones consciousness, but it is totally harmless to the body. Your honorable father, Song Daxia [great hero Song] is a righteous hero, we respect him very much, we certainly will not harm a single strand of his hair. Song Qingshu was still unwilling to comply, he said, I join our Clan without asking Tai Shifu and my fathers permission first. When they find out in the future, they will certainly hold me accountable; I dont know what the best way to explain this to them would be. However, our Clan has always taken the path of chivalry, no different than Wudang Pais objective, thus this is not considered a capital crime. But if I am asked to do this unfilial thing, defying my elders, I do not dare to accept. Xiongdi, Chen Youliang said, You have not given this a careful thought. In order to accomplish a great undertaking, we should not be bothered by trivial matters. The people of old sacrificed their
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loved ones for the sake of great justice, it happened many times in history; let alone our objective is to deal with the Devil Cult. Capturing the various Wudang heroes is nothing more than a way to gain control over that pervert little thief Zhang Wuji. When the Six Major Sects besieged the Devil Cult, didnt Wudang Pai also come in full force? If I do this, Song Qingshu said, First, my conscience is uneasy. Second, tens of thousands Jianghu people will spit in contempt over me; how can I still have a face to stand on the earth? Do you know why I asked the eight-pouch elders to withdraw from the hall just now? Chen Youliang asked, Why did we carefully search from top to bottom, from front to rear? It is exactly because I am afraid somebody might leak the secret. Song Xiongdi, after administering the drug, you also fake losing your consciousness. We will also tie you up along with your Tai Shifu, your honorable father, and your various martial uncles, nobody will suspect you. Other than the seven of us here, who else in this world knows? We will admire you as a hero and a real man who is capable of undertaking an important matter, who would laugh at you? Song Qingshu was silent for half a day before haltingly said, Bangzhu and Chen Dages [big brother Chen] order, Xiaodi [little brother] really does not dare to disobey. Furthermore, Xiaodi is a new member of our Clan, supposedly must seize every opportunity to obtain a merit; even go through fire or water, I should do it with all my might. Only, a mans life in this world must be based on being filial and righteous; so asking Xiaodi to scheme against my own father, I cant follow this order no matter what. [Note: previously, Song Qingshu referred to himself as Xiongdi brother in general term, in this last sentence, he used the term Xiaodi little/younger brother; denoting a definite change of attitude.] For the Beggar Clan people the word filial was extremely revered; as the group of beggars heard his last words, they felt it was inappropriate to force him further. But suddenly Chen Youliang laughed coldly and said, A junior to defy his senior is the big taboo of the Wulin world, I know it, Song Xiongdi does not need to remind me. But I wonder how does Song Xiongdi address Mo Qixia [Seventh Hero Mo]? Is he your senior, or are you his senior? Song Qingshu did not answer, after a long while he finally said, Very well, since Bangzhu and gentlemen give me the order, Xiaodi will comply. But all of you must promise not to endanger my father not even half a part of him, also not to disgrace him in any way. Otherwise, Xiaodi would rather lose my reputation and fall into disgrace than committing this non filial shady business. Shi Huolong, Chen Youliang and the others were exulted. Chen Youliang said, Thats a great answer. Song Xiongdi can work with us brothers very well. Song Daxia is everybodys respected senior. Even if Song Xiongdi did not mention it, as his nephews we are going to show him our utmost respect. Zhang Wuji felt strange, Song Shige was always unwilling to comply, but as soon as Chen Youliang mentioned Mo Qishu [seventh (younger) uncle Mo], Song Shige suddenly did not dare to refuse? There must be something fishy here. It seems like, to find out the details, I will have to ask Mo Qishu personally. He heard Zhi Fa Zhanglao and Chen Youliang discuss in a whisper about how the Beggar Clan group of warriors was going to go up the mountain after Zhang Sanfeng, Song Yuanqiao and the others were drugged. Each time Chen Youliang proposed something, Shi Huolong would always say, Very good, wonderful!
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Zhang Bo Longtou said, Today is still the middle of the winter, the five-poison bugs are still dormant under the surface of the earth, Xiaodi [little brother, referring to himself] must go to the foot of Changbai Mountain [a volcanic mountain in Jilin province] to do some digging. At most in a month, at least twenty days, I will be able to concoct the wu du shi xin san. The toxicity of the fivepoison bugs dug from underneath the ice and snow is not too conspicuous; when it is mixed in the food, it wont be easily detected. It is the best drug to be used against first-class martial art masters. Zhi Fa Zhanglao said, In that case, Chen Xiongdi and Song Xiongdi better accompany Zhang Bo Longtou to Mount Changbai to get the drug, while the rest of us proceed southward. Within one month, we are going to reconvene in Laohekou [city in Hubei]. Today is the eighth of the twelveth month, lets set our meeting date to be the eighth of the first month next year. He also said, Having Han Liner in our hands is really useful. I am asking Zhang Bang Longtou to guard him well, dont let the Devil Cult take him back. Wed better leave separately to avoid the enemys detection. Thereupon, one after another, everybody bid their farewell to the Clan Leader. Zhang Bo Longtou, was the first to leave, heading north along with Chen Youliang and Song Qingshu. A moment later the rest of the beggars left the Mi Le Temple, going their separate ways. End of Chapter 31.
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Chapter 32 Ignorant Grievance, Vain Anxiety, Conceited Desire

Suddenly Zhang Wujis leg swept horizontally, scattering the snow on the ground toward the Four Heroes. It was one of ancient Persian martial art stances recorded on the Sheng Huo Ling. The Four Heroes of Wudang suddenly felt snow flying into their faces, rendering them blind for an instant, they leaped back immediately.
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Zhang Wuji waited until the crowd of beggars had gone far and not the least bit of noise was to be heard in the temple before he leaped out of the big drum. Zhao Min followed behind him, brushing her clothes while looking at him with an expression that is a mixture of happiness and anger on her face. Humph, Zhang Wuji angrily said, You still have a face to see me? What? Zhao Mins countenance dropped, When did I offend Zhang Jiaozhu? It was as if Zhang Wujis face was covered with frost as he shouted angrily, You wanted to steal that Yitian Sword and Tulong Saber, I wont blame you! You abandoned me on that desolate island, I still wont blame you! But Miss Yin was seriously injured, why did you still treat her ruthlessly? A vicious woman like you is truly rare in the world. Speaking to this point he was unable to restrain his grief and indignation; moving one step forward, he slapped Zhao Min four times left and right. Being enshrouded by his overwhelming power, how could Zhao Min evade? Slap, slap, slap, slap, both of her cheeks were immediately swollen. Zhao Min was hurt and angered, beads of tears rolled down her cheeks. With a choking voice she said, You said I stole the Yitian Sword and Tulong Saber, who has seen it? Who said I treated Miss Yin ruthlessly? Tell her to come and confront me directly. Zhang Wuji was even angrier, All right! he shouted, Ill send you to the netherworld to confront her directly. His left hand circled and his right hand hooked across the back of her neck, while he exerted all his strength. Zhao Min could not breathe, she stretched out her finger to pierce his chest, but her finger felt like a cotton wool, her strength vanished without a trace. In an instant her face turned purple and she passed out. Remembering Yin Lis enmity, Zhang Wuji was about to strangle her to death, but looking at her face like that, his heart suddenly softened and he relaxed his grip. Zhao Min fell backward. Boom! the back of her head struck the dark green flagstone of the temples hall. It was quite some time later that Zhao Min finally regained her consciousness. She saw Zhang Wuji was staring at her with an anxious look on his face. Seeing her opening her eyes, he let out a relieved breath. Zhao Min asked, Did you say Miss Yin has passed away? Zhang Wujis anger flared again, he snapped, After you slashed her seventeen, eighteen times, she how could she stay alive? With a trembling voice Zhao Min said, Who who said I slash her seventeen, eighteen times? It was Miss Zhou, wasnt it? Miss Zhou will not say anything bad about anybody behind their backs, Zhang Wuji said, She is not her relative, she wont bring a false charge against you. Was it Miss Yin, then? Zhao Min asked. Almost shouting Zhang Wuji said, Miss Yin had already been unable to talk early on. There were only five of us on that desolate island; are you saying that Yifu did it? Or I did it? Or perhaps Miss Yin did it to herself? Humph, I know whats in your heart, you were afraid I might marry my cousin hence you committed this violent treachery. Let me tell you: I dont care whether she is dead or
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alive, I have already considered her my wife. Zhao Min hung her head without saying anything. After being silent for half an afternoon, she asked, How did you return to the Central Plains? With a cold laugh Zhang Wuji said, It was due to your generosity. You sent your navy to pick us up. Fortunately, my Yifu is not gullible and worthless like me; we have seen through your devious scheme. You dispatched some artillery ships to wait for us on the sea to sink our ship. Your plan has failed. Zhao Min was gently stroking her red, swollen cheek; she looked at him with a shock, but after a moment her eyes gradually showed pity and affection toward him, and she heaved a long sigh. Zhang Wuji was afraid his own heart would succumb to her beautiful face and her tempting tender affection; he turned his head around to avoid her eyes, stomped his foot and said, I have made an oath to avenge Biaomei [female younger cousin]. Just consider me weak and worthless that I am not able to do that today. You committed all kinds of evil and there will come a day you will fall into my hand. As he said that, he walked toward the temple gate in big strides. He had walked away for about a dozen zhangs when Zhao Min pursued and called out, Zhang Wuji, where are you going? What does it have to do with you? Zhang Wuji replied. I want to speak to Xie Daxia [great hero Xie] and Miss Zhou, Zhao Min said, Please take me to see them. My Yifu will act without mercy, arent you going to deliver your life away? Zhang Wuji asked. Zhao Min sneered and said, Your Yifu may be cruel and merciless, but he is not muddle-headed like you. Besides, if Xie Daxia killed me, your Biaomeis enmity would be avenged, wouldnt your wish come true? What do you mean I am muddle-headed? Zhang Wuji asked, I only dont want you to see Yifu. Zhao Min smiled and said, Zhang Wuji, you are muddle-headed. In your heart, you really do not want to lose me; you dont want Xie Daxia to kill me. Am I right, or am I right? As his hearts deepest secret was revealed, Zhang Wuji could not help but blush. Dont talk rubbish! he snapped, I let you get away with so many unrighteousness without killing you. It would be best if you stay far away from me, or else I would lose control over myself and kill you personally. Zhao Min slowly walked near and said, I must clear something up with Xie Daxia and Miss Zhou; I do not dare to say anything bad behind anybodys back, I need to talk clearly with them face to face. Zhang Wuji was curious, About what do you want to talk to them? he asked. Naturally youll know it when I see them, Zhao Min said, I am not afraid to take my chances; are you afraid? Zhang Wuji said rather doubtfully, It is you who wanted to go, I will not save you if my Yifu do not
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show mercy on you. You dont have to worry for me, Zhao Min said. Worry for you? Zhang Wuji was angry, Humph! I am looking forward to the day you die. Zhao Min laughed and said, Kill me, then. Pei, Zhang Wuji spat, ignoring her remark. He quickly walked toward the town. Zhao Min followed him behind. As they arrived in town, Zhang Wuji halted his steps, turned around and said, Miss Zhao, I have given you my promise that I will do three things for you. The first was to find the Tulong Saber for you. We can consider this task accomplished. I still owe you two things. If you see my Yifu, you will certainly die. Please leave. Let me handle those two things for you. It wont be too late to see my Yifu afterwards. Zhao Min smiled sweetly and said, I know the real reason you do not want to kill me is because you cant bear to lose me. Zhang Wuji angrily said, Granted, I dont have a heart to kill you, so what? I am very happy, Zhao Min replied, Ive always wondered if you love me, but now I know. Zhang Wuji sighed and said, Miss Zhao, I beseech you, please leave now. Zhao Min shook her head and said, I definitely must see Xie Daxia. Since she was adamant, Zhang Wuji had no choice but entered the inn and went to Xie Xuns room. He knocked twice on the door and called out, Yifu! while he positioned himself in front of Zhao Min. He called out twice without receiving any answer from inside the room. Zhang Wuji tried to push the door open, but it was actually locked. He felt strange; his Yifu possessed a very keen pair of ears, as soon as he arrived at the door, his Yifu would most certainly be awakened. If he was somewhere else, why was the door bolted from the inside? He pushed the door exerting a little bit more force and crack! the latch broke. The door swung wide open but Xie Xun was not inside. He saw that one of the window panes was half open; he thought his Yifu must have left from the window. He went to Zhou Zhiruos room and called out, Zhiruo! two times without receiving any answer. Pushing the door open, he also did not see Zhou Zhiruo inside, but her clothes were folded neatly on the kang [heatable brick bed of northern China]. Zhang Wuji was alarmed, Could it be that they met some enemies? he mused. He called the innkeeper to inquire, but the innkeeper said he did not see those two people go out, he also did not hear any noise which would suggest there was some dispute or even fighting. Zhang Wuji was somewhat relieved; he thought, Most likely they heard some suspicious noise and went out to track down the enemy. He also thought that although Xie Xuns eyes were blind, his martial art skill was strong; it was a rarity to find someone who could be his match in the present age. Besides, he had the cautious and prudent Zhou Zhiruo as his company, so it was unlikely for them to meet any mishap. Leaping out from Xie Xuns window, he looked to all
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directions without seeing anything unusual, thereupon he returned to the room. Zhao Min said, Why do you look relieved to see that Xie Daxia is not here? Still talking nonsense, Zhang Wuji said, When did I look relieved? Zhao Min smiled, Cant I see it on your face? she said, As you open the door, you were tense, but now the skin on your face is relaxed. Ignoring her, Zhang Wuji leaned against the kang. With a chuckle Zhao Min sat on a chair and said, I know you were afraid Xie Daxia might kill me, luckily he is not here so you are saved from a difficult situation. I know you really cannot bear to lose me. What if I really cannot bear to lose you? Zhang Wuji angrily said. I am very happy, Zhao Min replied. Zhang Wuji bitterly said, Then why are you repeatedly trying to harm me? Can you bear to lose me? Suddenly Zhao Min blushed, You are right, she said quietly, Previously I was determined to kill you, but after the Green Willow Manor incident, if I ever have the intention to harm you, let the Heaven punish and the Earth destroy me, Minmin Timur. After I die, let me perish forever in the eighteenth level of hell, never to be reincarnated for tens of thousands of years. Listening to her speaking very seriously, Zhang Wuji interrupted, Then why did you abandon me on that deserted island for the sake of a sword and a saber? Since you said so, I cant dispute it even if I have a hundred mouths, Zhao Min said, Let us wait for Xie Daxia and Miss Zhou to come back, so that the four of us can sort things out clearly. Zhang Wuji said, Your mouth is full of sweet but insincere words. You have deceived me one person, must you also deceive my Yifu and Miss Zhou? Zhao Min laughed and said, Why are you resigned on being deceived by me? Because in your heart you like me, do you not? What if I do? Zhang Wuji vehemently said. I am very happy, Zhao Min replied. Zhang Wuji saw her talking and laughing as sweet as a flower, moving the hearts of those who watch her. Noticing that her cheeks were still red and swollen from his four heavy slaps earlier, he could not restrain from feeling regret and pity; therefore, he turned his head around to avoid looking at her. Zhao Min said, We were delayed in the temple for half a day, I am starving. She called for the innkeeper. Producing a small ingot of gold, she told him to quickly prepare a set of the highest quality dish and wine. The innkeeper repeatedly obeyed, and in an instant he had some fruits and light appetizers delivered to their room, followed by the wine and the main course. Zhang Wuji said, Lets wait for Yifu to come back, then well eat together. My life might be gone as soon as Xia Daxia is back, Zhao Min said, Id rather be a ghost with a full stomach. Zhang Wuji noticed that although she said such a thing, her manner and her face
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showed confidence. Zhao Min continued, I still have plenty of gold here, we can always tell the innkeeper to prepare another set of banquet. Zhang Wuji coldly said, I do not dare to eat and drink together with you. Who knows when you are going to apply the shi xiang ruan jin san. Zhao Mins face sank as she heard that, You dont want to eat, then dont eat, she said, Otherwise you will be killed by my poison. Without waiting for an answer, she started to eat. Zhang Wuji called for the kitchen to deliver some flatbread, and then staying as far as possible from her, he sat on the kang to gobble his food. There was a very sumptuous dish of broiled lamb and roasted chicken, fried beef and chopped fish, on Zhao Mins table. She ate for a while before tears starting to drip on her rice bowl. She managed to control herself and ate some more before she finally put the chopsticks down and she dropped her head on the table, sobbing. After crying for half a day, she wiped off her tears, apparently she felt better. Looking out the window, she said to herself, It will be dark in a couple of hours. I wonder how that Han Liner is. Once we lost his track, it would not be easy to rescue him. Zhang Wujis heart turned cold. Thats right, he said while standing up, I need to rescue Han Xiongdi first, and then Ill come back. Shameless, Zhao Min said, Nobody speaks to you, who wants you to interfere? Seeing her angry at one time and bashful at another, happy at one time and anxious at another, Zhang Wuji could not help to feel both hatred and affection toward her at the same time; truly he did not know how to deal with her. Hastily he finished the half flatbread in his hand in three mouthfuls, and then went out the door. Ill go with you, Zhao Min said. I dont want to take you, Zhang Wuji replied. Why? Zhao Min asked. You are the murderer of my Biaomei, Zhang Wuji replied, How can I be together with an enemy? All right, Zhao Min said, Go alone, then! Zhang Wuji went out the door, but suddenly he turned around and asked, What are you doing here? I am going to wait for your Yifu to come back, Zhao Min said, Ill tell him that you are going out to rescue Han Liner. My Yifu hates evil people as if they are his personal enemy, Zhang Wuji said, How can he spare your life? Zhao Min heaved a deep sigh. Then that is my cruel fate, she said, What can I do?
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Zhang Wuji hesitated for a moment before saying, Youd better avoid him for now, well talk when I come back. Zhao Min shook her head, I dont have any good hiding place. Very well! Zhang Wuji said, Well go save Han Liner together, and come back here to face him together. Zhao Min laughed and said, This time it is you who wants me to accompany you; definitely it is not me who clings for dear life to you and insists on going out with you. You are my black star, Zhang Wuji said, Just consider it my bad luck to bump into you. Zhao Min gave him one of her captivating smiles, Wait here for a moment, she said, as she slipped out the door. Quite some time later, Zhao Min opened the door, now wearing womans clothing, with mink fur coat and scarlet embroidered garment inside; she looked extremely stunning. Zhang Wuji did not expect she would bring such exquisite and expensive clothing inside her bundle; he thought, This woman is very shrewd, her actions are beyond anybodys expectations. Why are you looking at me like that? Zhao Min asked, Do these clothes look nice? Face like a peach blossom, heart like a viper, Zhang Wuji said. Zhao Min burst out in laughter and said, Many thanks for Zhang Da Jiaozhus [great cult leader] highest compliment. Zhang Jiaozhu, why dont you change into some nice clothing? Zhang Wuji sounded hurt, I have always been wearing tattered clothes since I was little. If you dont like my ragged attire, you are free not to travel with me. Dont be overly sensitive, Zhao Min said, I only want to see how you look wearing some nice clothes. Wait here, I am going out to buy some clothes. Those beggars must have entered the great wall anyway, with our speed, I am not afraid we cannot overtake them. Without waiting for his answer, she slipped out the door again. Zhang Wuji sat on the kang, while secretly scolding himself for not able to stand firm and letting this girl play with him on her palms. Obviously, she was my Biaomeis murderer, yet I talked and laughed with her. Zhang Wuji, oh, Zhang Wuji, what kind of man are you? How can you have a face to be the Ming Cult Jiaozhu, in command over all those warriors? He waited for a long time and Zhao Min had not returned, the sky gradually turned dark. Why do I have to wait for her? he thought, Id better go alone to rescue Han Liner. But as soon as he had that thought, he remembered something else. What if she returned, bringing all those clothing, and bump into Xie Xun? What if with one slap Xie Xun strikes the top of her head, bursting her skull open and scattering her brains, and she died a violent death? He saw it in his mind clothes and shoes scattered around the room. Thinking about this possibility, he broke into a cold sweat. He sat down, and stood up, sat down, and stood back up, while letting his imagination run wild, until at last he heard dainty footsteps and delicate fragrance assaulting his nostrils as Zhao Min entered the room with two large packages on her hands. What took you so long? Zhang Wuji said, No need to change, let us go pursue the enemy!
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Zhao Min smiled and said, You have waited this long, what harm does it have to wait a little bit longer just to change you clothes? I have also bought a pair of horses, so we can pursue all night long. While saying that she untied the packages and produced clothes, shoes and socks. This is such a small town, she said, There is nothing nice to buy. Youll have to make do with it. Wait till we get back to Dadou [grand capital, modern day Beijing], well buy mink fur coat and some nice clothing. Zhang Wujis heart turned cold, Miss Zhao, he grimly said, If you think I am after riches and honor by submitting to the royal government, youd better give up that idea now. I, Zhang Wuji, am a descendant of Han people, even if conferred the title of prince, there is no way that I would surrender to the Mongols. Zhao Min sighed and said, Zhang Da Jiaozhu, look closely, is this Mongolian clothing, or Han clothing? While saying that she lifted up a set of gray leather-lined garment. As he saw that she had bought Han peoples attire, Zhang Wuji nodded his head. Zhao Min turned around and said, Look carefully, am I wearing a Mongolian Princess attire, or a common Han woman clothing? Zhang Wujis heart was thumping madly, previously he only noticed that her clothes was exquisite and expensive, he did not pay attention whether it was Mongolian or Han clothing. Now that she mentioned it, he realized that she was dressed up as a Han girl. He saw her cheeks were blushing, while her eyes were moist. Suddenly he understood her heart clearly. You you he stammered. In a low voice Zhao Min said, Now that I know you dont want to lose me, I dont care about anything else. I dont care about Mongol or Han. You are a Han, I am also a Han. You are a Mongol, I am also a Mongol. In your mind you are always thinking about important matters such as army and country, the difference between Chinese and barbarians, and about their rise and fall, their influence and military prowess. Wuji Gege [big brother Wuji, term of endearment], in my heart I only have one thing: you. I dont care whether you are a good man or a scoundrel [lit. bad egg], to me it doesnt make any difference. [Translators note: before I offend anybody, the dictionary gives the character yi a definition of non-Han people, especially to the east of China, or barbarians.] Zhang Wuji was touched listening to her expressing her infinitely tender feeling, he was dizzy with confusing thoughts and was dumbfounded for a long time before he finally able to speak, Did you kill my Biaomei because you were afraid I was going to take her as my wife? Zhao Min said, nearly shouting, I did not kill Miss Yin. You believe me, fine. You dont believe me, fine. I am telling you the truth. Zhang Wuji sighed. Miss Zhao, he said, You love me this much; I am not a piece of wood nor am I a stone, how can I not appreciate it? But why is it that to this very day you are lying to me still? Zhao Min said, I used to think that being intelligent and shrewd, I would gain an upper hand on everything; who would have thought that the things of the world are difficult to predict? Wuji Gege, let us not go out today, you wait for Xie Daxia here, I wait for Miss Zhou in her room. Why? Zhang Wuji wondered. Dont ask me why, Zhao Min replied, You dont have to worry over Han Liner, I assure you that we will rescue him alive. Finished speaking, she whisked out the door, walking toward Zhou Zhiruos room, and closed the door. Zhang Wuji did not immediately understand what she was saying. He sat on the kang, pondered deeply. Suddenly he a thought came into his mind Is it possible that she found out that Zhou
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Zhiruo and I are engaged, and thus feeling that harming my Biaomei one person is not enough, is she thinking to harm Zhou Zhiruo as well? Could it be that after leaving the Mi Le Fo Temple, the Xuanming Elders came to this inn to deal with Yifu and Zhiruo? Once he remembered Xuanming Elders, he was panic-stricken. Lu Zhangke and He Biweng were very strong martial art-wise, even if Xie Xuns eyes were not blind, he might not necessarily be able to fight them one against two. He leaped up and briskly walked toward Zhao Mins door. Miss Zhao, he called out, Where did your subordinates, the Xuanming Er Lao, go? From behind the door Zhao Min replied, Most likely they thought I managed to escape and withdraw inside the Wall, so they pursue to the south. Are you telling me the truth? Zhang Wuji asked. With a cold laugh Zhao Min said, Why do you ask? Since you dont believe what I say Zhang Wuji was at a loss for words; he stared blankly at the door. Zhao Min said, Supposing that I told you I sent the Xuanming Er Lao to this inn to kill Xie Daxia and your beloved Miss Zhou, would you believe me? Her last words had touched the most sensitive spot on Zhang Wujis mind; immediately his foot flew up to kick the door open. With the veins on his forehead bulging out and a trembling voice he shouted, You you Seeing him like that, Zhao Min was scared; she regretted having said such things. I was just scaring you, she hastily said, There is no such thing. You must not take it seriously. Staring hard at her, Zhang Wuji slowly said, You are not afraid of coming to this inn to see my Yifu. You kept saying that you want to confront them directly. Could it be that it was because you knew they are no longer alive? While saying that, he moved two steps forward until he was less than three feet away from her. He raised his palm high, ready to strike her to her death. Looking directly into his eyes, Zhao Min gravely said, Zhang Wuji, let me tell you this: in the matters on this earth, you cannot rashly believe what other says unless you witness it with your own eyes. Furthermore, you cannot let your own imagination run wild. You want to kill me, fine, just do it. But what if your Yifu comes back? How would you feel then? Listening to her reprimand, Zhang Wuji was somewhat ashamed; he said, As long as my Yifu is safe and sound, Ill consider myself very fortunate. You must not joke about my Yifus safety and well-being. Zhao Min nodded. I shouldnt say those things, I only have myself to blame; you should not feel bad. Hearing her admitting her own mistake, Zhang Wujis heart softened. Smiling slightly he said, I was too rude and rash, and thus offended you. Finished speaking he returned to Xie Xuns room. He waited all night, but until dawn neither Xie Xun nor Zhou Zhiruo came back. Zhang Wuji was even more anxious. He took a quick breakfast then had a discussion with Zhao Min about where they would go next. Zhao Min creased her eyebrows and said, This is really strange. I think wed better try to overtake Shi Huolong and his company, and think of a way to eavesdrop. Zhang Wuji nodded. Lets do it. Immediately they settled their room bills, and left a message with the innkeeper that if Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruo return, they were to wait in that inn. The inn helper
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led a pair of red steeds from the stable. Zhang Wuji saw that the steeds hides were smooth and shiny, with long legs and strong bodies, the signs of top quality horses. He could not restrain from clucking his tongue in admiration, thinking that these horses must belong to the people under her command who were trailing the Beggar Clan to this place. She must have fetched them when she went out to buy some clothes the previous day. Zhao Min showed a faint smile as she mounted the horse. Two riders galloped side by side heading south. To the onlookers, their horses looked like dragons, the two riders, a man and a woman, were wearing exquisite and expensive-looking clothes, their appearances smart and beautiful, they must be a young couple from a rich, high-ranking government officials family who were out travelling. That day they galloped for more than two hundred lis [1 li is approximately 0.5 km], and after spending the night en route, they continued their journey at daybreak the next morning. By midday, they felt the north wind was blowing stronger on their backs, with overcast clouds seemingly hanging over close to their heads. After twenty more lis, big, goose down-like snowflakes started to fall. Along the way, Zhang Wuji did say almost nothing to Zhao Min. Seeing that the snow was getting heavier, he still did not utter a single word from his place in the front. That day, they were actually riding through a remote mountainous path. By nightfall the snow had reached over a foot deep, although their mounts were divine steeds, they could not go further. Zhang Wuji realized the sky was getting darker and darker. He stood on the saddle and looked around, but did not see a single building; he was indecisive. Miss Zhao, he said, What do you think? I am afraid our horses wont be able to take it anymore if we hurry along. With a cold laugh Zhao Min said, You only know the horses wont be able to take it anymore, but you dont care whether the people will live or die. Zhang Wuji was regretful; he thought, I have Jiu Yang Shen Gong [divine energy from the Nine Yang Manual] in my body, I dont feel weary or cold. In my eagerness to save people, I am being inconsiderate towards her. Traveling a little bit more, he suddenly heard a cracking noise, a roebuck fled from their left, running toward the mountain. Ill catch it for our dinner, Zhang Wuji said. Leaping down from his saddle, he followed the roebuck trail on the snow, chasing it straight down the mountain. After circling a small hill, under the dim evening fog he saw that roebuck was running straight into a cave. Exerting his strength, he flew like an arrow toward the roebuck, and caught it by the back of its neck before it entered the cave. The roebuck turned its head around trying to bite Zhang Wujis wrist. Zhang Wuji exerted all his strength to his fingers and crack he snapped the roebucks neck. He noticed that although the cave was not too big, it could easily give shelter to two of them for the night. Carrying the roebuck, he returned to Zhao Min and said, There is a cave over on that side, let us spend the night here. What do you think? Zhao Min nodded, but suddenly she blushed. Raising the reins, she steered the horse toward the cave. Zhang Wuji led the horses towards the slope and tied them underneath two big pine trees, to protect them from the snow, and then he looked for some dried branches to build a fire on the cave
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entrance. The cave was clean, with no trace of filthy animal excrement inside. Looking toward the inside, all he could see was impenetrable darkness. Thereupon he skinned the roebuck, washed it with snow, and roasted it on the fire. Zhao Min took her mink fur coat and spread it on the ground. Under the blazing fire, the cave was as warm as springtime. Zhang Wuji happened to turn his head around. Under the flickering fire light, he saw her pretty face was even more stunning. They looked at each other and smiled; it was as if the hunger and cold of the day melted in that one smile. When the roebuck was done, each of them ripped the hind leg and ate. Zhang Wuji heaped more firewood to the fire. Leaning against the wall of the cave he said, Why dont you sleep? Zhao Min smiled sweetly. Leaning against the opposite wall, she closed her eyes. Zhang Wujis nose caught an intermittent whiff of fragrance coming from her body. He saw her cheeks were rosy, and he felt a strong urge to kiss her, but he held back the thought and closed his eyes to sleep. They slept until midnight when suddenly they heard hoof beats from a distance. Zhang Wuji woke up with a start. Cocking his ears he could hear four horses coming from the south running to the north. The snow was still falling heavily outside the cave. He thought, In the middle of the night, under a heavy snowfall, rushing along braving cold weather, they must have an extremely urgent matter to attend. The sound hoof beats suddenly stopped as they came near to their place. A moment later the hoof beats started again, surprisingly, the sound turned toward their cave. Zhang Wuji was alarmed, This cave is remotely located on the back of the mountain, if I did not chase that roebuck, I would not have found this place. How can they find their way over here? But immediately he realized, Thats right, we left our tracks on the snow. The tracks must still be visible although it has been snowing heavily for half a night. By now Zhao Min was awake; in a low voice she said, Perhaps some enemy are coming. Let us hide and see what kind of people they are. As she was saying that, she grabbed some snow outside the cave and quenched out the fire with it. By that time the sound of hoof beats ceased, but they heard four people walking on the snow toward the cave. In a short while they have came within a dozen zhangs away [1 zhang is approximately 10 ft or 3.3 meters] from the cave mouth. In a low voice Zhang Wuji said, These four peoples movement is very agile, they must be very high skilled martial art masters. If they went out to cave to seek hiding place, they would definitely be detected by these four people. Without argument Zhao Min pulled his hand to enter further into the cave. The deeper they went, the narrower the cave became, but surprisingly the cave was very deep. About a zhang later there was a bend on the passageway. Suddenly they heard one of the people outside say, There is a cave here. The voice sounded very familiar to Zhang Wuji, since it belonged to his Si Shishu [fourth martial (younger) uncle] Zhang Songxi. While he was pleasantly surprised, the other man said, The hoof prints and footprints are indeed heading towards this cave. It was Yin Liting. Zhang Wuji was about to call when Zhao Min reached out to cover his mouth. She whispered in his ear, It would be very awkward if they saw you and I in this cave together. Zhang Wuji realized she was right; Zhao Min and he did not do anything shameful, but if the various martial uncles saw a young man and young woman pair sleeping together in a cave, how
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could they explain? Moreover, Zhao Min was a Mongolian princess who had held Zhang Songxi, Yin Liting, and the others captive at the Wan An Temple, where they were disgraced. It would be extremely awkward if the enemies meet here. He thought, Ill wait until Zhang Si Shu [fourth (younger) uncle Zhang, Yin Liu Shu [sixth (younger) uncle Yin] and the others leave the cave, and then Ill appear alone and meet them; and thus avoiding this awkward situation. He heard Yu Lianzhous voice saying, Uh! There is a remnant of some firewood in here. Hmm, and some blood-soaked roebuck skin too. Another voice responded, My heart has always been disturbed. I hope nothing bad happened to Qidi [seventh (younger) brother]. It was Song Yuanqiaos voice. Learning that his four martial uncles, Song, Yu, Zhang and Yin, were going out at together to find Mo Shenggu, and hearing from the tone of their voices, Zhang Wuji deduced that his Qi Shishu [seventh martial (younger) uncle] must have met some powerful enemy; he was somewhat anxious. He heard Zhang Songxi laugh and say, Da Shige [first martial (older) brother] always takes a good care of Qidi, just like when he was the inexperienced, teenage martial brother; while in fact, for the past few years Mo Qixia [seventh hero Mo] has earned an awe-inspiring fame for his fighting prowess. He has early on surpassed his own former prestige. Even if he met a powerful enemy, Qidi alone would not necessarily be unable to deal with it. Yin Liting said, I do not worry over Qidi as much as I worry over that child Wuji. His whereabouts is unknown. Currently, he is the Ming Cult Jiaozhu. A tall tree invites strong wind. A lot of people want to deal with him. Although his martial art skill is high, he is too nave, he does not understand the sinister crisis of the Jianghu. I am afraid he might fall into some villains wicked scheme. Zhang Wuji was touched, thinking that his martial uncles kindness to him was very deep; they kept thinking about his safety all the times. Zhao Min put her mouth on his ear and whispered, I am a villain and at this moment you have fallen into my wicked scheme. Do you know it? He heard Song Yuanqiao say, Qidi is heading north to look for Wuji. Apparently, he has picked up some scents on his whereabouts. Only, the eight-character message he left in a hurry in that Tianjins inn is confusing. Zhang Songxi said, A change in our Sect, needs to be taken care of urgently. [men2 hu4 you3 bian4, ji2 xu1 qing1 li3 eight characters] Could it be that there is a scum in the community? Could it be that that child Wuji Speaking to this point, he suddenly stopped. His voice was filled with deep anxiety. Yin Liting said, This child Wuji is not the kind who would corrupt his own Sect, I am sure of that. I am afraid that little witch Zhao Min is too treacherous for him, Zhang Songxi said, Wuji is still too young and hot-blooded; he might be seduced by a pretty face like his father, who in the end brought ruin and shame upon himself Four men no longer talked; they all sighed deeply. A moment later, Zhang Wuji heard the sound of flint as they lighted the wood to build a fire and cook their meals. The fire light reached the back of the cave. Although they were hidden behind the bend, Zhang Wuji was still able to see Zhao Mins face vaguely. Her expression showed resentment and anger; he thought Zhang Songxis words earlier must have angered her very much. Zhang Wuji
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understood her resentment, yet he was also startled, What Zhang Si Shu [fourth uncle] said is reasonable. My mother did not do anything evil, yet my father was implicated by her actions. This Miss Zhao has killed my Biaomei, disgraced my Tai Shifu [grand master] and my numerous martial uncles. But how can she be compared to my Mama? Thinking to this point, his heart was thumping madly, he thought, If they find out Miss Zhao and I are in here, the entire water of the Yellow River would not wash me clean. He heard Song Yuanqiao speak with a trembling voice, Si Di [fourth brother], there is suspicion in my heart, but I feel uncomfortable to say it out loud. I am afraid I am offending our own deceased Wu Di [fifth (younger) brother]. Zhang Songxi slowly said, Is Dage [first brother] afraid that Wuji might suddenly harm Qidi? Song Yuanqiao did not answer, but although Zhang Wuji could not see him, he thought that Song Yuanqiao must have nodded his head slowly. He heard Zhang Songxi continue, This child Wuji is honest and generous. Reasonably speaking, that is very unlikely. I only worry that Qidi is hot-tempered and acts rudely. He might force Wuji and put him into a difficult position. Add to the fact that little witch Zhao Min is very crafty, she might incite those two against each other. If that happens, then then Ay, a mans heart is unfathomable, the matters of this world are difficult to predict. Till from the ancient times, it is difficult for a hero to resist a beautiful face. I only hope Wuji will be able to control his emotions well when facing important matters. Dage, Si Ge, Yin Liting said, You are talking empty talk, isnt that a groundless fear? [lit. the man of Qi fears the sky falling] Qidi might not necessarily face a grave danger. But after seeing the sword Qidi used to carry, I cannot help but feel fearful and apprehensive; I cant eat and sleep in peace, Song Yuanqiao said. This matter is very unclear, Yu Lianzhou said, For people like us, martial arts practitioners, we cant casually leave our weapon anywhere. Let alone this sword which was given by Shifu. The sword exists the person exists, the sword perished, the person Speaking to this word person, he suddenly stopped; he could not endure to say the word perishes. Hearing that Mo Shenggu abandoned the sword given by his master and that his four martial uncles suspected he had something to do with it, Zhang Wuji was very concerned, but he was also angry. A moment later, he faintly smelled a whiff of aroma coming from inside the cave, mixed with the smell of wild beast. Apparently, the cave was very deep and either at that moment there was a wild beast hiding inside, or the cave was actually some wild beasts den. He was afraid that Song Yuanqiao and the others might also smell the aroma and investigate and then he would be found out. Without daring to open his mouth, he pulled Zhao Mins hand, quietly taking her deeper into the cave. He stretched out his left hand forward to guard against bumping into some protruding rocks. They only walked for three steps when they rounded another turn. Suddenly Zhang Wujis left hand bumped into something soft and smooth; seemingly it was a human body. He was shocked, as if a lightning stroke him, It doesnt matter whether this person is a friend or foe, as soon as he makes the slightest noise, Da Shibo [first martial (older) uncle] and the others will know we are here. Immediately his left hand moved downward to press the five vital acupoints on that persons chest and abdomen, followed by a grab towards that persons wrist. To his surprise, Zhang Wuji felt as if
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he was touching an ice-cold object. It turned out that person had given up his breath for a long time. Under the very dim light from outside, he focused his eyes to look at that mans face and vaguely recognized this lifeless body as his Qi Shishu [seventh martial uncle] Mo Shenggu. In his shock, without thinking whether Song Yuanqiao and the others might hear him, he carried the corpse several steps toward the mouth of the cave. Under the brighter fire light, he could see clearly that it was indeed Mo Shenggu. He saw that Mo Shenggus face was bloodless and his eyes had not been closed yet, as if he was afraid of what he saw before death. Zhang Wuji was shocked and grieved, and stared blankly for a moment. As he was walking, Song Yuanqiao and the others heard the noise. There is someone inside! Yu Lianzhou shouted. Cold rays flashed as the Four Heroes of Wudang unsheathed their swords at the same instant. Zhang Wuji groaned inwardly. I am carrying Mo Qi Shus [seventh uncle Mo] body while hiding in here. I cannot escape the accusation of being his murderer in any way. Recalling how Mo Shenggu had always treated him lovingly, and now he had lost his life in such a miserable state, Zhang Wujis mind was extremely sorrowful. Within that short period of time, 1,100 thoughts flashed in his mind; he actually did not give any thought on how he was going to defend himself against Song Yuanqiao and the others. Zhao Min was able to think a lot quicker than Zhang Wuji; brandishing her sword she dashed out toward the exit. Swish, swish, swish, swish! four times, she executed Emei Pais staking-it-all sword stances toward the Four Heroes of Wudang. While the Four Heroes raised their swords to parry, Zhao Min had already broken through the cave entrance, and leaped on one of the horses the Four Heroes rode. As Song Yuanqiaos sword arrived, she blocked it backhandedly while giving the horses stomach a good kick. The horse neighed in pain and galloped away. While Zhao Min was still basking in her successful attempt to escape, suddenly she felt so much pain on her back that she saw stars and was not able to breathe, as Yu Lianzhou flew and struck his palm down. She heard the Four Heroes of Wudang utilizing their qing-gong [lightness kungfu] to pursue. She thought, If I can escape farther, hell have time to get away from the cave. Otherwise, how can we wash away this undeserving injustice? Luckily all these four people are pursuing me, they do not think that there is someone else in the cave. Yet she felt the pain on her chest was unbearable. Stretching the sword behind, she pricked the horse butt; the horse let out a long neigh and ran even faster. At first Zhang Wuji was startled to see Zhao Min break through, and then he realized she was luring the tiger out of the mountain to give him a chance to escape. Thereupon he hurriedly went out the cave carrying Mo Shenggus body. He heard Zhao Min and the Four Heroes of Wudang were heading east; thus he ran to the west. After running for about two lis, he hid the body behind a large rock, before returning to the main road, and then jumped to the top of a big tree. His heart was still beating madly even after a long time. He thought about Mo Shenggus tragic death and could not restrain his tears from flowing down his cheeks. Our Wudang Pai has never experienced a disaster like this, he thought, I wonder who might have killed Qi Shishu? The ribs on his back are broken, obviously he was killed by a palm strength. About an hour later, he heard three horses coming from the east. By the light reflected from the snow, he could see Song Yuanqiao and Yu Lianzhou each riding a horse, while Yin Liting and Zhang Songxi shared a mount. He heard Yu Lianzhou said, This witch has eaten my palm. Both
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the rider and the horse fell into a ravine, I dont think they are going to live. Only today can we pay back the disgrace of the imprisonment at the Wan An Temple, Zhang Songxi said, To think that she was unexpectedly hiding in that cave, human affairs are like a fantasy, totally beyond anybodys guess. Si Ge [fourth brother], Yin Liting said, What do you think she was doing, sneakily being alone in that cave? That is hard to guess, Zhang Songxi said, Killing that witch is nothing. We will be really happy if we can find Qidi. Four people went farther and farther away, until their voices could not be heard anymore. Zhang Wuji waited until Song Yuanqiao and the others went far before he hastily jumped down the tree and rushed to the east, following the horse hoof prints on the snow. All along, his anxiety was unbearable, he thought, Although she is crafty, this time she was risking her life to save me. If because of this she met her fate, I I He ran faster and faster that in a short moment he had covered four, five lis until he finally reached the edge of a cliff. He saw blotches of dark red blood on the snowy ground, with random footprints all around him. There was a large indentation, where a large rock was perched by the edge of the cliff. It seemed like when she reached this place, in her confusion Zhao Min could not see the way, and thus both she and her horse had fallen together into the ravine below. Miss Zhao, Miss Zhao! Zhang Wuji called out. He repeated his call four, five times, but there was no answer. He was even more anxious. Looking down from the edge of the cliff, he saw a deep ravine, but in the dark of the night, he could not see the bottom. The cliff wall was very steep; there was no place for him to set his feet on. Taking a deep breath, he stepped over the edge with his face against the cliff wall, and then slid down. After sliding about three, four zhangs, he slipped even faster. Immediately he exerted his strength on his ten fingers, trying to grab the snowy cliff wall, and thus he manages to slow down before coasting down again. By doing this five, six times, finally he reached the bottom of the ravine. He felt his feet were landing on a soft object. Hastily he leaped sideways. Turned out he was stepping on the horses belly. He saw Zhao Min was still seated on the saddle, with her hands tightly grabbed the horses neck. Zhang Wuji reached out to feel her breath, and to his relief he felt a slight breathing, but she was unconscious. The bottom of the ravine was dark, the winter snow had not yet melted, and the accumulation of snow actually reached his waist. He presumed since Zhao Min was seated on the saddle, the horse took the full brunt of the falling momentum and died from the impact, but Zhao Mins live was saved, she only fainted. Zhang Wuji checked her pulse and found out that although she was heavily injured, her life was not in danger. Thereupon he embraced her in his bosom with their four palms holding each other, and he transmitted his internal energy to treat her internal injury. Since the injury Zhao Min received was from his own Wudang Sect, treating it was not too difficult. In less than an hour she slowly squirmed and regained her consciousness. Zhang Wuji kept sending out the Jiu Yang energy steadily into her system. In more than an hour later, the sky gradually brightened. Wah! Zhao Min vomited a mouthful of blood. Are they gone? she said in a weak voice, Did they see you?
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Zhang Wuji was very appreciative and grateful that her main concern was whether he could escape the undeserved accusation. They did not see me, he said, You you have suffered a lot. His mouth was speaking, but the stream of energy flowing out did not stop. Zhao Min closed her eyes. Although her limbs were void of any strength, her chest and abdomen felt very warm and comfortable. After the Jiu Yang energy circled her system several times, she turned her head and smiled. Take a rest, I feel much better, she said. Zhang Wujia arms encircled her waist and pressed his right cheek to her left cheek. You have saved my reputation, he said, That is more important than saving my life ten times. Zhao Min giggled and said, I am a treacherous, evil little witch. To me, reputation is nothing; life is more important. Right at that moment, they suddenly heard an angry voice from above the cliff, loud and clear, Damn witch! So you have not died yet. How did you kill Mo Qixia [seventh hero Mo]? Quickly admit it! It was Yu Lianzhous voice. Zhang Wuji was very shocked; he did not expect his four martial uncles would return. Zhao Min said, Turn your head around, dont let them see your face. Thief witch! Zhang Songxi shouted, If you dont answer, well smash you with big rocks! Zhao Min looked up and saw Song Yuanqiao and the others, four people, were all holding a big rock in their hands. They only need ready to throw the rocks down, and Zhang Wujis and her own lives would be difficult to protect. She whispered into Zhang Wujis ear, Tear off your leather coat, cover your face, and carry me out of here. Following her instruction, Zhang Wuji tore off a piece of his leather coat and covered his face by tying a knot behind his head; he also pushed down his fur hat on his forehead, until only his pair of eyes was exposed. The Four Heroes of Wudang had been successful in chasing Zhao Min and forcing her to fall into the ravine, but these four men were veterans of the Jianghu; they were vastly experienced and well-informed. They knew with her honorable position as a princess, she would not wander alone without any bodyguard. Four people pretended they went far away on horsebacks, but after several lis, they tied the horses on a tree by the roadside, and then quietly came back. They returned to the cave first and lighted some torches to explore the inside. They saw the carcasses of two fragrant deer [??, xiang1 zhang1 I dont know what kind of animal this is], which were covered with blood after being bitten by some wild beast, the fragrance from their bodies was still lingering in the air. Four people continued exploring around the cave, and finally found Zhang Wujis tracks. They followed the tracks and found Mo Shenggus body, but saw his hands and feet were badly bitten by some wild animals. The Four Heroes grief and indignation was indescribable; Yin Liting broke out in crying. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Yu Lianzhou said, This witch Zhao Mins martial art is not weak, but she could not possibly kill Qidi based on her skill alone. Liu Di [sixth (younger) brother), dont be too sad. We will look for all the murderers, and kill them one by one to avenge Qidis life. Zhang Songxi said, Let us wait in hiding around the cave. Come daybreak, that witchs subordinates might come here looking for her. His thought was usually full of wisdom and strategy, Song Yuanqiao and the others had always listened to his counsel; therefore, suppressing their sadness, they looked for large rocks on either side of the cave and went hiding.
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When dawn came and they still did not see anybody looking for Zhao Min, the Four Heroes returned to the cliff where Zhao Min fell to take a look. They faintly heard voices from down below, and when they looked down, they saw a man in brocade clothes was holding Zhao Min in his arms; turned out this witch had not died yet. The Four Heroes wanted to find out the cause of Mo Shenggus death, hence they did not want to kill these two with the rocks. This snow covered ravine was shaped like a deep well, with steep cliff all around it. The only way out was a narrow crevice on the northwest corner. Zhang Songxi shouted, Yuan dogs! Hurry up and climb from that crevice. If you tarry, well throw the rocks down. Zhang Wuji realized his Si Shibo [fourth martial (older) uncle] did not recognize him and thought he was a Mongolian, which was not surprising, considering he was wearing a fancy-looking clothes, also because he was with Zhao Min. But looking around, he did not see any place he could hide; if the Four Heroes threw the rocks down, he might be able to jump and escape, but Zhao Mins life would be difficult to protect. Therefore, his only choice right now was go up and take whatever comes one step at a time. Consequently, he carried Zhao Min and slowly crawled up via the narrow crevice. He made deliberately made his martial art skill look weak, he would walk several steps, then slipped back down again. It turned out that this narrow crevice was really difficult to climb, he pretended to be even weaker by loudly gasping for breath and looked to be in a very difficult situation. Within an hour he had fallen down seventeen, eighteen times, before he finally reached the level ground. Initially he was thinking of running away with Zhao Min as soon as they were out of the snowy valley. He thought relying on his qing gong, although he carried one person, the Four Heroes might still not able to catch up with him. But Zhang Songxi was very smart, he had already noticed that the way this man climb up the mountain in a distressed manner was somewhat artificial; he then informed his three martial brothers to spread out on four corners; as soon as Zhang Wuji set his foot on the ground, the tip of four unsheathed swords were less than half a foot from his body. Thief Tartar, Song Yuanqiao hatefully said, Do you think you can escape alive by covering your face with fur? Who killed Wudang Pais Mo Qixia? Quickly tell us! If you lie even for half a word, I am going to cut your Tartar dogs flesh a thousand slashes, ten thousand pieces; open up your belly and split open your chest. Actually, Song Yuanqiao was a calm and composed man, but seeing how Mo Shenggu died in such a wretched way, he could not bear not to use such hateful language; which did not happen too often in the last dozen of years. Zhao Min sighed and said, General Yalupuwa, things have come this far, you can just tell them! And then she whispered in a low voice, Use the martial art from the Sheng Huo Ling. Zhang Wuji did not want to fight his four martial uncles, but looking at their current state, he truly did not have any other way to escape this awkward situation. Thereupon he gritted his teeth and rolled on the ground, while tossing Zhao Min toward Yin Liting. He shouted and grunted in a hoarse voice while leaping to the air, somersaulting, and stretched out his arm to grab Zhang Songxi. Yin Liting caught Zhao Min without any trouble. He hesitated for a moment before sealing her acupoint and put her down to the ground. In this very short period of time, Zhang Wuji had unleashed the strange martial art from the Sheng Huo Ling; his fist struck Song Yuanqiao, while his leg kicked Yu Lianzhou. At the same time his head hammered toward Zhang Songxi, while his hand reached backward to snatch the sword in Yin Litings hand. His movements were as swift as a falcon catching a rabbit, very fast and very
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strange. The Four Heroes of Wudangs martial arts were refined and strong, they could be considered as first class fighters of the Wulin world; but facing these successive seven, eight strange attacks, they were thrown into confusion and were forced to defend themselves with difficulty. On the Lingshe Island, although Zhang Wujis martial art skill was high, he could not hold up against the Persians Liuyun, three emissaries martial art from the Sheng Huo Ling. By this moment, he had already mastered the martial art from all six Sheng Huo Ling tablets; his skill was several levels higher compared to the Liuyun, three emissaries, how could the Four Heroes hold up against him? Actually, the martial arts contained in the Sheng Huo Ling were not the most profound or even intricate martial art techniques, only, they was very strange and unpredictable. If they were fighting one on one under normal circumstance, it would not be a match for Wudang Pais orthodox martial art based on strong inner power. But Zhang Wuji was using the Jiu Yang Shen Gong as his foundation, Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi as the general scheme of his movements, on top of that he possessed a profound knowledge of Wudang Pais martial art; stance by stance, form by form, he attacked the weakest point on Four Heroess defense. After about twenty stances or so, the Sheng Huo Lings martial art was getting more and more fantastical. Lying down on the snowy ground, Zhao Min called out, General Yalupuwa, these Han people are always proud of their own ability; they did not know we, the Mongolians, have inherited this divine wrestling technique, let them taste it today! Use Taiji fist technique for self defense! Zhang Songxi called out, This Tartars fist technique is very strange. Immediately the four peoples fist technique changed; they all used the Taiji fist technique to create a watertight defense. Suddenly Zhang Wuji dropped down and sat on the ground, both of his fists fiercely pounding his own chest. During their entire lifetime, the Four Hero of Wudang had fought countless powerful enemies, and they had encountered countless strange stances. Zhang Wujis Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi could be regarded as the pinnacle of martial art study, yet not only they had never seen something like this Tartar sitting down on the ground and beating his own chest, they had never heard about it as well. The Four Heroes were using swords to form a tight defense line with the Taiji Fist technique. This time, with a sudden movement the three swords of Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Songxi were thrust into Zhang Wujis torso. Yin Litings sword was snatched by Zhang Wuji earlier, but he had Mo Shenggus thin saber on his side, which he pulled out and thrust toward Zhang Wuji. Suddenly Zhang Wujis leg swept horizontally, scattering the snow on the ground toward the Four Heroes. It was one of weird martial art stances recorded on the Sheng Huo Ling, which originated from the Old Man of the Mountain, Hassan-i-Sabah. Before founding his Hashhashin Sect, he used to rob and plunder merchants traveling along the Persian desert. Whenever he saw a caravan from the distant, he would sit on the ground and beat his on chest, while crying out to the Heaven. The passing caravan would then stop to inquire. Hassan would suddenly kick the sand toward their eyes, and immediately his long saber would kill dozens of merchants, spilling their blood on the yellow sand, scattering their corpses on the great desert. It was a truly malicious technique. This time Zhang Wuji kicked the snow, but the efficiency was the same as if he was kicking sand. The Four Heroes of Wudang suddenly felt snow flying into their faces, rendering them blind for an instant. Four people reacted fast by leaping back immediately, but Zhang Wuji moved even faster; he rolled around and grabbed Yu Lianzhous legs. His hand reached out and sealed three major
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acupoints on his legs. After that he somersaulted and while his body was still mid-air, his right knee knocked the top of Yin Litings head, unexpectedly hitting the wu chu [lit. five spots] and cheng guang [lit. light receiver] acupoints on the top of his head. Yin Liting was dazed and fell to the ground. Song Yuanqiao flew to the rescue, but Zhang Wuji stepped backward and bumped into his chest. Song Yuanqiao could not use his sword, his left hand withdrew the sword and his right palm struck out, but before his palm reached its target, his chest had already been numbed, as both of Zhang Wujis elbows hit his acupoint. Zhang Songxi was shocked; in a blink of an eye, from four people, he was the only one still standing. He realized he was not this mans match, but his martial brothers were in distress, he determined not to escape alone. Raising his sword straight up, swish, swish, swish he thrust it toward Zhang Wuji three times. Zhang Wuji noticed that although he was facing a difficult situation, his steps were unflustered, the sword stance was not in the least chaotic; these three attacks came swiftly and fiercely, but each stance strictly followed Wudang principle. Zhang Wuji secretly acclaimed, If I have not learned this strange martial art, resisting four martial uncles converging attack would have been not an easy matter at all. Suddenly Zhang Wuji moved his head randomly, swaying back and forth, and making circles. But Zhang Songxi remained unmoved; he was not affected by Zhang Wujis attempt to distract his attention. With a chi noise his sword was splitting the air, straight toward Zhang Wujis chest. Zhang Wuji lowered his head, aiming his skull toward the tip of the incoming sword. Suddenly he dropped to the ground and pounced forward; all acupoints on Zhang Songxis lower abdomen and left leg were sealed and he fell down to the ground. The acupoints Zhang Wuji sealed could disable only the lower part of Zhang Songxis limbs; he was about to reach the zhongshu [lit. center or hub] acupoint on Zhang Songzis back when suddenly Zhang Songxi cried out miserably, his eyes turned white and his upper body convulsed, and then he dropped down stiffly. Zhang Wuji was scared out of his wits. He thought he did not use too much force in sealing the acupoints just now; certainly it was not a deadly attack, it would not even cause any minor injury. Could it be that Si Shibo [fourth martial (older) uncle] suffered an unmentionable illness, and the hit he suffered just now had caused it to break out? He broke out in cold sweats and hastily reached out to check Zhang Songxis breath. Suddenly Zhang Songxis left hand moved and pulled the fur covering his face. Two people looked at each other in blank dismay. After a long time Zhang Songxi said, Good Wuji, turns out ... turns out it is you. We have treated you with love in vain. His voice broke, his face was full of anger, tears streaming down, but it was unclear whether he was angry or grieved. It turned out that he realized he was not the enemys match and thought that he would die without seeing the enemys face. If the Four Heroes of Wudang were defeated by an unknown enemy, they would die with their eyes still open. Therefore, first he faked death, and then pulled the fur covering the enemys face. First of all, Zhang Wuji was nave, secondly, he cared about his Si Shibo very much, hence he had never guarded against him. At this moment, he felt worse than if he were put to death by the sword; he felt as if his soul had left him, and he was completely dumbfounded. He only stammered, Si Shibo, it wasnt me, it wasnt me Qi Shishu, it wasnt me I did not harm him Zhang Songxi laughed a bitter laugh and said, Very good, very good. Hurry up and kill us all.
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Dage, Erge, Liu Di [first brother, second brother and sixth brother, respectively], look clearly: this Tartar dog is not an outsider, he is none other than our beloved child, Wuji. Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, and Yin Liting were immobilized; they only stared at Zhang Wuji in disbelief. Zhang Wuji was completely at a loss; all he could think of was picking up a sword on the ground and slashing his own neck. Zhao Min suddenly called out, Zhang Wuji, a real man can endure a momentary injustice; whats the big deal about it? Nothing in this world can be kept secret forever. You must find the ominous criminal who killed Mo Qixia and avenge his death then the Wudang Heroes love to you wont be in vain. Zhang Wujis heart was stirred; he realized what she said was very reasonable. What are we going to do now? he asked, while walking toward her and massaged the acupoints on her back and waist to unseal them. In a tender and consoling voice Zhao Min said, Dont be so sad! You have so many experts within your Ming Cult; I am also not short of warriors with wisdom and ability. With our combined effort, we will capture the real criminal. Zhang Wuji! Zhang Songxi called out, If you still have any conscience, just kill us four people. I cannot bear to see you and this wicked witch showing affection to each other. Zhang Wujis face turned ashen, he had no idea how to respond. Zhao Min said, We must save Han Liner first, then come back to find your Yifu, while investigating the real criminal who killed your Mo Qi Shu along the way, and looking for your Biaomeis murderer. Wh ... what? Zhang Wuji was taken by surprise. Zhao Min coldly said, Did you kill Mo Qixia? Why do your four martial uncles insist it was you? Did I kill Yin Li? Why do you insist it was me? Dont tell me you have the right to treat others unjustly and wont allow others to do the same to you? These words were like a thunder in a broad daylight, shaking Zhang Wujis eardrums and straight into his heart. At this moment he realized, based on his personal experience that human affairs are often difficult to judge. Deep in his heart, he knew he was a victim of an ignorant grievance; he thought, Could it be that Miss Zhao, she she is also going through the same thing that I do? Is she being wronged by others? The acupoints you sealed on your four martial uncles; can they unseal them? Zhao Min asked. Zhang Wuji shook his head, I was using the strange technique from the Sheng Huo Ling; Shibo and Shishu will not be able to unseal the acupoints themselves. But after 24 hours, the sealed acupoints will loosen themselves. Hmm, Zhao Min said, In that case, let us take them to the cave before we leave. You cannot see them again before the real criminal is found. There are some wild beasts in that cave, Zhang Wuji said, They will be ripped badly just like the roebuck and Mo Qi Shus body. Zhao Min sighed, I can see that you are muddle-headed and cannot think straight. If one of them can move his upper body, and he has a sword in his hand, what wild beast can bother them? Zhang Wuji could only say, Thats right, thats right. Immediately he carried the Four Heroes of
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Wudang and set them behind a big rock to shelter them from the wind and the snow. The Four Heroes continuously shot abusive words at him. Zhang Wuji could only keep his mouth shut with tears on his eyes. Zhao Min said, The four of you are the Wulin experts, but are completely ignorant. If Mo Qixia was killed by Zhang Wuji, at this time he only needs to pick up a sword and kill you all to shut your mouths; how difficult is that? If he has the heart to kill Mo Qixia, do you think he will not have a heart to harm you, four people? If you keep shouting malicious talks, I, Zhao Min, will give each of you a slap in your face. I am a treacherous wicked witch; I am capable of doing what I say. At the Wan An Temple, it was because I looked at Zhang Gongzis face that I treated you with respect. I cut the fingers of the experts from Shaolin, Kunlun, Emei, Huashan, and Kongtong, five Sects; but have I ever shown even half of disrespect toward the heroes of Wudang? Song Yuanqiao and the others looked at each other. They still believed Zhang Wuji killed Mo Shenggu, but they were afraid Zhao Min would really slap them. Real men could be killed but could not be disgraced; if this little witch did indeed give them a slap in their faces, they would suffer the disgrace for the rest of their lives. Hence, they shut their mouths immediately. Zhao Min smiled faintly and said to Zhang Wuji, Go get our mounts to take them to the cave. Zhang Wuji hesitated before answering, I can carry them. Something clicked in Zhao Mins mind; she knew what he was thinking. With a cold laugh she said, Even if your martial art skill is higher, do you think you can carry four people simultaneously? You are afraid as soon as you are away, I would harm your four martial uncles. You have never believed me. Fine, Ill go get the horses; you stay here to guard them. Zhang Wuji blushed as what she said was right on target, but he really did not dare to leave the fate of his four martial uncles lives in the hands of this temperamental, unpredictable girl. He simply said, Ill be obliged if youll go get the animals. I will stay here to guard the four martial uncles. How is your injury? Are you sure you can walk without any problem? Zhao Min laughed coldly and said, Even if you were more attentive and had more good intentions, others still dont believe you. You are baring your heart and intestines, other people still think you have a wolfs heart and a dogs lungs. With her speech over, she turned around to fetch the horses. Zhang Wuji pondered on what she said. It was as if she was speaking about his martial uncles suspicion towards him, but he also felt that she was speaking about his own suspicion towards her. He turned his gaze to her, and noticed that she was limping; her footsteps were slow and unsteady. Apparently, her injury had made her walk with difficulty. In his heart he took pity on her, also could not bear to let her go like that. Zhao Min had not walked too far when suddenly they heard rapid hoof beats on the main road, coming from the north. There were three riders: one in the front and two at the back. Zhao Min quickly retreated as she heard the hoof beats. Some people are coming! she said. Zhang Wuji beckoned to her. Zhao Min went to the back of the large rock in a hurry and crouched down next to him. She noticed that half of Yu Lianzhous body was protruding outside the rock; she pulled him behind the rock. Yu Lianzhou glowered and barked, Dont touch me!
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With a cold laugh Zhao Min said, I want to touch you. What are you going to do with me? Miss Zhao, Zhang Wuji snapped, Dont be rude to my Shibo! Zhao Min stuck out her tongue and made faces toward Yu Lianzhou. By this time, the horse in the front was not too far away, while the two riders chasing behind him were flying close to him, perhaps about twenty, thirty zhangs away from him. As the first rider got closer, in a low voice Zhang Wuji said, It is Song Qingshu, Song Dage [big brother]! Stop him, quick! Zhao Min said. What for? Zhang Wuji was surprised. Dont ask too much, Zhao Min replied, Have you forgotten what they said in the Mi Le Temple? Zhang Wujis heart was stirred; he picked a chunk of ice from the ground and flicked it out. Swish! the chunk of ice flew straight to the front leg of Song Qingshus mount. The horse neighed in pain and knelt down to the ground. Song Qingshu leaped up and tried to pull his horse back up, but as the horse fell, it broke its left leg. Seeing the pursuers were getting closer, Song Qingshu hastily ran to the side. Zhang Wuji flicked another piece of ice and hit the acupoint on his right leg. Zhao Min reached out and successively sealed the Four Heroes mute acupoints, to stop Song Yuanqiao from calling out. Ah! they heard Song Qingshu cry out and tumble down on the snowy ground. Because of these two hindrances, the two riders quickly overtook him; they were none other than the Beggar Clans Chen Youliang and Zhang Bo Longtou. Zhang Wuji felt strange, The three of them are going to Mount Changbai together to get the necessary poison to make the drug; how come one was running away and the other pursued to this place? he thought, but then he remembered, Thats right, it must be that Song Dage was pricked by his own conscience and was not willing to do this unfilial and unrighteous thing. Fortunately he came across me, so I can save him. Chen Youliang and Zhang Bo Longtou dismounted their horses. They only knew that Song Qingshu had been riding the horse for a long time, perhaps he was exhausted, so that when the horse stumbled, Song Qingshu also fell down from his mount. But they also thought that Song Qingshus martial art was not weak; even if he was injured, his injury must be light. Two people came close with their weapons pointed toward Song Qingshus body. Zhang Wuji had prepared another piece of ice in his hand, ready to be flicked toward Chen Youliang. Zhao Min touched his arm and shook his hand. Zhang Wuji turned around to look at her. Zhao Min placed her own left palm on her ear, and then pointed her finger toward Song Qingshu. Her meaning was clear, she wanted to listen to what they were going to say. Surnamed Song, they heard Zhang Bo Longtou indignantly said, You sneaked out in the middle of the night, what is your intention? Are you going to leak our secret by telling your father? In his hand was a purple-gold eight-trigram [ba gua] saber, which he brandished above Song Qingshus head, ready to be chopped down. Hearing the wind the Ba Gua saber produced, Song Yuanqiao was concerned over his beloved sons safety; he grew exceedingly anxious. Zhang Wuji happened to turn his head around and saw the anxious look on his face, which very soon turned into a pleading look. Zhang Wuji nodded his head, meaning, Dont worry, I will in no way let Song Dage suffer any harm. While thinking in his
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heart, The love parents have for their children is very profound [lit. as high as the sky, as thick as the earth]. Da Shibo [first martial (older) uncle] is very angry with me; if he could, he would chop me into thousand pieces, yet as he sees Song Dage is facing a danger, he immediately asks me for help. If it was Da Shibo himself who is facing a danger, as a brave warrior, he would never show any weakness by asking somebody elses help. Almost instantly he also thought that Song Qingshu was very fortunate to have people who cherished and showed loving care to him, while he was an orphan without any parents love. He heard Song Qingshu reply, I am not about to tell my Father. Zhang Bo Longtou said, Bangzhu [Clan Leader] ordered you to come with me to Mount Changbai to pick some medicine, why are you disobeying the order by leaving? You were also born from your parents, Song Qingshu said, You want me to harm my own father, how can my heart endure it? I refuse to do this beastly act. In a stern voice Zhang Bo Longtou said, You have made up your mind to defy Bangzhus order, then? Do you know what punishment we impart to those who revolt against the Clan? I am a criminal in this world, Song Qingshu replied, I do not hope to be alive. In these past few days, as soon as I closed my eyes, I saw Mo Qi Shu come to demand my life. His ghost does not want to go away, it keeps entangling me. Zhang Bo Longtou, please just chop me dead, I will be very grateful to you. Zhang Bo Longtou lifted his Ba Gua Saber high, and shouted, Very well! I will help you! Longtou Dage, Chen Youliang stopped him, If Song Xiongdi is not willing, killing him wont do us any good. Lets just let him go. Are you saying we should let him go in just like that? Zhang Bo Longtou was surprised. Thats right, Chen Youliang said, He has killed his own martial uncle Mo Shenggu, there will be people from his own Sect whod kill him. This kind of injustice involves a sinful disciples blood, do not defile our chivalrous weapons. At the Mi Le Temple, Zhang Wuji had heard Chen Youliang bringing up Mo Shenggus name to Song Qingshu, he said something about a junior defying his senior. At that time, Zhang Wuji suspected that Song Qingshu had offended his martial uncle, but never in his wildest imagination Zhang Wuji would guess that Mo Shenggu died under Song Qingshus hands. Although Song Yuanqiao and the others were hidden behind a large rock, they were able to hear Song Qingshu clearly; they were all greatly shocked. Zhao Min was the only one who had guessed about 30% of the story; a smile of disdain appeared on the corners of her mouth. Chen Dage, they heard Song Qingshus trembling voice, You have given me a heavy oath that you will never divulge this secret. How can my father find out as long as you do not say anything? Chen Youliang smiled dryly, You only remember my oath, but you dont remember your own even heavier one. You said that from that day forward, you would obey what I say. Was it you who break your promise first, or was it I who did not keep my word? Song Qingshu hesitated for half a day before saying, You wanted me to put poison in Tai Shifu and my fathers food; I would rather die than obeying your word. Just get your sword and kill me. Song Xiongdi, Chen Youliang said, There is a saying that to understand the directions of the age
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is an outstanding talent. We do not want to murder your father and elders, we only want to drug them so they will lose consciousness. Didnt you agree to it at the Mi Le Temple? No, no! Song Qingshu said, I did agree to drug them, but the poison Zhang Bo Longtou gathered was from vipers and centipede; this is a poison to kill people, not a common drug to lose someones consciousness. Slowly and unenthusiastically Chen Youliang raised his sword, saying, Emei Pais Miss Zhou is as beautiful as a goddess, there is no other girl like her, yet you resign to the fact that she is going to fall into that guy Zhang Wuji. This is really strange. Song Xiongdi, that day, deep into the night, you went to peep into the room occupied by Emei Pais female disciples. Your Qi Shishu caught you doing that, and he pursued you down. You fought him by the rocky ridge, and thus a nephew killed his uncle. Why did you do that? Wasnt it for the sake of this gentle and tender, good-looking Miss Zhou? This matter has come this far, once you have done it, you cant stop. Can the horse turn back once it enters a narrow pathway? I see that you have climbed the mountain 90% of the way, but fail for lack of a final effort. Its a pity! Its a pity! Song Qingshu stood up shakily. Chen Youliang, he angrily said, Your words are sweet but insincere! You have forced me. That night I was defeated by Mo Qi Shu; I was not his match. I have brought disgrace to Wudang Pai. It would be a hundred times better if I died under his hands; who wanted you to interfere by giving me a hand? I have fallen into your scheme so deep that my reputation is swept away and I cannot free myself. Fine, fine! Chen Youliang laughed, Mo Shenggu died because of the zhen tian tie zhang [iron palm shaking the heaven] on his back; was it you who hit him, or was it me, Chen Youliang who hit him? Isnt it your Wudang Pais martial art? Certainly I cannot do that. That night I helped you, not only I saved your life, but protected your reputation as well; so you say I was wrong? Song Xiongdi, you and I came across each other, lets not raise the matters of the past up. About you killing your uncle, my mouth is as tight as a drum; I will never leak even for half a word. The mountain is far, the river is long, we will see each other again in the future. In a trembling voice Song Qingshu said, Chen Chen Dage, you what are you going to do to me? His voice was full of doubt and uncertainty. Chen Youliang laughed. What am I going to do to you? he said, I am not going to do anything. Let me show you something. What is this? From their hiding place behind the rock, Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min were dying to stick out their heads to see the thing Chen Youliang took out, but in the end they decided against doing so. Ah! they heard Song Qingshu cried out in alarm, This this is the iron ring of Emei Pais Sect Leader, his voice was trembling, It is Miss Zhous You you where did you get it from? In his heart, Zhang Wuji also shuddered, he thought, When I left Zhiruo, I plainly saw her still wearing this Sect Leader iron ring; how did it fall into Chen Youliangs hand? Most likely it is a fake one, he forged it to swindle other people. But he heard Chen Youliang laugh lightly and said, Look carefully, whether this is the real thing or a fake one. A moment later Song Qingshu said, In the Western Region I asked Miejue Shitai for some pointers in martial art, I saw this ring on her finger. I believe this is real. A clang! noise was heard, a sound of metal striking against metal. Chen Youliang said, If it was
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fake, this sword should cut it into two. Look here, there is an inscription inside the ring, liu yi xiang nu [bestowed to daughter Xiang] four characters, it cant be fake, can it? This is the Emei Pai founder, Guo Xiang Nuxias [heroine Guo Xiang] xuan tie [black/mysterious iron Yang Guos heavy sword] ring. Song Qingshu said, Chen Dage, you where did you get it from? Miss Zhou, she is she all right? Chen Youliang laughed again, he said, Zhang Bo Longtou, lets go. From now on, the Beggar Clan has nothing to do with this person. Footsteps were heard, the two of them turned around and left. Chen Dage, come back! Song Qingshu called out, Has Miss Zhou fallen into your hands? Is she still alive, or is she dead? Chen Youliang came back. With a smile on his face he said, Thats right. Miss Zhou is in my hands. A beautiful woman like her, no mans heart in this world will not be moved upon seeing her. Until now I am still single. I am thinking of asking Bangzhu earnestly to grant me Miss Zhou as my wife, chances are, Bangzhu will grant my request. Song Qingshu mumbled indistinctly, apparently, he was at a loss of what to say. Chen Youliang continued, Actually, a gentleman should not take someone elses prized possession. In order to win this Miss Zhou, Song Xiongdi has braved a grave disaster; how could for the sake of a beauty Chen Youliang ruin the yi qi [spirit of loyalty and self-sacrifice/code of brotherhood] between brothers? But since you have revolted against the Clan, there is no more kindness and righteousness between us; nothing is out of question anymore, right? Song Qingshu mumbled some more. From the corner of his eye, Zhang Wuji noticed there were two streams of tears flowing down Song Yuanqiaos cheeks; it was obvious that the grief in his heart had reached its peak. Suddenly they heard Song Qingshu say, Chen Dage, Longtou Dage, as your little brother, I was confused; I beg your forgiveness. I hereby admit my guilt. Chen Youliang laughed out loud and said, Right, right! Now, that is my good brother. I put my hand on my heart to guarantee you that you only need to take this drug [orig. meng1 han4 yao4 a medicine to knock someones consciousness] to Mount Wudang, and then quietly put it into everybodys cup of tea. Your honorable elders lives will not be harmed; the beautiful Zhou Zhiruo will certainly be your wife. We only want to coerce Zhang Sanfeng, Zhang Zhenren [respectable term to address a Taoist priest] and the Wudang heroes into forcing Zhang Wuji to listen to our command. Supposing that we harmed Zhang Zhenren and your honorable fathers lives, Zhang Wuji will only come to the Beggar Clan to exact the revenge; what good will that do to us? Thats correct, Song Qingshu said. Chen Youliang continued, Wait till the Beggar Clan has subdued the Ming Cult, driven out the Tartars, and ruled the earth; our Bangzhu will ascend to the throne [orig. long2 wei4 dragon position], you and I will render meritorious service to the founder of the kingdom, needless to say, not only our wives and descendants will enjoy titles and positions, but your honorable father will benefit from your bright face. With a bitter smile Song Qingshu said, My Father does not seek fame and fortune. I only hope he will not kill me; then I will be satisfied. How can your father know about the party before it is over? Chen Youliang said with a smile,
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Unless he is a deity who can predict the future. Song Xiongdi, is your foot injured from the fall? Come, we can share the ride. Well buy another horse in the next town. Song Qingshu said, A chunk of ice has bumped my calf because I was in such haste. As bad luck has it, it hit right on my zhu bin [lit. building visitor] acupoint. There is indeed such a coincidence in this world. Because he was so preoccupied by Zhang Bo Longtou and Chen Youliang who were pursuing him, he had never thought that there were people who were plotting against him behind the large rock ahead. He only knew that he was being careless and the piece of ice happened to strike him on his acupoint. What bad luck? Chen Youliang laughed and said, Ill say it was Song Xiongdis lucky day, to marry a beautiful woman as your wife. If there was no such strike, we would not be able to overtake you, and then you would be lost in your own confusion. Not only your reputation would be swept away, but you would ruin our major undertaking. If this sweet smelling, tender Miss Zhou become Chen Youliangs possession, wouldnt it be like a phoenix married a crow, a fresh flower stuck into a pile of manure? Hmm, Song Qingshu said, Chen Dage, its not that Xiongdi is unable to tell good from bad, and does not believe you Without waiting for him to finish, Chen Youliang cut him off, You want to see Miss Zhou, dont you? Thats easy. At this moment Bangzhu and the elders are in Lulong [a city in Hebei], Miss Zhou is with them. As soon as we get to Lulong, you can see her. When the Mount Wudang task is accomplished, your Gege [elder brother] will hold the wedding celebration for you, to fulfill your greatest desire; and then you will be grateful to your Chen Youliang Dage for the rest of your life. Ha ha, ha ha ! All right, Song Qingshu said, Let us go to Lulong. Chen Dage, how did Miss Zhou how did she join our Clan? Chen Youliang laughed and said, That was to Longtou Dages credit. That day Zhang Bang Longtou and Zhang Bo Longtou went eating and drinking in a restaurant. They saw three strangers who dressed like our Clan disciples, mingled among us. Later, they sent some people to investigate, and unexpectedly found one of them is this lovable and charming Miss Zhou. Zhang Bo Longtou then sent someone to invite her to come with us. Dont worry, Miss Zhou is auspiciously well; not a single strand of her hair is injured. Zhang Wuji groaned inwardly, Turned out that we were already detected on the restaurant that day. If only Yifu were not blind, he would certainly raise the alarm. Ay, to think that all along Zhiruo and I were not aware. But I wonder if Yifu is also well? However, all throughout the conversation, Chen Youliang did not mention a single word about Xie Xun. He said, Miss Zhou and you are engaged, Emei and Wudang two Sects will be under the Beggar Clans command, add to that the Ming Cult; just how powerful can we be? We only need to defeat the Mongolians, and then this beautiful country [orig. jiang1 shan1 river and mountain], heh, heh, will change its master. His voice was full of smugness, as if not only the Beggar Clan had already conquered the world, but he, Chen Youliang, had already ascended to the throne, and was sitting comfortably in the imperial courtyard. Zhang Bo Longtou and Song Qingshu followed him laughing heh, heh, hollow laughs. Lets go, Chen Youliang said, Song Xiongdi, Mo Qixia died around here; the cave where we hid
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his corpse is not far from this place, is it? You ran to this place and suddenly stumbled, could it be that Mo Qixias spirit showed up? Ha ha, ha ha! Song Qingshu did not reply. The three of them walked toward the horses and then left that place. Zhang Wuji waited until they had gone far before he quickly unsealed Song Yuanqiao and the others acupoints, and then he knelt to the ground and kowtowed over and over again. Shibo, Shishu, he said, Nephew was under suspicion and could not explain myself. I have offended you heavily, please punish me. Song Yuanqiao heaved a deep sigh, tears streaming down from his eyes; he looked up to the sky without saying anything. Yu Lianzhou busily raised Zhang Wuji up and said, We all have wrongly accused you. It was our own fault. We are as close as a flesh and blood family, lets not talk about this anymore. I just cant believe Qingshu ay, if we did not hear it with our own ears, who could have believed it? Song Yuanqiao pulled his sword out and said, Turned out Qidi came across Qingshu, that little animal when he was peeking into Emei heroines bedroom. We must put our schools internal affair in order. Three Shidis, Child Wuji, let us pursue them; let me slay that animal with my own hand. Finished speaking, he launched his qing gong and ran to the direction Song Qingshu went. Dage, come back! Zhang Songxi called out, Everything needs to be considered further. In his disturbed mind, Song Yuanqiao ignored his call; he kept running with the sword in his hand. Zhang Wuji lifted up his feet to give a chase. Several leaps later, he cut off in front of Song Yuanqiao. Bowing down he said, Da Shibo, Si Shibo wants to talk to you. Currently, Song Dage is under others influence; someday, he will come to his senses. If Da Shibo wants to punish him, you dont have to do it right away. Song Yuanqiao sobbed, Qidi Qidi your big brother has done you wrong. Suddenly he remembered how Zhang Cuishan had killed himself because he felt he had done Yu Daiyan wrong; right at this moment he suddenly understood the depth of his Wu Dis [fifth brother] feeling. Raising up his sword, he slashed it across his own neck. Zhang Wuji was startled; using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi to the fullest, he snatched the sword from Song Yuanqiaos hand. But the blade had already cut the neck, creating a long strip of bloody cut. By this time Yu Lianzhou and the others had already caught up. Dage, Zhang Songxi persuaded, Qingshu is going astray by committing this kind of treason and betraying his own Sect, Wudang people will hold him responsible; but cleaning up our school is a small matter, our countrys safety is big. We cant lose sight on the big matter for the sake of a small one. Song Yuanqiaos eyes grew big; he was angry. You you said cleaning up our school is a small matter? I I fathered this disobedient son Listening to that Chen Youliang, Zhang Songxi said, The Beggar Clan wants to borrow Qingshus hands, scheming to harm our En Shi [benevolent master] and gain control over the major Sects of Wulin world, and conspiring against our country. En Shis safety and well-being is the number one priority of our Sect; whether the Wulin world and the common people will have disaster or good fortune is even more important. This child Qingshu has done too much injustice; he will get his retribution sooner or later. We still need to discuss important matters. Song Yuanqiao realized Zhang Songxi was very reasonable, he bitterly put the sword back into its
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sheathe and said, My mind is troubled, Ill hear what Si Di has to say. Yin Liting took out some cut-wound medication and wrapped it around Song Yuanqiaos neck. Zhang Songxi said, The Beggar Clan has already sought to cause En Shi harm, and at this moment En Shi still does not know the facts. We must travel day and night to return to Wudang. Although that Chen Youliang is going to use Song Qingshu, we will never know; perhaps this devious villain will make his move sooner than what is planned. Right now our most urgent task is to protect En Shi. En Shi is advanced in years; if that fake-Shaolin-monk-pretending-to-be-a-newsbearer case is repeated, we cant redeem it as his disciples even if we were to die ten thousand times. While saying that, he cast a glance toward Zhao Min, who was standing some distance away; he still resented how she had sent someone to assassinate Zhang Sanfeng. Song Yuanqiao broke in cold sweats. Thats right, thats right! he said in a trembling voice, In my eagerness to kill that disobedient child, I pushed En Shis safety and well being to the back of my brain. I truly deserve to die to put the cart before the horse. Such a muddle-head. And then he called out, Lets go, lets go! Wuji, Zhang Songxi turned toward Zhang Wuji, Well leave the rescuing of Miss Zhou to you. Come to Wudang whenever you are finished, then well talk again. I receive and obey Shibos instruction, Zhang Wuji said. Zhang Songxi continued in low voice, This Miss Zhao has a heart of the wolf, you must be very careful. Song Qingshu is a bad example of a real warrior who cannot resist a beauty. You should not follow his example. Zhang Wuji nodded with his face blushing. Immediately the Four Heroes of Wudang and Zhang Wuji buried Mo Shenggu behind a large rock. The five of them kowtowed and cried bitterly in front of his grave. And then Song Yuanqiao and his martial brothers, four people, left. Zhao Min slowly walked towards Zhang Wuji and said, Your Si Shibo told you to be careful and do not get deceived by this witch, and that Song Qingshu is a bad example, didnt he? Zhang Wujis face turned completely red and he bashfully asked, How do you know? Do you a super ear? Humph, Zhao Min said, Let me tell you this: After considering this matter, Song Daxia and the others will not blame Song Qingshu for having an animal heart, instead, they will blame Zhou Jiejie [older sister Zhou] as the source of trouble [lit. red face muddling the water], by destroying a Wudang young hero. In his heart Zhang Wuji silently agreed that she might be right, but his mouth said, Song Shibo and the others are reasonable gentlemen; how could they recklessly blame others? With a cold laugh Zhao Min said, The more they are gentlemen, the more they will blame others recklessly. She was silent for a moment before laughing and saying, Quickly go and save your Miss Zhou; it would be terrible for you if she fell into Song Qingshus hand. Zhang Wuji blushed again and asked, Why would it be terrible? End of Chapter 32.
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Chapter 33 Long Flute, Short Zither, Flowing Yellow Clothes

Four young women wearing white and four young women in black, each with a zither or a flute, stood on the eight directions. Amidst the sound of music, a woman entered the courtyard, wearing a soft yellow light robe; her left hand was taking along a twelve, thirteen years old girl.
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Zhang Wuji went to fetch the horses, and then together with Zhao Min, they rode across the Great Wall. He thought his Yifu must have fallen into the Beggar Clan, but since the Beggar Clan wanted to use him to coerce the Ming Cult into submission, he supposed they would not do him any harm; although some humiliation would be unavoidable. However, Zhirou was as clear as crystal and as clean as jade; if the devious and cruel Chen Youliang and the shameless Song Qingshu forced her, her only option would be to die. Thinking to this point, he wished he would grow wings and fly to Lulong. Only, Zhao Min was still injured, they could not possibly travel without any sleep or rest. That night, the two of them spent the night at a small inn. While lying down on the kang [a heatable brick bed common in northern China] Zhang Wuji was deep in thought; the more he thought, the more anxious he got. He went outside Zhao Mins window; he heard her even breathing as she fell into a deep sleep, so he went to the front desk to get pen and ink. Tearing down a piece of paper from the registry book, he hastily wrote a letter, saying that because the matter was urgent, he made up his mind to continue the journey the very same night, and that he would find her after the matter is settled. He advised her to continue her journey home leisurely while she was still recuperating from her injury. He placed the paper on the table and put a piece of rock on it, and then he jumped out from the window and rushed southward. By daybreak he managed to buy a horse, and kept changing horses along the way. After several days of traveling day and night like that, he finally arrived at Lulong. However, even by pursuing that fast, he did not see Chen, Song and Zhang Bo Longtou along the way. He figured that while he was traveling during the night, they were resting in an inn someplace, hence he missed them. Lulong was a strategic city in Hebei province, where the Tang Dynastys Jie Du Shi [provincial governor; in Tang times having military and civil authority, but only civil authority during Song] took his residence. It was attacked several times during the transition between the Songs and the Jins and suffered major damages. The city had never recovered all through the Yuan Dynasty, yet it had quite a large population. Zhang Wuji went all over Lulongs main streets and small alleys, visited teahouses and wine shops, but surprisingly he did not see a single beggar. He felt very strange, Such a big city, yet not a single beggar on the street; this is very unusual. Chen Youliang said that the Beggar Clan would have an assembly in here, certainly he was not lying. I think all beggars big and small within the city walls have gone to pay their respect to the Clan Leader. I must look for their meeting place, this way I can eavesdrop to find out whether Yifu and Zhiruo are really captured by the Beggar Clan. He then visited all the temples, ancestral halls, abandoned gardens, and any open area around the city, but did not find a single clue. He even went to the villages on the outskirts of the city, but still did not see anything unusual. When evening came, he grew impatient, and could not help but thinking about Zhao Min. I wouldnt be this clueless if she were here he thought. Finally he decided on going to an inn. After taking his dinner, he took a short nap, and then around the second hour [between 1 3 am], he flew out of the window and went everywhere to see if there was anything astir. But after looking to all directions, he saw the night was serene, without the least bit of sign that Jianghu characters were having a meeting. He was disappointed; but suddenly he saw a light on a tall building toward southeast from where he was. He thought, This building must belong to a high-ranking government official or some rich family; it has nothing to do with the Beggar Clan He had not finished his train of thought when he saw a shadow flash; someone was leaping out from the window on the second floor. Only, he was quite some distance away from the building that he could not see clearly. He thought, Can it
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be that there are some lu lin [lit. green wood, a term usually refers to world of outlaws] characters who are visiting this rich family house to commit a criminal act? Since I have nothing to do, Id better check it out. Utilizing his qing gong [lightness skill], he immediately rushed towards that big building. As he was leaping over the enclosing wall, he heard someone say, Chen Zhanglao [elder Chen] is really bothersome; it was decided that we are going to assemble on the eighth of the first month in Laohekou [city in Hubei], yet he dispatched an urgent message for us to hurry along and wait over here. He is not Bangzhu, why does he have a say anyway? Ridiculous. The voice was loud and clear, the speaker was obviously indignant; it turned out that they were on a Beggar Clans business. As Zhang Wuji heard this, he was delighted. The voice came from the main hall, so he quietly crept toward it. He heard Shi Huolongs voice reply, Chen Zhanglao is a genius; that damn Jin Mao Shi Wang [golden-haired lion king] Xie Xun, who knows how many Jianghu people have been looking for him in these past twenty years, yet nobody has even caught the shadow of a lion hairs fart. But Chen Zhanglao managed to capture him just like that. Nobody in the Wulin world has ever accomplished that, let alone people within our own Clan Zhang Wuji was startled, but also glad that finally he heard something about his Yifu. He believed the Beggar Clan did not have any extraordinary masters and rescuing his Yifu would not be too difficult. He scanned the room pressing his eyes against a crack in the window. He saw that Shi Huolong was sitting inside, with Chuan Gong and Zhi Fa two Elders, Zhang Bang Longtou and three eight-pouch elders sitting on the lower positions. There was another well-dressed middleaged fat man; judging from his appearance, he looked like a rich government officer, but on his back he carried six pouches. Zhang Wuji quietly nodded his head, No wonder he thought, Turns out that there is a rich Beggar Clan disciple in Lulong. Who would have thought a whole bunch of beggars will be having an assembly in a rich mans house? He heard Shi Huolong continue Since Chen Zhanglao urgently wants us to wait in Lulong, he must have a valid reason. We are planning this important matter; his granny, this this we must be very cautious over this matter. Bangzhu, Zhang Bang Longtou said, Please be informed that the reason the warriors in Jianghu are looking for Xie Xun is because they want to snatch the wu lin zhi zun [the most revered in the martial art world], the precious Tulong Saber. Presently, this precious saber is not within Xie Xuns possession. No matter how much we persuade or threaten him, he is not willing to reveal the precious sabers location. We are wasting our time capturing this blind man; what use do we have of him other than making him to drink our wine and eat our food? In my opinion, wed better torture him harshly; I want to see if hed keep his mouth shut. No, that would be inappropriate, Shi Huolong replied, We might spoil something by using force. Lets just wait for Chen Zhanglao and then we can talk about it at length. Zhang Bang Longtous face showed discontent; he seemed to be upset that Bangzhu always wanted to hear what Chen Youliang had to say in everything. Shi Huolong took out a letter and handed it over to Zhang Bang Longtou. Feng Xiongdi [brother Feng], he said, I want you to go to Haozhou immediately and deliver this letter to Han Shantong. Tell him that his son is with us, he is safe and sound. We only want Han Shantong to submit under our Clans authority, and then we will view his son in a new light.
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Delivering a letter is a minor matter, Zhang Bang Longtou said, Do I need to personally take the trip to do it? Shi Huolongs countenance slightly dropped, he said, Speaking of military accomplishment, Han Shantong and his comrades have created quite a stir within this last half a year or so. I hear his subordinates, that damn Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and the others, have raised up their arms and very much all of them have some stinking ability. This time I am asking Feng Xiongdi to personally deliver this letter, first, to make sure Han Shantong will submit under our Clan; and while you are hanging around them, make sure you find out what kind of plan he and his generals are cooking. Second, I want you to investigate what kind of strange secret those damn Ming Cult people are hiding. Feng Xiongdi, the task you are bearing on your shoulder is not light; how could you say it is a minor matter? Zhang Bang Longtou did not dare to say anything anymore; he simply said, I respectfully follow Bangzhus instructions. He accepted the letter, saluted Shi Huolong, and then left the main hall. Zhang Wuji kept on listening, but they were only talking about how in the future, after the Ming Cult, Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, and all other Sects were subdued, the Beggar Clan would flourish with awe-inspiring prestige. This Shi Huolongs wild ambitions were not as lofty as Chen Youliangs; if the Beggar Clan had a sole domination over the Jianghu and warriors in the Wulin world, he would be very satisfied. He was not thinking of ruling over the country [orig. jiang1 shan1 river and mountain] by becoming the emperor. His language was vulgar, with a lot of dirty words. After listening for a while, Zhang Wuji was fed up; he thought, It seems like Yifu and Zhiruo are imprisoned here. I need to rescue them first then Ill give this big mouth, shameless beggar, a lesson. His right foot moved slightly, he gently leaped toward a tall tree. Looking to all directions, he saw a dozen or so Beggar Clan disciples on the lower level. They had their weapons in their hands, going back and forth patrolling the area. Zhang Wuji thought that must be the place where they kept Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruo prisoners. Slipping down the tree, he sneaked to the tall building nearby and hid behind a fake decorative hill. As soon as the two Beggar Clan disciples turned around and walked the other way, he leaped vertically up toward the second floor, where he saw bright light from lamps and candles. He stooped down underneath a window, trying to hear any sound of activity inside. To his astonishment, after listening for a while, he did not hear anything inside. How come there is nobody inside? he thought, Could it be that the person in here is a martial art master who is able to stop his breathing? But after listening a moment longer and still did not hear any breathing noise, he stretched out his neck to peek into the room via a crack in the window. He saw a pair of large candles on the table, which had been burned more than half of their original length, but there was not a single human shadow to be seen. There were three rooms on the second floor, located side by side. The one on the immediate east of him was unoccupied, so he peeked into the room on the west. This room was also brightly lit. He saw cups and bowls scattered on the table, about enough to be used by seven, eight people. The wine in the cup had not dried up, the vegetable and meat dishes had not been finished, but there was not a single human being inside the room. It looked like the people had not been eating and drinking too long when they had to leave the room in a hurry. The room in the middle was pitch-black like a cave. He lightly pushed the door, but it was bolted from the inside. Yifu, are you in there? he called out in low voice. Nobody answered. Zhang Wuji thought, Apparently, Yifu is not here. But why do the Beggar Clan people set up such a strict
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security? Could it be that they are running the real is fake, fake is real tactic? Suddenly he caught a whiff of smell of reeking blood coming out from the middle room. He was alarmed. With his left hand pressed against the door, he exerted his internal energy and crack! the bolt broke. Quick as a flash he darted inside to catch the broken bolt so that it would not fall on the floor and create some noise. He only took one step forward when his foot stumbled on an object on the floor. It felt soft like it was a human body. He stooped down to touch the object and indeed it was a lifeless human body. This person had ceased breathing, but his face was still a bit warm; looked like he died not too long ago. Zhang Wuji traced the corpses head and found the head to be small with pointy chin, definitely it wasnt Xie Xuns head. He was relieved. Taking another step he bumped into two more bodies. He went to the western wooden partition and poked his finger to let the candlelight from the adjacent room passing through. He saw seven, eight Beggar Clan disciples scattered around the room, all dead. Obviously, they were killed because of heavy internal injury. He lifted a corpse up and tore the clothes off. He saw a deep fist imprint on that corpses chest, breaking up his ribs; apparently, the power behind the fist was extraordinarily strong. Zhang Wuji was delighted, Turns out Yifu unleashed his mighty power and struck these guards dead. He looked around the room, and saw on a corner of the wall a picture of blazing fire, engraved with the tip of a sword; it was undoubtedly the symbol of the Ming Cult. He also noticed that the latch of the window was snapped off; the window was open. Thats right, Zhang Wuji thought, The dark shadow I saw fleeing out the upstairs window a moment ago must be Yifu escaping. I wonder how was he captured by the Beggar Clan? It must be because his blindness made it difficult for him to guard against the Beggar Clans deceit. If they did not use meng han yao [drug, see Chapter 32], then they must have used some kind of trap [orig. ban4 ma3 suo3, dao3 gou1, yu2 wang3 large rope to trip horses, hook to topple someone, fishnet] to capture him. He went out the room in delight. Crouching by the door he looked downstairs and saw that the beggars were going back and forth on their patrol duty; they were completely oblivious of the accident happened on the second floor. Zhang Wuji thought, Yifu has not left too long, I can still overtake him. And then we, father and son, will come back and make an earth-shattering disturbance here, to teach these beggars the way we Ming Cult deal with our enemies. Thinking to this point, his spirit rose. Remembering that the dark shadow he saw earlier went out from the west side, he jumped out to the enclosing wall using a tall tree as a stepping-stone, and then rushed to the west. Following the main road, he ran for several lis before arriving on a fork on the road. He looked around looking for clue, and saw a blazing fire mark behind a rock, pointing to the road going southwest. Zhang Wuji was very happy thinking that now his Yifus whereabouts was clear and he would see him very soon. Yang Xiao had explained the markings and signs used by the Ming Cult to communicate to each other to him in detail. He noticed that although this blazing fire sign had only several strokes the lines were bold; not many people within the Ming Cult were able to produce this kind of drawing other than people of Xie Xuns caliber who was well-versed in both sword and pen [orig. wen2 wu3 quan2 cai2]. His doubts were gone. Hurriedly he took the small lane, straight to the relay station of Shahe [city in Hebei]. It was already dawn; he stopped by any restaurant along the way to buy some steamed buns and flatbreads to satisfy his hunger and then hurriedly continued his journey westward until he arrived at the small town of Bangzi. He saw another blazing fire symbol on the lower part of a
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wall on the corner of the street, pointing toward an abandoned ancestral hall. He was very happy thinking that his Yifu might be hiding in that hall. As he got near the gate, he heard a clamoring noise of people talking and shouting as rowdy characters and people of obscure background who gathered around the main hall, gambling. It turned out that this place was some kind of a gambling establishment. The manager saw Zhang Wuji and noticed his fancy and expensive-looking attire, he knew a rich customer had arrived; busily he smiled and mumbling some welcoming words, Gongziye [young master], come and roll the dice; your luck must be good, beat these three villagers. Turning his head he called out the crowd of gamblers, Make room for Gongziye. Everybody, put your bet down, let Gongziye have his hands on the money! Zhang Wuji frowned, he knew these gamblers were not Jianghu characters. Raising his voice he called out, Yifu, Yifu! Are you Senior in here? He waited for a while, but nobody answered. He called out again several times. Seeing he did not come to gamble, but shouting and creating disturbance instead, a ruffian called out, Good child, your Senior is here, hurry up and roll the dice! The main hall resounded with the sound of the ruffians laughter. Zhang Wuji asked the manager, Did you see an elderly gentleman, big and tall, yellow hair, and blind eyes? As the manager realized this person did not come to gamble, but to look for someone, he was disappointed. He said with a laugh, What a joke! You are saying that there is a blind man who came here to roll the dice? This blind man must be crazy! Zhang Wuji was not in a good mood as he failed to find his Yifu. Listening to the manager and that ruffian being rude and make fun of his Yifu, he took two steps forward, grabbed the manager and the ruffian, and casually flung them to the roof. Although these two men were not injured, they were scared out of their wits and screamed like a pig being slaughtered. Zhang Wuji pushed the crowd over and took two silver ingots from the gambling table. He said, Gongziye is having his hands on the money. He put the silver into his pocket, and left the ancestral hall in big strides. The ruffians froze in fear; who would dare to chase him? Zhang Wuji continued his journey westward. Not too long afterwards he saw another blazing fire sign. It was already evening, and he had arrived at Fengrun, another big city on the northern part of Hebei. Following the sign, he found a whitewashed wall with a black gate. The copper-ring door knockers were shiny, inside the wall plum blossoms were half-blooming; it was a quiet, elegant and clean house. He picked the doorknockers and knocked three times. A short moment later he heard footsteps approaching. With a creaking noise the black door opened. A strong fragrance immediately attacked his nostrils. The one who answered the door was a girl wearing a pink leather jacket with a small knot on top of her head. She pursed her lips, laughed, and said, Gongziye, long time no see. Jiejie [older sister] misses you very much. Come in and drink some tea. Her words were followed by another laugh, and then she threw a coquettish look at him. Zhang Wuji was flabbergasted. How did you know me? Who is your Jiejie? he asked. The girl laughed and said, You still ask? Hurry up, dont let my Jiejie die of loneliness [orig. qian1
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du3 gua4 chang2 pulling the tripe, hanging the intestines]. Reaching out, she grabbed Zhang Wujis right hand and pulled him in. Zhang Wuji was greatly astonished, Why does she act like she has known me for a long time? he wondered. But then he remembered, Ah, right, Zhiruo must be staying in here; she knew I was following the sign all day looking for them, so she told this girl to wait for me. Ay, we havent seen each other for many days now, Zhiruo must be dying of loneliness because she misses me very much. He felt tenderness in his heart and without hesitation, followed the girl inside. They walked through a small pathway of cobblestones, passed a courtyard, and entered a side room. He saw a parrot perched beneath the eaves, which said in throaty voice, Qing Gege [big brother Qing, or lit. passionate brother. I am not sure whether the character Qing here is someones name, or it refers to beloved brother] is here. Jiejie, Qing Gege is here. Zhang Wuji blushed profusely, Even a parrot knew, he thought. He saw the chairs in that room were padded with embroidered cushions; the charcoal fire was raging, warming the room so that it felt like spring. There was a small incense burner on the table. The girl turned around and left, but a short moment later returned with a tray of six different fruits and a pot of green tea. She slowly poured the tea and handed it over to Zhang Wuji; and she actually pinched his wrist gently. Zhang Wuji frowned; How could the girl be this frivolous? he thought. If Zhou Zhiruo saw them, wouldnt she be offended? Thereupon he asked, Where is Xie Laoye [old master Xie]? Where is Miss Zhou? The girl laughed, Why are you looking for Xie Laoye? Are you jealous? What if my Jiejie came in and saw your expression? Look at you, you dont have any conscience; you come to our place, yet in your heart you keep thinking about some Miss Zhou and Miss Wang. Zhang Wuji was startled, What kind of nonsense are you talking about? he asked. That girl only pursed her lips, smiled and left the room. A moment later, he heard the tinkling noise of bracelets. The curtain was lifted open, the girl returned, holding the hand of a woman around twenty one or twenty two of age. Her skin was snowy white, her face was quite beautiful with arched eyebrows and a grain of mole on the right corner of her mouth. She glanced at him gracefully, and smiled before she said anything. Her figure was elegant, and she welcomed him in a charming manner. Zhang Wuji felt a rich fragrance assailing his nostrils; he was really uncomfortable. That woman said, Xiang Gong [honorable master], what is your precious surname? Today you have come to pay me a visit, Xiao Nuzi [little/lowly girl, referring to herself] feels very honored. As she was speaking, her left hand landed on Zhang Wujis shoulder. Zhang Wuji blushed profusely and tried to evade. My humble surname is Zhang, he said, Is there a gentleman by the surname of Xie and a lady by the surname of Zhou in here? The woman smiled and said, This is the li xiang yuan [fragrance peach courtyard]; if you are looking for Zhou Xianxian, she lives at bi tao ju [jade-green peach residence]. Are you so infatuated by that girl that you lost your mind and looking for Zhou Xianxian at the li xiang yuan? Hee hee ! Suddenly it dawned on Zhang Wuji that this place was a brothel. Please forgive me, he said.
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Quick as a flash he slipped out the door. The girl pursued him and called out, Gongzi, in what way my Jiejie is inferior to Zhou Xianxian? Arent you going to sit down even for a moment? Zhang Wuji repeatedly shook his hand; he fished out the silver ingot he took from the casino and tossed it to the ground, while flying out the gate. His mind was so troubled that he was not able to calm himself for a long time. By this time, it was already dark. He was afraid he might miss the blazing fire signs along the way; therefore, he decided to find an inn to spend the night, while his heart was filled with disquieting thoughts. Why did Yifu go to the casino and to the brothel? There must be a profound meaning behind all these actions, but what is it? Sleeping to the middle of the night, he suddenly awakened, Yifu is blind, how could he leave so many clear markings along the way? Could it be that Zhiruo was by his side giving him directions? Or could it be that the enemy deliberately faking our Cult signs to play a trick on me? Are they trying to lure me into ambush? Humph, entering the dragons pool or the tigers lair, Ill have to get to the bottom of this good or bad. Early the next morning, he saw another blazing fire outside Fengruns city gate, the sign was still pointing to the west. By following the sign, he arrived at Yutian [still another city in Hebei] around noon. Now the sign pointed toward a large house of a rich family. There were lanterns hung on the gate; seemed like the family was celebrating a joyous occasion. The lanterns were adorned with red characters zhi zi yu gui [???? I dont know how to translate this, the dictionary gives me marry/wedding]; apparently, their daughter was getting married. The sound of music and the noise of guests filled the air. Zhang Wuji had learned his lesson; he did not rush in to ask Xie Xuns whereabouts, instead, he mingled with the guests to observe. But since he did not see anything unusual, he went out to look for another sign, and he did indeed find one on the trunk of a big tree nearby. The blazing fire sign took him from Yutian to Sanhe, and then he was directed to the south until he arrived at Xianghe. By this time he was starting to have a thought, Most likely the Beggar Clan is already aware that I am on their trails, therefore, they play the luring the tiger from the mountain trick to get me as far away as possible, so that they can proceed with their shady evil business. Although he was anxious, he did not dare to stop following the blazing fire signs fearing that it was really Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruo who left them. Supposing they were running away from strong enemies, and left these signs along the way with the hope that I will find and save them, but because I think I am smart, I return to Lulong, what if Yifu and Zhiruo finally die? Things have come this far, I have no choice but keep following these signs until everything comes to light. From Xianghe to Baocheng, toward Dabaizhuang, Panzhuang, and then turning to southeast, toward Ninghe [a city in Tianjin], from here the blazing fire vanished without any trace; Zhang Wuji could not find any more signs. He explored the city of Ninghe, but did not see anything unusual. It was definitely the Beggar Clan who led me over here, causing me to lose several days running around in vain. Thereupon he bought a horse to return to Lulong, and then at the second hand clothing store he found a white long gown. Borrowing a pen and some red ink, he drew a large blazing fire on the white gown; having determined to face the Beggar Clan head-on as the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult. Wearing the white gown, he went to the rich mans mansion in big strides. The main gate was a pair of huge red double-doors, which were tightly closed at that time. The shiny copper nails on the doors were the size of the mouth of a cup. Zhang Wuji pushed with both of his palms. Crash! the huge double-doors flew up and landed in the middle of the courtyard. A series of resounding Bing!
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Bing! Bang! Bang! sounds were heard as two large goldfish vats were smashed. On top of his concern over Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruos safety these past few days, he felt that he was a victim of some practical joke, which made him going in circles around the Hebei province; he needed to vent up his frustration. This time coming back to the Beggar Clan headquarters, he was determined to confront them once and for all. As he split the gate open, he walked in big strides and shouted in a thunderous voice, Beggar Clan people, hear me: have Shi Huolong come out and see me. There were around a dozen four and five-pouch Beggar Clan disciples standing in the courtyard; they were already shocked when the gate suddenly flew in, now they saw a young man wearing white robe breaking in, some seven, eight people immediately shouted almost simultaneously and blocked this unwelcome guest, Who are you? What do you want? Zhang Wuji raised both of his arms, a successive slam, slam noise was heard as he struck the seven, eight Beggar Clan disciples, sending them flying toward a row of windows. Passing the courtyard, he went straight to the main hall. Bang! he smashed the door to the hall, and saw a banquet table in the middle of the room, with Shi Huolong sitting on the head of the table. As soon as the leaders of the Beggar Clan heard the loud commotion on the entrance, they immediately sent someone to investigate. But Zhang Wuji was so fast that as that seven-pouch disciple was hurrying outside, he met him halfway. With one hack Zhang Wuji grabbed his chest and threw him toward Shi Huolong. The rich-looking host was sitting a few seats away from the head of the table. As he saw the seven-pouch disciple flying towards the banquet table, he stretched out his arms and caught the flying man. He felt the incoming force was earth shattering so he immediately launched the qian jin zhui [a thousand-catty drop] to steady himself. To his surprise, bang, bang, bang he was forced to repeatedly take seven, eight steps backward and did not stop until his back was against a large pillar. Loosening up his grip, he let the seven-pouch disciple down on the floor. He panted heavily, his body weakened, and he dropped to the floor right in front of that large pillar. The crowd of beggars witnessed this scene with amazement. Right at that moment, they heard Zhang Wuji exclaim; he was both astonished and delighted, because he saw sitting on that round table, to the left of the head of the table, was a young woman, who was none other than Zhou Zhiruo. And the man who was sitting next to her was Song Qingshu. Wuji Gege! Zhou Zhiruo cried out in shock. She tried to stand up, but her body swayed and she fell to the floor. Zhang Wuji was startled, he rushed forward to hold her. But before he straightened his back up, a Slap!and a Bang! were heard as his back were simultaneously struck by Song Qingshus palm and a Beggar Clan masters fist. But Zhang Wuji had already protected his whole body with the Jiu Yang Shen Gong so that the power of the palm and the fist was immediately neutralized. Holding Zhou Zhiruo in his arms, he jumped out to the courtyard. How is Yifu? he asked. I ... I , Zhou Zhiruos voice was shaky. Is he [orig. lao3 ren2 jia1 senior] all right? Zhang Wuji asked. My acupoint is sealed by them Zhou Zhiruo said.
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Zhang Wuji only cared about Xie Xun, How is Yifu? he asked again. I dont know, Zhou Zhiruo replied, I was captured by them and brought here. I dont know Yifus whereabouts. Zhang Wuji laid her down on the ground and massaged several points on the joint of her leg. Who would have thought that Zhou Zhiruos acupoint was sealed using a special technique and his massage did not show any result. Her feet were planted on the floor, yet she was unable to stand up; her knees bent and she sat back down. All the beggars left their seats and stood on the steps in front of the courtyard. Shi Huolong cupped his fists and said, Are you the Zhang Jiaozhu of the Ming Cult, Sire? Zhang Wuji knew he was facing a leader of a clan, so he must not fail to show courtesy; immediately he cupped his fists in return and said, I dont dare. I beg Shi Bangzhus forgiveness for breaking into your Clans headquarters. Zhang Jiaozhus name has shaken the Jianghu in the past few years, Shi Huolong said, Its like thunder ringing in my ear, and today seeing the old chaps skill, which is really fierce, hey hey, my utmost admiration. Zhang Wuji said, I come recklessly and have become Shi Bangzhus laughingstock. Where is my Yifu, Jin Mao Shi Wang [Golden-Haired Lion King]? Please let him, Senior, come out to see me. Shi Huolongs face flushed, and then he laughed and said, Zhang Jiaozhu is young, but your words are this bold. We invited Xie Shi Wang [Lion King Xie] with a good intention, to come to drink a cup of wine, but not only Xie Shi Wang left without bidding us farewell, he harmed our eight disciples with heavy hands; damn it [orig. ta nai nai, lit. his granny; a curse phrase], how are we going to settle this business? Why doesnt Zhang Jiaozhu advise us on this? Zhang Wuji was startled, he thought, Those eight Beggar Clan disciples were indeed the victims of Yifus heavy hands. It seems that he, Senior, is really not here. But where did he go? Thereupon he said, What about this Miss Zhou? Why did your Clan hold her captive here? This , Shi Huolong was startled. Chen Youliang quickly interjected, I hear people say that although Zhang Wuji of the Ming Cult possesses a strong martial art, he is a barbarian little devil head who does not have any regard of reason ha ha Why? Zhang Wujis face stayed calm and collected. Chen Youliang said, I have witnessed it today; hey hey, as sure as the shadow of a tree, as plain as your name. Why did you call me barbarian without any regard of reason? Zhang Wuji asked. This Miss Zhou is the Sect Leader of Emei Pai, Chen Youliang replied, She is the leading figure of an upright Sect; what relation does she have with your heretical Cult? This Song Qingshu Xiongdi is an up-and coming young leader of Wudang Pai, Miss Zhou and he are a perfect match [orig. lang2 cai2 nu3 mao4, lit. skilled young man, beautiful woman, and zhu lian2 bi4 he2, lit. pearl matches with jade]; it is truly a harmony in social position and economic status, a pair of twogoodness. The two of them are passing by, and the Beggar Clan invited them to stay as our
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guests, to share a cup of wine with us. Why did the Ming Cult Jiaozhu unexpectedly come and intervene? That is funny, really funny! Echoing what he just said, the crowd of beggars burst into loud laughter. Zhang Wuji said, If Miss Zhou is your guest, why did you seal her acupoints? Miss Zhou was nicely sitting and drinking in here, talking and laughing. Who said her acupoints were sealed? Chen Youliang said, The relation between the Beggar Clan and Emei Pai is very deep; it goes for generations. The founder of Emei Pai, Shizu [martial ancestor] Guo Nuxia [heroine Guo] was our Clans previous leader, Huang Bangzhus beloved daughter. Our previous generation Yelu Bangzhu was Guo Nuxias brother-in-law. Unless you belong to the ignorant, wetbehind-the-ear generation, all Wulin people are aware about these historical facts. How can we, the Beggar Clan, offense the current Emai Pais Sect Leader? Zhang Jiaozhus accusation is unfounded, how can you prevent the heroes under the Heaven from sneering at you? Zhang Wuji laughed coldly and said, So you are saying Miss Zhou sealed her own acupoints? Thats not necessarily true, Chen Youliang said, We have everybody here as our witness, Zhang Jiaozhu rushed in, snatched her by force without any propriety, and then took Miss Zhou out. Miss Zhou struggled to free herself, and then Sire sealed her acupoints. Zhang Jiaozhu, although it is difficult for heroes to resist beautiful face, and even though you are lecherous and want to have possession over her, this is a public place with numerous people; everybodys eyes are on you. Zhang Jiaozhu, arent you degrading your own position by committing this reckless act? Zhang Wujis eloquence was far inferior to Chen Youliang, as he was receiving such a false countercharge, he was furious and it was even more difficult for him to refute. Hid countenance turned ashen and he shouted, So you said you have decided not to tell me where my Yifu is? Chen Youliang also raised his voice, Zhang Jiaozhu, your Cults Guang Ming Shi Zhe [emissary of the brightness] Yang Xiao has caused the death of Emei Pais Ji Xiaofu Nuxia. Everybody in the Wulin world knows about it, no need to point my finger. Now you are relying on your superior martial art to come over here and commit this kind of despicable, filthy shady business; I am afraid it will be difficult for you to escape justice. Zhang Wuji turned his head toward Zhou Zhiruo and said, Zhiruo, tell me, how did they capture and take you here? I I I Zhou Zhiruo said the word I three times, then suddenly her body went limp and she passed out. The crowd of beggars broke into a commotion; they called out, Ming Cults devil head killed her! Zhang Wuji could not deny the charge and killed Emei Pais Sect Leader! Kill the pervert thief Zhang Wuji, rid the world of trouble! Zhang Wuji was livid, he stepped forward in big strides toward Shi Huolong, thinking, To subdue the criminals must capture the leader first; as long as I can catch Shi Huolong, good or bad is in his hands. I can force them to reveal my Yifus whereabouts. Zhang Bang Longtou and Zhi Fa Zhanglao blocked together. Zhang Bang Longtou brandished his iron stick, while Zhi Fa Zhanglao had a steel hook in his right hand and iron crutch in his left hand. Two men with three different weapons simultaneously attacked Zhang Wuji. Zhang Wuji let out a light whistling noise and launched Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi. Clink! Clank! Zhi Fa
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Zhanglaos right hand steel hook parried Zhang Bang Longtous iron stick, his left hands crutch threatened to smash his lower body. On the side, Chuan Gong Zhanglaos sword was also thrust in; he called out, This fellows martial art is very weird, everybody must be careful. Swish, swish, swish! three times, his sword curved like a rainbow, aiming Zhang Wujis chest and lower abdomen. Good swordmanship! Zhang Wuji praised his swift and fierce move. Evading sideways, his left forefinger pointed toward Chuan Gong Zhanglaos thigh. Chuan Gong Zhanglao turned his sword over and the tip of the sword aimed toward Zhang Wujis fingertip. This change happened so fast that the tips of the sword and the finger were only less than a hair-width apart. This sword move was a rarely seen masterpiece in the Wulin world. Zhang Wuji silently praised, The Beggar Clans name is revered in the Jianghu, for a hundred of years did not decline. There are truly crouching tigers and hidden dragons within the Clan, such as this outstandingly capable man. That day in the Mi Le Temple he saw the battle between the Xuan Ming Elders and the Beggar Clans masters, but he was hidden on the tree and did not dare to expose himself to look closely. This time he experienced it first hand and found out that Chuan Gong and Zhi Fa two elders were truly top ranking martial art experts of the present age. Zhang Bang Longtou was the weakest among them, but still, he was only a notch inferior to the other two. In a flash, the Beggar Clans three elders and Zhang Wuji had exchanged more than twenty stances. Suddenly Chen Youliang loudly called out, Arrange the Killing Dog Formation! The crowd of beggars shouted and yelled; their blades flickered with a snowy white ray of light. There were 21 Beggar Clan martial art masters, each with a curved saber in their hands; they quickly spread out, surrounding Zhang Wuji in the middle. These twenty-one beggars were singing the lian hua luo [falling lotus (flower)]. Some of them were moaning and groaning as if they were in pain, while some others beat their own chests with their fists, and some called out in loud voices, Laoye, Taitai [master, mistress (or madam)], have compassion! Share us your cold rice! At first Zhang Wuji was stunned, but then he understood; these weird shouts and actions were to disturb the enemys mind. He saw these beggars moved in a random pattern; they were advancing and retreating in haste, but upon a closer inspection, he found that actually they were following some strict pattern. Stop! Chuan Gong Zhanglao shouted; he took two steps backward and lifted his sword horizontally across his chest. Zhi Fa Zhanglao and Zhang Bang Longtou also leaped backward, but the killing dog formation was still jumping around here and there, their movements did not cease in the least bit. Zhang Jiaozhu, Chuan Gong Zhanglao called out, We are relying on large number to gain victory; it is improper. But within the Beggar Clan there is not a single person who is worthy to be Sires match. Other than using this cowardly act, we can never fight you following the way of chivalry. Zhang Wuji smiled slightly and said, Well said, well said. Chuan Gong Zhanglao continued, All of us are wielding some weapons, while Zhang Jiaozhu is bare-handed; the Beggar Clan should not take too much advantage over you. Whatever weapon Zhang Jiaozhu desires to use, we will respectfully offer that weapon to you.
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Zhang Wuji said in his heart, This Chuan Gong Zhanglao not only possesses a high level of martial art, he is also chivalrous; he is totally different from that sly Chen Youliang. He said, Since I am playing around with you, why should I whirl a saber or sweep a staff? If I want to use weapon, cant I fetch it myself? As he was speaking, his shadow flashed to leave the killing dog formation. His hands moved and pressed both Chen Youliangs and Song Qingshus shoulders. In a twinkling of an eye, he had already snatched their swords. His shadow flashed again and he returned to his original position. The way he moved out and re-entered the formation was so fast that none of the moving twentyone blades even touched the hem of his clothes. The crowd of beggars was frozen in amazement as they heard his loud and clear voice say, Your precious Clans killing dog formation has earned a very good reputation. Only, killing a dog is easy, but if you want to subdue a dragon or overcome a tiger, this formation is not of much use. While saying that, he raised the swords and transmitted his strength into the swords blade. Crack, crack! both the swords snapped into pieces. Everybody, move! Zhang Bang Longtou shouted, his iron stick pointed toward Zhang Wujis chest. Zhi Fa Zhanglao also brandished his hook and crutch into two circular snow flowers, sweeping toward Zhang Wuji. Zhang Wuji dashed to the left, but his body was slanted to the right, according to the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi technique. A series of white rays flashed by, followed by a series of pop, pop, pop noise, as all the curved sabers in the hands of the beggars of the killing dog formation were snatched by Zhang Wuji and thrown to the beam of the main hall. The twenty-one curved sabers were stuck neatly in one row, each saber entered the beam about one foot deep. Suddenly Chen Youliangs voice was heard, Zhang Wuji, arent you going to stop? Zhang Wuji turned his head only to see Chen Youliang had a sword in his hand, with the tip pressed toward Zhou Zhiruos back. With a cold laugh Zhang Wuji said, For a hundred years the people of Jianghu say, the Ming Cult, the Beggar Clan, and the Shaolin Pai, among the Jiao-Pai [cults and sects], the Ming Cult ranks first; among the Bang-Hui [clans and associations/societies] the Beggar Clan holds the highest honor. With your action, arent you afraid of bringing disgrace on the prestige of Hong Qigong Laoxia [old hero]? Chen Zhanglao, Chuan Gong Zhanglao angrily said, Release Miss Zhou. We are fighting a life and death battle with Zhang Jiaozhu. The Beggar Clan is pouring out the entire Clans power to face Ming Cult Jiaozhu one man. If we do this despicable act, will any of us still have face to live an honorable life? Chen Youliang laughed. Real men fight with wits and not with strength. Zhang Wuji, havent you surrendered yet? All right! Zhang Wuji loudly laughed, Today Zhang Wuji experienced the Beggar Clans impressive power. Abruptly he took two steps backward and flipped backward into the air; and when he fell back down, his legs landed on Shi Huolongs shoulders. His right palm laid flat on top of Shi Huolongs head, while his left palm grabbed the main artery on the back of Shi Huolongs neck. It was a stance from the martial art of Sheng Huo Ling, which was executed rather easily so that it surprised even Zhang Wuji himself. His original intention was to take Shi Huolong by surprise with one of his weird moves. He had prepared three stances of the most difficult to be dealt with, combined with his lightning fast
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movement, to capture Shi Huolong. His only concern was that Chen Youliang would be truly cruel and merciless; perhaps he would really stab Zhou Zhiruo as soon as Zhang Wuji made his move. Who would have thought that he did not even need a single stance form the three fiercest stances he had already prepared, since Shi Huolong did not even attempt to resist and let himself be captured. Zhang Wuji rode on Shi Huolongs shoulder just like a child riding on an adult. It was not the most elegant scene to behold, but since he had already gained control over the vital acupoints on the enemys head, he was not willing to jump down and thus give the enemy a chance to take back control. As they saw their Clan Leader was captured, the crowd of beggars cried out in alarm. Zhang Wujis right palm laid flat on the bai hui xue [hundred-meeting acupoint]; which was the intersection of the tai yang jing [sun passage] and the du mai [supervise artery]. It was the most important point on the human body. Zhang Wuji only need to tap it lightly, Shi Huolongs passages and arteries would be shaken and he would die violently; no medicine would be able to revive him. Nobody within the Beggar Clan dared to move. From the clamoring noise of shouting and yelling, the main hall suddenly turned very quiet. All eyes were looking at Zhang Wuji and Shi Huolong; nobody knew what to do. Right this moment, suddenly they heard the soft but clear sound of qin [zither] and xiao [flute, but not the modern traverse orchestral flute]. It sounded like there were several zithers and several flutes were being played together. The cheerful sound of music floated in the air, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, sometimes distinct, sometimes vague, but everybody was able to hear it clearly. Sometimes the music came from the east, another time it came from the west; nobody knew for certain from which part of the roof the sound of music came from. Zhang Wuji was greatly surprised; he could not figure out the meaning of this zither-flute music. In loud and clear voice Chen Youliang said, Which Master has bestowed the Beggar Clan the honor of your arrival? If you are the devils from the Ming Cult, you might as well show yourselves; why would you play tricks on us? Suddenly the zither played three notes successively, zheng, zheng, zheng, and four young women wearing white appeared on the east and west eaves, floating gently into the courtyard below; each woman had a zither in her hands. The zithers were half as long and half as wide as the ordinary seven-string zither of those days, yet they also have seven strings just like ordinary zithers. As the four women landed on the ground, they stood on the four corners of the courtyard. Following them, from outside the door entered four young women in black, each with a black long flute in her hands. The flutes were twice as long as the commonly seen flutes of those days. These four women also took their positions on the four corners. Four women in white and four women in black, stood across from each other. Eight women forming a square, the four zithers played a happy tune, joined by the four flutes; together they made a beautiful instrumental ensemble. The music was very gentle and elegant. Zhang Wuji did not understand music, but it was as if the melody were dancing in the air, bringing a pleasant feeling to his ears. Although he was in a dangerous situation, he was willing to stop for a moment and listen to the music. Amidst the sound of music, a woman entered the courtyard, wearing a soft yellow light robe; her left hand was taking along a twelve, thirteen years old girl. The woman appeared to be around twenty-seven, twenty-eight of age; her movements were graceful and her face was very beautiful, albeit looked a little pale, as if devoid of any blood.
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On the contrary, the little girl was ugly; her nose curved upward, her mouth was wide, revealing two big front teeth, and she was carrying a mean and no-nonsense attitude. One of her hand was holding that beautiful ladys hand, while the other hand was holding a dark green bamboo stick. Ever since the crowd of beggars saw these two women walked in, their eyes had never stopped staring at that dark green bamboo stick. Seeing these many women suddenly appear, Zhang Wuji was aware that he was still riding on Shi Huolongs shoulder and it looked like they were playing some kind of childrens game; but Chen Youliangs sword had not left Zhou Zhiruos back, certainly he could not easily release the Beggar Clans Bangzhu. However, he also noticed that the eyes of everybody there were fixed on the bamboo stick on that little girls hand, as if that bamboo stick was the most important object in the world. They did not even look at the women in white, the women in black, the beautiful lady in light yellow, or even looked at the ugly girl. Zhang Wuji was astonished. He silently examined the bamboo stick with his eyes, and saw the bamboo was very dark green, smooth and shiny; who knows how many hands this stick had passed on rubbed and stroked it. Other than that, he did not see anything unusual about it. The beautiful lady in yellow scanned the hall; her eyes were as cold as lightning, gazing at everybody present. Finally, her eyes rested on Zhang Wujis face. With an icy cold voice she said, Zhang Jiaozhu, you are not a child anymore. Instead of acting properly, you are making a scene in here. She sounded like she was chiding Zhang Wuji, but her tone was friendly; it was as if an older sister was reprimanding her younger brother. Zhang Wuji blushed. The Beggar Clans Chen Zhanglao used a dirty trick, he said in way of defense, He holds my my companion hostage. In return, I captured their Bangzhu. That beautiful lady showed a faint smile and said in gentle voice, Dont you think riding on others Bangzhu is a bit too much? I came from Changan [ancient name of Xian, the capital of China during the Tang Dynasty], and have heard along the way that the Ming Cult Jiaozhu is a young devil-head. Today I see it with my own eyes. Ay, ay! While saying that, she shook her pretty head, with a disapproving look on her face. Suddenly Shi Huolong shouted, Zhang Wuji, you pervert little thief, get down quickly! He reached up to pull Zhang Wujis legs, but since the main artery on the back of his neck, through which the vital energy flowed, was seized, he did not have the least bit of strength left. Because he was cursed as pervert little thief in front of these women, Zhang Wuji was furious and ashamed; he transmitted a whiff of internal energy through his left hand to the back of Shi Huolongs neck. Shi Huolong felt tingling sensation on his entire body, along with unbearable pain. Aiyo! Aiyo! Aiyo! he screamed. The crowd of beggars were angry at seeing Zhang Wujis rudeness, but also ashamed and upset at their Bangzhus display of weakness. They felt that as Shi Huolong moaned and groaned under the enemys hand, he was degrading his position as a hero and a warrior. Even an ordinary Beggar Clan disciple would not bow his head and show such weakness in front of the enemy, much less the leader of the number one clan in Jianghu. Zhang Wuji, Chen Youliang said, Why dont you release our Shi Bangzhu while I pull my sword away? Without waiting for a reply, he immediately put his sword back into its sheath. He knew Zhang Wuji would comply his request, and sure enough, Zhang Wuji replied, Very well. A shadow flashed, and Zhang Wuji was standing by Zhou Zhiruo again. He saw her eyes were deep and her expression weary; he could not help but feeling compassion and pity. Holding her
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hands, he helped her to sit down on a round rock stool in the courtyard. Chen Youliang turned toward that beautiful lady in yellow; he cupped his fists and said, Your presence has honored our Clan. I wonder what instructions do you have for us? May we have the honor of learning your precious surname and your great given name? To the ugly young girl he asked, Young Miss, where did you get this bamboo stick? In a cold voice the beautiful lady in yellow said, Where is Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou [Lightning Hand of the Originating Formation] Cheng Kun? Tell him to come out and see me. Zhang Wuji felt strange as he heard the seven characters Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou Cheng Kun; he saw Chen Youliangs expression suddenly changed, but he recovered quickly, and then with an indifferent voice he said, Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou Cheng Kun? Isnt that Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xuns shifu? Youd better ask Zhang Jiaozhu of Ming Cult. Who are you, Sire? the beautiful lady in yellow asked. My surname is Chen, given name Youliang, Chen Youliang replied, I am a Beggar Clan eightpouch elder. The beautiful lady in yellow cast a sidelong glance toward Shi Huolong, and asked, And who is this fellow? He looks like a warrior with a valiant spirit, why is he so useless? [orig. nong2 bao1 cloth used to wrap a boil wound with pus on it] He was only punished lightly by others, and already screaming and crying. Truly unfit of his image. The crowd of beggars felt their faces were lost; they were inwardly ashamed. Some of them cast their glances toward Shi Huolong with 30% disdain and 20% anger. This is our Clans Shi Bangzhu, Chen Youliang said, The Senior has just recently recovered from a serious illness. His body is still not well. You are the guest; we are yielding 30% to you. Dont blame us for offending you if you speak anymore nonsense. The last two sentences were spoken in stern voice and expression. The beautiful lady in yellow was unfazed; she turned toward one of the women in black and said, Xiao Cui, return the letter to him. Yes! the girl in black replied. Taking a letter from her bosom, she held it on her hand. Zhang Wuji took a glance and saw these characters on the envelope, To Master Han Shan Tong of the Ming Cult. Confidential. And a smaller row of four characters, Shi of the Beggar Clan. As Zhang Bang Longtou saw the letter, immediately his face turned purple. Little [female] slave, he cursed, Turned out the joker who stole the letter from the Old Man along the way is you, the dead slave girl. In his anger he raised his iron staff high, ready to stake his all and pounce on the girl. The girl in black chuckled and said, I am a slave girl indeed [Translators note: the word ya1tou2 literally means slave or servant girl, but can also be translated as little girl]; but I am not dead yet. Such a big man like you, but failed in a simple task of delivering a letter. What a shame. Finished speaking, she waved her delicate hand and the letter flew smoothly toward Zhang Bang Longtou. Immediately Zhang Bang Longtou lifted his hand to catch the letter. That night Zhang Wuji witnessed how Shi Huolong ordered Zhang Bang Longtou to deliver a letter
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for Han Shantong, while holding Han Liner hostage to coerce Han Shantong to surrender to the Beggar Clan. Listening to the above exchange, he presumed it was these girls in white and in black who played joke on Zhang Bang Longtou along the way by stealing the letter, and thus forcing Zhang Bang Longtou to return to Lulong. But Zhang Bang Longtou had a strong martial art; listening to his words, it seemed like until this moment he did not know who had played the joke on him. Therefore, either these eight women possessed an outstanding resourcefulness, or they possessed a very high martial art skill; or it could be that the beautiful lady in yellow was behind all this, deliberately throwing the masters from the Beggar Clan into confusion. Thinking to this point, he felt grateful toward that lady in yellow. The beautiful lady in yellow said, Han Shantong is fighting around the rivers Huai and Si to drive the Tartars away. Along the way, I heard that he is kindhearted and chivalrous; he has never disturbed common people. A hero of his caliber, how can he betray the Ming Cult and surrender to the Beggar Clan for the sake of his son? If this letter ever reach the hand of Han Da Ye [master Han], the joke will be on you. I saw this Longtou Dage [big brother Longtou] is muddle-headed and funny; furthermore, there is an important matter within the Beggar Clan that requires his presence, hence I intercepted the letter. Zhang Wuji cupped his fists and said, Many thanks Dajie [big sister] for your assistance. Zhang Wuji pays his respect. The lady in yellow returned the respect. Dont be overly courteous, she said. And then she addressed the Beggar Clan again, Do you really believe that by capturing Han Liner you can compel Han Shantong to surrender? Zhang Bang Longtou Dage, along the way your trip was hindered several times. Do you think by detouring to smaller pathways you can evade the obstructions? Hey hey, even if you did evade the obstructions and deliver this letter to Han Shantong; your Beggar Clan will not enjoy any advantage at all. Chen Youliangs heart sank; he took the letter and saw that the envelope was still intact. Ripping the envelope open, he took the letter and as he browsed it, his countenance changed greatly. Originally it was a letter compelling Han Shantong to surrender, now it became a letter from the Beggar Clan begging the Ming Cult to accept its surrender. The language was very humble, in which the Beggar Clan was bowing and bending its knees, assuming the lowest position by cursing its own past conducts and deeds, admitting that they were ten thousands of unpardonable evil. Furthermore, it declared that from that day onward, the Beggar Clan decided to rectify its wrongdoings and asking the Ming Cults benevolence by not holding them responsible of their former misdeeds. It also promised to submit under the Ming Cults authority and be willing to be the vanguard in the great undertaking of expelling the Yuan. Thats right, the lady in yellow coldly said, I have seen the letter, but it wasnt me who changed it. As I saw this letter, I realized Zhang Bang Longtou had already been tricked by others. My parents had a close relationship with the previous generation of the Beggar Clan. I do not wish the aweinspiring prestige of the biggest clan in the world, which has been built since the days passed, to be disgraced like this today; hence I decided to interfere. Just think, if Zhang Bang Longtou delivered this letter to the Ming Cult, do you think the Beggar Clan would still have a face to stand in the Jianghu? One by one Chuan Gong Zhanglao, Zhi Fa Zhanglao, Zhang Bo Longtou, Zhang Bang Longtou and the others read the letter, and every single one of them was shocked and angered; in their hearts, they all cried out, Weve been shamed! They realized the truth in what that lady in yellow was saying, if this letter did indeed fall into the Ming Cults hands, the Beggar Clan would be so disgraced that it would be difficult for the Beggar Clan disciples to stand straight in front of other people. Speaking of which, by intercepting the letter, the lady in yellow was actually doing a big
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favor toward the Beggar Clan. The question was: who stole the letter in the first place? Xiao Cui, the maiden in black, laughed and said, You want to know who changed the letter, dont you? No one in the Beggar Clan responded, but their faces revealed their anxious desire to know. Zhang Bang Longtou, Xiao Cui said, Take your outer robe off; youll find the answer. Early on Zhang Bang Longtous face had turned red, with his veins bulging on his neck. As soon as he heard Xiao Cui, he ripped his outer robe with both hands. A series of Snap, snap noise was heard as his buttons were pulled. He tossed the robe backward and barked, Then what? Ah! he heard the crowd of beggars behind him cry together in alarm; obviously they had seen something strange. What? Zhang Bang Longtou asked, while turning his body around, only to see six, seven people pointing their fingers toward his back. Zhang Bang Longtou had never been known for his patience. Again his hands grabbed the lapels of his inner robe and ripped it open, revealing his muscular body. Spreading the inner robe open, he saw a picture of large bat in dark green ink, its wings spread wide; its face bore a ferocious and terrifying expression, with some red dots representing drips of blood on the corner of its mouth. Qing Yi Fu Wang [green-winged bat king] Wei Yixiao! Chuan Gong Zhanglao, Zhi Fa Zhanglao and the others exclaimed in unison. Previously, Wei Yixiao very seldom visited the Central Plains [zhong yuan], only a few people knew his name; but over the past few years, he had made several mysterious appearances in the Jianghu, displaying his full capabilities. As a result, his fame soared and in a short period of time it was in par with the Bai Mei Ying Wang [white-browed eagle king]. Zhang Wuji rejoiced secretly, Other than Wei Xiong [brother Wei] with his superb qing gong [lightness kungfu], which enables him to come and go without leaving any trace, it would be difficult to play a joke on Zhang Bang Longtou and leave him senseless. Zhang Bang Longtou was startled, he raised his inner robe and threw it on Zhang Wujis face, while cursing, Fine! Turns out it was one from your group of evil bastards who played a joke on the Old Man. Zhang Wuji flicked his sleeve up and that inner robe floated slowly upward and landed on a forked branch of a ginkgo tree on that courtyard. As the robe fluttered in the wind, the picture of bloodsucking bat appeared to be alive. Zhang Bang Longtou, Zhang Wuji smiled and said, My humble cults Wei Fu Wang [bat king Wei] has shown you mercy; dont you understand? What if he decided to take your life? As Zhang Bang Longtou thought about it, he could not help but shiver. Chen Youliang realized that the longer he let this matter go on, the more disadvantageous it would be for them; the best plan would be to turn their attention someplace else. Thereupon he asked the lady in yellow, May I ask Miss honored surname? I wonder what relationship do you have with us? The lady in yellow laughed coldly and said, What relationship do I have with you? I only have a relationship with this Dog Beating Stick. She pointed her finger to the dark green bamboo stick in
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the ugly girls hand. The crowd of beggars had early on recognized the stick to be the Dog Beating Stick [da gou bang], the symbol of authority of their own Clans Clan Leader; however, they were not clear on how this stick could fall into someone elses hand. Everybody turned their attention toward Shi Huolong. They saw his face was deathly pale and looked desperate. Bangzhu, Chuan Gong Zhanglao asked, Is the Dog Beating Stick in this girls hand fake? I I Shi Huolong stammered, I think it is a fake. Fine, the lady in yellow said, Take the real Dog Beating Stick out so that we can compare the two sticks. The Dog Beating Stick is the Beggar Clans most precious article, how can we casually show it to anybody? Shi Huolong replied, I dont have it with me, because if I lose it, wont it be terrible? As the crowd of beggars listened to him, they felt he did not make any sense; as the Clan Leader of the Beggar Clan, how could he be afraid to lose the Dog Beating Stick? The little girl lifted high the bamboo stick and with a loud voice said, Everybody, come and see. This Dog Beating Stick is our Clans our Clans heritage, which was passed on from the first generation to the next. How can it be a fake? As the crowd of beggars heard her saying Our Clan, they were astonished; so they came near to examine the stick. They saw the stick was as crystal-clear and smooth as jade, and as hard as iron; without any doubt this was the real Clan Leaders symbol of authority. They looked at each other in confusion. The lady in yellow said, It is widely known that the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms and the Dog Beating Stick technique are two of the Bangzhu of the Beggar Clans most famous divine skills. Xiao Hong, go and ask Shi Bangzhu for some advice in the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms first, and then Xiao Ling, after Xiao Hong Jiejie [elder sister] has won, ask Shi Bangzhu for some advice in the Dog Beating Stick technique. Two flute-player young girls responded and jumped out; they stood side by side in the courtyard. Chen Youliang indignantly said, By not willing to reveal your name, Miss has already despised the Beggar Clan; and now you ordered two little maids to fight our Bangzhu. How can there be such logic in the Jianghu? Shi Bangzhu, let disciple deal with these two maids first, and then we can ask this Miss to show her expertise. In the end we will see what kind of master has showed such contempt toward the Beggar Clan. Damn it! [orig. ta1 nai3 nai5 his granny] Shi Huolong said, Very well, Chen Zhanglao, please take care of this matter for me. Swish! Chen Youliang unsheathed his sword, and slowly walked to the courtyard. Xiao Hong said, Miss told me to ask some advice in the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. Do you know this palm technique? Does the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms technique use a sword? What kind of position do you think Shi Bangzhu holds? Chen Youliang shouted in response, How can he fight a lowly servant like you? The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms is a divine skill, how
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can a lowly servant like you see it that easily? While saying that, he took another step forward. The lady in yellow turned toward Zhang Wuji and said, Zhang Jiaozhu, please do me a favor. Just say it, Zhang Wuji replied. The lady in yellow said, Could you get rid of this fellow surnamed Chen for me? And then, unmask that big fraud who pretends to be Shi Bangzhu. When Zhang Wuji was successful in capturing Shi Huolong with only one move, he had thought that his martial art skill was only mediocre. He also recalled when Han Liner spat some phlegm to him, surprisingly Shi Huolong was not able to evade. Doubt started to rise in Zhang Wujis heart; especially after witnessing that in everything he had always listened to Chen Youliang without any ideas of his own. Based on his martial art skill, knowledge and experience, he was unfit to become the leader of the Beggar Clan. This time he heard the lady in yellow say that he was a big fraud who pretends to be Shi Bangzhu, his suspicion was confirmed and thus he understood 60, 70%. He nodded and immediately went toward Shi Huolong. Shi Huolong launched the chong tian pao [shattering the sky cannon]. Bang! his fist hit Zhang Wujis chest. Zhang Wuji laughed out loud and said, Is the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms this useless? [again, the original word is nong bao, see above] Reaching out, he grabbed Shi Huolongs collar and lifted him up. Chen Youliang realized he was not Zhang Wujis match; he quietly withdrew into the crowd without waiting for Zhang Wuji to make his move. The ugly girl suddenly wailed and pounced toward Shi Huolong, hitting and pulling his clothes like crazy, while crying out, You killed my Father, killed my Father, wicked thief! The acupoints on Shi Huolongs back were grabbed by Zhang Wuji so he was not able to move. He was a burly man and the girls little fists only reached his belly. Zhang Wuji bent his arm to push his head down. The girl grabbed and pulled his hair. Suddenly the entire hair on Shi Huolongs head fell off, revealing his shiny bald head. Turned out he was bald and was using a wig. The girl continued randomly grab, scratch and pull; and she pulled away his nose, but no blood gushing out. Everybody was astonished. They looked closely and saw that the fallen piece of nose was a fake; his high nose was also a fake. The crowd of beggars broke into a commotion; they asked together, Who are you? Why did you pretend to be Shi Bangzhu? Zhang Wuji raised him up and then with a jerk he tossed him to the ground. Shi Huolong was knocked out and was speechless for half a day. Zhang Wuji smiled faintly and withdrew; thinking that this man was masquerading Shi Huolong, and now that the fact was known, the crowd of beggars would certainly deal with him. Zhang Bang Longtou was hot-tempered; he stepped forward and slapped that man left and right, Slap, slap, slap, slap seven, eight times. The fake Shi Huolongs cheeks were red and swollen. It wasnt me, it wasnt me, he cried out loudly, It was Chen Chen Zhanglao who told me to do it.
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Zhi Fa Zhanglaos heart was stirred, he shouted, Where is Chen Youliang? But Chen Youliangs shadow was nowhere to be seen. Apparently as Chen Youliang realized his plot was uncovered, he quickly escaped and was already gone for a long time. Quickly chase him! Zhi Fa Zhanglao barked his order. Several seven-pouch disciples responded and ran out of the gate to pursue. Mother of a thief! [this is a literal translation] Zhang Bang Zhanglao cursed, Who do you think you are, telling the Old Man to kowtow to you and call you Bangzhu? Raising his palm, he was about to slap again. Zhi Fa Zhanglao quickly reached out to grab his hand. Feng Xiongdi [brother Feng], he said, Dont be reckless. If you kill him, we wont find out anything from him. Turning toward the lady in yellow, he cupped his fists and respectfully said, If Miss did not expose this mans deceitful scheme, we would still be kept in the dark. By your illustrious name, Miss was able to see through this deception. My humble Clan, from the biggest to the smallest, all are indebted to you. The lady in yellow only gave a slight smile and said, Xiao Nuzi [lit. little/lowly girl referring to herself] lives in the deep of the mountain, and has never had any contact with outsiders; so knowing my name would be quite useless. As for this little sister, could it be that nobody in your clan recognize her? The crowd of beggars looked at the little girl, but nobody recognized her. Something suddenly stirred in Chuan Gong Zhanglaos heart; he took a step forward and said, She she she looks a bit like Mrs. Shi could it be could it be Thats right, the lady in yellow said, Her surname is Shi, given name Hongshi [lit. red rock; different character from her surname Shi]; she is the only daughter of Shi Huolong, Shi Bangzhu. When Shi Bangzhu was dying, he sent Mrs. Shi and this girl, with the Dog Beating Stick in their hands, to look for me, asking me to avenge his grievance. Chuan Gong Zhanglao was shocked, Miss! he said, Did you say Shi Bangzhu has already returned to Heaven? He how did the Senior die? After Yelu Qi, none of the previous generations Clan Leaders had been successful in mastering the entire Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms; the most any Clan Leader had ever learned was fourteen stances. Shi Huolong had mastered twelve stances. About twenty years ago, even though his internal energy was not strong enough, he forced himself in training of this heritage palm technique of his Clan. As a result, the upper half of his body was paralyzed; he could not move his arms. Thereupon he took his wife and went wandering on remote mountains in search of efficacious treatment of his illness, and left the Beggar Clan affairs to Chuan Gong and Zhi Fa two elders, and Zhang Bang and Zhang Bo two longtou [leaders; lit. dragon head]. However, there was no clear coordination between the two elders and two leaders; everybody was taking care of his own business only. As a result, once again the Dirty Clothes and the Clean Clothes Factions were on bad terms with each other, and such a big clan gradually declined in power. Before the sudden appearance of this fake Clan Leader, the younger Beggar Clan disciples had never seen their Bangzhu, plus Chuan Gong Zhanglao and the others had not seen Shi Huolong for more than twenty years, and so looking at this fake Bangzhus appearance, which held a very close resemblance with the real Bangzhu, who would have thought that this one was only an impersonator? The lady in yellow sighed and said, Shi Bangzhu died under the hands of Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou
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Cheng Kun. Ah! Zhang Wuji exclaimed; thinking that he had personally seen Cheng Kuns body lying on the ground at the Brightness Peak, how could he kill Shi Huolong? Or perhaps it must be before he was killed at the Brightness Peak. Can I ask you a question, Miss? he asked, How long has Shi Bangzhu passed away? Last year, on the sixth of the tenth month, the lady in yellow replied, So its been more than two months now. Thats strange, Zhang Wuji said, I wonder how does Miss know that Shi Bangzhu died under Cheng Kun that old thiefs treacherous hands? The lady in yellow replied, Mrs. Shi told me that Shi Bangzhu fought this old man for twelve stances before than old man vomited blood and ran away. But Shi Bangzhu was also injured by that old mans palm strength. Shi Bangzhu knew his injury was very serious, and he expected that the old man would recover within three days and would return to pick a fight with him again. Immediately he talked to Mrs. Shi, telling her that the enemy was Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou Cheng Kun. By that time Shi Bangzhus paralyzed arms were actually about 90% recovered. With his mastery of the twelve stances of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, his martial art skill could be considered one of the top ranking masters in the Jianghu, yet after exhausting his entire skill and strength, after the twelve stances were launched, he still could not escape the enemys treacherous hands. Listening to this point, the little girl Shi Hongshi broke into a loud cry. Chuan Gong Zhanglaos face also showed grief and indignation; he wiped the tears from Shi Hongshis face with his dirty sleeve while saying, Little Sister, Bangzhus grievance is our Clan tens of thousands disciples grievance. We will certainly capture that Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou Cheng Kun and tear his body into ten thousand pieces to avenge Bangzhus great hatred. I wonder where is your Mama? Shi Hongshi pointed at the lady in yellow. My Mama is recuperating in Yang Jiejies [elder sister Yang] home, she said. And that was when everybody knew the lady in yellows surname was Yang, but as for what kind of person she was, nobody had the least bit of clue. The lady in yellow sighed softly and said, Mrs. Shi also suffered from Cheng Kuns palm. Her condition was not light. After making a long and wearisome journey, she arrived at my humble home totally exhausted. Whether she would recover, its its hard to say. Zhi Fa Zhanglao hatefully said, I wonder what kind of enmity this Cheng Kun has against our Lao Bangzhu [old/previous Clan Leader], that he dealt with him with such a treacherous hand? The lady in yellow said, According to Mrs. Shi, who rephrased Shi Bangzhus last words, Cheng Kun and he did not know each other personally, so there was no ground for enmity or revenge. Therefore, until the moment he died, Shi Bangzhu was unclear of the reason behind it. Mrs. Shi speculated that someone from the Beggar Clan somehow offended Cheng Kun that he exacted his revenge on Shi Bangzhu. Zhi Fa Zhanglao was silent for a moment before saying, To avoid Xie Xun, this Cheng Kun went into hiding from the Jianghu people dozens of years ago. How could a Beggar Clan disciple offend him? It seems like there is a misunderstanding involved here. Zhang Bo Longtou had been listening quietly on the side without saying anything, but suddenly to
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grabbed a curved saber and placed it on Shi Huolongs impersonators neck while shouting, Whats your name? Why did you impersonate Shi Bangzhu? Speak up! And if you lie, even half a word humph, humph! While saying that, his curved-saber hacked diagonally and split a nearby chair into two pieces, and then he immediately returned the saber on the bald-mans neck. The bald man was so scared that he felt his soul was leaving his body. I I he stammered, Xiao Ren [little/lowly person] is called lai tou yuan [Scabies Turtle Head] Liu Ao. I was the chief of a mountain stronghold on the Jixian county of Shanxi province. That day I went down the mountain to do our business without any capital, when we met Chen Youliang, Chen Zhanglao, and Chen Zhanglaos Shifu. With one kick Chen Zhanglao made Xiao Ren flip on the ground. He raised his sword ready to kill. Xiao Ren promptly kowtowed asking for mercy. Chen Zhanglao looked at Xiao Ren carefully. He suddenly said, Shifu, this little thief looks very much like the man we met the day before yesterday. His shifu shook his head and said, Hey, hey, the age is not right, nose is too low, plus he is bald. Chen Zhanglao laughed and said, Disciple has a way to fix that. Thereupon he told Xiao Ren to follow them to Jiexian, and we went into an inn. Chen Zhanglao applied some plaster to make Xiao Rens nose higher, and then he put a wig on Xiao Rens head so that I assumed the appearance of that old gentleman. Even if Xiao Ren had a nerve as high as the sky, I would never have dared to play any trick on you. Only Chen Zhanglao said so, what could Xiao Ren do? Xiao Rens dog life is in his hand, there there is no other way. Xiao Ren still has an eighty-year old Mother at home, please spare my life. While saying that, he bent his knees and kowtowed, knocking his head on the ground repeatedly. Zhi Fa Zhanglao pondered for a while before saying, Chen Youliangs school background is Shaolin Pai; his shifu must be a senior monk in the Shaolin Temple. He does he have any other shifu? His words reminded Zhang Wuji of something. Thats right, he interjected, His shifu is Cheng Kun. Thereupon he told them briefly how Cheng Kun assumed the name Yuan Zhen and mingled among the Shaolin monks by becoming Kong Jian Shensengs [divine monk] disciple. He also told Yuan Zhens sneak attack of the Brightness Peak, and how in the end he was killed by Yin Yewang, but his body was suddenly missing. Zhang Bo Longtou and Zhi Fa Zhanglao said, No doubt about it. Cheng Kun faked his death on the Brightness Peak, and quietly slipped out amidst the confusion. Chuan Gong Zhanglao angrily said, Turns out the mastermind behind this treachery is that traitor Chen Youliang. Those two, master and disciple, have a wild ambition; in their futile attempt to dominate the world, they have killed Shi Bangzhu and sent this impersonator to be their puppet. Not only they wanted to force the Ming Cult into submission, they also want to subdue Shaolin, Wudang and Emei, three major sects. This scheme is not only treacherous we very seldom hear something like this either. Where is Song Qingshu? Where did Song Qingshu go? Up to this time, everybody had been focusing their attention toward the Beggar Clans Bangzhu, the lady in yellow, Shi Hongshi, and the others; nobody knew when Song Qingshu unexpectedly slipped away right on Chen Youliangs heel. His departure confirmed their confidence that Chen Youliangs sinister plot had finally been thwarted. Chuan Gong Zhanglao bowed deeply toward the lady in yellow and said, Miss has truly shown a great kindness towards our humble Clan. The Beggar Clan does not know how to pay you back. The lady in yellow smiled slightly and said, My ancestors had a deep relationship with your honorable Clans previous generation, this tiny deed does not worth mentioning. Please take a good care of this Shi little sister. Bowing in respect, her yellow shadow flashed and she had
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already flown to the roof. Miss, Chuan Gong Zhanglao called out, Please stay for a while. The four girls in black and the four girls in white also jumped to the roof, accompanied by the tinkling sound of the zither and the mellow sound of the flute. In a short moment, the zither-flute ensemble drifted away, until finally their music vanished. As sudden as their arrival, their departure was also swift. Everybody felt as if something was lost from their lives. Holding Shi Hongshis hand, Chuan Gong Zhanglao said to Zhang Wuji, Zhang Jiaozhu, would you please come into the inner hall to talk. The crowd of beggars respectfully stood on the side, opening up a way for Zhang Wuji to walk in. Zhang Wuji went into the hall and was seated as Chuan Gong Zhanglaos honorable guest. Zhou Zhiruo sat next to him. After asking the names of Chuan Gong Zhanglao, Zhi Fa Zhanglao and the others, Zhang Wuji said, Cao Zhanglao, if my Yifu Jin Mao Shi Wang is with your honorable Clan, would you please have him come out to see me; if he is not, would you please tell me his whereabouts? Chuan Gong Zhanglao heaved a deep sigh and said, That traitor Chen Youliang has played a trick on us, making the Beggar Clan ashamed to face the heroes of this world. As Zhang Jiaozhu has mentioned, it was indeed we who invited Xie Daxia [great hero Xie] and this Miss Zhou outside the Great Wall. Xie Daxia was sick and lost his consciousness on the bed. Without any fight we brought them both to this place. Five days ago in the evening, Xie Daxia suddenly struck dead our humble Clan disciples who happened to guard him, and then he escaped. The coffins of Beggar Clan disciples who died violently are still on the rear courtyard. If Zhang Jiaozhu does not believe me, you can go to the rear courtyard and see for yourself. Zhang Wuji could hear the sincerity in his words; besides, he had seen with his own eyes the corpses of the Beggar Clan disciples scattered around that second floor room the other night. Thereupon he said, Cao Zhanglao has stated the fact, how can I dare not to believe? And then he asked, From Lulong going westward, there are signs used by my humble Cult people to communicate with each other, I thought they were left by our Cult brethrens; I wonder if your Clan has anything to do with it? Chuan Gong Zhanglao said, I am not sure if it was that fellow Chen Youliangs doing, but to my shame, Xiongdi [brother] does not have any knowledge of it. Zhang Wuji nodded. He pondered a while and then he understood. At the Brightness Peak that Cheng Kun was able to come and go as he pleased; obviously he knew our Cults signs. Since this man is not dead, the one who left the signs to deceive others must be him. But if my Yifu really fell into Cheng Kuns hands Thinking to this point, sweats broke on his forehead. Calming himself down, he asked Shi Hongshi, Little Sister, where does this Yang Jiejie live? Did you know her previously? Shi Hongshi shook her head, I did not know her. After Father died, Mama took me, taking Fathers bamboo stick along, riding on a cart for many days. And then we did not ride the cart anymore, but climbing the mountain instead. Mama could not walk anymore, she took a rest. And then she crawled on the ground. And then we got to the outside of a forest. Mama called out several times. And then Xiao Jiejie [little elder sister] wearing black came out. After that Yang Jiejie came out. She asked Mama many questions. And then she took the bamboo stick and left for half a day. Afterwards Mama passed out. And then Yang Jiejie took me, she also took eight Xiao Jiejie
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wearing black and wearing white. We rode on a cart and came here. She was too young and did not understand much; when asked about the place, the day and the time, she could not give any answer, there was not the least bit of useful information came out of her mouth. Chuan Gong Zhanglao said, Your precious Cults Master Han Shantongs young master is still with us. Turning around he gave some orders to a Beggar Clan disciple, who then left in a hurry. Not too long afterwards, they heard Han Liners loud voice from the rear hall, cursing and scolding, You are a bunch of stinky no-good beggars, you still want to deceive your father? Our Zhang Jiaozhu holds a highly respected position; how can he come to your stinky beggars lair? Hurry up, send your father to the western sky. Your sneaky evil plan wont work against me. As the elders heard him, they all had ashamed look on their faces. Zhang Wuji respected Han Liners guts and his unyielding character; he stood up and rushed several steps forward. In big strides Han Liner angrily walked in from behind the wall. Zhang Wuji met him and said, Han Dage [big brother Han], I am here. I am sorry that you have suffered these past few days. Han Liner was startled; in his extreme delight he knelt down immediately and said, Zhang Jiaozhu, you [orig. lao3ren2jia1 Senior] are really here. Xiao Ren [little/lowly person reference to self] is relieved. Please issue an order to wipe these stinky beggars out. With a smile on his face Zhang Wuji helped him up and said, Han Dage, the Beggar Clan Elders have also fallen under other peoples sinister plot; there has been some misunderstanding. But everything is clear now, everybody becomes good friends. Looking at my face, I hope Han Xiongdi [brother Han] do not take any offense. Han Liner stood up, while giving Chuan Gong Zhanglao and the others a glowering look. He wanted to shout some abusive words to vent his anger, but since the Cult Leader had already told him so, he had no choice but trying hard to repress his anger. Zhang Jiaozhu, Zhi Fa Zhanglao said, With your bright presence today, you have given our humble Clan the greatest honor. Quickly reset the banquet table! Everyone, first, we welcome Zhang Jiaozhu; second, we apologize to the Emei Pais Zhou Zhangmen [Sect Leader Zhou]; third, we apologize to Han Dage. Before he even finished talking, several disciples had already carried out his order. Zhang Wuji still had his Yifus safety hanging in his mind, plus he had many questions he would like to ask Zhou Zhiruo, therefore, he was not in the mood to eat and drink. Cupping his fists he said, Your good intentions are highly appreciated, but I am anxious to find out about my Yifu. I will have to come back in the future to disturb you. Please excuse me. Chuan Gong Zhanglao and the others kept asking him to stay. Seeing their sincere invitation, Zhang Wuji thought that if he walked away, he would unavoidably offend the Beggar Clan. Therefore, he was obliged to stay and join the feast. During the feast, the leaders of the Beggar Clan seriously reiterated their apology; they further promised to send the Beggar Clan disciples everywhere to inquire Xie Xuns whereabouts, and to let the Ming Cult know as soon as they get any information. Zhang Wuji thanked them and from that day forward, he became friends with the Zhanglaos and Longtous of the Beggar Clan. They drank to their hearts contents.
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The Beggar Clan leaders noticed that Zhang Wuji was a young man highly skilled in martial arts, yet he was not arrogant, but generous and open-minded. Plus, he ardently made an effort to engage the Beggar Clan in the effort of driving the Tartars away. Everybodys hearts were won over with respect and admiration. When Zhang Wuji left, they sent him off ten lis outside the city of Lulong, before bidding him goodbye. End of Chapter 33.
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Chapter 34 The Bride Tore the Red Dress Barehanded

Suddenly a red shadow flashed by, someone had already reached Zhao Mins back. From inside the red sleeve came a bare hand, with its five fingers struck down on top of Zhao Mins head. This move was like a rabbit evading the falcon; it was unbelievably fast, and it was more surprising since it came from the bride, Zhou Zhiruo.
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Zhang Wuji, Zhou Zhiruo and Han Liner three people went south along the main road, riding the steeds given to them by the rich men of the Beggar Clan. Han Liner was very respectful toward his Cult Leader, he did not dare to ride abreast, but followed some distance behind. Along the way he would serve tea and attend to Zhang and Zhous needs, acting as their servant. Zhang Wuji felt uncomfortable and said, Han Dage, although within the Cult you are my subordinate brother, I do respect your character. In business matters you listen to my command, but in day-to-day relationship, we are of the same generation, just like brothers or friends. With a terrified look on his face Han Liner replied, Subordinate holds Jiaozhu in the highest regard, how can I be worthy to be considered of the same generation with you? In normal time I am not fortunate enough to be close to Jiaozhu; today I can provide my insignificant service to Jiaozhu with all my heart and that is subordinates lifelong good fortune. Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said, I am not your Jiaozhu, you dont have to be this respectful to me. Han Liner replied, Miss Zhou is like a deity. Xiao Ren [little/lowly person referring to self] can speak with you, it is already the good karma of my previous life. I am asking Miss forgiveness for my uncouth behavior. Zhou Zhiruo could hear the sincerity in his voice, while his eyes showed utmost respect as if she were really a deity. She knew she was beautiful, enough to shake any mans heart and make them beat faster; but she had never met somebody like Han Liner, who admire her almost to the point of worshipping her. It made her young heart extremely happy. Zhang Wuji asked her how they were captured by the Beggar Clan. Zhou Zhiruo told him that not long after he left the inn that day, suddenly Xie Xun started shivering and became delirious. She was so scared and did all she could to comfort him, but apparently Xie Xun did not recognize her. He jumped madly around the room for a while before he collapsed to the ground and fainted. Right at that moment six, seven masters from the Beggar Clan broke into the room. She did not have enough time to pull her sword, and in the end the two of them were brought to Lulong. When he was little, Zhang Wuji had heard that because of the main artery injury when training the Qi Shang Quan [Seven-injury Fist], combined with the fact that his entire family was decimated by Cheng Kun, his Yifu would occasionally fall into mental confusion. However, Zhang Wuji had never expected that his Yifus illness would breakout suddenly in such an unfortunate time that he was unable to resist the Beggar Clans attack. Thinking of this, he could not restrain himself from sighing. The two of them mulled over Xie Xuns whereabouts, but neither of them had any clue. Zhang Wuji said, The Capital is the meeting place of all kinds of people, it is in our way going south. Let us stop by Dadu [lit. grand capital, modern day Beijing] to find some information. I think the Greenwinged Bat King Wei Xiong [brother Wei] might holds some clues in his hands. Zhou Zhiruo pursed her lips then she laughed and said, Do you really want to go to Dadu to see Wei Yixiao? Zhang Wuji understood very well what she was saying, he could not help blushing while replying, We might not see Wei Xiong, but if we can see Yang Zuoshi [left emissary Yang], Ku Toutuo, Peng Heshang [Buddhist monk] or the others, they might be able to give me some ideas. Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said, I know someone with divine ability in strategy, plotting and scheming. If you go to Dadu to find her, she will help you find a good idea. Yang Zuoshi, Ku Toutuo, Peng Heshang and the others are simply not equal to this Miss in term of intelligence.
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Zhang Wuji did not dare to mention that he met with Zhao Min. This time she mentioned her name, he could not help but feeling bashful. You always remember Miss Zhao, he said, And are always happy to make me feel awkward. Zhou Zhiruo laughed and said, I am not the only one who always remembers her; there is someone else beside me. I wouldn't be able to see what is in your heart unless you have guilty feelings. Zhang Wuji thought that Zhou Zhiruo and he were engaged [orig. bai2tou2zhi1yue1 arrangement/agreement to live together until their heads are white]. This time they were facing a life and death situation together, their feelings could not be divided and he could not conceal anything from her. Thereupon he said, Zhiruo, there is something I want to tell you. Please dont be angry. I will be angry if I deserve to be angry, Zhou Zhiruo said. Zhang Wujis heart sank. He thought that he had made a heavy oath in her presence that he would kill Zhao Min to avenge his cousin Yin Li, but when he saw Zhao Min, not only he did not kill her, he spent the night in the wilderness and traveled side-by-side with her instead. This matter was really difficult to explain. He was not good in fabricating lies, and he was ashamed of his own conduct, his awkward expression easily revealed his feelings. While he was still musing, their rides had reached a small town. Noticing that the day was almost spent, they decided to lodge for the night in a small inn. After dinner, he massaged the acupoints on Zhou Zhiruos back. He was not familiar with the Beggar Clans sealing acupoint technique, but a long time had passed; after massaging her arteries all around, finally the acupoints were unsealed. He said in his heart, Although the Beggar Clan Elders martial art skill was not extremely strong, their acupoint sealing technique is really marvelous. Zhiruo is too proud to ask them to unseal the acupoints during the banquet, and the man who sealed her acupoint pretended to forget. Hey, hey, these beggars wanted to save face at all cost; after suffering a crushing defeat from me, they wanted to show their superiority in acupoint sealing technique. Zhou Zhiruo did not like the musty smell of that inn. Let us go out for a walk, she said, I need to work my blood circulation. All right! Zhang Wuji said. Holding her hand, he took her outside the town. By this time the sun was setting, the western sky was as red as blood. They leisurely wandered for a while before finally sitting down under a big tree. They watched as the sun slowly disappeared behind the mountain and the sky gradually turned dark. Zhang Wuji gathered his courage and told her how he met Zhao Min at the Mi Le Temple, how they found Mo Shenggus corpse inside a cave, how he met Song Yuanqiao and the others, and how he followed the Ming Cults blazing fire signs in circle around the Hebei province; he told her everything. Finally he grabbed Zhou Zhiruos hands and said, Zhiruo, you and I are not married yet, but we can be considered husband and wife already; I am not going to conceal anything from you. Miss Zhao insists to see my Yifu face to face; she says she has some important matters to ask him. At that time, a suspicion started to rise in my heart. Now, the more I think about it, the more afraid I am. As he was saying the last few sentences, his voice started to tremble. What are you afraid of? Zhou Zhiruo asked. Zhang Wuji felt the pair of small hands in his palms was as cold as ice and slightly trembled. I remember Yifus illness, he said, Whenever it breaks out, he would not recognize other people. In
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the past his madness suddenly flared-out, and he almost killed my Mama, thereupon Mama shot his eyes blind. When I was born, Yifu was about to kill my Papa and Mama, luckily he heard my cry and regained his consciousness. I am afraid I am really afraid What are you afraid of? Zhou Zhiruo asked. Zhang Wuji sighed and said, Actually, I cannot bear to say it, but I am really worried that my cousin was was killed by Yifu. Zhou Zhiruo jumped up and with a shaky voice said, Xie Daxia [great hero Xie] is a chivalrous hero who always upholds justice; he has always shown kindness and love toward us, his juniors. How can he kill Miss Yin? It was a wild guess, Zhang Wuji replied, Totally unfounded. Even if my cousin were really killed by Yifu, it was because of his chronic illness breaking out suddenly, just like a nightmare; certainly it was not his [orig. lao3ren2jia1] true intention. Ay, come to think about it, it was all because of Cheng Kun that evil villain. Zhou Zhiruo was deep in thought for half a day before shaking her head and said, Something is not right! Are you telling me that all of us being poisoned by the shi xiang ruan jin san was also because of him? Where did he get the poison from? Someone suddenly losing his sanity and killing people is not a strange occurrence, but how can he cautiously put poison in our food and drink? Zhang Wuji felt as if there was a thick fog hanging over his head, through which he could not see the least bit of bright light. He heard Zhou Zhiruo coldly say, Wuji Gege [brother Wuji], you are doing your best to free Miss Zhao from any suspicion. Zhang Wuji replied, Supposing Miss Zhao was the real killer, it would be better for her to avoid Yifu. Why did she insist on seeing Yifu, saying that she had some important questions shed like to ask him? With a cold laugh Zhou Zhiruo said, This Miss shrewdness is unparalleled. She wanted to clean herself from all charges. Dont you think she could not concoct some ingenious way? All of a sudden her tone turned gentle and soft; she cuddled close to Zhang Wujis body and said, Wuji Gege, you are the most honest and upright person in the world. Speaking about shrewdness and resourcefulness, how can you be Miss Zhaos match? Zhang Wuji sighed, thinking that her words made perfect sense. He stretched out his arm to gently embrace her soft body; in a tender voice he said, Zhiruo, I only feel that there are endless troubles in this world. Even someone close to me like Yifu cannot avoid my suspicion. I only wish we can accomplish our main task of driving out the Tartars, and then you and I will live in seclusion in some remote mountain, sharing a peaceful life and forget about the matters of this mundane world. You are the Jiaozhu of the Ming Cult, Zhou Zhiruo said, Supposing the Heaven blesses us that we can really drive the barbarians away, at that time, all important affairs of this world will fall into your Ming Cults hand, how can they let you live a peaceful life? I am incompetent to be the Jiaozhu, and I dont want to be the Jiaozhu, Zhang Wuji said, If the Ming Cult gains power, there must be a wise, righteous hero who would undertake the Jiaozhu position.
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You are still young, Zhou Zhiruo said, Although your competence is currently lacking, cant you learn? Besides, I am the Sect Leader of Emei Pai; there is a heavy burden on my shoulders. When Shifu bestowed this Sect Leaders iron ring to me, she commanded me to work hard for the glory of our school. Even if you could live in seclusion in some remote mountain, I am afraid I would not have that luxury. Zhang Wuji gently stroked the iron ring on her finger and said, When I saw this ring in Chen Youliangs hand, I was extremely anxious; I was afraid you might have been disgraced by those villains. I was wishing that I had wings so I could fly to you. Zhiruo, I was not able to rescue you sooner that you had to suffer wrongdoings longer. When did they return this iron ring to you? Zhou Zhiruo said, It was Wudang Pais Song Qingshu Shaoxia [young hero] who returned it to me. Hearing her mentioning Song Qingshus name, suddenly Zhang Wuji remembered seeing her sitting side by side with Song Qingshu on the banquet table, eating and drinking together in the hall full of Beggar Clan people. Song Qingshu treated you very well, didnt he? he asked. Zhou Zhiruo could hear the difference in his tone. What do you mean by treat you very well? she asked. Nothing, Zhang Wuji replied, I am just asking. Song Dage [big brother Song] is infatuated with you, so much so that he did not hesitate to betray his school and rebel against his father, killing his martial uncle and scheming against his grandmaster. But to you, he was very good. Zhou Zhiruo looked up toward the crescent moon rising on the eastern horizon and quietly said, I will be satisfied if you can be half as good to me as he did. Zhang Wuji replied, I definitely cannot show you the kind of feeling Song Shige [martial (older) brother] has for you; I cannot commit these unfilial and unrighteous acts for your sake. For my sake, you certainly cannot. For Miss Zhaos sake, you can, Zhou Zhiruo said, On that little island you have made a heavy oath to kill this witch to avenge Miss Yin. However, as soon as you saw her face, you forgot your pledge completely. Zhiruo, Zhang Wuji replied, If after careful investigation I find out that it was indeed Miss Zhao who stole the Tulong Saber and the Yitian Sword, and that my Biaomei [(female) cousin] did indeed perish under her hands, I definitely will not spare her. But if she is innocent, I certainly cannot kill her without any reason, can I? Perhaps I made a mistake when I made that heavy oath on the island that day. Zhou Zhiruo was silent. Did I say anything wrong? Zhang Wuji asked. No! Zhou Zhiruo replied, I only remember on the Wan An Temples pagoda, I also made a very heavy oath in Shifus presence. I hate myself for not telling you about this heavy oath when you proposed to me on that island. Zhang Wuji was alarmed. You what heavy oath did you make? he asked. Zhou Zhiruo said, I was repeating what Shifu said, that if I became your wife in the future, my departed parents in the ground would not rest in peace, that my Shifu would become a malicious
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spirit, haunting me night and day for the rest of my life; and if I give birth to sons and daughters with you, let our sons become slaves and our daughters prostitutes. As he heard this kind of heavy and ominous oath, Zhang Wuji could not help but shiver. He was silent for half a day before saying, Zhiruo, that oath does not count. Definitely it does not count. It was because your Shifu thought that the Ming Cult is an evil-doer devil cult, and that I was crafty and evil, a shameless pervert thief, that she forced you to make that heavy oath. If she [orig. lao3ren2jia1 Senior] knew the truth, she would definitely free you from this oath. With tears streaming down her face, Zhou Zhiruo sobbed, But she Senior would not know this. As she said that, she threw herself into his bosom, while crying uncontrollably. Zhang Wuji gently stroked her soft hair and consoled her, If your Shifu in the netherworld knew it, she would definitely not blame you for violating your oath. Tell me, do you think I am really crafty and evil, a shameless pervert thief? While embracing his waist, Zhou Zhiruo said, Right now you are not. But if you are bewitched by Zhao Min later, maybe maybe you will turn into crafty, evil and shameless. Zhang Wuji lightly nudged her cheek with his finger and said with a laugh, You underrate me too much. Is your husband that kind of person? Zhou Zhiruo looked up, her cheeks were still wet with tears, but her eyes bore a happy expression. You are shameless, she said, You are not my husband yet. If later on you sneakily go out with that little witch Zhao Min, I wont want to be with you anymore. Who will guarantee that in the future you will not be like that Song Qingshu, who for the sake of a woman committed a lot of contemptible, shameless shady acts? Zhang Wuji lowered his head and planted a kiss on her cheek, before laughing and saying, Who told you as an immortal to descend to the earth? We are mere mortals, how can we resist your charm? Ill say it was your father and mothers fault that they bore too beautiful of a woman, who has the power to kill us, men! Suddenly, from behind a large tree about two zhangs away came hey, hey, sound of cold laughter. Zhang Wuji was hugging Zhou Zhiruo in his bosom. He was startled and turned his head only to see a shadow dashing away and gone far in a short moment. Zhou Zhiruo jumped up immediately. Her face paled. Its Zhao Min! she said in a shaky voice, She is following us. As Zhang Wuji heard the cold laugh, he knew it was a female voice, but it was hard for him to say it was Zhao Min for sure. In the dark of the night he could not distinguish whose shadow he had seen. Was it her? he asked doubtfully, What is she doing following us? She likes you! Zhou Zhiruo indignantly said, Are you telling me that you didnt know it? Most likely the two of you have a secret rendezvous to deliberately make a fool out of me. Zhang Wuji repeatedly denied the accusation. Zhou Zhiruo stood unmoving in the cold wind, thinking about her fate and could not restrain her tears from falling down. Zhang Wuji gently wrapped his left arm around her shoulder, while with right sleeve he wiped away the tears from her eyes. Why are you crying while we are having a good time? he said tenderly, If I did have a rendezvous with Miss Zhao in here, let the Heaven punish me and the Earth swallow me. Just think, if in my heart I did like her, and I knew she was near, why was I so crazy about you and said those affectionate words? Wouldnt that mean I deliberately make her angry and put her in an awkward situation?
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Zhou Zhiruo sighed, Thats true, she said, Wuji Gege, my heart is troubled. What is it? Zhang Wuji asked. I cant forget my heavy oath in Shifus presence, Zhou Zhiruo said, I also think this Zhao Min will not let me go. I am too far inferior to her both in martial art and intelligence. Zhang Wuji said, I will do my best with all my strength to protect you all around. How can I allow her to harm even a strand of my beloved wifes hair? Zhou Zhiruo said, If I die in her hand, so be it; I only have my own cruel fate to blame. My only fear is that she manages to confuse you that you believe her sweet talk and fall into her trap and come to kill me. If that happens, I will die with my eyes open. Zhang Wuji said with a laugh, That is truly a groundless fear [orig. the man of Qi fears the sky falling]. Who knows how many people in this world have harmed me, offended me, but I have not killed any of them; why would I kill you? Unbuttoning his clothes, he showed her the sword scar on his chest and said with a smile, You stabbed me with the sword here! The deeper the wound, the deeper my love for you. Zhou Zhiruo stretched out her tender hand to gently stroke the scar on his chest, with disquieting thoughts filling her heart. Suddenly her face paled, and she said, An eye for an eye. In the future, you will stab me dead, I will not regret. Zhang Wuji opened up his arms and pulled her into his embrace, while softly said, Wait till we find Yifu, well ask him, Senior, to preside over our wedding. And then the two of us will never leave each other, well grow old together. If you like, you can stab me a few more times, I will not say a single harsh word to you. Is that good enough for you? Zhou Zhiruo nuzzled her cheeks on his fiery warm chest and said in low voice, I do hope you are a real man who will keep your word, and wont forget what you have said today. The two of them cuddled with each other for a long time. It was almost midnight and the wind grew stronger when they finally returned to the inn and went their separate rooms to sleep. The next morning, three people continued their journey south; they did not see any sign of Zhao Min along the way. They reached Dadu in less than a day. By the time they entered the city gate, it was already evening. They saw the residents, men and women, were busy sprinkling water to the dusty streets and sweeping the streets and alleys clean. There was an incense-burning table in front of every home. Zhang Wuji and the others found an inn and asked the attendant what major event was going on in the city. Honored guests came from afar and did not know that you have come at the right moment, the attendant replied, You will enjoy a fine sight, for tomorrow is the Great Tour of Imperial City day. What is a Great Tour of Imperial City day? Zhang Wuji asked. The attendant replied, Tomorrow is one day of the year when the Emperor will travel through the Imperial City. The Emperor is going to offer sacrifice and burn incense in the Qing Shou Si [Celebrate Life Temple], tens of thousands men and women will dress up in a parade, from start to finish the route is about thirty, forty lis long. Now, that will be a remarkable sight. I suggest the honored guests turn in to bed earlier tonight, and as you wake up really early tomorrow, go to the Jade Virtue Gate of the Palace to watch. If you are lucky, you might be able to see the Emperor,
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the Empress, the Concubines, the Prince and the Princess. Just think, as a lowly common people, how could we have the good fortune of seeing the Emperor with our own eyes if we werent living in Beijing [orig, Jing Shi]? Listening to this, Han Liner anger rose up; Shameless traitor! [Translators note: the literal translation of the original sentence is: regarding the enemy as (ones) father, shameless traitor to Han (people)] he scolded, What good is the Tartar Emperor? The attendants eyes grew really big; pointing at him he said, You you what you said is the word of a rebel. Arent you afraid your head might be chopped off? You are a Han, Han Liner said, The Tartars have harmed us miserably, yet you keep saying the Emperor this and the Emperor that; dont you have the least bit of patriotic spirit? Seeing his ferocious and threatening expression, the attendant turned around and left; Zhou Zhiruo lifted up her finger and quickly sealed the acupoint on his back. If this man went out, she said, He would open his mouth; I am afraid very soon there will be soldiers coming in here to give us trouble. While saying that she kicked the attendant under the bed. Let him starve for a few days, she said with a laugh, Well let him go when we leave the city. Before long, they heard the innkeeper calling out from outside, Ah Fu, Ah Fu! Are you still chatting incessantly again? Quickly fetch some face-washing water for the guest in room three! Han Liner was amused; he slapped the table and called out, Quickly send us some food and wine, your masters are hungry! A moment later, another attendant came in delivering food and wine, while muttering to himself, Ah Fu must have gone to the palace to watch the fireworks. This kid has never done anything proper; he wants to have fun all the time. Early morning on the next day, Zhang Wuji was just getting out of bed when he heard a clamorous noise on the street. He went to the door and saw the street was packed with men and women wearing bright colored and fancy clothes. Everybody was heading north, while laughing and joking; the atmosphere was livelier than the New Year celebration, with incessant sounds of firecrackers coming from all directions. Zhou Zhiruo also came to the door; she said, Let us also go and watch. I have fought the warriors from the Ruyang Palace, Zhang Wuji said, They must not find out I am here. If we want to go, we must go in disguise. Immediately, along with Zhou Zhiruo and Han Liner, they disguised themselves as farmers and villagers, by smearing yellow mud on their faces and hands; and then following the crowd on the street, they went to the Imperial Palace. It was around the end of the fourth hour [between 5 7 am], and the beginning of the fifth hour [between 7 9 am], the ground around the Imperial Palace was like a sea of people; already they could not find a place to set their feet on. Zhang Wuji stretched out his arms to gently shoved people around to clear the way. Finally they stopped under the eave by the Yan Cun [lit. extended spring (season)] gate of a rich family home. The stairs rose several feet upward, which gave them an advantageous spot to watch the show. They had not stood too long when they heard the banging noise of a gong. They are here! They
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are here! the crowd cried out. Everybody craned their necks to watch. The gong was getting nearer. They saw 108 big and tall men wearing dark green clothing. Their heft hands lifting up big gongs, about three feet in diameter, and their right hands struck the gongs with mallets. When these 108 gongs were struck together, the noise was deafening. The gong formation was followed by 360-man drum formation. After that it was people singing, blowing horn and beating the drum; followed by western region people playing pipa [Chinese lute], and then Mongolian bugle horn. Each formation consisted of at least more than a hundred people, at most about four, five hundred people. After these marching ensembles, there were a couple of large red satin banners, flying high in the air. One banner carried these letters: An Bang Hu Guo [peace to the nation, protecting the country], while the other said: Zhen Xie Fu Mo [suppressing demonic influence, subduing the devil]. Other than these large letters, the banners were also full of bright golden Sanskrit characters. Before and after the banners each were two hundreds Mongolian elite troops, the imperial guards, with their long sabers glittering like snow, and their spears like the clouds; these four hundred men all rode on white horses. As the common people watched this display of formidable military prowess, they loudly cheered. Zhang Wuji sighed inwardly, In other places there arent any common people who do not hate the Mongolian soldiers to the bones, but the people of Beijing have become shameless slaves of the government. To think that for decades day in and day out these people have seen Mongolian imperial households impressive power, and thus have forgotten their own perished country. As the two banners passed, suddenly from among the west crowd several white light flashed by; two rows of flying daggers flew straight toward the two flagpoles. Each row of flying daggers consisted of seven daggers. These seven daggers neatly pierced the flagpole. Although the flagpoles were thick, after receiving seven cuts, they swayed and finally broke; with a couple of whishing noises they fell down. People were yelling and screaming miserably, as dozens of them were crushed by the flagpoles; while the rest of the people were also shouting and scrambling away. It was total chaos. This change was so abrupt that even Zhang Wuji and the others were taken by surprise. Han Liner was very happy and was about to cheer when suddenly a soft palm reached out and cover his mouth; Zhou Zhiruo managed to curb his shout in time. The four hundred elite troops moved their weapons and charged into the crowd, randomly searched for the shooter. Zhang Wuji noticed that whoever launched these fourteen flying daggers had a tremendous strength, obviously it was a martial art master of the Wulin world; only among those many onlookers, nobody could tell who the person was. If he could not see who did it, then how could the Mongolian soldiers? They blindly searched among the crowd and not too long afterwards dragged seven, eight men out, who called out miserably, Injustice But the Mongolian soldiers struck their blades and spears and killed those men on the spot. Han Liner was very angry; The flying daggers shooter has gone for long, what can this useless bunch do? They massacred innocent people to vent off their anger instead, he said. Han Dage, hold your voice! Zhou Zhiruo hissed, We are here to watch the Great Tour of Imperial City, not to create Great Trouble in the Imperial City. [Translators note: play of words here, Da You Huang Cheng against Da Nao Huang Cheng] Yes, Han Liner said; he did not dare to open his mouth anymore. The chaos only lasted a few moments; the sound of music quickly followed, other groups marched by one by one: acrobats who swallow knife and spit fire from their mouths, and various western
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region entertainers, which sent the crowd cheering and clapping again, quickly put the bloody incidents on the street out of their minds. Next came group by group of puppeteers, jugglers, performers balancing plates over sticks and all kinds of acrobatic acts. After these groups came large parade floats pulled by beautiful steeds. On each float there were handsome men and beautiful women dressed as characters of the classical stories, such as Journey to the West [orig. Tang Sancang went to western sky to fetch the scripture], Emperor Tang Ming Touring the Moon Palace, Li Cunxiao Beat the Tiger, Liu Guanzhang Fought Lu Bu Three Times, Zhang Shengyue Gathered the Hawks, and so on; legendary battles and wonderful accomplishments, presented with the best of workmanship. Zhang Wuji and the others, all three people, grew in poor rural environment; they had never seen this kind of bustling festive atmosphere. They sighed inwardly, thinking today their horizons were broadened. On each float there was an embroidered silk banner, with inscriptions such as Humble Presentation of so-and-so, the Prefect of Hu Guang [Hubei and Hunan provinces], or Respectfully Presented by so-and-so, the Governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. As the procession passed by, the official who presented the float became progressively higher in rank; the float itself became progressively fancier, the men and women playing the characters were now wearing pearls and bright jewels, the hairpins and necklaces were also made of precious jadeite and precious stones. First, the Mongolian princes, dukes, and chancellors wanted to curry favor from the Emperor; second, they also wanted to flaunt their prosperity; therefore, no expense was spared in the building and the adornment of the float. Amidst the melodious sound of string and woodwind instruments, a float with the Liu Zhiyuans Chronicle of the White Rabbit theme passed by. Suddenly the cheerful melody changed into an awkward melody of old tune; the plain banner on the float read Zhou Gong banished Guan Cai. On the float there was a middle-age man with a tablet in his hands [this is the tablet held by officials during imperial audience], he was playing the role of Zhou Gong. On his side sat a small child wearing an Emperor clothes, he was playing the part of the Emperor. Guan Shu and Cai Shu were standing on the side, whispering to each other and pointing their fingers to Zhou Gong. This float was followed by another float with Wang Mangs Hypocritical Act of Generosity. The man on this float wore a very thick white face-powder, with gold and silver in his hands, pretending to give generously to poor people. Following these two floats was a cart with white banners on all four sides, with these writings on them, When Zhou Gong feared the days of rumor, Wang Mang enjoyed being praised as a polite and modest scholar. If both of them died at that time, their loyalty and talent would be hidden for eternity. Zhang Wujis heart was stirred; he mused, The right and wrong, black and white, in this world is really not easy to know. Zhou Gong was a great sage, but when he banished Guan Shu and Cai Shu, everyone said he was scheming to usurp the throne. Wang Mang was a great traitor, but when at first he bought the peoples hearts, there wasnt anybody in this world who did not sing praises to him. I heard these two stories on the Bing Huo [ice and fire] Island from Yifu. This is the so-called the distant road tries the horses strength, the course of time proves the mans heart. A mans real character cannot be recognized in just a dawn-to-dusk period. Further, he thought, These two floats are different than the rest of them. They obviously carry a profound meaning. The man who prepared them must have a character of scholarly knowledge. And then he silently recited that poem twice in his mind. Suddenly he heard sounds like broken gongs. A float came by, pulled by a pair of thin horses. The float was very plain and simple without any decoration. As the crowd saw the float, they roared in laughter. This ragged float also joins the Tour of the Imperial City, wont it be the laughingstock of the people? they said. As the float got near, Zhang Wuji was able to see clearly and he was
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shocked! He saw a large man on the cart, with his long yellow hair reaching his shoulder. His eyes were closed, and he was sitting on a couch. What character did he play if not Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun? Next to him stood a good-looking young woman wearing green, she had a teacup in her hands, as if she was attentively serving the man. Although her appearance was inferior to Zhou Zhiruos beauty, her clothing and adornments were exactly the same as the ones she was wearing at the Wan An Temple Pagoda. Miss Zhou, Han Liner said in a low voice, That girl looks like you. Hmmph, Zhou Zhiruo snorted, but did not say anything. Zhang Wuji turned his head and saw her complexion went pale, while her chest was heaving; he knew she was enraged. Thereupon he reached out to hold her right hand; while not fully understanding the intention behind this float. The next float was still depicting the Xie Xun Zhou Zhiruo story. The actor playing Zhou Zhiruo giggled while walking around toward the corner, then she stretched out two fingers and suddenly struck Xie Xuns back with all her might. Ah! the fake Xie Xun exclaimed loudly, then collapsed to the couch. Zhou Zhiruo lifted her foot to step on him, and then raised her sword ready to kill. The spectators broke in loud cheer, Good! Good! Kill him! The third float of this Xie Xun Zhou Zhiruo theme depicted six or seven men dressed as beggars capturing the Xie Xun and Zhou Zhiruo. By this time all doubts were gone from Zhang Wujis mind; he knew these three floats were built by Zhao Min. Expecting Zhou Zhiruo and him to come to Dadu, she arranged for these floats to humiliate Zhou Zhiruo. He stooped down to pick several small pebbles from the ground, and lightly flicked them with his middle finger. Swish, swish! the right eyes of the pair of horses pulling the third float were blinded. The pebbles entered the horses brains. With long neigh, those horses fell down to the ground, dead. The float flipped over and the actors rolled down to the ground. The street was thrown into chaos. Zhao Zhiruo bit her lower lip and said quietly, This witch insulted me this way, I I Speaking to this point, her voice turned into sobs. Zhang Wuji felt her hand was ice-cold, her body trembled; hastily he tried to assure her, Zhiruo, this little bitch [orig. muddy egg] can think of hundreds of weird tricks, dont pay her any attention. As long as I know your sincerity, even if others sow dissension, how is it possible for me to believe them? Ah, I remember, Zhou Zhiruo suddenly said, That day Yifu was fine, before he suddenly convulsed and fell down to the floor, and then he started talking deliriously. Could it be could it be that at that time this witch was hiding in that inn and she shot a secret projectile toward Yifus back? Zhang Wuji pondered for a moment before saying, If she made her move then, she might still have enough time to make it to the Mi Le Temple in time. But based on her martial art skill, I dont think she could evade Yifus detection. I am leaning more toward the Xuanming Elders who attacked him. While they were talking, the Mongolian soldiers had already pushed the people back and cleared up the street from the dead horses, so that the procession of floats could continue. Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruos minds were still occupied by the recent events and they did not have any interest in watching the subsequent floats.
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After the last float passed by, they heard intermittent sound of Buddhist monks chanting, followed by the appearance of row after row of foreign monks in red kasaya. After these monks, they heard the tinkling of iron armor, as two thousands Yu Lin Jun [special force, the Emperors personal bodyguards] troops, in full armor, each one with a lance in his hand, made their appearance, followed by three thousand archers. After the archers, incense smoke rose up to the sky, as one by one the idols were carried on sedan chairs by porters wearing embroidered clothes; from the Tu Di [Earth God], Cheng Huang [deity in Chinese mythology], Ling Guan [lit. spirit of government official dont know the exact translation], Wei Tuo [Celestial Guardian], Cai Shen [God of Wealth]. [Translators note: there is one more idol mentioned, but my copy missed one character] A lot of people muttered their prayers, while some went down on their knees to worship. These idols were followed by guards of honor, carrying ceremonial articles like golden gourd, golden hammer and so on. Next, came feathered fans and jeweled parasols in pairs. The crowd called out, The Emperor is here! The Emperor is here! as from a distant came a large sedan chair covered in yellow silk, carried by thirty-two shi wei [This is also personal bodyguards of the Emperor. Perhaps someone out there can explain the difference between Shi Wei and Yu Lin Jun] wearing embroidered clothes. Zhang Wuji focused his attention to see the Mongolian Emperor. He noticed that the Emperors countenance was thin, pallid, and dispirited. In just one glance it was obvious that he indulged in wine. The Crown Prince rode a horse next to the sedan chair. Contrary to his expectations, the Crown Prince actually showed a heroic spirit. He had a gilded long bow, inlaid with jade, on his shoulder; truly fit the image of a Mongolian young hero. Jiaozhu, Han Liner whispered on Zhang Wujis ear, Let subordinate make an assault, with a stab of my blade I can assassinate the Tartar Emperor, and thus rid the common people of one big evil. No, you cant go! Zhang Wuji said, The Tartar Emperor is surrounded by martial art masters as his guards. If we are going to do it, I am the one who must go. That is inappropriate, suddenly the man standing on Zhang Wujis left opened his mouth, Replacing one tyrant with another, I have never seen it work. Zhang Wuji, Han Liner and Zhou Zhiruo were startled; they turned to see this man, and saw he was about fifty years of age, dressed like a medicine peddler, carrying a medicine sack on his back, his right hand held a tiger-head stick. That man turned his thumb up and put his hand in front of his chest, making a Ming Cults blazing fire signal, and said in a low voice, Peng Yingyu pays his respects to Jiaozhu. Jiaozhu is well, I am very happy. Ah, you are Peng Zhang Wuji was very happy. It turned out that man was Peng Yingyu. His disguise was so ingenious that although he had been standing next to them for a long time, Zhang Wuji and the others did not have the slightest idea of his real identity. In a low voice Peng Yingyu said, This is not a good place to talk. The Tartar Emperor must not be killed. Zhang Wuji was aware of his wisdom and knowledge, therefore, he simply nodded and did not ask anymore questions. He only reached out to grab Peng Yingyus left hand and gently shook it a few times. In the meantime, the Emperor and the Crown Prince were followed by three thousand armored Yu Lin Jun. After them, the tens of thousands of crowds went down the street to watch the festivities.
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Let us go see the Empress, let us go see the Princess, they said to each other while heading westward. Let us also go and see, Zhou Zhiruo said. The four of them mingled with the crowd until they arrived outside the Yu De Dian [Jade Virtue Palace]. They saw that seven beautifully decorated raised platforms erected outside the Palace. The platforms were surrounded by the Yu Lin Jun holding rattan sticks to prevent the people from coming too close. Although it was very crowded, Zhang Wuji and the others, four people, managed to squeeze their way through by gently pushing forward and before long they had reached at the front of the platforms. The Emperor sat on the highest platform, with the two Empresses on either side of him. The Empresses were middle-age fat women, bundled inside robes inlaid with pearls, jade and precious jewels. Needless to say, they glittered with brilliant lights. On their heads, they wore ridiculously strange-looking tall crowns. The Crown Prince sat on the platform to the left of the Emperor, while on the right platform sat a young woman about twenty or so, wearing embroidered gown. She must be the Princess. Zhang Wujis eyes scanned the rest of the platforms; he saw that on the second platform on the left sat a young woman wearing sable fur coat, with a pearl necklace on her neck. Her smile was captivating, her eyes dreamy. It was none other than Zhao Min. On this same platform sat a longbearded Prince with a majestic expression. He was Zhao Mins father, the Ruyang Prince, Khakan Timur. Zhao Mins brother, Kuku Timur, was pacing back and forth on the platform, with eyes like an eagle and steps like a tiger. He looked particularly imposing. By this time the foreign monks were performing the Tian Mo Da Zhen [Heaven and Devil Great Formation]. Five hundred monks with Buddhist religious articles in their hands circled around, to the left and to the right, jumping high and stooping low; the changes and variations were marvelously strange. The crowd broke into cheers and applause; everybody sighed in admiration. Zhou Zhiruo kept her gaze on Zhao Min for half a day. Finally, she sighed and said, Lets go home! The four of them squeezed their way out and returned to the inn. Peng Yingyu paid his respects properly toward Zhang Wuji, and then they both recounted what happened since they parted. Zhang Wuji asked whether he heard any news about Xie Xun. Peng Yingyu had just arrived at Dadu from the Huai Si River area; he did not even know that Xie Xun had returned to the Central Plains. He told the accomplishments of Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and the others over the past year. They besieged and captured towns; they performed outstanding military successes and lifted the Ming Cults prestige high. Peng Da Shi [lit. grand/great master, also used to refer a Buddhist Monk, Reverend], Han Liner said, Just now if we attacked the platform, with one knife we could chop that Tatar Emperor; why did you let him go? Peng Yingyu shook his head, This Emperor is a stupid tyrant and he is precisely our biggest helper. How can we kill him? he said. Han Liner was baffled. The Tatar Emperor is a stupid tyrant; he has caused endless misery to the common people. How can he be our biggest helper? he asked. Han Xiongdi [brother Han], you dont understand, Peng Yingyu said, The Tatar Emperor appointed foreign monks for official businesses, and thus muddling the government; he also ordered the people to build a new road by excavating the Yellow River, tiring the people and squandering the resources, making the people angry and causing them to resent him. In recent
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years we managed to route the Tatars completely. Do you think that was because our ragtag troop is really superior of the Mongolian crack troops? It was because this muddle-headed Emperor did not use good officers. The Ruyang Prince is very capable of leading the troops. He managed to take things under control in everywhere the Tatar Emperor sent him to quench rebellion. The Emperor is afraid that if he rendered too many services, he would usurp the throne. Therefore, he continually reduces his authority, and dispatches some braggarts, good-for-nothing generals to lead the troops. As the Mongolian army fought the battle, these bastard generals can only lead them to defeat. Tell me, dont you think this Tatar Emperor is our biggest helper? Zhang Wuji and the others nodded their heads in agreement. Peng Yingyu continued, If we killed this Tatar Emperor, the Crown Prince would rise to the throne. Looking at his appearance, the Crown Prince is not someone easy to deal with. Granted, as the new Emperor, he might lack experience, but he is certainly better than his muddle-headed father. It would be really bad if he appoints veteran generals seasoned in battles to fight us. Zhang Wuji said, Its good that Da Shi promptly warned us, otherwise, we might act rashly today and spoil an important matter. Han Liner repeatedly slapped his own mouth while swearing, I deserve to die! I deserve to die! Later on, dont you dare to talk rubbish and propose stupid ideas! Zhang Wuji, Zhou Zhiruo and Peng Yingyu laughed at his silliness. Peng Yingyu said, Jiaozhu, you hold a very important role, you bear the heavy responsibility of driving the invaders away and recapture our land; you must not brave unnecessarily danger. Subordinate noticed that among the guards who surrounded the Emperor, the number of masters is truly not a few. Although Jiaozhu is divinely brave and skilled, ultimately you will be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. If you fail, what good will it bring? Zhang Wuji cupped his fists and said, I receive Da Shis invaluable advice. Zhou Zhiruo sighed and said, What Peng Da Shi said was absolutely right; how can you recklessly brave danger? Wait until our great undertaking is accomplished, then the one sits on this dragonchair platform will be you, Zhang Jiaozhu. Han Liner clapped his hands; he said, That time, Jiaozhu will be the Emperor, Miss Zhou will be the Empress, Yang Zuo Shi [left emissary Yang] and Peng Da Shi [different shi] will be the Left and Right Prime Ministers. Now, that will be good! Zhou Zhiruos cheeks blushed, she bashfully lowered her head, but the corner of her eyes revealed that she was extremely happy. Zhang Wuji repeatedly shook his hands. Han Xiongdi, he said, You cannot say such thing again. Our Cults goal is to save the common people under the Heaven from the fire and the water. The goal accomplished, we retire. Dont be greedy of riches and honor. That is the character of upright and real men. Peng Yingyu said, Jiaozhu possesses a strong aspiration that not many people will be able to reach. Its just that by that time, you may not necessarily be able to refuse the yellow robe [Translators note: only Emperor could wear yellow robe at that time]. During the Chen Qiao military revolt [960AD, the founding of Song Dynasty], did Zhao Kuangyin [given name of the first Emperor of the Song, the Song Taizu] think of becoming the Emperor? No, no! Zhang Wuji kept saying, If I have the least bit of desire to be the Emperor, let the Heaven
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punish me and the Earth swallow me, let me die a wretched death. Listening to his determination, Zhou Zhiruos expression changed slightly, she turned her gaze outside the window and no longer said anything. Four people talked a bit more, and then after dinner, Zhang Wuji said, Peng Da Shi and I are going out to inquire information about Yifu. He thought that Han Liner was hot-tempered, if he saw any injustice, he would certainly not hesitate to let his fists do the talking and thus inviting some unwanted disaster; thereupon he said, Han Xiongdi, you and Zhiruo better stay in the inn tonight. Have a good rest. Yes, Han Liner said, Jiaozhu, please be careful! Zhang Wuji and Peng Yingyu made an agreement right away that one of them would go to the west, and the other to the east. They would meet again at the inn to discuss their findings. Zhang Wuji went out the inn heading west. Along the way he heard the people were still talking about the Great Tour of the Imperial City that morning. He heard somebody was saying, The Ming Cult is staging a rebellion in the south. Today the Guardian Bodhisattva of the Emperor was brought out in front of the people. Looks like those rebels will be crushed soon. Another man argued, The Ming Cult is under the blessing and protection of Mi Le Pu Sa [Maitreya Bodhisattva]; looks like the Guardian Bodhisattva of the Emperor will have a battle against the Mi Le Pu Sa. Yet another man commented, The excavation of the Yellow River has unearthed a stone figure with one eye. There are two lines of characters on the back of that figure: Do not say that because the stone figure only has one eye, it is incapable of provoking the Yellow River world. This has caused some speculations that some things simply cannot be forced. [Translators note: I am not sure about the last mans comment.] Zhang Wuji paid no attention to all these unfounded comments by simple people; he wandered aimlessly until the path he took started to get quieter. Suddenly he looked up and realized that he had reached the small inn where he had a drink with Zhao Min the other day. He was startled and mused, How did I get here? Could it be that in my heart I still cannot let her go? He saw that the door of the inn was ajar, and noticed that it was very quiet inside, apparently there was no guest drinking inside that night. He hesitated for a moment then he pushed the door open and walked in. He saw the attendant was dozing off on the counter table. On a table toward the corner, there was a lone candle flickering weakly in the dark. Next to the candle sat a guest. This table was precisely the table they used both times Zhao Min and he had a drink. Other than this single patron, there was nobody else in sight. As that guest heard the footsteps approaching, the guest stood up. The candlelight swayed and shone on that persons face. To Zhang Wujis surprise, that person was Zhao Min. Neither of them expected to see the other. Ah! they both exclaimed in shock. You in a low voice Zhao Min said, Why are you here? Her voice trembled, revealing her exceedingly excited heart. Zhang Wuji replied, I was passing through, and came in to take a look. I dont expect while talking, he walked toward her table, and saw that there was another set of cup and chopsticks on the seat opposite hers, thereupon he asked, Are you expecting someone? Zhao Min blushed, No, she said, It was because twice we had a drink here; you were sitting over there, so so I told the attendant to set another set of cup and chopsticks.
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Zhang Wujis heart was touched. He also noticed that the four dishes of food and wine on the table was exactly the same as the food and wine Zhao Min prepared the first time she invited him over. From the bottom of his heart he knew the depth of Zhao Mins feeling; he could not stop himself from reaching out to grab her hands in his. Miss Zhao! he said, his voice shaky. I hate it, Zhao Min gloomily said, I hate it that I was born to a Mongolian Prince family, and become your enemy Suddenly, from outside the window came two hey, hey cold laugh sounds, followed by something flew in. Slap! that thing extinguished the candle on the table, that the room suddenly turned dark. As they heard the sneer, Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min knew it was Zhou Zhiruo. While they were still at a loss, they heard indistinct footsteps on the roof and Zhou Zhiruo was gone like a wind. You are engaged to her, arent you? in a low voice Zhao Min asked. Yes, Zhang Wuji replied, I shouldnt conceal the truth from you. I was hiding behind the tree that day, Zhao Min said, I heard your sweet words to her. I wished I could die immediately, I wish I have never been born in this world. That day I laughed coldly twice, and today she paid me back by laughing coldly twice. But but you have not even said half a word to make me happy yet. Miss Zhao, Zhang Wuji said apologetically, I shouldnt be here. I shouldnt even see you. I have my people to think about, I shouldnt make you upset. You are a golden-branch-and-jade-leaf kind of person, from now on you should forget this village kid, farm boy like me. Zhao Min lifted his hand up and gently ran her finger over the scar on his hand. This is where I bit you, she said in a tender voice, Even if your martial art skill were higher, your medical skill were better, you would still not able to take this scar away. If you cannot get rid of the scar on your own hand, how can you take the scar in my heart away? She wrapped her arms around Zhang Wujis neck, and then planted a deep kiss on his lips. Zhang Wujis mind was chaotic to suddenly feel cherry soft lips on his, and sweet fragrance assaulting his nostrils. Suddenly Zhao Min bit his upper lip as hard as she could, until he was bleeding. And then she pushed his shoulder away from her as she turned around and escaped from the window, while calling out, You are a pervert little thief! I hate you! I hate you ! o0o
As Zhang Wuji and Peng Yingyu left the inn, Han Liner said to Zhou Zhiruo, Miss Zhou, youd better go to bed earlier tonight. Without daring to say anything else, he stood up and left the room. Han Dage [big brother Han, Zhou Zhiruo smiled, Are you afraid of me? You are not willing to be alone with me even for a second. Han Liner blushed profusely. No, no, he hastily said, but his steps were getting faster. He quickly entered his own room, closed the door behind him, and bolted it; while his heart was thumping madly. Trying to calm himself, he reclined on the kang [heatable brick bed common in northern China], while thinking of Zhao Zhiruos tender and beautiful, simple yet elegant, countenance, and her soft but warm voice. He mused, In the future, Miss Zhou will become Madame Jiaozhu. I will diligently follow Jiaozhus orders and will stake everything to set up a few merits. I will make Miss Zhou happy, and then she will say, Han Dage, really, you troubled yourself too much to do this!
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When that happens, then my, Han Liners, life will not be in vain. His daydream made him smile, and he drifted off to sleep. He slept until midnight, and was awakened by some light tapping on his door. Han Liner sat up with a start and asked, Who is it? Its me, he heard Zhou Zhiruos voice outside the door, Please open the door, I need to talk to you. Yes, yes, Han Liner said. He went to the door barefooted, pulled the latch open, then quickly turned around to light the candle. He saw that Zhou Zhiruos eyes were red and puffy, her expression looked greatly different. Han Liner was scared. Miss Zhou, you you he stammered, without able to continue whatever he was going to say. Suddenly he got an idea; he dashed out the room while saying, Ill fetch some water for you to wash your face. A short moment later, he returned with a washbasin in his hands, still barefooted. Zhou Zhiruo gave him a mournful smile. She sat on the table, supporting her chin with her hand, staring blankly at the candle. You please wash your face, Han Liner said. Zhou Zhiruo did not say a single word; she merely shook her head and suddenly tears start flowing down. In his fright, Han Liner was stumped. He relaxed his hands while still standing; wondering why she was so upset, and dying to know what it was she wanted to tell him. The two of them maintained the silence for a long time. Suddenly a light crack was heard as the wax snapped off the candle. Zhou Zhiruo trembled as if she had just awakened from a sleep. Mmm, she mumbled softly then she stood up to leave. Miss Zhou, Han Liner said loudly, Who offended you? I, the man surnamed Han will take my dagger to him. Even if I have to die, I will make a few holes on his body. Please tell me! Zhou Zhiruo only shook her head sadly, and then returned to her room. From the time she entered his room, Zhou Zhiruo only sat quietly for a long time. It appeared that she had wanted to unburden herself from her troubled mind; but all along she did not utter a single word, so that a hot tempered and rash man like Han Liner can only scratch his head in confusion. As she left, he stood absentmindedly, occasionally curling his fist to hit his own head. After thinking for a while without finding anything, he heard bang, bang, bang! three times from a distance, and he thought, Why havent Jiaozhu and Peng Da Shi come back yet? Since there was nothing else he could do, he laid down on the kang again to sleep. While he was dozing off, suddenly he heard a couple of loud noises, as if a chair was knocked down to the floor, coming from the room to his east; it was the room where Zhou Zhiruo slept. In his anxiety, Han Liner leaped up from his bed and ran toward that room. Under the moonlight he saw a dark shadow inside that eastern room, swaying lightly, as if it was hanging in the air. Han Liner was shocked. Miss Zhou, Miss Zhou! he called out, while stretching out his hand to push the door, but it was bolted from inside. Using all his strength he pushed the door with his shoulder and the bolt snapped. Rushing into the room, he struck the flint to light the candle first, and then turned around to see Zhou Zhiruos feet which were hanging in the air, while a rope was wrapped around her neck, and the other end of the rope was tied onto the beam. Han Liner felt as if his soul was about to leave his body. Hastily he jumped up to pull the rope from
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the beam, and then laid Zhou Zhiruo on the bed. He felt for her breathe and luckily she was still breathing. Miss Zhou, Miss Zhou, he called in a very loud voice, You why didnt you look at the bright side? Why did you why Suddenly he heard someone from outside the door calling out, Han Dage, what is it? A man walked in, it was Zhang Wuji. As Zhang Wuji saw what happened, he felt as if a lightning bolt had just struck him. With trembling hands he broke off the rope around Zhou Zhiruos neck, and then he felt her chest and found that her heart was still beating. She is all right, he happily said, I can save her. Reaching down toward her back and lower abdomen, he massaged her acupoints, while transmitting the Jiu Yang divine energy from the palms of his hands. After one round, Wah! Zhou Zhiruo regained her consciousness and started to cry. Good, very good! Han Liner exclaimed in exultation, Miss Zhou is alive! Zhou Zhiruo opened her eyes and as she saw Zhang Wuji, she cried again, Why do you care about me? Let me die in peace. Suddenly she noticed Zhang Wujis upper lip was still bleeding, with some fine tooth marks on it. She could not suppress her fury; she raised her hand and heavily slapped Zhang Wujis face left and right. Han Liner was flabbergasted; how could anybody beat the Cult Leader? But in his eyes, Zhou Zhiruo was like an immortal; so he was confused and did not know what to do. Right that moment, someone gently tapped his shoulder twice. Han Liner turned his head and saw Peng Yingyu. In his delight he said, Peng Da Shi, youre back! Quick, quickly advise Miss Zhou. Peng Yingyu laughed, Advise what? Toward Zhang Wuji he said, Reporting to Jiaozhu: I did not find any information regarding Jin Mao Shi Wang [golden-haired lion king]. Hmm, Zhang Wuji mumbled. He looked awkward. Han Xiongdi, Peng Yingyu said, Lets go and take a walk outside. No, no, we cant, Han Liner replied, They are going to fight. Miss Zhou is certainly not Jiaozhus match. Peng Yingyu laughed out loud, Silly brother! he said, Do you think even if the two of us are ganging up with Miss Zhou, we can beat Jiaozhu? Ill say Jiaozhu is not Miss Zhous match. He winked at Han Liner, and pulled his hand out of the room. Han Liner was still trying to turn his head, his face showed a deep concern. Zhou Zhiruo could not help but try to stifle her laugh, and then threw herself on the bed and wept again. Zhang Wuji sat on the edge of the bed, gently tapped her shoulder and said in a tender voice, Zhiruo, I did not have any appointment to meet her; it was truly an incidental meeting. Zhou Zhiruo randomly kicked her feet, while sobbing, I dont believe you, I dont believe you. Whatever lies you are saying, dont tell me to believe you. Zhang Wuji sighed, When Zhou Gong feared the days of rumor, Wang Mang enjoyed being praised as a polite and modest scholar, he quoted, The matters of this world is so easy to be misunderstood
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Zhou Zhiruo snorted and sat up, That Junzhu Niangniang [princess] uses those verses to insult me, yet you consider it so poetic that you memorize it in your heart. Look at your lip, arent you ashamed? Where is your dignity? Speaking to this point, she could not restrain her own cheeks from blushing. Zhang Wuji thought that whatever he said, the incident today was very difficult to debate. Besides, he had determined to marry Zhou Zhiruo and grow old together. So the only thing he could do was suppress his emotions, and wish that this incident would eventually fade away from her memory as well. Under the candle light, he saw her pretty face was slightly red, with a deep rope mark around her neck, causing the neck swell on both sides. He thought that if Han Liner had been late in realizing what was going on and not rescued her, by the time he returned to the inn, she would have been dead, and no matter what kind of power he had, he would hate himself. Thinking of this, he was both ashamed and felt compassion toward her. He reached out to embrace her and kissed her cherry-red lips. Zhou Zhiruo turned her head to avoid his kiss, and indignantly said, You have committed dirty things with others, and come here to annoy me. Do you think you can take advantage of me? Zhang Wuji tightened his embrace so that she was unable to free herself, and then he deeply kissed her lips again. Because she could not struggle free, in the end Zhou Zhiruos heart softened. Zhang Wuji thought that although they were engaged, they were not married yet. Being together in a room deep into the night, unavoidably some people would find it unacceptable. Besides, it would not be good in the eyes of Peng Yingyu, Han Liner and the others. Thereupon he let her go and said, Zhiruo, take a good rest. Well talk about it tomorrow. If I lied to you and went to see Miss Zhao, although you chop me with a thousand knives and cut me into ten thousand pieces, I will die without any regret. Zhou Zhiruos face blushed, her chest was heaving. Taking a deep breath, she said, What nonsense are you talking about? You know that I will never chop you with a thousand knives and cut you into ten thousand pieces. Zhang Wuji laughed. You can always chop my both legs, what do you think? he said. Zhou Zhiruo lowered her head, beads of tears streaming down like rain. Zhang Wuji felt bad to walk out the room, he returned to her side, wrapped his arms around her shoulder and gently said, What makes you sad? Zhou Zhiruo did not answer, but she kept crying. Zhang Wuji asked her again and again, but to his surprise, the more he asked, the sadder she was. Zhang Wuji cursed himself and swore, saying that he was a heartless and ungrateful man. Zhou Zhiruo covered her face with her hands and said, I blame my own cruel fate; I am not blaming you. Everybody is suffering right now, Zhang Wuji said, The Tatars suppress the people of the Central Plains; everybody lives in suffering and great difficulty. Later on, when we get married and also have driven out the Tatars, then we will live a happy life and not suffer anymore. Zhou Zhiruo raised her head. Wuji Gege, she said, I know you are being sincere to me. Its just that that little witch Zhao Min is trying to seduce you, its not that you are of a double-minded person [orig. three-heart two-intention]. Only only she is too smart, her martial art skill is superior, her beauty, her power, everything in her is ten times better than I am. After all is said and done, I simply cannot beat her. It is better for me to die than to live a broken-hearted life. Who would have thought that that fool Han Liner would revived me. I have tried to die once, I dont have the courage to try again. I I want to be like Shifu, I want to shave my head and become a
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Buddhist Nun. Ay, in the end, our Emei Pais Zhang Men [Sect Leader] is not a family woman. You are always anxious, Zhang Wuji said, Lets do this: tomorrow, we are leaving for the Huai Si River, we will get married over there. We havent found Yifu, Zhou Zhiruo replied, Besides, you havent destroyed the Barbarians, how can you get married? In the end in the end we cant get married yet. While saying that, tears started to flow again. Naturally we must intensify the search for Yifu, Zhang Wuji said, But it will be a lot easier for us to find information if we are among our brethren. As for driving the Tatars away, nobody can tell when would that be. Are you saying that we should wait until we become lao gong gong [old man or grandfather] and lao po po [old woman, also grandmother] before we can bow to the Heaven and the Earth to get married? A pair of an old man and an old woman getting married is not strange, but we certainly cant get any children, then the Zhang family of mine will die without any heir. Zhou Zhiruo blushed and covered up her mouth. An honest and nave person like you, I wonder where did you learn to talk garrulously like that? It was as if the anxiety clouds and the miserable fog in the sky were lifted up and scattered away with their laughter. Early morning the next day, Zhang Wuji requested Peng Yingyu to stay in Dadu for three more days to inquire about any news on Xie Xun; while he took Zhou Zhiruo and Han Liner heading south toward the Huai Si River area. When they entered Shandongs border, they saw a large group of defeated Mongolian army, dragging their armor and losing their helmets, swarm in. Seeing the condition of these defeated soldiers, Zhang Wuji and the others avoided them by taking a detour. Later on, they saw a lone soldier fall behind, they captured and interrogated him, and found out that in Huaibei, Zhu Yuanzhang had repeatedly won several big battles and completely routed the Yuan army. The three of them were unable to restrain their delight; they picked up their speed and reached the Lu Wan [Anhui province] boundary, which had fallen under the Ming Cults rebel army [orig. yi4 jun1 justice/righteous army] territory. Someone in the rebel army recognized Han Liner and quickly reported to the general mansion. As the three of them approach Haozhou, Han Shantong, leading Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Deng Yu, Tang He, all the senior generals, were already out welcoming them within thirty lis [about 15 km] of the city limit. It was their first meeting after a long separation, so everybody was very happy. As Han Shantong learned about Han Liner being captured by the Beggar Clan and how their Cult Leader battled his captors to rescue him, he did not cease from expressing his gratitude. Amidst the clamoring gongs and drums, and dazzling armored entourage, they entered the city of Haozhou. Zhou Zhiruo rode a horse right behind Zhang Wuji. She looked to the left and glanced to the right, and thought that although this parade was not as glamorous as the Emperor and Empress Tour of the Imperial City, she was quite pleased with it. Zhang Wuji rested inside the city for a few days. As Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Yin Tianzheng, Wei Yixiao, Yin Yewang, Priest Tieguan [iron hat], Shuo Bude, Zhou Dian, and all leaders of the FiveElement Flags received the news about his arrival, they all came from all over the country. Zhang Wuji told them that Xie Xun had returned to the Central Plains; and how he was captured by the Beggar Clan but went missing later on. He told them everything related to this incident. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Yin Tianzheng, and the others discussed this matter over and over again, but nobody was able to offer any explanation. Fan Yao said, The origin of that lady in yellow is
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unknown, but perhaps she holds the key to the information on Xie Xiongs [brother Xie] whereabouts. Nobody had ever heard about that in the Wulin world there existed this lady in yellow. They could not offer anything except exhorting Zhang Wuji not to worry. Judging from her speech and conduct, this lady in yellow does not hold any ill intention, they said, If Jin Mao Shi Wang has fallen into her hands surely he wont come into any harm. Perhaps all this woman wants is some information on the Tulong Saber. Zhang Wuji was still feeling an inexplicable concern in his heart, but he could not do anything except dispatch the Five-Element Flags to go everywhere to find information. The next day Peng Yingyu arrived from Dadu; he also said that he could not find any news about Xie Xun. Although the Ming Cults rebel army had achieved great victory everywhere, the casualties in their side were also very serious. Hereafter they would be busy in the next two, three months to reorganize their troops and recruit new soldiers; hence, they were unable to engage the Yuan army in a large-scale battle for the time being. Peng Yingyu knew that Zhou Zhiruo attempted suicide that night. Although he was unclear of the real reason behind it, he speculated that it had something to do with jealousy between the two. Fan Yao and the others were also aware of Zhang Wujis unusual relationship with Zhao Min. If the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult took a Mongolian princess as his wife, the threat facing their great undertaking of resisting the Yuan would not be small. Since currently there wasnt any important matter at hand, they all agreed to urge Zhang Wuji to conclude his marriage with Zhou Zhiruo. Since Zhang Wuji had had a talk with Zhou Zhiruo beforehand, he readily agreed. Yang Xiao immediately decided that the fifteenth day of the third month would be an auspicious day. The entire Ming Cult was jubilant; straightaway they busied themselves making preparation for their Jiaozhus wedding. By this time, the Ming Cults name had shaken the world. To the east, Han Shantong repeatedly scored major victories around the Huai Si River area. To the west, Xu Shouhui also defeated the Yuan army again and again around the northern Hubei and southern Henan. As the big news of the Cult Leaders marriage spread out, the Wulin worlds figures congratulatory gifts came flooding in like a tidal wave of the river. Kunlun, Kongtong, and various other Sects were originally in enmity with the Ming Cult. However, first, Zhang Wuji had rescued them from the Dadus Wan An Temple, and thus each Sect felt indebted to him; second, Zhou Zhiruo was the Sect Leader of Emei, so that each Sect Leader was obligated to send their representative to deliver their gift. Kongtong Five Elders [Kongtong Wu Lao] gift was especially lavish. The gift from Zhang Sanfeng consisted of calligraphy of four characters, Jia Er Jia Fu [lit. excellent son (husband), excellent woman (wife)], and his own writing of the Tai Ji Quan Jing [Taiji Fist Manual], which were delivered by Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, and Yin Liting, three of his chief disciples. By this time, Yin Liting had already married Yang Buhui, who also came to Haozhou. Zhang Wuji welcomed her with a big smile on his face. Liu Shi Shen [sixth martial aunt]! he called out loudly. Yang Buhui blushed profusely. She pulled his hand away to reminisce about the past; with a heart full of joy and gratefulness. Zhang Wuji was afraid Chen Youliang and Song Qingshu had not given up on their wicked scheme and would take this opportunity to strike. Thereupon he sent Wei Yixiao as his envoy to convey his
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gratitude to Wudang Mountain. He quietly told Wei Yixiao in detail how Song Qingshu had killed Mo Shenggu, and how he had conspired to harm Zhang Sanfeng. He asked that after Wei Yixiao paid his respects to Zhang Sanfeng, to collaborate with Yu Daiyan and Zhang Songxi in guarding against Chen Youliangs evil plan; and that he should wait until Song Yuanqiao and the others return to Wudang before he leaves. Wei Yixiao spitefully said, Following Jiaozhus order, Wei Yixiao does not dare to suck others blood; but this time, if I ever come across those two traitors, I must suck their blood dry. Zhang Wuji hastily said, About that Chen Youliang, I dont care if Wei Xiong [brother Wei] get rid of him. But Song Qingshu is my Song Da Shibos only beloved son, he is also Wudang Pais future Sect Leader. Besides, we should let Wudang clean up their own school. We must avoid hurting my Song Da Shibos feelings. Wei Yixiao complied and left immediately. By the tenth of the third month, the heroines of Emei arrived at Haozhou bringing gifts. Ding Minjun sent her gift, but she did not personally come. When the fifteenth of the third month came, everybody from the Ming Cult, from top to bottom, were wearing new clothes. The wedding ceremony was to be held at the mansion belonging to the richest man in Haozhou. The reception hall was adorned with hanging lanterns and colorful embroidered banners of congratulations. Zhang Sanfengs calligraphy, Jia Er Jia Fu was hung in the middle. Yin Tianzheng presided over the grooms family, while Chang Yuchun presided over the brides side. Priest Tieguan was in charge of Haozhous security; he deployed the Cult disciples to patrol around town, to guard against the enemy mingled in and caused trouble. Tang He stationed his army of elite troops to guard the citys perimeter. That morning, the delegations from Shaolin Pai and Huashan Pai also arrived with their gifts. When the ninth hour [between 3 5 pm] came, the wedding ceremony started. Cannons were fired repeatedly. The guests flooded the reception hall. Upon the command of Master of Ceremony, Song Yuanqiao and Yin Yewang walked Zhang Wuji into the hall. The string and woodwind ensemble started to play; the mood was bright. Accompanied by eight of Emei Pais young heroines, Zhou Zhiruo willowy and elegantly stepped into the hall. Zhou Zhiruo was wearing red embroidered dress, with phoenix crown and red-cloud cape on her head, and red veil covered her face. The male on the left and the female on the right, the bride and the groom stood side by side. Bow to the Heaven! the Master of Ceremony shouted. Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruo were about to kneel down on the red-felt rug when suddenly from outside the main gate someone shouted, Hold it! A dark green shadow flashed, and a young woman in dark green clothes stood in the middle of the hall, smiling softly; it was none other than Zhao Min. As the crowd saw that it was her, they exclaimed in surprise. Many masters from Ming Cult and various Sects had suffered under her hands; they did not expect her to be as bold as to enter this dangerous place alone. The hot-tempered among them were ready to pounce forward. Hold it! Yang Xiao spread out his arms and shouted. To the guests he said, Today is our humble Cults Jiaozhu and the Emei Pais Zhang Mens [Sect Leader] day of happiness. Since Miss Zhao
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has come to join us in this celebration, she is also our honored guest. Therefore, I am asking everybody to look at Emei Pai and Ming Cults humble faces and willing set aside the old grudges temporarily; and thus not to treat Miss Zhao impolitely. He cast a meaningful glance toward Shuo Bude and Peng Yingyu. They understood his intention. Circling to the rear of the hall, they went outside to investigate, to observe how many martial art masters Zhao Min took with her. To Zhao Min he said, Miss Zhao, please have a seat over here and watch the ceremony. Later on I will salute you with three cups of insipid wine. Zhao Min smiled slightly and said, I have something I want to say to Zhang Jiaozhu. I will leave as soon as I am finished. I will come back later to accept your hospitality. Whatever it is that Miss Zhao wants to say, it wont be too late to wait after the ceremony is over, Yang Xiao said. After the ceremony, it will be too late, Zhao Min said. Yang Xiao and Fan Yao exchanged a look, knowing that she had come today to deliberately create trouble. Whatever it was, they must prevent it at any cost, so as to avoid disruption of the ceremony, embarrassment, and to displease the guests. Yang Xiao took two steps forward and said, As your host today, we have exhausted our propriety. Miss Zhao is asking us to act harshly. He had decided that if Zhao Min kept making disturbance, he would swiftly seal her acupoints and deal with her later. Ku Da Shi, Zhao Min turned to Fan Yao, Others are going to attack me, are you going to help me or not? Fan Yao knitted his brows and said, Junzhu [princess], in the matters of this world, 80, 90% of them do not happen according to ones wishes. Since we have come to this, you should not force me to do anything. Zhao Min said, I want to force you. Turning toward Zhang Wuji she said, Zhang Wuji, you are the Ming Cult Jiaozhu, as a real man, will you or will you not do what you have promised? Ever since he saw Zhao Min arrive, Zhang Wujis heart had been beating faster; he had hoped Yang Xiao would be able to deal with her nicely and had her leave without any struggle. Now that she directly asked him, he had no choice but answered, Of course I will do what I promised. Zhao Min continued, When I saved your Yu Sanshu [third martial uncle] and Yin Liushus [sixth uncle] lives, you promised to do three things I would ask you to do, did you or did you not? Thats right, Zhang Wuji replied, You wanted me to borrow the Tulong Saber for you to look at, and not only you have looked at it, you have even stolen the precious saber. For the last several decades, the Jianghu people had been concerned about this wu lin zhi zun [the most revered in the Wulin world] Tulong Sabers whereabouts. Now that they suddenly heard that the Saber had fallen into Zhao Mins hands, they were in an uproar. Only Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Daxia knows into whose hands the Tulong Saber has fallen Zhao Min said, You can go and ask him personally.
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Actually, not too many Wulin people aware that Xie Xun had returned to the Central Plains; hearing her mentioning The Golden-Haired Lion King, they were thrown into commotion again. I am most concerned about my Yifus whereabouts these days, Zhang Wuji said, I hope Miss could shed some light on this matter. Zhao Min smiled mysteriously and said, I have asked you to do three things for me, and you have promised to comply as long as the matter does not violate the Wulin world code of brotherhood or the chivalrous way. As of borrowing the Tulong Saber to look at, although I did not really look at it, but I have seen it after all; I cannot blame you if the precious Saber was stolen later. Just consider you have accomplished the first matter. Right now I have the second matter Id like you to do. Zhang Wuji, in front of these heroes and warriors of the world, you cannot back off on your word. What do you want me to do? Zhang Wuji asked. Miss Zhao, Yang Xiao interrupted, Whatever it is you want our humble Cults Jiaozhu to do, since he has made a promise, as long as it does not violate the Wulin worlds way of chivalry, not only Zhang Jiaozhu will do it, our entire Cult, from top to bottom, will do our utmost to accomplish it. However, now is the time Zhang Jiaozhu and his new bride to bow to the Heaven and the Earth, other matter can wait, so please do not say too much and disturb the ceremony. By the last sentence, his tone was rather stern. But Zhao Min looked as if she did not care much about this Ming Cults Left Emissary of the Brightness, whose prestige had shaken the Jianghu. My business is even more important, Zhao Min languidly said, It cannot be delayed even for a second. Suddenly she took several steps toward Zhang Wuji, stood on her toes, and whispered in Zhang Wujis ear, My second request is that you do not marry Miss Zhou today. What? Zhang Wuji was stunned. Zhao Min said, That was my second request. Ill think about the third and let you know later. Although she was speaking in a low voice, it was loud enough so that Zhou Zhiruo, as well as those who stood nearby, such as Song Yuanqiao, Yu Lianzhou, Yin Liting, and the eight Emei female disciples, could heard her clearly. Everybodys face was changed. The eight Emei disciples silently curled their fists inside their long sleeves; as soon as Zhao Min said anything else to disgrace the Emei Pai Sect Leader, they would make her suffer. Zhang Wuji shook his head. I cant do it, he said. So you decide not to honor your own word? Zhao Min asked. Zhang Wuji replied, We have stated explicitly that it cannot violate the xia yi [code of brotherhood/chivalry]. Miss Zhou and I are engaged; if I do what you said, I will violate this xia yi. With a cold laugh Zhao Min said, If you marry her today, then you are unfilial and doing an injustice. Didnt you see how your Yifu fell into others wicked plot during the Tour of the Imperial City at Dadu? Zhang Wuji felt anger rising in his breast. Miss Zhao, he said in a loud voice, Today I respect you as my guest, therefore, I yield to you 30%. If you keep talking rubbish, dont blame me for offending you.
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Zhao Min was unfazed. So you have decided not to comply with my second request? she asked. Zhang Wuji remembered that with the honor she had as a princess, she did not hesitate to show her face in public [this is a literal translation of pao1 tou2 lou4 mian4, but I am sure the readers will understand what Jin Yong was saying], and ask him earnestly in the presence of all these heroes and warriors not to get married. It must be because of her feelings toward him. He could not restrain his heart from softening. Miss Zhao, he said gently, Since we have come to this, I am asking you I am asking you to understand. I, Zhang Wuji, am only an uncouth peasant; I am not worthy not worthy All right, Zhao Min said, Why dont you look; what is this? Extending her right arm, she held out her hand in front of Zhang Wujis face. As Zhang Wuji saw it, he was so shocked that his body shivered. This this is my he said in a shaky voice. Zhao Min quickly withdrew her hand and put that thing back into her pocket. Its up to you whether you want to comply with my second request or not, she said, and then turned straight toward the main gate. Nobody knew what kind of object she showed to Zhang Wuji, which made him looked so frightened and at a loss. Zhou Zhiruos eyes were covered by the red veil, so although she heard the exchange between Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min, she was not able to see what it was. Miss Miss Zhao, Zhang Wuji anxiously called, Please dont go. If you want to follow me, you must not bow to the Heaven and the Earth with your new bride too quickly, Zhao Min said, A real man without a strong determination will suffer a lifelong regret. She was speaking in a loud and clear voice, but her steps were not hindered at all; quickly she had walked pass the main gate. Miss Zhao, please wait! We need to discuss it further, Zhang Wuji called out. Instead of slowing down, she picked up her speed and called back, All right, as long as you do not get married today, Zhao Min halted her steps, Then you can come with me. Zhang Wuji turned his head around and looked at Zhou Zhiruo; his heart full of regret and guilt. He wanted to say something to her, but Zhao Min had already out of his sight. The matter on hand was very urgent, he must take the bull by the horn. Thereupon he gritted his teeth and pursued after Zhao Min. Zhang Wuji had just reached the main gate when a red shadow flashed by his side; someone had already reached Zhao Mins back From the inside of the red sleeve came a bare hand, with its five fingers struck down on top of Zhao Mins head. This move was like a rabbit evading the falcon; it was unbelievably fast, and it was more surprising since it came from the bride, Zhou Zhiruo. Zhang Wuji felt strange, This move is so fierce! Where did Zhiruo learn this exquisite stance from? He saw Zhou Zhiruos palm had already covered the top of Zhao Mins head; with her five fingers threatened to crush Zhao Mins brain. Almost without thinking Zhang Wuji flew forward and reached Zhou Zhiruos main artery. In an abrupt movement, Zhou Zhiruo retracted her arm and bang, her elbow struck his chest. The Jiu Yang Shen Gong inside Zhang Wujis body reacted
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automatically and neutralized this incoming force, but he felt his blood was bubbling up inside his chest, and his feet staggered slightly. Fan Yao saw the dangerous situation and immediately stepped forward to help; stretching out his palm he pushed toward Zhou Zhiruos shoulder. Zhou Zhiruos left hand moved slightly and lightly brushed away. Fan Yao felt his wrist go numb and his push failed. But because of these hindrances, Zhao Min was able to move half a step backward and thus avoid the strike on her head; however, she felt a stabbing pain on her shoulder, as the five fingers of Zhou Zhiruos right hand penetrated her shoulder near her neck. Ah! Zhang Wuji exclaimed, and pushed Zhou Zhiruo away. Although the red veil on her head had not been removed, she could hear the wind to distinguish the movement. She turned her left palm around and hacked down on Zhang Wujis wrist. Zhang Wuji did not want to fight her, but he saw her attacks to be extremely swift and fierce. Each one of those attacks could take Zhao Mins life. He had no choice but to fend her off. Zhou Zhiruos upper body did not move, her stance was steady, but her pair of hands successively launched eight dangerous attacks. Zhang Wuji was forced to use the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi just to ward her off. Eight attacks, eight blocks, all movements happened lightning fast that it was over in just the blink of an eye. Everybody in the main hall held their breaths and stood still with a shock expression on their faces. Zhao Mins shoulder was seriously wounded. She fell down to the floor with blood gushing out from the five holes on her shoulder, and in a short moment dyed her clothes red. Zhou Zhiruo held her hands and said, Zhang Wuji, you have been so enchanted by this little witch that you really want to give me up? Zhiruo, Zhang Wuji pleaded, Please understand my difficulty. We are engaged. Zhang Wuji will not regret that. I only ask for a few days delay Zhou Zhiruo said coldly, Once you leave, dont ever think to come back. I only hope you wont regret your decision. Zhao Min gritted her teeth and stood up. Without saying anything she walked gingerly outside. Blood was still flowing out from her shoulder, drenching her clothes. Although the crowd of heroes and warriors had seen almost everything in the Jianghu, they had never seen two women fighting over a husband, blood splashing all over the hall and the bride with red veil on her head injuring her rival with some mysterious martial art. There was not anyone who was not shocked and alarmed; nobody was able to utter anything. Zhang Wuji stomped his foot and said, Yifus kindness to me is as heavy as the mountain. Zhiruo, Zhiruo, please forgive me. Having said that, he ran after Zhao Min. Yin Tianzheng, Yang Xiao, Yu Lianzhou, Yin Liting, and the others were not clear of what had happened; nobody dared to stop him. Zhou Zhiruo reached up and tore the red veil from her face away; in a loud voice she said, Everybody, you are my witnesses today: It was he who abandoned me, and not I who abandoned him. From this day on, Zhou Zhiruo and that surnamed Zhang have no relation whatsoever. Then she lifted up the phoenix crown from her head, grabbed a pearl from it and tossed the phoenix crown to the ground. As she rubbed the pearl in her palms, the pearl turned into powder, which
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then trickled down to the floor. She said, If I, Zhou Zhiruo, do not wash away todays disgrace, let me be just like this pearl. Yin Tianzheng, Song Yuanqiao, Yang Xiao, and the others wanted to console her, telling her to wait for Zhang Wuji to return, and then discuss it further; but they saw Zhou Zhiruo pulled her dress with her bare hands. Rip! the red long embroidered gown was torn into two pieces, and then she tossed it to the ground. She kicked the ground and flew up, making a graceful somersault in the air, and landed on the roof. Yang Xiao, Yin Tianzheng and the others were taken by surprise; they saw her like a floating red cloud, flying to the east. Her qing gong [lightness skill] was superb, looked like it was not inferior to the Green-winged Bat King Wei Yixiao. Yang Xiao and the others knew it was useless to pursue her. They were at a loss and stood silently outside for half a day before finally returning to the main hall. In a blink of an eye, Zhao Mins disturbance had made a joyous celebration like a cloud dispersed by the wind. All the Ming Cult people felt a slap on their faces, while the guests who came to congratulate them were also disappointed. Everybody tried to guess what kind of object Zhao Min showed to Zhang Wuji, which made him forget everything and pursue her. Listening to his words, obviously, this object had a very important relation to Xie Xun; but the truth was, nobody knew anything for sure. The Emei heroines were talking among themselves in low voices, and then indignantly they took their leave. Yin Tianzheng repeatedly apologized to them, saying that he would make Zhang Wuji come to Emei to seriously apologize and conclude the matrimony, that he sure hoped the good relationship between two families would not be damaged. The Emei heroines declined to make any comment; they dispersed to look for Zhou Zhiruo, while muttering quietly that the man who should be blamed was not worthy to enjoy the good fortune. o0o Actually, the object Zhao Min held in her palm and showed to Zhang Wuji was a lock of yellow hair. As soon as he saw it, Zhang Wuji recognized it as Xie Xuns hair. Xie Xun practiced an unusual type of internal energy cultivation, plus, he had a different innate characteristic, so that by the time he was middle-aged, the long hair on his head had turned light yellow, however, the color was not the same as the western region color-eyed peoples blonde hair. Zhang Wuji thought that since Xie Xuns hair was cut by Zhao Min, then the person must have fallen into her hands as well. If Zhang Wuji had bowed to the Heaven and the Earth with Zhou Zhiruo, in her anger, Zhao Min might kill Xie Xun. He could not take that risk, but he also could not explain the real reason to Zhou Zhiruo in front of all the heroes and warriors. He knew that practically everybody present at the hall, other than people from the Ming Cult and Wudang Pai, would love to know Xie Xuns whereabouts. Some of them wanted to seek revenge of the killing spree Xie Xun committed in his former days, but most of them had the real intention of snatching the precious Tulong Saber away. As Zhang Wuji saw Zhao Min was leaving, he knew he would extremely offend Zhou Zhiruo, yet to him his Yifus life was more important, therefore, he decided to run after Zhao Min. He saw Zhao Min running as fast as her feet could take her, with blood still dripping from her shoulder to the road along the way. Taking a deep breath, he flew several zhangs [1 zhang is approximately 10 feet or 3m] forward to cut her off. Miss Zhao, he said, Please dont compel me to be an unrighteous person that I will be reviled by the heroes and warriors of the world. Zhao Mins shoulder injury was rather serious. At first, driven by her anger, he made an effort to walk away. But now, listening to Zhang Wujis words, she said, You you Her anger subsided and she collapsed to the ground.
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Zhang Wuji stooped down. Tell me where my Yifu first, he said. Take me to rescue him, Zhao Min said, I will I will give you directions. Is he [Senior] alive? Zhang Wuji asked. Zhao Min had the will, but not the strength. Your Yifu Yifu fell into Cheng Kuns hands, she said. As he heard the name Cheng Kun, Zhang Wuji felt as if blood had been drained from his body; this man was not only an expert in martial art, he was also very crafty and cruel. There was a deep enmity, as deep as the ocean, between Xie Xun and him, so if Xie Xun fell into his hands, he would face an unspeakable danger indeed. You cant do it alone, Zhao Min said, Call call Yang Xiao and the others to come with you. As she saying that, she pointed her finger to the west, but suddenly her head limped backward and she passed out. Zhang Wuji imagined all kind of sufferings his Yifu was subjected to right at this moment; he felt as if his five internal organs were burning. Immediately he embraced Zhao Min, hurriedly ripped her clothes and wrapped the wound. Seeing a Ming Cult disciple by the side of the road, he beckoned him to come, and gave his order, Quickly report to Yang Zuo Shi [left emissary], tell him to lead everybody to the west at once, tell him that I have an important matter to attend. The disciple complied and ran to report the order. Zhang Wuji thought the sooner he leaves the better. Who knows? Perhaps this delay for few minutes would cost him the opportunity to save his Yifus life. He carried Zhao Min immediately, and walked quickly toward the city gate, where he ordered the soldier guarding the gate to fetch a steed. Flying up, he mounted the steed and galloped it westward. After speeding up several lis, he felt Zhao Mins body in his bosom gradually turn cold; checking her pulse, he found it to be weak. He was in panic. Stopping down to un-wrap the wound, he saw the five holes were very deep, reaching the shoulder bone, and the skin around the wound had turned blackish purple, an obvious sign of poisoning. Zhang Wuji was startled, Zhiruo is Emei disciple, he mused, How did she learn this kind of poisonous martial art? Her move was very fierce, even fiercer than Miejue Shitais; how is that possible? He knew that if Zhao Min did not receive help immediately, she would die of poisoning. But he was wearing the groom clothes, why would he bring any anti-poison drug? He pondered for a moment then leaped down from the horse. Carrying Zhao Min in his arms, he jumped toward the mountain on his left. He looked around trying to find some herbs to treat poisoning, but after looking for a while he did not find even an ordinary herbal medicine. With his heart thumping madly, he ran around the hills and the valleys, while muttering a silent prayer. Suddenly his eyes caught some bright color; he saw ahead of him, slightly to the right, there was a bush of about four, five little red flower trees. They were the fo zuo xiao hong lian [little red lotus, seat base of Buddha], which had quite some effect of fighting poison. Although by this time it was the second month of spring, when hundreds of flowers were in full bloom, but to be able to find this red flower right then and there was truly a Heavens blessing. In his great delight he carried Zhao Min across two mountain streams toward the bushes. He took some red flowers, chewed them in his mouth, and then he fed half into Zhao Mins mouth, while
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applied the other half on her shoulder. Everything done, he carried Zhao Min again and continued westward. Rushing about thirty lis, Zhao Min stirred and moaned, and then she awoke, I am I still alive? she asked in a low voice. Knowing that the fo zuo xiao hong lian was really effective, Zhang Wuji was very happy. He laughed and replied, How do you feel? My shoulder itches very much, Zhao Min said, Ay, Miss Zhous hand this time was very fierce. Zhang Wuji gently put her down, and looked at her shoulder again. He saw the black was not diminishing, but her pulse was not as weak as before. Zhang Wuji thought for a moment. He knew fo zuo xiao hong lian was very slow and was not enough to neutralize the poison. Thereupon he stooped down to put his mouth on her shoulder, and sucked the poisonous blood from her wounds, which he then spat on the ground. The stench attacked his nose and he wanted to vomit. Zhao Min looked at Zhang Wuji with the corner of her eyes then she reached up and gently stroke his head. Wuji Gege, she sighed, Have you figured out what was happening? Zhang Wuji had finished sucking the blood and was going to a small creek to rinse his mouth. He walked back and sat by her side. What is happening? he asked. Zhao Min said, Miss Zhou is a disciple of a famous upright sect. How did she learn this kind of poisonous, heretical martial art? I myself also thought it strange, Zhang Wuji said, I wonder who taught her that skill? Zhao Min laughed sweetly and said, It must be the little thief from the heretical sect Devil Cult. Zhang Wuji laughed, Although the Devil Cult has many devil-heads, nobody knew this kind of martial art. Only Qing Yi Fu Wangs sucking-blood-from-peoples-neck skill is similar to Zhang Wujis sucking-blood-from-peoples-shoulder skill. And then he asked, How did my Yifu fall into Cheng Kuns hands? Where is he right now? Ill take you there and help you to think of a way to rescue him, Zhao Min said, As for the exact location, that is Bu Dai Heshang [cloth sack monk] Shuo Bude. [Zhao Min was playing with words here, Shuo Bude means cant say, he was one of the Five Wanderers, and his title was Bu Dai Heshang. I guess for those of you who have not read the missing chapters, you will have to wait patiently to know a little bit more about him.] As soon as I tell you, you will dash ahead and drop me without giving me another thought. Zhang Wuji sighed. Surely I am not that heartless and without any sense of righteousness, am I? he asked. For your Yifus sake, you were willing to abandon your pretty-as-a-flower, precious-as-a-jade new bride; much less me? Zhao Min said, while slowly leaning her body against his. Today I disrupted your wedding [orig. dong4 fang2 hua1 zhu2 lit. cave room flowery (or fancy) candle], are you blaming me? Without knowing the reason, right at this moment Zhang Wuji felt happy and content. Other than his concern over Xie Xuns safety, he was even more happy and content than when he was going to bow to the Heaven and the Earth with Zhou Zhiruo. But why he felt like that, he could not
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explain. However, he could not admit that he was happy because Zhao Min had disrupted his wedding ceremony; therefore, he said, Of course I blame you. Next time, when you and that elegant hero who will become the jun ma ye [princess husband] are bowing to the Heaven and the Earth, I will also come and create a great disturbance; I will not let you be the new bride peacefully and easily. A trace of blush arose on Zhao Mins pale face. If you come and disrupt, I am going to kill you, she said with a laugh. Suddenly Zhang Wuji heaved a sigh, he was silent and looked low-spirited. What is it? Zhao Min asked. I wonder, said Zhang Wuji, That Jun Ma Ye must have done many good deeds in his previous life that he deserves such a good fortune. Zhao Min said with a smile, It is not too late for you to do some good deeds right now. Zhang Wujis heart skipped a beat. What? he asked. Zhao Min blushed, and suddenly went silent. At this point, the two of them felt uncomfortable to continue having an intimate talk, so after they rested for a moment, Zhang Wuji re-applied the medicine and carried her westward. Zhao Min was carried on his back, her cheek were close to the left side of his face. Zhang Wujis nose caught the fragrance of her perfume, his hands were supporting the soft flesh her warm body; he could not help his heart from racing like a wild horse and his mind jumping around like an ape. If only he was not anxious to rescue Yifu, he was seriously contemplating of slowing down his pace to enjoy this once-in-a-life-time opportunity of strolling in the wilderness. That evening they spent the night on the uncultivated hills at the western suburb of Haozhou. It was only the next day that they found a small town, where they bought two healthy horses. Zhao Mins poisoned wounds were very difficult to heal that quickly, her body was still too weak to ride the horse alone; she had to lean on Zhang Wuji, riding one horse together. Riding this way, after five days they arrived within the boundary of Henan. They were riding along that day, when suddenly they saw the dust was raising ahead of them, as more than a hundred riders gallop their way. They heard the tinkling of iron armors, and saw that it was the Mongolian cavalry. Zhang Wuji held the rein and stopped by the side of the road to make way. As this Mongolian cavalry group galloped past, dozens of zhangs behind them there was another group of riders. This latter group was not arranged in neat formation, some were riding ahead, some were lagging behind, in a very loose array. Zhang Wuji took a glance and to his surprise saw that the shen jian ba xiong [Eight Divine Archers] were among these riders. Not good! he silently groaned, and quickly turned his head away. These twenty-odd riders saw Zhang Wujis clothes to be expensive and fancy, with a young woman in his bosom, their faces were turned the other way, actually they did not give these two any thought. The Eight Divine Archers also did not recognize them.
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As the riders past, Zhang Wuji was just about to pull the rein to continue forward, when suddenly they heard the sound of hooves beats again. Three riders flew by. The horse in the middle was white, the rider wore an embroidered robe and gold crown. On the either side of him was a chestnut horse. On their saddles Lu Zhangke and He Biweng, the Xuanming Elders, were sitting impressively. Zhang Wuji was about to turn his head around when Lu Zhangke saw these two and called out, Jun Zhu Niang-niang [princess], dont worry, help is on the way! While He Biweng made a long whistle. The Eight Divine Archers and their company heard his whistle and immediately turned around, encircling Zhang Wuji two people in the middle. Zhang Wuji was startled; he looked at Zhao Min in his bosom as if he was saying, So you are secretly preparing an ambush here to attack me? But then he noticed her anxious expression and realized he had wrongly accused her, so his heart was relieved. Gege [big brother], he heard Zhao Min say, I did not expect to see you here. Is Father well? It was only after hearing Zhao Min said gege two characters did Zhang Wuji pay attention to the young man in embroidered robe; he recognized him as Zhao Mins brother, Kuku Timur, who adopted a Han name of Wang Baobao. Zhang Wuji had seen him at Dadu twice, but this time his full attention was on Xuanming Elders, so he did not recognize the third person right away. As Wang Baobao saw his beloved sister again, he was pleasantly surprised; but he did not know Zhang Wuji. Frowning, he said, Meizi [younger sister, term of endearment], you you Gege, Zhao Min said, I fell into the enemys evil plot and suffer a heavy poisoned wound. Luckily this Zhang Gongzi [young master] came to help me; otherwise, I wouldnt be able to see Gege today. Lu Zhangke put his mouth next to Wang Baobaos ear and said in a low voice, Xiao Wangye [young prince], that man is the Devil Cults Cult Leader, Zhang Wuji. Wang Baobao had long heard Zhang Wujis name; he believed Zhao Min was under his control and was forced to say such thing. He waved his right hand, and Xuanming Elders immediately came to within five feet to the left and to the right of Zhang Wuji. Four of the Eight Divine Archers also bent their bows, with the arrows aimed toward Zhang Wujis back. Zhang Jiaozhu, Wang Baobao said, Sire is the leader of a cult, a renowned hero within the Wulin world, yet you are bullying my weak little sister; wont you be a laughingstock of the people? Quickly release her and Ill spare your life today. Gege, Zhao Min said, Why did you say that? Zhang Gongzi definitely showed kindness to me, why did you say he was bullying me? Wang Baobao still believed that his sister was under the enemys power that she did not have any choice but saying like she did. Zhang Jiaozhu, he said loudly, Although your martial art skill is strong, a pair of fists cannot match four hands; quickly put my sister down. Today we, both sides, are not going to fight each other. I, Wang Baobao, is true to my words, you dont have to be overly suspicious. Zhang Wuji thought, Miss Zhaos poisoned wound in serious; if she is busy running around with me for a thousand lis, she wont be easily recovered. Now that we meet her brother, shed better
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go with him. The renowned doctors in the princes palace will certainly do her good. Therefore, he said, Miss Zhao, your honorable brother wants you to go back, let us part here then. Only, please tell me my Yifus location, Ill think of some way to rescue him. We will meet again in the future. While saying that, he could not help but feel heartbroken, knowing full well that they were of different tribes, a Han and a Mongolian, of different status, a royalty and a commoner; the enmity between two sides was very deep. But on the verge of this separation, he had to admit that he felt strong attachment to her. To his surprise, Zhao Min replied, All along I was intentionally unwilling to tell you Xie Daxias whereabouts. I only promised to take you there, but I cant tell you the place. Zhang Wuji was taken aback. Your heavy injury is not healed yet, he said, It wont be beneficial for you to make a long and wearisome trip with me. I think youd better follow your honorable brother to go back home. Zhao Mins face bore a stubborn expression. If you cast me away, you wont know Xie Daxias whereabouts, she resolutely said, My injury is getting better by the day. The longer we go, the faster I will heal. If I return to the palace, I will die of suffocation. Xiao Wangye, Zhang Wuji turned to Wang Baobao, Please persuade your honorable sister. Wang Baobao felt strange, he thought for a moment then said with a cold laugh, Hey hey, your acting is not bad. What kind of trick are you playing? Your palm is on her vital acupoint, of course she will say whatever you want her to say. Such rubbish! Zhang Wuji dismounted the horse immediately. Two of the Eight Divine Archers assumed he was going to attack Wang Baobao. Swish, swish! two arrows flew with a strong gust of wind toward him. Zhang Wujis left hand pulled and pushed, utilizing the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi divine skill, two wolf-tooth arrows turned around with an even stronger gust of wind. Bang, bang! the arrows struck and broke the bows in their masters hands. If those two archers did not move fast enough, they would have suffered serious injuries. Even after they struck the bow, the power of these arrows did not diminish; they continued their flight until they hit the ground, with the arrow tails sticking up, the eagle feather vibrated incessantly. Everybody was stunned. Zhang Wuji stood some distance away from Zhao Min and said, Miss Zhao, please return home to tend your injury, I will find a way to see you again. Zhao Min shook her head. Which palace doctor is better than you are? she asked, You are sending me to my death. Wang Baobao saw that Zhang Wuji had left his sisters side, yet she still insisted on going together with him. He was surprised, but also angry. He said to the Xuanming Elders, I will have to bother two gentlemen to protect my humble sister. Let us go! Yes! the Xuanming Elders replied, and went to Zhao Mins horse. Mr. Lu and Mr. He, Zhao Min said in loud voice, I have an important matter I need to take care with Zhang Jiaozhu. Our power is not enough. The two of you better come with me. The Xuanming Elders cast a glance toward Wang Baobao. Lu Zhangke said, The Devil Cults devil head is so crafty, it is inappropriate for Junzhu [princess] to be associated with him too much. Wed better come home with Xiao Wangye to the palace.
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Zhao Min knitted her pretty brows, So the two of you are listening to my brothers order, but not mine anymore? she asked. Lu Zhangke smiled and said, Xiao Wangye has Junzhus well-being in his mind. Humph, Zhao Min snorted. To Wang Baobao she said, Gege, I have received Fathers permission long ago to roam the Jianghu alone, you dont have to worry about me, I can take care of myself. When you see Father, please send my respects to him. Wang Baobao knew their father had always doted on his beloved daughter, so he did not want to force his will too much; but if he let her go alone with the Devil Cults Cult Leader, he would never be able to set his own mind at ease. He looked at Zhao Min who was crouching on the saddle, she looked so frail and tender; but as she was lifting the rein to go west, he spread out his arms to block her and said, Good sister, Father will be here shortly. Why dont you wait for a little while? It wont be too late for you to go after reporting everything to him. Zhao Min laughed, As soon as Father comes, I cant leave, she said, Gege, I dont meddle in your business, I ask you not to meddle in mine. Again Wang Baobao looked at Zhang Wuji, sizing him up; he noticed that Zhang Wujis body was like jade, his face handsome. It was obvious from his sisters manner of speaking that she had fallen in love with him. But the Ming Cult revolted against the government and caused lots of problem; thus this man was the enemy of the imperial government. If his sister was bewitched by this devil, the disaster they were facing was not small. Thereupon he waved his left hand and shouted his order, Arrest this devil head first! Lu Zhangke brandished his deer staff, He Biweng moved his crane pens; together they created one golden ray and two circular black shadows striking toward Zhang Wuji. Zhao Min knew the Xuanming Elders power very well. Even if Zhang Wuji were stronger, but with one against two, plus he did not have any weapon in his hand, Zhao Min was afraid he might be injured. Xuanming Er Lao! she called out, If you harm Zhang Jiaozhu, I am going to report it to Father, and he will not spare you. Wang Baobao was indignant. Everybody has the right to punish a rebel, he said, Xuanming Er Lao, kill this little devil head, Fu Wang [Father King] and I will reward you handsomely. And then he added, Mr. Lu, Xiao Wang [young prince referring to self] will add four beautiful women for you, I guarantee you will not be disappointed. These brother and sister were giving them conflicting order; one wanted to kill him, the other said he must not be harmed. The Xuanming Elders were in a difficult position. Finally, Lu Zhangke winked at his martial brother and said in a low voice, Seize him alive. Suddenly Zhang Wuji launched the martial art from Sheng Huo Ling; his body slanted slightly, his right arm bent from the elbow, and then turned around from an unthinkable direction and Slap! Lu Zhangkes ear was slapped heavily. Try to seize me alive! he shouted. As he suddenly suffered a great setback, Lu Zhangke was startled and angry at the same time; but he was a top ranking martial art expert, his mind was clear. He twirled his deer-head staff that even wind and rain would not penetrate it. Zhang Wuji wanted to continue with another sneak attack, but he was unable to do so because of this tight defense. Zhao Min pulled her reins to make her horse jump forward, but Wang Baobao swept his whip.
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Crack! it hit Zhao Mins horse right above its left eye. The horse made a long neigh in pain, and its front legs gave up. Zhao Min was still weak from her injury, she was almost thrown away from her saddle. Gege, she angrily said, Must you stop me? Good sister, Wang Baobao said, Follow me home. Gege will apologize to you later. Gege, Zhao Min said, If you stop me, someone is going to die a terrible death then Zhang Jiaozhu is going to hate me to the bone. It will be hard for your meizi your meizi to live. What are you talking about? Wang Baobao said, The martial art experts in the Ruyang Palace are as numerous as the clouds, they can protect you all around. Lets not talk about this little devil head trying to harm you; he cannot even see you even if he wants to. Zhao Min sighed. Its exactly because I am afraid I cannot see him again, she said, If that happens, I I dont want to live anymore. These two, brother and sister, were very close ever since their childhood; they always told each other everything. Therefore, she did not hesitate to tell him her true feelings for Zhang Wuji. Wang Baobao was angry. Meizi, he said, You are confused. You are a Mongolian princess, you are like a tree with golden branch and jade leaves, how can you fall in love with a crude man, a lowly dog? If Father finds out, how can he, Senior, not be angry with you? He waved his left hand, and three of his warriors went forward to attack. By this time Zhang Wuji and the Xuanming Elders were competing internal energy. A few zhangs around them, the strong gust of wind was as sharp as the knife, how could these three warriors launch their attacks? Zhang Gongzi, Zhao Min called out, If you want to save Yifu, you must save me first. Seeing he could not change his sisters mind, Wang Baobao was very anxious. He reached out and grabbed her. Putting her in front of him on the saddle, his legs squeezed and the horse jumped forward and ran. Zhao Mins martial art skill was actually higher than her brother, but her strength was gone because of the heavy injury; all she could do was crying out, Zhang Gongzi, save me! Zhang Gongzi, save me! Whoosh! Whoosh! Zhang Wuji sent out two palm attacks with all his power, forcing the Xuanming Elders to withdraw three steps backward. Utilizing his qing gong [lightness skill], he ran after Wang Baobaos horse. The Xuanming Elders and the three warriors were shocked; they also ran after him. Each time these five people were closing in, Zhang Wuji would launch a backward palm strike, sending out the formidable power of his Jiu Yang Shen Gong [divine energy from Jiu Yang]. Each time his palm struck, the Xuanming Elders were forced to evade, since they did not dare to take his palm head on. After three times of such strike, Zhang Wuji was able to take the speeding horse over. He leaped up and grabbed the back of Wang Baobaos neck. His grab was coupled with an acupoint sealing technique that Wang Baobaos upper body was immediately paralyzed and his embrace on Zhao Min loosened. Zhang Wuji lifted him up and threw him toward Lu Zhangke.
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Lu Zhangke hastily opened up his arms to catch him. Meanwhile, Zhang Wuji had caught Zhao Min, leaped down from the horseback, and dashed toward the hillside on their left. He Biweng and the rest of the warriors ran after them shouting and yelling. But the hill was several hundred zhangs tall, climbing it would really test their qing gong. Although the Xuanming Elders possessed strong internal energy, their qing gong was actually not top-ranking. Even four or five warriors were able to run ahead of He Biweng. Zhang Wuji picked up some rocks and threw them down. Immediately some of the pursuers were hit and fell rolling down the hill. The rest of the pursuers were scared. Although they did not dare to stop because their young prince was watching, their steps were slowing down nonetheless. They saw Zhang Wuji carry Zhao Min higher up the hill and they did not dare to pursue farther. Wang Baobao opened his mouth to curse, and then he called out, Release the arrow, release the arrow! While he also picked up his bow and shoot. Swish! the arrow flew toward Zhang Wujis back. His shooting power was actually quite strong, but the distance was simply too far. The tip of the arrow was still a few zhangs away from Zhang Wujis back when finally it fell down to the ground. Zhao Min was holding tight on Zhang Wujis neck. Knowing that the pursuers had stopped pursuing, finally she put her heart at rest. She said with a sigh, Luckily I have known it all along and did not tell you Xie Daxias whereabouts. Otherwise you, the heartless little devil head, will not be willing to save me with all your might. Zhang Wuji was running around a depression on the mountain, his steps were not slowing down the least bit. You tell me, he said, Wont you be satisfying both sides if you are going home to tend to your injury? Why did you even bother to offend your brother and come with me facing the hardship? I have decided to face hardship with you, Zhao Min said, As for that brother of mine, I will offend him sooner or later anyway. My only fear is that you wont let me be with you. I dont care much of everything else. Although Zhang Wuji knew that she loved him, he had always thought that it was a young girls infatuation, which would pass in a moment. He had never thought that she loved him this much that she would consider riches and honor as dung and dirt, abandon royalty and honor like wornout shoes. He looked down on her face, and saw the deep emotion on her thin and pale visage; her eyes were looking back at him with a passion similar to the flowing waves. He could not even describe the boundless charm she had on him. Unable to restrain himself, he lowered his head and kissed her slightly trembling cherry lips. As soon as she was kissed, Zhao Mins face turned completely red. The excitement was too much for her and she unexpectedly passed out. Zhang Wuji possessed enough medical knowledge to know that she was all right; actually, the appreciation in his heart was growing. But suddenly he remembered, Even Zhiruo has never treated me this good! Zhao Min only lost her conscience for a moment; as she woke up, she saw his pensive look and asked, What are you thinking? Are you thinking about Miss Zhou? Zhang Wuji did not try to lie; he simply nodded. I am thinking that I have treated her badly, he
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said. Do you regret your decision? Zhao Min asked. When I was about to bow to the Heaven and the Earth with her, I thought about you; and I could not help but feel sad, Zhang Wuji said, This time I am thinking about her, I actually feel sorry for her. Zhao Min smiled and said, That means you love me a lot more, dont you? Zhang Wuji replied, Honestly speaking: you, I love and I hate; Zhiruo, I respect and I fear. Ha ha! Zhao Min laughed, I would rather have you love and fear me, and respect and hate her. Zhang Wuji smiled. Well, its different now. I hate you and I fear you. I hate you because you broke up my happy marriage, and I fear that you wont pay me back for the damage. How do I pay to you? Zhao Min asked. Zhang Wuji laughed and said, I want you to pay it with your own self, so that I can continue the wedding festivities [orig. dong4 fang2 hua1 zhu2 see similar occurrence above]. No! No! Zhao Min blushed profusely, Youll have to speak with my father [orig. die1 die1] first and I need to make amends to my Gege. Only then only then And if your Papa wouldnt let you? Zhang Wuji asked. Zhao Min sighed. Then marry the devil follow the devil. I have no choice but follow you, the little devil head, to become the little devil mother. With a straight face Zhang Wuji roared, Audacious witch! You follow Zhang Wuji, the pervert thief who rebels and creates trouble. What punishment do you think you deserve? With the same straight face Zhao Min unflinchingly said, As your punishment, the two of you are to be a happy couple, to live together to old age, and after you die, you are to be banished to the eighteenth level of the underworld, and will not be reincarnated for ten thousand years. Speaking to this point, they both broke out in laughter. Suddenly from ahead of them came a loud and clear voice, Junzhu Niang-niang, Xiao Seng [lit. little/lowly or humble monk referring to self] have been waiting here for a while. About twenty something foreign monks appeared from behind the mountain. All of them were wearing red robes. Zhang Wuji recognized these monks clothing and adornment; that night, on the ground below the Wan An Temple Pagoda, these monks had tried to stop him. Their martial art skill was very strong; luckily Wei Yixiao had set the Ruyang Palace on fire thus forcing them to retreat. Otherwise, it would not be easy for him to rescue the warriors from the Six Major Sects. One of the foreign monks clasped his palms and bowed, while saying, Xiao Seng receives the Princes order to accompany Junzhu return to the Palace. What are you doing here? Zhao Min asked. Junzhu is injured, the foreign monk replied, The Prince is very concerned, he ordered Xiao Seng
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to take Junzhu home. While speaking, he lifted up a white pigeon in his hand. Zhao Min understood that her brother had sent a message to their father via a homing pigeon, and so their father must have dispatched these foreign monks to intercept them. Where is my Father? she asked. The foreign monk replied, The Prince is waiting at the foot of the mountain. He is anxious to see the condition of Junzhus injury. Zhang Wuji knew too much talking would not do them any good; he strode forward straight toward them, while shouting loudly, If you want to live, quickly move aside. Otherwise, dont blame me for being merciless. Two foreign monks stepped forward side by side, they both stretched out their right palms pushing against Zhang Wujis chest. Zhang Wujis left hand made a turn in a pulling and pushing action, he sent the two monks palms strength back. The two foreign monks cried out together, Ami amihong, ami amihong! It sounded like they were chanting an incantation, or it could be that they were cursing. Zhao Min was not willing to be overdone; she also shouted, Ami amihong yourself! Tap, tap, tap! the foreign monks took three steps back. Two other foreign monks behind them stretched out their right palms to stop the first two monks backs, and pushed them forward again. These two foreign monks kept using the same stance from the pai shan zhang [row of mountains palm]. Zhang Wuji was not willing to fight them strength with strength and thus waste his energy; so he launched the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi to divert the monks force away. To his surprise, as his fingers were barely touching the edge of those two monks palms, he felt just like iron pulled by magnet, his fingers stuck firmly onto the monks palms. The two monks cried out again, Ami amihong, ami amihong! Twice Zhang Wuji tried to shake them off, but both times he failed. He had no choice but strike back with the Jiu Yang Shen Gong through his fingers. Surprisingly, he failed to push the two monks away. And then he saw that behind these two monks, the other twenty two monks arranged themselves in two rows, with each ones right palm on the back of the monk in front of him. Twenty four foreign monks lined up neatly in two rows. Zhang Wuji suddenly remembered, I have heard Tai Shifu [great master referring to Zhang Sanfeng] said that in the martial art world of India there is a technique to combine power. These twenty four foreign monks are combining their strength to fight my palms. Even if my internal strength were stronger, I still cannot defeat the combined power of these twenty four men. He was afraid the pursuing soldiers would soon arrive, so letting out a long whistle, he added 30% more power to his palms and then abruptly pushed diagonally down, while he dodged to the left. He knew that these twenty four foreign monks could not possibly combine their strength in one straight line. The six foremost monks had already faltered from the direct impact of the push. Zhang Wuji immediately sent both his palms out, Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap, slap! six times, the six foreign monks tumbled down on the ground with blood spurting out from their mouths. But the seventh and the eighth foreign monks continued their attacks forward.
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You want to follow your comrades? Zhang Wuji thought. His right palm struck out to block these two monks palms. Focusing his strength, he was about to push diagonally again when suddenly he heard light footsteps from behind; somebody was sending him a palm attack. He swung his left palm backhandedly to parry this incoming palm attack, but his Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi was relying on his Jiu Yang Shen Gong, while right at that moment he was using his entire strength to deal with the combined power of the eighteen foreign monks in front of him; therefore, his strike backward only carried not more than 20% of his normal strength. He felt a blast of cold energy penetrating his palm and went straight into his body. His whole body shivered, he staggered, his body bent down and he fell. It was Lu Zhangke who launched a sneak attack on him with the Xuanming Shen Zhang [black/mysteriously dark divine palm]. Mr. Lu, stop! Zhao Min cried out in fear, throwing her own body on top of Zhang Wujis. Who dares to make a move? she shouted. Actually, Lu Zhangke wanted to follow up with another palm strike, and thus take the life of the number one formidable enemy he had ever faced in his entire life. But seeing how the princess was protecting him, he had no choice but to hold his hand up and step back. He let out a long and loud whistle to signal his companions that everything went well so that it was safe for them to come over. Junzhu Niang-niang, he said, The Prince only wishes Junzhu Niang-niang to come home; no more than that. This man is the leader of the rebels; why does Junzhu care about him this much? Zhao Min was bitterly angry with him, and was thinking of scolding him badly, but she changed her mind as she did not want to incite his anger that he would harm Zhang Wujis life. Therefore, keeping her peace, she sat down, embracing Zhang Wuji in her arms. A short moment later, they heard jingling bells, as three riders came up the mountain. One of them was He Biweng, the other as Wang Baobao, and the last one was the Ruyang Prince himself. As they came near, they jumped down from their horses. The Ruyang Prince frowned and said, Minmin, whats wrong with you? Why didnt you obey your brother but deliberately create trouble in here instead? With tears flooding down her cheeks, Zhao Min cried out, Father, you sent people to bully your daughter like this. The Ruyang Prince took several steps forward, putting out a hand to pull her up. Zhao Min flipped her right hand over, a white ray flashed as she took a dagger from her bosom and pointed it toward her own abdomen. Father, she called out, If you dont let me go, your daughter will die in your presence today. The Ruyang Prince was frightened that he retreated two steps backward. In a trembling voice he said, We can talk, dont be like this! You what do you want? With her left hand Zhao Min pulled the clothes covering her right shoulder. She took off the bandage to reveal five finger holes. The poison had been taken away, but the wounds had not healed yet. Her flesh was vaguely exposed underneath traces of blood, making the wound looked even more ghastly. Seeing her terrible wounds, Ruyang Princes heart melted; she was, after all, the beloved daughter he dearly loved. What happened? How did the wound become this bad? he repeatedly asked. Zhao Min pointed toward Lu Zhangke and said, This man was having an ill intention; he was going
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to rape your daughter. Of course I resisted him to the death. He he then grabbed me like this. Please, Father Father must help me. Lu Zhangke was so frightened that he felt as if his soul was fleeing out of his body. Even to the death Xiao Ren will not dare. How can how can there be such thing? Humph! the Ruyang Prince stared at him angrily. Such a nerve! he said, I was being lenient to you by not investigating the Han Ji affair, now you have the guts to offend my daughter. Seize him! By this time, one by one his personal bodyguards and warriors had caught up with them. Even though they knew the severity of Lu Zhangkes martial arts, upon hearing their prince shouting his order to seize the man, four of them stepped in to surround him. Lu Zhangke was shocked and angered; thinking that the princess was taking advantage of their father-daughter relationship. Just because she was angry he had injured her boyfriend, she had unexpectedly framed him. Like the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. The princess was exceptionally crafty. How could he retaliate to her? In the meantime, he swept away with his palm, forcing the four warriors to retreat. He sighed and said, Shidi [martial (younger) brother], lets go! He Biweng hesitated. Zhao Min called out, Mr. He, you are a good man, not a lecher like your Shixiong [martial brother]. Quickly arrest your Shixiong, my Father will bestow a high-ranking official position to you, and will reward you handsomely. The Xuanming Elders martial art skills might be outstanding, but they were greedy of rank, fame and fortune. Ignoring the dignity of their master, they threw themselves into the Palace for worldly gain. He Biweng knew very well his martial brothers excessive lascivious nature. Listening to what Zhao Min had said, he was 70, 80% convinced. The offer of promotion had made his heart racing. Only, Lu Zhangke and he were not only martial brothers, they were also best friends; how could he make his move against him? So for a moment he was unable to make a decision. Lu Zhangkes face showed his grief; with a trembling voice he said, Shidi, if you want promotion, come and arrest me. He Biweng sighed. Shige, he said, Lets go! Walking side-by-side, Lu Zhangke and He biweng left. The Xuanming Elders prestige had shaken the capital [orig. Jing Shi modern day Beijing]; the warriors of the Ruyang Palace respected them as immortals. Who would dare to step out and stop them? The Ruyang Prince shouted his order over and over again, but the warriors only put on an act of shouting and moving around; they just looked on as the Xuanming Elders went down the mountain. Minmin, the Ruyang Prince said, You are injured. Quickly come home with me to recuperate. Zhao Min pointed toward Zhang Wuji and said, This Zhang Gongzi saw me being bullied by Lu Zhangke. Seeing the injustice, he went out of his way to save me. But Gege did not know the real story, he accused him of being some leader of the rebels. Father, I have an important business I need to take care with Zhang Gongzi. As soon as we are done, I am going to take him to see you. From her words, the Ruyang Prince deduced that his daughter wanted to marry this man, but his son had told him that this man was the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult. Right that moment, his leaving
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the capital heading south was to consolidate the troops, to deal with the Ming Cult rebels on the Huai Si and Henan-Hubei region. How could he let his daughter go with this man? He asked, Your Gege said that this man is the Devil Cults Jiaozhu. Is that true? Gege loves to joke, Zhao Min said, Father, take a look at him and tell me how old do you think he is? How can he be the brain behind the rebellion? The Ruyang Prince sized Zhang Wuji up; he saw a young man, not more than 21 or 22 years old, his face pale from the injury, hence it was devoid of the heroic and valiant air he used to have, he looked even less like someone who was in charge of hundreds of thousands strong rebel army. But the Prince also knew that his daughter was very shrewd. In addition, the Ming Cult had caused the nation some major disasters. Perhaps this man was not the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult, but he must be one of the important characters within the Ming Cult. Certainly he could not let him go. Take him inside the city, he finally decided, Well examine him carefully. If he is not one of the Devil Cult people, I will grant him rewards. He said that to save his daughters face, so that in front of all these people she would not look like a spoiled brat. Four warriors immediately responded; they walked toward Zhao Min. Father, Zhao Min cried, Do you really want your daughter to die? She pressed the dagger in her hand about half an inch [orig. cun thumb, approximately equal to an inch] into her stomach; immediately blood seeped out and dyed her clothes red. The Ruyang Prince was shocked. Minmin, he said, Please dont make a scene here. Zhao Min cried even louder. Father, your daughter is unfilial. I have secretly become man and wife with Zhang Gongzi. Please just consider you have never had any daughter. Let your daughter go. Otherwise, Id rather die in your presence. The Ruyang Prince kept pulling his beard with his left hand; cold sweats started to form on his forehead. He had held command over generals and soldiers, he had battled and crushed enemies; he was used to make decision in split second. But today, confronted by his own beloved daughters embarrassing affair, his hands were bound and he was unable to do anything. Meizi, Wang Baobao said, Both you and Zhang Gongzi are injured. Let us all come home with Father. We will invite renowned doctors to treat you. Afterwards, we will have Father to preside over your wedding. Father will have an ideal son-in-law, and I will have a hero as my brother-inlaw. Wont that be good? His words were pleasant to be heard, but Zhao Min had been aware early on that he was trying to buy time. If Zhang Wuji fell into their hands, how could he keep his life? He would be executed in less than an hour. Thereupon Zhao Min said, Father, things have come to this, your daughter marries a chicken, she will follow the chicken; she marries a dog, she will follow the dog. In life or in death, I will follow Zhang Gongzi. Whatever trick you and Gege are playing, you cant hide it from me. I will not fall on it. Right now there are only two choices: if you are willing to spare your daughters life, let me go. If you want your daughters death, you wont have to waste any effort. Minmin, the Ruyang Prince was angry, You may want to think it over. Once you follow this rebel thief, you cant be my daughter anymore. Zhao Min felt as if her intestines were tied in hundreds knots. She did not want to part with her father and her big brother, remembering that they loved her dearly and had always pampered her. She felt as if her heart was sliced by a knife; but she knew that if she hesitated even so slightly,
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Zhang Wujis life will be gone immediately. Right now, the most important thing was saving her lovers life; she would seek her father and her brothers forgiveness later. Father, Gege, she said, All this is Minmins fault. You please forgive me. Seeing he would not be able to change her daughters mind, the Ruyang Prince regretted that he had spoiled her too much. He let her roam the Jianghu unrestrained to such an extent as to cause this kind of trouble. He knew she was strong-willed ever since her childhood, if he forced her, she would certainly commit suicide by stabbing herself. All he could do was heave a long sigh, with tears pouring down from his eyes. Minmin, his voice was hoarse, Take a good care of yourself. Father is leaving you you have to be careful in everything. Zhao Min only nodded, she did not dare to look at her father anymore. The Ruyang Prince turned around and slowly walked down the mountain. His personal attendant followed him behind, leading his horse, but he seemed oblivious; he did not even remember to mount the horse. After walking for a dozen of zhangs, he suddenly turned his head around and said, Minmin, is your injury all right? Do you have enough money? Swallowing her tears, Zhao Min nodded. To his personal attendant the Ruyang Prince said, Give my two horses to Junzhu. The personal attendant warrior complied and led the horses to Zhao Min, and then he followed the Ruyang Prince and walked down the mountain. The six foreign monks were still lying on the ground; they were incapable of standing up. The rest of the foreign monks, with two monks helping one, carried them follow behind. A short while later everybody had left, leaving only Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min two people. End of Chapter 34.
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Chapter 35 Casualties of the Lion-slaying Assembly

The fat Taoist slashed his sword toward Zhang Wuji's throat. His move was very swift and fierce. Ah! Zhang Wuji cried out in fear, and jumped out of bed, as if he was delivering his neck toward the blade of the sword.
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Lu Zhangkes sneak attack came when Zhang Wuji was resisting the combined power of eighteen foreign monks. The internal energy protecting his body, which formed a barrier on his back, was removed. As a result, the Xuanming cold poison entered his body without resistance and hence his injury was really heavy. He sat cross-legged and circulated the Jiu Yang energy three times around his system. After vomiting two mouthfuls of blood, he felt the constriction in the pit of his stomach loosened somewhat. As he opened his eyes, he saw Zhao Min was looking at him with anxious expression on her face. Miss Zhao, Zhang Wuji said in tender voice, You are suffering greatly. Are you still calling me Miss Zhao after all this? Zhao Min asked, I am no longer a royalty, I am not a Junzhu anymore. You are you still regarding me as a little witch in your heart? Zhang Wuji slowly stood up. Let me ask you one question, please answer me truthfully he said, Did you or did you not cut the sword wounds on my cousin Yin Lis face? I did not! Zhao Min answered. Then whose malicious hand did it? Zhang Wuji asked. I cannot tell you, Zhao Min said, If you can find Xie Daxia, he can tell you all the details. My Yifu knows all the details? Zhang Wuji wondered. Your internal injury has not been healed yet, asking too much question is harmful to your peace of mind, Zhao Min said, Let me tell you one thing: if after your careful investigation you can prove that it was I who harmed Miss Yin, you dont need to make any move. I will kill myself in your presence to make amends. Listening to her speaking with confidence, Zhang Wuji had no choice but to believe her. He was silent for half a day before saying, Looks like there was a martial art master hiding in the Persian Ming Cult ship. Using some kind of demonic method, he sneaked out in the middle of the night and drugged us all, harmed my cousin, and stole the Yitian Sword and the Tulong Saber. After rescuing Yifu, we need to go to Persia and inquire with Xiao Zhao. Zhao Min pursed her lips and laughed. You just want to see Xiao Zhao, she said, Hence you fabricate some story to give you the reason to do so. Listen to me: dont indulge in fantasy, the sooner your injury is healed, the sooner we can go to the Shaolin Temple to pay them a visit. Shaolin Temple? Zhang Wuji was surprised, What do we do there? Saving Xie Daxia, of course, Zhao Min replied. Is my Yifu in the Shaolin Temple? Zhang Wuji was even more surprised, How can he be in Shaolin Temple? Its a complicated story, and I dont claim to know all the details, Zhao Min said, But I am quite certain Xie Daxia is in the Shaolin Temple. Did I tell you one of my warriors became a monk in the Shaolin Temple? He sacrificed his life to bring me news. Why did he sacrifice his life? Zhang Wuji asked. Zhao Min said, In order to bring me proof, my informant tried to cut a bunch of Xie Daxias yellow
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hair. But the Shaolin Temple guarded Xie Daxia very strictly. After cutting Xie Daxias hair, my informant went out the temple, but in the end he was spotted and had to receive two palm strikes. He struggled to deliver the hair into my hand, and died not too long afterwards. Hey! How fierce! Zhang Wuji exclaimed. It was not clear however, whether his how fierce exclamation was praising Zhao Mins operation, or was referring to the danger of the situation. Because his mind was upset, his internal condition was affected that he vomited another mouthful of blood. Zhao Min anxiously said, If I knew the severity of your injury, I would have not continually vexed you like this. I am not going to talk to you anymore. Zhang Wuji sat down with his back on a large mountain rock. He tried hard to focus his attention and calm his mind, but there was simply too much in his mind that he was unable to do so. Shaolin Shen Seng [divine monk] Kong Jian was killed by my Yifus qi shang quan [seven-injury fist], he said, The Shaolin monks and disciples, from top to bottom, have been waiting for more than twenty years to seek vengeance. Furthermore, that Cheng Kun has become a monk in the Shaolin Temple. Since my Yifu has fallen into their hands, how can he keep his life? Dont worry, Zhao Min said, There is something that will keep Xie Daxia alive. What thing? Zhang Wuji hastily asked. The precious Tulong saber, Zhao Min replied. Zhang Wujis mind was stirred, and he understood. The Tulong Saber was known as the most revered in the Wulin world. The Shaolin Pai had been leading the martial art world for the last several hundred years, of course they would want to get their hands on this valuable saber. For the sake of this saber, they would not easily harm Xie Xuns life, but disgrace and humiliation would be difficult to avoid. Zhao Min continued, I am thinking that the matter of rescuing Xie Daxia should be handled quietly by just the two of us. The Ming Cult is full of heroes, but if we carried out a large scale attack against Shaolin, the damage to both sides will be heavy. Supposing the Shaolin Pai is not able to defend against the Ming Cults attack, they might not want to keep Xie Daxia, maybe they would resort to deceit and begin to harm him. Listening to her thorough consideration, Zhang Wuji was very appreciative. Min Mei [younger sister], you are right. It was the first time Zhang Wuji had ever called her Min Mei. Zhao Min felt unspeakable sweetness in her heart; but immediately her parents kindness and her brothers love came into her mind, which, from this time on, were no longer hers. She could not stop the sweetness turn to bitter. Zhang Wuji understood her feelings, but he felt inadequate to offer any consolation. He merely mused, She had entrusted herself fully to me, how can I ever repay her affectionate kindness? Zhiruo is engaged to me, how can I let her down? Ay! Right now, the most important thing is trying to save Yifu; this kind of man-woman love relationship has to be set aside. He exerted his strength to stand up. Let us go! he said. Zhao Min saw that his complexion was ash-grey, she knew his injury was really not light. Slightly knitting her beautiful brows, she thought aloud, My Father loves me very much; he wont give us any trouble. I am only afraid Gege will not let us go. As soon as he can have an excuse to leave
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Father, he would definitely send people to take us back within these next four hours [orig, two shichens 1 shichen is 2 hours]. Zhang Wuji nodded. He had noticed how firm Wang Baobao handled his affairs; he was truly not an easy person to deal with, he certainly would not give up easily. Presently, both he and Zhao Min were injured; it looked like their journey west to Shaolin would be very slow and full of obstacles. Other than that, they did not have any plan. We must leave this dangerous place immediately, Zhao Min said, We can stop again when we get to the foot of the mountain. Zhang Wuji nodded and he walked toward the horses with faltering steps. But when he was going to mount the horse, he felt a severe pain in the pit of his stomach, and did not have enough strength to climb up. Zhao Min bit her lips and exerted her strength on her right arm to give him a boost. But as she was doing that, the knife stab wound on her abdomen opened up and quite a lot blood seeped out. She also struggled to climb up the horse and sat behind Zhang Wuji. At first it was Zhang Wuji who supported her, now she had to wrap up her arms around his to support him up. Both of them had to stop for half a day to catch their breaths before they finally let the horse went forward. The other horse followed behind them. Two people sharing a ride went down the mountain. They traveled along the main road, turning slightly to the east to avoid meeting Wang Baobao. After walking for a while, they turned toward a small pathway. They were feeling slightly relieved, since they thought that even if Wang Baobao dispatched some people to pursue, they would not easily find this small and remote pathway. They will have more chance of escaping when the sky turned dark and they entered deeper into the mountain. While riding leisurely, suddenly they heard hoof beats from behind; a pair of riders galloped near. Zhao Mins countenance sank; she tightened her hold on Zhang Wujis waist while saying, My Gege comes very quick. Its just our cruel fate, in the end we cant escape from his cruel hands. Wuji Gege, let me go home with him. I am going to ask Father earnestly that we will see each other again later. As eternal and unchanging as the universe, let us not fail each other. With a bitter smile Zhang Wuji said, Your honorable brother might not necessarily be willing to let me go. Just as he was saying that, the riders had come within several dozens zhangs behind them. Zhao Min held the rein to let the riders pass. She pulled her dagger out, thinking that if they had a chance, they would escape, but if her brother had made up his mind to kill Zhang Wuji, then the two of them would die together. However, when the two riders came near, they did not even slow down. They were wearing Mongolian soldiers uniform. They galloped passed them, giving them only a quick glance, and continued forward. Zhao Min had just mused, Thank Heaven and thank the Earth. Turned out they are only two lowranking soldiers, not our pursuers. When she saw those two Yuan soldiers held their reins to slow down their horses, talked to each other, and suddenly turned their horses around and returned toward the two of them. One of them, a full-bearded Yuan soldier, shouted, Audacious barbarians! Where did you steal these two good horses from? As she heard the tone of his voice, Zhao Min understood that they coveted the pair of steeds given by her father. The horses of the Ruyang Prince were naturally divine steeds, with golden stirrups
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and silver reins, extraordinarily magnificent and expensive ornaments. The Mongolians loved horses like they loved life itself, so when they saw a pair of excellent horses, how could their hearts be not moved? Zhao Min thought, Although these two horses were given by Father, but if these two wicked thieves want to seize them by force, wed better let them go. She spoke in Mongolian, Which Generals subordinates are you? Why do you dare to be so impolite to me? That Mongolian soldier was startled. Who are you, Miss? he asked. He saw that these two were wearing expensive looking clothes, the horses they were riding were no small matters either; and now she was speaking fluent Mongolian. He did not dare to be careless. I am General Waerl Puches daughter, Zhao Min said, This is my brother. We met some robbers along the way and are injured. The two Mongolian soldiers exchanged a glance, suddenly they laughed loudly. The bearded soldier said in loud voice, One cant escape, two will not live. We might as well kill these two babies. Unsheathing his saber, he charged forward. Zhao Min was alarmed. What are you doing? she asked, Ill tell the General and have the two of you pulled by four horses. Execution by pulling by four horses was Mongolian armys capital punishment, in which the lawbreakers limbs were tied to four horses. As the signal was given, a long whip cracked, the four horses would run to different directions at once, tearing the convict into four parts. It was the cruelest punishment. The full-bearded Mongolian soldier laughed menacingly. Waerl Puche was unable to defeat the Ming Cult army, he said, He randomly executed his subordinates, venting his anger to us, his soldiers. Yesterday the army revolted and chopped your father to be meat sauce. Nothing can be better than to bump into you, two puppies, in here. While saying that, he raised his saber, ready to chop down. Zhao Min jerked the rein, her horse leaped forward to evade. The soldier pursued to kill. The other Yuan soldier called out, Dont kill this young girl who is pretty-as-a-flower. We can have fun with her first. Wonderful! Wonderful! the bearded soldier replied. Zhao Mi had an idea so she jumped down the horse and ran to the side. The two Mongolian soldiers immediately dismounted their horses to chase her. Aiyo! Zhao Min screamed, while falling down to the ground. The bearded solder pounced on her, reaching out to grab her back. Zhao Mins elbow struck backward and hit the vital acupoint on his chest. The bearded soldier grunted and fell on the spot. The other Yuan soldier did not see clearly what had happened to him, he continued his pounce toward her. Zhao Min repeated her trick earlier and struck his acupoint too. Normally, she would be able to do these two strikes effortlessly, but this time she had to exert her entire strength that her head was soaked in cold sweat, and she felt as if all her strength was drained out. Propping herself against the ground, she stood up, and then helped Zhang Wuji dismount the horse. With the dagger in her hand she shouted, Dog thieves! You have defied your superior. Do you want to live or not? Because their acupoints were sealed, the two Yuan soldiers felt their upper bodies were numb;
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they were unable to move their hands. Their lower parts still had feeling, but they were unbearably sore and ache all over. They expected Zhao Min to kill them, so they were surprised when they heard that she seemingly wanted to give them an opportunity to live. Miss, have mercy! they hastily said, Xiao Ren really were not the ones who harmed General Waerl Puche. All right, Zhao Min said, I will spare your lives as long as you do what I say. The two Yuan soldiers did not care how difficult the matter she was going to tell them to do, they complied immediately, Well do it! Well do it! Zhao Min pointed toward her own horses and said, You two must ride these two horses quickly to the east. Within a day and a night, you must cover 300 lis; the faster the better. You must not fail. The two soldiers looked at each other in confusion. They did not expect her instruction to be this trivial. They thought she must mean the opposite of what she was saying. Miss, the bearded soldier said, Even if Xiao Ren have enormous courage, we will not dare to ride on Miss horses This is important, Zhao Min cut him off, If anybody asks you along the way, you must say that you bought these pair of steeds at the market. You must never mention us two peoples appearances. Do you understand? The two Mongolian soldiers were still half believing and half doubting, but Zhao Min repeatedly urged them. They thought that even if she was playing a trick, going away was certainly better than being killed by her dagger. Therefore, step-by-step they slowly walked away from her, and then turned around and jumped onto the saddles. The Mongolians grew up on horseback. For them, riding a horse was as easy as walking. Although their limbs were still stiff, they were able to drive the horses forward. They were afraid Zhao Min gave them the order out of temporary confusion and would regret her decision, so after a few dozens of zhangs, they squeezed the horse with their legs and they sped away as fast as they could. This is a very good idea, Zhang Wuji said, If your Geges men see these horses, they must think that we are going east. Where are we going actually? We are going southwest, Zhao Min replied. They took the horses the Mongolian soldiers left behind, and leaving the main road, they walked toward the southwest on the wilderness. It was actually a rugged rocky path, full of brambles, which pricked their horses legs so that they were dripping with blood. Stumbling and limping, they only managed to cover twenty some lis within two hours of travel. The sky turned dark. Suddenly they saw a wisp of smoke coming from a chimney of some building in the valley ahead. Zhang Wuji was delighted. There are houses ahead, we can lodge in someones home, he said. When they got near, under the shadow of a big tree they saw the corner of a yellow wall. Turned out it was a temple. Zhao Min helped Zhang Wuji dismount the horse, and then she turned the horses heads toward the west. Picking up a thorny branch from the ground, she whipped the horses buttocks several times. The horses let a long neigh, and leaped away to the west.
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By what she did, Zhao Min was trying to create yet another diversion to Wang Baobaos pursuing soldiers. By losing their rides, the journey would be more difficult; but she did not give it too much thought. Right now, she was taking their journey one step at a time. Two people supporting each other walked toward the front of the temple. They saw the tablet by the door had a four-character inscription, zhong yue shen miao [Mount Song (in Henan, one of Five Sacred Mountains) divine temple]. Zhao Min lifted the ring of the gate and knocked three times. She waited for half a day without anybody answering the door, so she knocked three more times. Suddenly from behind the door came a grim voice, Is it a man or a ghost? Or is it a living corpse? The wooden gate opened with a creaking noise. Behind it they saw a shadow. It was dusk, the dark was deepening. That mans back was against the light, so they could not see his face clearly. But from his bald head and the monk robe he was wearing, he was obviously a Buddhist monk. Zhang Wuji said, We [orig. zai4 xia4 under] brother and sister, were robbed an injured during our journey. We hope we can spend the night in your precious monastery, we are asking Da Shi [great master, reverend] to show mercy. Humph, the man snorted, and then with a cold voice said, Those who leave home [meaning, becoming Buddhist monks or nuns] do not usually provide convenience to others. You better go. Immediately he closed the door. Helping others is helping self, Zhao Min hastily said, By helping us, you might not necessarily be without any benefit. What benefit? that man asked. Zhao Min reached up to her ears to take her pair of pearl earrings out, and handed them over to him. The monk saw that each earring had a bead of pearl as big as the tip of his little finger. He sized the two people up, and then said, All right, helping others is helping self. He moved aside to let them in. Holding up Zhang Wuji, Zhao Min led him entered in. The monk took them pass through the main hall and a courtyard, to a room on the eastern side of the temple. You can sleep here, he said. There was neither light nor fire inside the room, it was as dark as a cave. Zhao Min groped around on the bed. There was nothing else on the bed other than a sheet of straw woven mat. They heard a loud and clear voice calling out from outside, Hao Si Di [fourth younger brother Hao], whom did you let in? A couple of guests seeking lodging for the night, the monk replied, while stepping out of the room. Reverend, Zhao Min called, Could you please donate two bowl of rice and some plain vegetable dish? Those who left homes receive alms; we do not give to charity, the monk said in haughty tone while striding away. This monk is terrible! Zhao Min bitterly said, Wuji Gege, you must be very hungry. We must find something to eat tonight.
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Suddenly they heard several footsteps coming from the courtyard, as seven, eight men came in. Flame flickered, the door was pushed open and two monks lifted up candlesticks in their hands to illuminate the faces of Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min. In a glimpse Zhang Wuji saw eight monks, short and tall, one had thick eyebrows and huge bulging eyes, the other had face full of wrinkles; none of them had a friendly face. The old monk with wrinkles said, Whatever money and jewelry you have, take them all out. What for? Zhao Min asked. The old monk laughed and said, Because of fate two benefactors have come over here, just happened to visit this little temple, which is about to carry out a great undertaking: reconstructing the main gate, and repairing the inlay of the golden idol. The benefactors money and jewelry must be donated. If not, you are offending the Buddha; and then you will be in great trouble. Zhao Min was indignant. Isnt that the misdeed of the robbers? she asked. Its sin! Its sin! the old monk said, We, eight brothers, used to kill people and burn their houses; we robbed and did all kinds of shady businesses. But recently we laid down our sabers to follow the teachings of Buddha, and so we became casual Buddhist monks. Benefactors have been brought here by karma; the fat sheep has arrived to our door on its own account. Ay, you have made things difficult for us who have left our homes; we are no longer able to keep our purity. Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min were very shocked; they did not expect these eight monks were former big bandits. This old monk had been speaking quite bluntly. It sounded like he was going to kill them; he did not even try to keep it a secret, neither did he show any intention to let them go. Another fierce looking monk said with a laugh, Miss Benefactor need not be afraid; while we eight monks are robbing and plundering, we lack a mistress to take care of the temple. You have such a beautiful face, truly as if the Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa [Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Goddess of Mercy] descends to the earth. Even if Buddha himself saw you, his heart would have been moved. Wonderful! Wonderful! From her pocket Zhao Min pulled out some seven, eight golden ingots and a string of pearls, and placed them all on the table. All I have is here, she said, We, brother and sister, are also Wulin people. Gentlemen must respect the Jianghus yi qi [spirit of loyalty, code of brotherhood]. The old monk laughed and said, So you two are Wulin people, nothing can be better than that. I wonder which school do you belong to? We are Shaolin disciple, Zhao Min said. Shaolin Pai was the number one major sect in the Wulin world. Zhao Min was hoping that these if eight men were not Shaolin disciples, perhaps one of their friends or relatives were somewhat related to Shaolin. The old monk was startled, his eyes suddenly shone with murderous look. Shaolin disciples? he said, Thats truly unfortunate! You two babies should really blame yourself for belonging to the wrong school. He reached out to pull Zhao Mins wrist. Zhao Min quickly withdrew her hand so the old monk ended up grabbing empty air. Zhang Wuji realized the critical situation they were in. Both Zhao Min and he were heavily injured; it was extremely difficult to fight the enemy. They had battled countless well-known Wulin characters these past several years; would they lose their lives today in the hands of eight nameless lowly robbers? No matter what, he could not let Zhao Min being
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disgraced without him doing something. Thereupon he said, Min Mei, hide behind me. I have a way to deal with these eight lowly thieves. Zhao Mins brain was usually full of bright ideas and clever tricks, but this moment her hands were bound and she was unable to do anything about it. What kind of people are you? she asked. The old monk replied, We are renegades that the Shaolin Temple chased away. To come across other Sects Jianghu people, we can sill show mercy and not make our moves; but to come across Shaolin disciples, we cannot do anything but kill you. Little Miss, this brother actually wanted you to be the custodian of the temple, but after finding out that you are a Shaolin disciple, we have no other choice but to kill you first, so that we will not leave any witness behind. With a low and deep throaty voice Zhang Wuji said, Good, huh! You are Yuan Zhens disciples, arent you? Ah! the old monk exclaimed in surprise, Thats strange! How did you know? Zhao Min interrupted, Actually, we are on our way to Shaolin Temple to see Chen Youliang Dage [big brother], to support Yuan Zhen Da Shi [great master reverend] to become the Shaolin Temple Fangzhang [abbot]. Shan zai! Shan zai! [exclamatory remark used by Buddhist monks, means good, peace] the old monk said, Our Buddha reaching perfection, restoring all living beings. Thats right, Zhao Min said, We must join our hearts and minds, accomplishing virtuous acts together. As she said that, all eight monks broke out in laughter. Turned out these eight monks belong to the same party as Yuan Zhen and Chen Youliang; they were inducted by Chen Youliang to be Yuan Zhens disciples. For the past few years, Yuan Zhen had coveted the Abbot position and thus recruited capable people from everywhere. However, Shaolin Temple monastic discipline was strict, each time they accepted a disciple, the disciple must undergo a rigorous examination by the monastic authorities, a detailed verification of their family background and origins, so that Yuan Zhen found it difficult to do whatever he pleased. Consequently, he cooked up a plan with Chen Youliang, to recruit the warriors of underworld organizations, pirates and bandits, and gathered them outside the Temple as Yuan Zhens disciples, yet they were not Shaolin disciples. They were waiting for an opportunity then together they would take this great undertaking. Yuan Zhens martial art skill was very profound and he was able to defeat the Jianghu warriors into submission as soon as he put his hands into it. These Wulin characters had always been admiring Shaolins fame as the prestigious upright Sect; they had also seen Yuan Zhens divine martial art skill, therefore, they willingly submit under his tutelage. There were a small number of disciples who were not willing to betray their own original school. Yuan Zhen immediately removed these people. That was the reason they had not been exposed even though they had been engaged in this deceitful scheme for a long time. When that old monk said Our Buddha reaching perfection, restoring all living beings he actually was saying their secret code. If the other party replied with the blooming flower meets Buddha, the heart draws near to Lingshan [a mountain in Guangxi]; then they would know that they belonged to the same school. As Zhao Min heard the undertone of the old monks words, she knew they were Yuan Zhens disciples, and she deduced that Yuan Zhen had his eyes on the Abbot position; but how would she
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know they had agreed on some secret code to communicate to each other? Fu Dage [big brother Fu], a short and stout monk said, This little girl says something about supporting our master to become Shaolin Temple Fangzhang; where did she learn it from? This is a very important matter, we must inquire clearly. Although these eight people had become monks, they still addressed each other as Dage, Erge [second brother], and so on; the habit they acquired when they were still involved in the lu lin world. [lu lin means green forest, usually refers to the criminal world] As soon as Zhang Wuji heard these eight men laugh, he knew something had gone wrong. He regretted that his back was seriously injured so he was unable to concentrate his internal energy [see note below]. He had no choice but to painstakingly focus his attention, trying hard to force the chi to break free. He felt the warm energy gathered in a clump in the east, and formed together in a block on the west, but the chi did not want to flow along in the blood vessels. [orig, zhen qi true chi. Translators note: previously, I translated qi as simply energy or internal energy. When reading some martial art related publication, I realized that chi has become an English word. Here are two examples I found: Ch'i or qi (pronounced "chee" and henceforth spelled "chi") is the Chinese word used to describe "the natural energy of the Universe." (Skeptic Dictionary) In Chinese culture, Qi (spelled in Mandarin Pinyin romanization), pronounced IPA: [tchi], also ch'i (in Wade-Giles romanization) or ki (in Japanese romanization) is a kind of "life force" or "spiritual energy" that is part of every living thing. It is frequently translated as "energy flow", or literally as "air", "breath", or "gas". (For example, "ti'enq", literally "sky breath", is the ordinary Chinese word for "weather"). (Wikipedia) Hereafter, I will leave the word qi as it is, or translate it as internal energy.] Zhang Wuji saw the old monks five fingers striking toward Zhao Min like a birds claw. Zhao Min was powerless to ward it off; she eluded by withdrawing into the bed. Zhang Wujis mind was very anxious, but he kept sitting cross-legged, hoping that he could restore 20, 30% of his strength, which would be enough to drive these eight wicked thieves away. Seeing that Zhang Wuji was still arrogantly sitting in meditation in a time like this, the short and stout monk angrily roared, This kid is so arrogant; let the old man [referring to self] send him to the western sky first, so that he wont be in the way here! When saying that, he raised his right arm while his bones made cracking noise. With a whoosh he sent a fist toward Zhang Wujis chest. Seeing this desperate situation, Zhao Mins shrill voice cried out in fear; but she saw that as the stout monks fist landed on its target, his right arm went limp, his eyes rolled until only the whites were visible, and he stood motionless. The old monk was shocked; he stretched his hand to pull his comrades hand. The plump monks hand did not give any resistance, as he had already died. The rest of the monks were startled and angered. They cried out one after another, This kid uses witchcraft! He is a sorcerer! What happened was: when the plump monk used his entire strength to strike Zhang Wujis chest, he inadvertently hit the shan zhong xue [lit. sheep odor acupoint]. Zhang Wujis Jiu Yang Shen Gong was not enough to attack the enemy, but it was more than sufficient to protect his own body. Not only did it rebound the fist strength of the enemys strike, but also because the incoming strike was powerful, it spurred the Jiu Yang zhen qi [real/true/genuine chi see above] inside his system, increasing the rebound force, adding strength behind the strength, so that the plump monk was killed instantly.
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The old monk thought that Zhang Wujis pocket must be loaded with poison-tipped arrows or some other venomous stingers, so that the plump monk died of severe poisoning. Stretching out his palm, he struck Zhang Wujis right arm, which was exposed outside his sleeve, thinking that he had better break Zhang Wujis arm first before dealing with him further. As the powerful palm struck Zhang Wujis arm, the Jiu Yang Zhen Qi inside his body was incited again. The old monk was thrown outside immediately; he flew like an arrow and crack!, breaking through the window lattice, he struck the big locust tree in the courtyard, his skull was smashed and his brain burst forth. The rest of the monks were shouting and screaming. One monk used both of his hands to attack Zhang Wujis tai yang xue [sun acupoint]. Another monk used the shuang long qiang zhu [a pair of dragons fought over the pearl], stretching out his fingers to dig into Zhang Wujis eyeballs. Yet another monk flew up and kicked Zhang Wujis dan tian [pubic area]. Zhang Wuji lowered his head to evade the attack to his eyes, letting the attackers two fingers to hit his forehead. A series of Bang! Bang!, Aiyo!, Crack! Crack! was heard; all three monks were shaken to their death one after another. The third monks flying kick was so powerful that his right leg was broken on the spot. As Zhang Wujis dan tian received the kick, the zhen qi in his body was aroused; unexpectedly the arteries and veins on the right half of his body were open. He mused, Its a pity this wicked monk died too early. If he had kicked my dan tian several times, he might have helped me restoring my internal energy sooner. Apparently, although my injury is heavy, the recovery is not as difficult as I thought. I think I will need about ten days to half a month of recuperation to recover 100%. Out of eight monks, five had died miserably. The remaining three wicked monks were frightened out of their wits; they raced against each other to get out of the room, and went straight out of the temple gate. After they were sure that Zhang Wuji did not run after them, they stopped and discussed among themselves. One monk said, This kid must have used some witchcraft. The other monk said, I think it was not witchcraft; this kids internal energy is very strong, he could rebound the strike to injure the enemy. The third monk said, Thats right. In any case we must avenge our brothers death. The three of them talked for half a day. One monk suddenly said, This kid must be suffering a heavy injury. Otherwise, why didnt he run after us? Thats right! the other monk happily said, Most likely he cant walk. When our five brothers hit him by fist and kick, he fought them by inciting his internal strength. If we use blades to chop him or pierce him, I dont think he has copper muscles or iron bones to resist us. As the three monks made a decision, one of them got a lance, the other unsheathed his saber, and the third wielded a sword; together the returned to the courtyard. They noticed that the eastern room was extremely quiet, as if it was unoccupied. They peeked over the broken window lattice, and saw that young man was still sitting cross-legged on the bed; his face looked weary, his body was shaky, as if he would fall down any minute. The young girl was wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. The three monks looked at each other; they did not dare to rush in. One of the monks called out, Stinky kid, if you have some skills, get out and fight your master for three hundred stances. Another monk cursed, What skill does this kid have? All he has is some witchcraft to harm others. That is such a cheap trick, despicable to the lowest end, totally without any sense of shame.
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The three monks saw that Zhang Wuji did not reply and he did not get down from the bed either, so they became bolder and bolder, their cursing and swearing were getting dirtier and dirtier. In term of dirty talk, perhaps among the disciples of Buddhism there was nobody who could surpass these three monks. Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min were not angry at all. They were more afraid of these three monks leave and not return, rather than being annoyed by their coming back to seek revenge. That place was not too far from the Shaolin Temple of the Song Shan [Mount Song in Henan]. If those three monks went to inform Cheng Kun, they would face an even graver problem. It would be almost impossible for Zhang Wuji to treat his injury in less than ten days. Within that period, it would not take as much as Cheng Kun to personally come, one or two martial experts of Chen Youliangs caliber would be difficult for him to resist. Thus, Zhang Wuji was secretly delighted to see these three monks return. After receiving the five monks attacks, the Jiu Yang Zhen Qi inside Zhang Wujis body had been somewhat more controllable, so although he still could not use it to attack the enemy, his heart was not as frightened as it was before. Suddenly a loud Bang! was heard as a monk kicked the door open and rushed in. A dark green light flashed by, the red tassel trembled, as the lance in his hand came straight toward Zhang Wuji. Aiyo! Zhao Min cried out. Hastily she handed over the dagger in her hand to Zhang Wuji. Zhang Wuji shook his head without moving his hand. He groaned inwardly, I dont have the least bit of strength on my hand; how would I resist the enemy even though I have a weapon? My flesh and blood wont withstand the enemys weapon. He had not finished musing when the tip of enemys lance formed a circle, with its red tassel blooming like a flower, had already reached in front of Zhang Wujis chest. The lance strike was fast, Zhao Mins mind worked even faster. She reached into Zhang Wujis pocket to take a Sheng Huo Ling tablet out, and placed it on Zhang Wujis chest to shield it against the spearhead. Bang! the tip of the lance struck the Sheng Huo Ling. Even an extremely sharp weapon like the Yitian Sword was not able to scratch the Sheng Huo Ling, much less an ordinary spearhead. Again, this strike had aroused the Jiu Yang Shen Gong inside Zhang Wujis body, which reacted naturally. Aahhhhh a long and miserable cry was heard as the lances pole penetrated the monks chest. This monk had not fallen down when the second monks saber was hacking down on the top of Zhang Wujis head. Zhao Min was afraid one Sheng Huo Ling would not suffice to block the saber, so grabbing a Sheng Huo Ling in either hand, she swiftly placed them on Zhang Wujis head. Her action was truly effective. With another bang! the saber bounced, its back crashed into that wicked monks forehead, smashing his skull; but the tip of Zhao Mins left little finger was also sliced off. In the excitement of the moment, she did not feel the pain. The third monk, wielding a sword in his hand, was just about to enter the door; seeing his two companions meet their cruel fate, he screamed in terror and ran out the door. We cant let him escape! Zhao Min called out, while throwing one Sheng Huo Ling tablet over the window. Her throw was accurate, but she lacked the strength, so it fell down even before touching that monks body. Zhang Wuji wrapped his arms around her and called out, Throw again! He concentrated his
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internal energy in his chest and transmitted it to Zhao Mins back. Zhao Min threw the Sheng Huo Ling in her left hand. Two more steps, then that monk would have stepped over behind the wall; but the Sheng Huo Ling was so fast that it struck his back. Immediately blood spurted from his mouth and he died on the spot. As soon as the Sheng Huo Ling left their hands, Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min fainted and fell on the bed. At this moment, there were six dead monks in the room, with two more dead monks in the courtyard, so Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min had fainted in the pool of blood. The temple was so small and it was located on a remote hill. Under the cold moon and cool breeze, there was not a sound to be heard. After a long while, Zhao Min gained her consciousness first. Still in daze, she reached out to feel Zhang Wujis breathing. She felt that the breathing was weak, but it was long and steady. Propping up herself she arose slowly. Because she was too weak to get him out of bed, she had no alternative but pulling him down, and then rested his head on one of the dead monk bodies. Just this little exertion forced her to sit among the dead bodies, gasping for breath. After half a day, Zhang Wuji opened his eyes. Min Mei, he called out, You where are you? Zhao Min gave him one of her captivating smiles. The bright and cold moonlight streamed in from the window. They both saw the others face was full of blood, so theyll know their own faces must be frightening. But after going through a life and death situation together, they felt that the others face was very handsome and beautiful. Without realizing it, they both reached out and embraced each other tightly. In this dramatic battle, Zhang Wuji was able to kill the first seven monks without the least bit of strength on his part; he simply borrowed strength to fight strength, and contrary to his expectation, he did not suffer any harm. However, when throwing the Sheng Huo Ling to kill the eighth wicked monk, both Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min had exhausted the remainder of the strength they had after the injury. Right now, the two of them were incapable of moving; all they could do was leaning on dead peoples bodies and quietly wait for their strength to return. Zhao Min wrapped her cut lefthand little finger, and then, still in daze, she went back to sleep. Around noon the next day, they started to awake. Zhang Wuji sat up and circulated his chi, trying to harmonize the flow. After meditation for more than an hour, he felt his spirit return. He stood up by pushing himself against the floor, and suddenly heard his tummy was growling. He went to the kitchen by leaning on the wall. He saw a pot of rice, where half of the rice had already turned black, and the other half was also burned that it carried a strong burning smell. He filled a bowl full of burnt rice and returned to their room. Zhao Min said with a laugh, You and I are in such a distressed situation today. The Heaven knows, the Earth knows, you and I know, but nobody else knew about it. They both laughed heartily, and then ate the rice with their bare hands. To them, the burnt rice tasted so good that it was better than any exotic delicacies they had ever had. They had not finished this bowl of rice, when suddenly from the distant came the muffled noise of hooves against mountain rocks. Crash! the bowl in their hands crashed down on the tiled floor. Zhao Min and Zhang Wuji looked at each other. Their hearts were beating rapidly. They heard two horses were coming their way, and stopped in the front of the temples main gate. They heard the brass ring on the door was knocked four times, and then someone banged the door. The noise stopped for a moment then the knocker banged four more times.
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What should we do? Zhang Wuji asked in low voice. They heard someone outside the door calling out, Shangguan Sange [third (older) brother Shangguan], it is me, Qin Laowu [old fifth Qin]! They are going to break in, Zhao Min said, Lets pretend we are dead; well act according to the circumstance. The two of them lied down among the corpses, with their faces on the floor. They had just lied down when with a loud crash the door was pushed open. From the noise generated by the broken door, it was obvious that the newcomers had quite a bit of strength. Zhao Min had an idea. Go lie down near the door, she said, Dont let these people escape. Zhang Wuji nodded and crawled toward the entrance. Right at that moment, they heard two people cry out in fear, followed by swish, swish! as the two people who entered the temple were pulling their weapons out. Obviously they had seen the two corpses in the courtyard. Careful! one of them said in low voice, Watch for the enemys ambush. The other man loudly shouted, Friends, sneaking and hiding in the dark, what kind of heroes are you? Come out and fight Laozi [the Old Man referring to self] to the death if you have the nerve. This mans voice was strong and heroic, a sign of his abundant internal energy. He must be the one who pushed the gate open. He shouted several times, but did not hear the least bit of voice answering his call. The thieves must have left far away, he said. The other man said in a hoarse voice, We must look up everywhere, make sure the enemy is not setting up an ambush. Shou Laodi [lit. old (younger brother) Shou], the one who called himself Qin Lauwu said, You look to the east and Ill search to the west. Apparently, the one surnamed Shou was a coward; he said, I am afraid the enemies are numerous. Wed better go together. Qin Laowu did not say anything. Suddenly the one surnamed Shou exclaimed in terror while pointing his finger toward the room on the east, There there are more dead people inside! The two of them went to the door and saw that in that small room there were about seven, eight corpses lying around on the floor. Qin Laowu said, This temple this temples eight brethrens have lost their lives at the same time. I wonder whose treacherous hands have done it! Qin Wuge [fifth (older) brother Qin], the surnamed Shou said, We must return to the Temple immediately, to report report report this to Shifu. Qin Laowu hesitantly said, Shifu has urgently ordered us to deliver these invitations promptly, since the guests are expected by the fifth day of the fifth month [orig. duan1 wu3 jie2 Dragon Boat (or Duanwu) Festival day] for the Lion-slaying Heroes Assembly [orig, tu2 shi1 ying1 xiong2 hui4]. If we fail, I am afraid we will be punished. As he heard the words Lion-slaying Heroes Assembly, Zhang Wuji was slightly taken aback; and
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then he was shocked, delighted, ashamed and angry, as a hundred feelings filled up his heart. He mused, His Shifu issued invitations for some Lion-slaying Heroes Assembly, his intention must be to gather the heroes and warriors under the Heaven, and then to kill Yifu publicly. From what he said, it seems like before the Duanwu, Yifus life will not be harmed. I cannot protect Yifu completely; I let him down by letting him fall into others hands that he has to suffer this disgrace. I am unfilial and unworthy; there is nothing worse than this. The more he thought, the angrier he got; he wished he had a weapon in his hand and kill these two villains, but he was afraid they might escape while he was powerless to pursue them. Therefore, all he could do was to wait for these two men to enter the room and then cut their way out. Just like before, he hoped the Jiu Yang Zhen Qi in his body would get rid of these two traitors. Unexpectedly, because these two saw the room was full of dead bodies, they did not dare to enter, but simply stood and talked in the courtyard This is most important, the one surnamed Shou said, The sooner we report to Shifu the better. Lets do this then, Qin Laowu said, We take our separate ways; I deliver the invitation, you go back to the Temple to report to Shifu. The surnamed Shou was afraid he might run into the enemies on the road; thereupon he did not answer immediately. Qin Laowu was angry, Take your pick, then. Would you rather deliver the invitations? It is up to you. The surnamed Shou contemplated the options in his mind. In the end he decided that returning to their mountain was safer; thereupon he said, I will follow Qin Wuges instruction; let me return to the mountain and give report to Shifu. Straightaway both of them turned around to leave. Zhao Min moved slightly and groaned lightly twice. Qin and Shou two people were startled. Turning their heads around they saw Zhao Min were moving. This time they looked carefully and saw that she was a woman. Who is this woman? Qin Laowu was surprised. He walked into the room. Although the one surnamed Shou was a coward, seeing that it was a woman, a seriously wounded woman, he gathered up his courage and followed in. Qin Laowu reached down to pull Zhao Mins shoulder. Zhang Wuji coughed and sat up. He took a meditation position with his eyes half open. Qin and Shou two people were extremely shocked to see him suddenly sit up, with his face full of blood and a terrifying appearance. Not good! the surnamed Shou cried out, Its a zombie. This corpse this corpse is haunted by a ghost. Qin Wuge must must be careful. He hastily jumped on top of the bed. Bad zombie! Qin Laowu called out, The one surnamed Qin is not afraid of you. Lifting up his saber, he ferociously hacked it down on the top of Zhang Wujis head. Zhanh Wuji had been ready with two Sheng Huo Ling tablets in his hands. As soon as the saber hacked down, he raised his tablets and placed them on top of his head. Bang! the saber hacked the Sheng Huo Ling and immediately bounced back and smashed Qin Laowus brain that he died immediately. The one surnamed Shou was holding a saber in his hand, but he was trembling all over; how could he dare to slash it on Zhang Wujis body? Zhang Wuji was waiting for him to attack, so that his Jiu Yang Zhen Qi might strike him dead.
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Zhao Min saw that the surnamed Shou was not moving for a long time; she was getting anxious, This coward is scared out of his wits and does not dare to make his move. If he throws his saber away and run out, how can we stop him? She saw his teeth were chattering, and then clank! his saber fell down from his grip. Chop me if you dare, Zhang Wuji said, Strike me with your fist. Xiao Xiao De [little/lowly one] dont have any guts, he replied, Dont dont dare to fight Laoye [old master]. Kick me, then, Zhang Wuji said. The man replied, Xiao De Xiao De do not dare even more. You are such a useless man [orig. nong2 bao1 wrapping cloth of boiled wound], youd better be dead, Zhang Wuji indignantly said, Quickly chop me once or twice. If I see that your strength is not bad, I might spare your life. Yes, yes! the man scrambled to pick up his saber. He took a glance on the wretched condition of the smashed skull of Qin Laowu, and thought that this zombies magical power was superior, so it would be better for him to ask for mercy. Hence, he knelt down immediately and knocked his head on the floor, Laoye have mercy! You have died an unjust death. It has nothing to do nothing to do with Xiao Ren [little/lowly man]. Please dont dont take revenge on Xiao Rens life. Listening to him addressing Zhang Wuji as a dead man, Zhao Min was angry. Humph, she snorted, I am surprised in the Wulin world there is this kind of peon with no future. Yes, yes! that man said, Xiao De has no future, no future. I am only a peon, only a peon. The more he did not dare to act, the more Zhang Wuji was baffled. Suddenly he had an idea. Come here! he barked. Yes! that man hastily replied. He crawled several steps forward, still in kneeling position. Zhang Wuji stretched out his arms and placed his thumbs on that mans eyeballs. Ill dig out your eyeballs first! he roared. In his great shock, without thinking that man raised his hands to ward off Zhang Wujis arms with all his strength. Zhang Wuji was expecting this push; borrowing this strength, he slid his arms downward and sealed the shen feng [lit. divine seal (seal as in official seal on a letter)] and bu lang [lit. walking/pacing porch] acupoints on his chest. The mans entire body went numb and he slid down to the floor. Laoye have mercy! Laoye have mercy! he loudly cried, Turns out Laoye is not a zombie. Thats very good! Then then you have even more reasons to spare my life. By now he was prostrating right in front of Zhang Wuji, after looking clearly that the other party was a living person. Zhao Min realized that Zhang Wuji sealed the acupoints using a borrowed strength, but the sealing force was really too small. He could only immobilize that mans limbs for a short time; that mans strength was not completely gone. In less than an hour, the sealed acupoints would be opened; and then they would be in trouble. She also knew that there were so many questions she would like to ask him, so obviously they could not kill him yet.
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Your fatal acupoints have been sealed by this Master, she said, When you take a deep breath, you feel a dull pain deep in the side of your left chest, dont you? Following her words, he took a deep breath and did feel pain on the muscle and bones of his left chest. Actually, it was the natural reaction when the flow of qi and the blood was stopped momentarily; but that man did not know, so he wailed and cried for mercy even louder. Do you want to save your life? Zhao Min asked, I must use a golden needle to unseal the fatal acupoints. But it wont be easy. The man kowtowed and said, Miss, no matter the difficulty, you must save me. Even if Xiao Ren has to become an ox or a horse, I will still implore you. Zhao Min smiled sweetly and said, This is the first time I ever see a Jianghu character like you. All right, go find a brick and come back here. Yes, yes! that man busily said. Stumbling out to the courtyard, he picked a brick and walked back. What do you need the brick for? Zhang Wuji said in a low voice. Zhao Min smiled mysteriously, I have an ingenious idea. With a brick in his hand, that man respectfully walked in. Zhao Min pulled a golden hairpin from her hair and placed the hairpin on that mans que pen xue [lit. empty basin acupoint] on his shoulder. She said, I am going to use this golden needle to unseal the blood vessels on the upper part of your body first, so that the deathly qi from the fatal acupoint will not flow into your brain. If that happens, you are beyond help. But I dont know whether this Master is willing to spare your life or not. That man looked at Zhang Wuji with a piteous face. Zhang Wuji nodded. That man jubilantly said, This Daye [grand master] has agreed. Miss, please start immediately. Hmm, are you afraid of pain? Zhao Min said. Xiao Ren only fears death, I dont fear pain, the man replied. Very well! Zhao Min said, Use the brick to tap this golden needle in. That man knew that inserting the golden needle into his shoulder would mean his skin and flesh would be injured. But without wrinkling his brows, he lifted up the brick and struck the tail of the hairpin. As the brick went down, the golden hairpin pierced the que pen xue. That man did not feel pain at all, on the contrary, he felt comfortable, so his confidence in Zhao Min grew and he did not stop expressing his thanks to her. Zhao Min told him to draw the pin out, and then pierced his hun men [soul gate], po hu [spirit entrance], tian zhu [pillar of the Heaven], ku fang [storage room], and other acupoints, seven or eight in total. Zhang Wuji smiled and said, Thats enough! Thats enough! He stood up, knowing that with these acupoints pierced, if that man wanted to escape, as soon as he exerted his strength to run, these acupoints would flare-up, and he would meet his doom.
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Go fetch two buckets of water, Zhao Min told him, We want to wash our faces. And then you can cook some rice. If you want to die, go ahead and put some poison in the food, and then the three of us will become ghosts together. Xiao De does not dare, Xiao De does not dare, that man said. And thus Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min had a servant to attend to their needs. Zhao Min asked his name. Turned out his surname was Shou [long life], given name Nanshan [southern mountain]; he was known in Jianghu as wan shou wu jiang [ten thousand long life without limit]. Actually, his friends were making fun of him since he had always shrunk from battle, so they said that he would have a long life because he would never be killed in a battle. Although he belonged to the group of lu lin [lit. green forest, outlaws see similar occurrence above] warriors who joined Yuan Zhens school, Yuan Zhen regarded his talent as lacking, his intelligence low, so Yuan Zhen only used him to do the leg work but had never imparted any martial art skill to him. Even after his acupoints were sealed, Shou Nanshan did not lose his physical strength; he carried out Zhao Mins instructions diligently. He was the one who dragged all nine corpses and buried them in the rear yard, and he also fetched water to clean the temple from all the bloodstains. His martial art skill might be mediocre, but his culinary skill could be considered first class. As Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min enjoyed the meat and vegetable dishes he prepared, they heaped him with praises. After everything was settled, Zhang and Zhao two people began interrogating him about the Lionslaying Heroes Assembly. Contrary to their expectation, Shou Nanshan did not even try to conceal anything from them, but too bad his companions did not regard him too highly, so that in many things nobody had ever told him anything. He only knew that the Shaolin Temple Abbot, Reverend Kong Wen, had assigned Yuan Zhen to preside over this assembly. Yuan Zhen, acting on behalf of Kong Wen and Kong Zhi, two divine monks, had broadcasted invitations to all heroes and warriors from all schools and sects, clans and societies around the world, to gather at the Shaolin Temple on the Duanwu day, to discuss a very important matter. Zhang Wuji asked to see the invitation. It was addressed to Fu Chenzi, Gu Songzi, Gui Zangci, and other sword masters of Diancang Pai of Yunnan. The sword masters of Diancang had been famous for quite a while, but they were living way down south in Yunnan, and had never had any contact with the Wulin characters of the Central Plains. This time even Shaolin Pai invited them to come. It was clear that the scale of this assembly was to be magnificent. Shaolin Pai was the Wulin leader. When Kong Wen and Kong Zhi personally issued an invitation, no matter what important matter the addressee was facing, they would lay it aside and come to attend the meeting. Zhang Wuji noticed that the invitation did not have too many characters on it; it simply said, Respectfully inviting (you) on the Duan Yang festival, to get together at Shaolin, to enjoy goblets of wine and be merry with the heroes of the world. There was no reference on lion-slaying at all. Why did that Qin Laowu say this meeting was called Lion-slaying Heroes Assembly? Zhang Wuji asked. Shou Nanshan, with a smug look on his face, said, Zhang-ye [Master Zhang] did not know it, but my Shifu has captured a very important character who is called Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun. For this kind of accomplishment, our Shaolin Pai wants to show our face in front of all the worlds heroes. We are going to kill this Jin Mao Shi Wang in public, that is why this meeting is called the Lion-slaying Heroes Assembly.
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Suppressing his anger Zhang Wuji asked again, What kind of character is this Jin Mao Shi Wang? Have you seen him? How did your Shifu capture him? Currently, where is this person being detained at? This fellow Jin Mao Shi Wang, Shou Nanshan said, Hey, hey, he is truly magnificent. He is twice as tall as Xiao Ren, his upper arm is thicker than Xiao Rens thigh. Apart from everything else, whenever he is staring at you with that pair of sparkling bright eyes of his, you would feel that your soul is flying out of your body. Even without fighting, you would kowtow and beg for mercy Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min exchanged a glance, while Shou Nanshan continued, My Shifu battled him for seven days and seven nights without clear decision of victory and defeat. Later on, my Shifu has gotten angry and launched his earth-shattering qin long fu hu gong [capturing dragon, subduing tiger skill]; finally he was able to defeat him. Right now, this Jin Mao Shi Wang is detained in a large iron cage inside our Temples Da Xiong Bao Dian [lit. great heroism precious hall]; with seven or eight pure steel chain links bound around his body The more Zhang Wuji listened, the angrier he got. I told you to tell me the truth, and not such rubbish! he roared, Do you want me to take your life? Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Daxia has lost his vision, how can you say he has a pair of sparkling bright eyes? As his lies were exposed on the spot, Shou Nanshan busily said, Yes! Yes! Xiao Ren must be mistaken. Now tell me, have you or have you not seen him [orig. lao3 ren2 jia1 senior]? Zhang Wuji asked, What does Xie Daxia look like? Tell me. In reality, Shou Nanshan had not seen Xie Xun at all. Knowing that he could no longer lie, he was afraid of his life, so he hastily said, Xiao Ren does not dare to lie. Actually, I only heard what other brothers have said. All Zhang Wuji wanted was the exact location of Xie Xuns imprisonment; but after repeated interrogation, Shou Nanshan still was not able to give him any new information. He thought this matter must be of great importance and was held in the strictest confidence, so of course a small peon like Shou Nanshan did not have any access to the information. Therefore, Zhang Wuji had no choice but to let it go. Luckily, the Duanyang festival was still some times away, since it was only the second month, so he still had time to wait until they were fully recovered from their injuries. The three of them stayed in the Divine Temple of Mount Zhong [zhong yue shen miao] for several days. They spent their days in peace and quiet, since Shaolin Temple did not send anybody to establish any contact with the former occupants. Toward the eighth day, Zhao Mins injury had been 70, 80% healed, while Zhang Wujis internal energy was flowing better progressively. He gradually regained the strength of his four limbs, so now it would not be difficult for them to escape even if the enemies arrived. Shou Nanshan was waiting on them with all his heart, he did not dare to have the slightest idea of rebelling. Zhao Min said with a laugh, Wan Shou Wu Jiang, your mediocre martial art skill is nothing to be talked about, but your talent to be a guan jia [housekeeper/butler] is actually topnotch. Well said, Miss, Shou Nanshan answered bitterly. Everyday Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min enjoyed the delicacies Shou Nanshan meticulously prepared for them, making their stay at the Zhong Yue Shen Miao a comfortable and enjoyable experience.
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After about ten more days, the two of them were fully recovered. Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min began to discuss their plan on rescuing Xie Xun. Actually, the best way would be to seal Wan Shou Wu Jiangs fatal acupoints, and then we can send him to Shaolin Temple as our spy, Zhao Min said, But this man is so useless [orig. nong2 bao1], that he would most likely give himself away and spoil the important matters. Lets do this: right now, let us go to the foot of Shaoshi [the western peak of Mount Song, where Shaolin Temple is located]; we will act as the opportunity arises. Only we must change our appearances first. What should we disguise ourselves into? Zhang Wuji asked, Shall we shave our heads clean and become a monk and a nun? Zhao Mins face slightly blushed. Pei! she spat, Only you can think of such thing! A young monk hanging around with a young nun all day; what would people think? Zhang Wuji laughed and said, Well then, lets become husband and wife, a couple of villagers who go to the foot of Shaoshi Peak to open up rice field and gather firewood. Cant we be brother and sister? Zhao Min laughed, If we become husband and wife, I am afraid if Miss Zhou sees it, I would have five more finger holes on my left shoulder. Zhang Wuji also laughed, but he felt uncomfortable in continuing their conversation. After asking about the situation and the layout of the Shaolin Temple in details from Shou Nanshan, he said, The sealed fatal acupoints in your body have been loosened. You can go. However, Zhao Min added sternly, For the rest of your life, you must live in the southern area. As soon as you see snow and ice, you will lose your life. I suggest you move to the south as soon as possible; you must live in a warm climate; the hotter the better. See to it that you do not subject yourself to cold wind; if you ever catch a cold or cough, your life will be in grave danger. Shou Nanshan took her advice seriously; he took his leave from the two people, and left the temple heading south that very same day. He spent the rest of his life on the hilly area of the south, being careful not to catch any cold or cough. He died during the years of Yong Le [the third Ming Emperor, 1403 1424], of the Ming Dynasty. Although he did not actually live an unlimited life for ten thousands of years [wan shou wu jiang], he did live a long and enjoyable life. Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min waited for him to walk far before they carefully cleared up any evidence of their presence from the temple. They went for more than 20 lis before stopping by at a farmer house to buy two sets of male and female farmer clothes. They changed their clothes in the wilderness, and buried the clothing they were formerly wearing in the ground, before continuing their journey to the foot of Shaoshi Peak in a leisurely pace. Before they were within seven, eight lis of the Shaolin Temple, they had already met monks from the Temple three times. We cannot get any further, Zhao Min said. They saw there was a thatched hut by the mountain path, with a patch of vegetable garden in front of it. An old farmer was busy watering the plants. Lets ask for lodging here, Zhao Min said. Zhang Wuji went forward, cupped his fists in respect, and said, Excuse me, Uncle. We, brother and sister, are traveling. We are tired and wondering if you could give us a bowl of water to quench our thirst.
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It was as if the old farmer did not hear him at all, or he ignored him; he kept scooping manure mixed with water with a ladle and splashed it on the root of his vegetables. Zhang Wuji repeated his words, but the old farmer was still ignoring him. Suddenly the wooden door of the hut opened with a creaking noise, a white-haired granny came out. She laughed and said, My husband is deaf and mute. What do you [orig. ke4 guan1 honorable guest] need? My sister is too tired to walk, Zhang Wuji said, May I ask for a bowl of water for her? Please come in, the old granny said. They followed her in, and saw that the hut was very clean and tidy. The wooden table and stools were spotless. Although her clothes were made of coarse homespun fabric, they were very clean. Zhao Min was very happy; after drinking a bowl of water, she took out an ingot of silver and said with a smile, Popo [granny], my Gege is taking me to see our maternal grandmother. My legs gave up along the way. I was wondering if we can spend the night here and continue our journey tomorrow early in the morning. I dont have any problem with you staying overnight in here, and I dont need your money, the old granny said, But we only have one bedroom with a single bed in it. Granted that my husband and I can spend the night outside, but you, brother and sister, cannot possibly sleep in one bed, can you? Hey, hey, little Miss, youd better tell Popo the truth, didnt you run away from home to be with your beloved Gege here? As the secret of her heart was revealed, Zhao Min blushed, thinking that this granny had very keen eyesight. She also thought that she did not speak like an old woman of an ordinary peasant family. Thereupon she took a second look at her and noticed that although her back was hunched, her eyes were mysteriously bright; perhaps she was a martial art expert in hiding. Zhao Min also realized that Zhang Wuji did not look like an ordinary farmer either, while her own appearance and mannerisms were certainly not those of farmer womens. Popo, she said quietly, Since you have already guessed correctly, I cant lie to you. This Zeng Gege [big brother Zeng] is my childhood friend. My Father does not like him because his family is poor; he wont let me marry him. My Mama was aware I would rather die than not to be with him, so she told me to go to go with him. Mama said that after two, three years, when we we get a baby, we may come home. By that time, Father will have no choice but to let us marry each other. While she was speaking, her face turned deep red, while she often stole a glance toward Zhang Wuji, with eyes full of love. She continued, My family is quite respectable [orig. you3 mian4 zi5 have a face] in Dadu. Father is a government official. If we were ever caught, Father would certainly beat Ah Niu Gege to his death. Popo, I have told you everything, you must not tell anybody. The granny laughed out loud and said, When I was young, I also belonged to a respectable family. Dont worry, I will let you, two young married, to use our room. This is a remote place, your family certainly wont look for you this far. Even if there is someone who will give you trouble, Popo will not stand on the side doing nothing. She saw that Zhao Min was tender and beautiful, and she had entrusted her secret with her; so in her heart she regarded Zhao Min favorably. Thereupon she decided to do her best to help this young couple and to see a successful conclusion to their good deed. Listening to her last words, Zhao Min was convinced that she was a Wulin character. Only this place was so close to the Shaolin Temple, she wondered whether this granny was related to
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Cheng Kun or not. She decided they must be very careful and must not reveal the least bit of flaw. Thereupon she gracefully knelt down and bowed while saying, Popo is willing to take care of us, we are very grateful. Ah Niu Gege, come quickly and say thank you to Popo. Zhang Wuji came following her instruction; he bowed in respect to express his gratitude. The granny smiled and nodded; immediately she let them use her room, while she built another bed in the main room with a plank, padded with some straw, and spread out a woven straw mat on it. As they entered the room, in a low voice Zhang Wuji said, The old farmer watering his garden has an even higher martial art skill, did you see that? Ah, I did not see that, Zhao Min replied. Zhang Wuji said, He was carrying buckets of manure mixture using a shoulder pole, and he walked very slowly, but surprisingly the two buckets were very steady. That is a sign of a very high internal energy skill. How is he compared with you? Zhao Min asked. Zhang Wuji laughed and said, Let me try it, and well see. He lifted her up and carried her on his shoulder just like someone carries something with a shoulder pole. Aiyo! Zhao Min giggled, You think I am a bucket of manure mixture? From outside the room the granny heard these two people were affectionately laughing and joking; any remnant of suspicions she previously had in her heart immediately vanished. That evening, the two of them sat for dinner together with the old farmers, husband and wife. To their surprise, they had some chicken and meat dishes. Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min deliberately made a show of pinching each other hands under the table, or bumping each other with their elbows, just like a pair of eloping lovers, or like honey mixed with oil, neither one was willing to part with the other even for a moment. At first they were just acting, but later it became quite natural for them to show affection to each other. The granny saw everything, but she simply smiled. It seemed like the old farmer did not see anything; he just looked down and ate his meal quietly. After dinner, Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min went into their room and bolted the door. After teasing each other on the dining table, part pretending and part real, they could not help but feel excited. Zhao Min whispered, her pretty face blushing, We are only pretending, we are not doing it for real. Zhang Wuji embraced her in his bosom, kissed her mouth and replied in low voice, If we are only pretending, how can we have a baby in two, three years, and return home so that your Father can see the baby? Pei! Zhao Min bashfully spat, Turns out you were eavesdropping on the side and heard everything I said. Although Zhang Wuji seemed unrestrained in talking and joking with Zhao Min, in his heart he always remembered that he was engaged to be married to Zhou Zhiruo. Although he hoped that he would live a happy live, he also hoped that after his marriage with Zhou Zhiruo he would be able to sort things out with Zhao Min. At this moment, with a warm and tender body in his embrace, he could not help but feel confused. But finally he restrained himself and only kissed her cherry lips
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and tender cheeks; and then he carried her to the bed, while he lied down on a wooden bench in front of the bed. He finally fell asleep after circulating his Jiu Yang Zhen Qi for twelve rounds along his entire body. In the meantime, Zhao Min felt her face flush and her heart beat faster; she tossed and turned on the bed until deep into the night, unable to sleep at all. When she finally drifted off to sleep, suddenly, she heard footsteps from a distance. Someone was coming with great speed and had arrived at the door. She reached out to wake Zhang Wuji up. Coincidentally, Zhang Wuji had also heard the noise and was reaching out to wake her up; so two hands touched and they held each other tight. They heard a clear and bright voice from the outside, The virtuous husband and wife of the Du family, we meet again. Old friends come to visit in the night, we hope that we are not being rude After half a day, the granny replied from inside the hut, Is it the Qinghai San Jian [Qinghai (or Tsinghai a province in western China) three swords]? From Chuanxi [western Sichuan] we, husband and wife, have exiled ourselves to this place, out of fear of your Yuzhen Guan [genuine jade Taoist monastery]. Our dispute was over a small misunderstanding, there is no deep animosity or a major offense between us. Why is it that after so many years Yuzhen Guan has not let it go and force us into hardship? As the saying goes, killing the man does not necessarily mean to snatch his land. The man outside laughed and said, If the two of you are really afraid, kowtow to us three times, then Yuzhen Guan will forget the past and forgive your previous offense. With a creaking noise the wooden door opened. The granny said, You are able to pursue to this place, your source of information is quick. The full moon had just risen, its silver light flooding the earth. Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min peeked from a crack on the wooden partition. They saw three Taoist priests wearing yellow crowns stand outside. The one in the middle was short and plump, the tip of his short beard was branched into two points. Will the virtuous husband and wife kowtow to apologize, or should we decide life and death with a pair of hooks and a spear? the short Taoist priest asked. The granny had not answered him yet when the deaf old man came out in big strides and stood in front of the door. With hands on his waist, he gave the three Taoist priests a cold look. The granny followed him out and stood by her husbands side. The short-bearded priest said, Why hasnt the Venerable Du uttered a single word? Do you think its beneath your dignity to talk to the Qinghai Three Swords? My humble husband is deaf, the granny said, He could not hear anything you say. Ah, the short-bearded priest exclaimed, Venerable Dus technique in listening to the wind to distinguish the secret projectile was Wulins unique skill; how did he become deaf? Pity, its a pity. The priest next to him was even fatter than him. Swish this priest unsheathed his sword and said, Du Baidang, Yi Sanniang, are you sure you are not going to use any weapon? The granny, Yi Sanniang, replied, Ma Daozhang [Taoist priest Ma], you are still this impatient? Shao Daozhang, we havent seen each other for several years, the hair on your heads have turned
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gray. Hey, hey, you cant even let go of a small childish matter, why should we bother talking to you? Swiftly she raised both her hands. Bright rays of light flickered from her palms, as each palm held three short blades, less than half a foot each; so she had a total of six blades. The old man Du Baidang followed her lead; his palms also hold six short blades. He swiftly switched the blades in his left hand to his right and the ones in his right hand to his left. It was as if his fingers were crossing each other with matchless dexterity. The three priests were startled. They had never seen this kind of weapon in the Wulin world. It looked like a flying dagger, but there was no such technique among the flying dagger users. Du Baidangs pair of hooks had shaken the Western Sichuan, while his wife, Yi Sanniang, was very adept at using a spear. But this time both husband and wife had unexpectedly discarded the weapons they had trained for dozens of years; so these twelve short blades must have extremely fierce and strange stances. The fat priest raised his sword and he recited with deep veneration in his voice, Three elementsword formation, heaven, earth and mankind [San Cai Jian Zhen Tian Di Ren]. The short-bearded priest, Shao He, continued, Lightning rapidly comes out of Yu Zhen, pursuing the star [dian zhu xing chi chu yu zhen remember that their monastery was called Yuzhen Guan]. The three priests moved around in a circle, always keeping the Du husband and wife in the center. Zhang Wuji saw that the priests were moving to the left and all of a sudden to the right and vice versa. It looked like a three-element formation, but not quite a three-element formation. Their three swords were weaved into one bright net, but they did not attack the enemy. After the three priests had moved for seven, eight steps, Zhang Wuji started to understand the principle behind the formation. He mused, These three priests are very sly; they said it was a three-element sword formation, but it actually has the five-element principle hidden in it. If the enemy believes it was a three-element formation and fights the heaven, the earth and the mankind, three positions, they would be devoured by the five elements. Then it would be difficult for them to escape, and they would be either killed or injured. They are only three people, but launching a fiveelement formation; each one has to occupy more than one position and overcome their many variations. Their qing gong and their sword techniques must be extraordinary. The Du couple stood with their backs against each other. Four hands flickered with silver rays, twelve short blades were constantly exchanged. Not only they switched the blades from their left to right hands and vice versa, but Du Baidangs blades moved to Yi Sanniangs hand, and Yi Sanniang handed over her blades to Du Baidangs hands. All along not a single blade fell down, the short blades exchanged hands smoothly. Zhao Min was baffled by their movement. What kind of magic trick they are playing? she asked in low voice. Zhang Wuji knitted his brows without answering. He watched intently for a moment and suddenly said, Ah, I understand. He is afraid of my Yifus lions roar. What lions roar? Zhao Min asked. Zhang Wuji kept nodding his head, and suddenly sneered, Humph, based on their skill, they want
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to slaughter a lion and subdue a tiger? Zhao Min was more confused than ever, Are you talking in a riddle? she asked, Why are you talking to yourself and leave the listener in bewilderment? These five are my Yifus enemies, Zhang Wuji said in low voice, That old man is afraid of Yifus lions roar, hence he punctured his own ear to deafness Dang, dang, dang, dang, dang . Suddenly they heard a series of clanging noises close to each other, just like a string of pearls; the five of them had begun fighting. Three Swords of Qinghai sent out five attacks in succession, all of which were parried by the Du couple. The twelve short blades in their hands went back and forth between the two of them. Under the moonlight the blades looked like three rings around the body, their defense was very tight. The Qinghai Three Swords tried to penetrate their defense for a long time without any outcome and they immediately changed their tactic into defense. Du Baidang took the opportunity to enter their defense line; his short blade attacked the small and thin Taoist priest, Shao Yans abdomen. There was a saying within the martial art practitioners, an inch longer, an inch stronger; an inch shorter, an inch more dangerous. The short blades were less than five inches long, so they were extremely dangerous. Swish, swish, swish! Du Baidang launched three blades which all were meant to kill without any regard for his own safety. Ma Fatong and Shao Yan immediately launched a double attack, which was fended off by Yi Sanniangs blades. Now they know that the blade technique this couple trained was based on close coordination between the two; one attacks the other defends. The one who attacks focused his/her attention only on the attack. Likewise, the one who defends only care about the defense. Neither one needs to divert his/her attention. As Shao Yan received three successive attacks, he was forced to block frantically, and retreated several steps back. Du Baidang pounced on his chest, all his blades were aimed to Shao Yans vital points. Shao Yans condition was getting more and more critical. Shao He let out a long whistle, and his sword movements changed. Together with Ma Fatong, the two swords formed a sword net between Du Baidang and Shao Yan, keeping Du Baidang three feet away from them. Now three swords joined together in a very tight defense, so tight that even water would not be able to penetrate. Zhang Wuji let out another cold laugh and whispered in Zhao Mins ear, Both of the sword and the blade techniques are meant to battle my Yifu. Look at them, they all concentrate on defense and do not attack too often. More defense less offense; we wont find the outcome of the battle even if they fight for another day and night. Indeed, after several failed offensive attempts, Du Baidang also changed his tactic into defensive. In low voice Zhao Min said, Jin Mao Shi Wangs martial art skill is outstanding. These five fellows only concentrate on defense, how can they score a victory? They saw the five people exchange blade and swords stances, and successively use seven, eight different moves, but victory or defeat was still difficult to be seen. Hold it! Ma Fatong suddenly shouted, while leaping out of the circle. Du Baidang also withdrew. His silver beard fluttered, showing off his might and power.
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Ma Fatong said, The blade technique virtuous husband and wife employed, was it trained to slay the lion? Ah! Yi Sanniang exclaimed, Your vision is very good. Virtuous husband and wifes son was killed by Xie Xun, of course this great enmity must be avenged, Ma Fatong said, Since you have scouted the enemys whereabouts at the Shaolin Temple, why didnt you make your move at the earliest convenience? Yi Sanniang cast him a sidelong glance. This is our husband and wifes personal affair, she said, We dont see any need to trouble Daozhang [respectable term to address a Taoist priest] over it. Ma Fatong replied, Yuzhen Guan and virtuous husband and wifes dispute, as Yi Sanniang said, was over a small matter. It certainly does not worth fighting with our lives at stake, does it? How about we turn the enemy into friend by working together to find Xie Xun? What kind of enmity does Yuzhen Guan have against Xie Xun? Yi Sanniang asked. There is no enmity, hey hey, Ma Fatong said. Yi Sanniang said, If you dont have anything against Xie Xun, why would you painstakingly train this set of sword technique? We both train different techniques to achieve the same goal, which is to fight the Seven-Injury Fist. Yi Sanniangs vision is also very good! Ma Fatong said, In front of a sage we do not tell a lie; Yuzhen Guan only wants to borrow the Tulong Saber. Yi Sanniang nodded. She rapidly wrote several characters on Du Baidangs palm. Du Baidang replied by writing several characters on her palm. Both husband and wife communicated using their fingers instead of their tongues. Using such technique, they were having a discussion for a while. Yi Sanniang said, We, husband and wife, only want to seek revenge. For that, we are willing to shed our lives. We have no interest in Tulong Saber whatsoever. Thats great! Ma Fatong happily said, The five of us work together to break into Shaolin. Virtuous husband and wife get your revenge, Yuzhen Guan get the precious saber. By combining our minds and strengths, we can accomplish a great merit. Both sides obtain their desire, friendship will not be harmed. Five people struck each others palms to seal their oath straightaway. Then the Du couple invited the three priests to come into their house to have a detailed discussion on their plan to seek revenge and snatch the Saber away. As the Three Swords of Qinghai were seated, they saw that the wooden door of the bedroom was closed; unavoidably they eyed it suspiciously. Yi Sanniang said with a laugh, Dont worry, they are a young couple from Dadu, running away from their homes. The girl is as pretty as jade, the boy is an uncouth fellow; both do not know the least bit of martial art. Sanniang please dont blame us, Ma Fatong said, Its not that we dont believe virtuous husband and wifes explanation, its just that what we are about to accomplish is of the greatest importance, involving the life and death of the words heroes; if our secret is leaked, I am afraid
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Yi Sanniang laughed, We have fought for half a day, yet this young couple is still sleeping like a dead pig. Its very prudent of Ma Daozhang to be cautious. Youd better see it with your own eyes. While saying that, she pushed the door, but the door was bolted from the inside. Zhang Wuji thought that it would be better for him to learn whatever information he could get from these five people before trying to find a way to rescue his Yifu, so he did not want to get rid of these people so soon. He immediately carried Zhao Min and put her on the bed. Quickly he removed his shoes and pulled the blanket over their bodies. Snap! the latch broke by Shao Hes internal energy exertion. With a candlestick in her hand, Yi Sanniang walked in, with the Three Swords of Qinghai followed behind her. Seeing the candlelight, Zhang Wuji turned his eyes toward Yi Sanniang with a blank expression on his face. Swish Ma Fatong slashed his sword toward his throat. His action was very swift and fierce. Ah! Zhang Wuji cried out in fear, and jumped out of bed, as if he was delivering his neck toward the blade of the sword. Ma Fatong immediately held his sword, thinking that this man truly did not know any martial art, because no matter how brave, a martial art practitioner would not dare not to evade the sword. Zhao Min mumbled and turned her body around as if she was still deep in slumber. Under the candlelight, her face looked captivatingly beautiful and tender. Yi Sanniang was right, Shao He said, Lets get out of here! The five of them returned to the living room. Zhang Wuji jumped down the bed and put on his shoes. He heard Ma Fatong say, Have virtuous husband and wife confirmed that Xie Xun is really at the Shaolin Temple? We are absolutely certain, Yi Sanniang replied, Shaolin Temple has already sent out invitations to invite all heroes for a Lion-slaying Assembly on the Duan Yang Festival. If they had not captured Xie Xun, they would certainly lose face in front of the worlds heroes. How could they do that? Hmm, Ma Fatong was silent for a moment before continuing, Kong Jian Shen Seng [divine monk] of Shaolin Pai died under Xie Xuns fist; of course Shaolin monks and disciples would want to avenge him. Actually, all virtuous husband and wife need to do is enter the Temple on the Duan Yang Festival, and open your eyes to see your enemy stretch out his neck to die. Without uttering any word or exerting the least bit of strength, your enmity will be avenged. Why did Mr. Du sacrifice his ears and risk the danger of offending the Shaolin Pai? With a cold laugh Yi Sanniang said, My humble husband destroyed his ears five years ago. Besides, without any reason our only beloved son was murdered by that wicked thief Xie Xun. Our hatred toward him is as deep as the ocean. With this kind of enmity, would we leave the revenge in other peoples hands? In order to deal with this wicked thief surnamed Xie, our first step was to pierce his pair of ears deaf. We, husband and wife, will strive to die together with him. Hey, hey, ever since our beloved child was killed by him, we dont have anybody to love in this world anymore. We dont care if we offend Shaolin or Wudang, or die under thousand blades and ten thousand cuts. In the adjacent room, Zhang Wuji could hear a very deep hatred in her voice; he shivered involuntarily while musing, Because of his suffering under Cheng Kuns hands, Yifu has vented off his anger to many innocent people in the past. This Du couple does not look like bad people, yet because they are heartbroken over their sons tragic death, they endured pain and suffering just to
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kill my Yifu. This kind of enmity will not be easily resolved. As soon as I rescue Yifu, I will have to take him far away to avoid further shedding of innocent blood. By this time, Zhang Wuji did not hear the least bit of noise from the five people on the other side of the door. He took a peak from a crack on the wooden partition and saw the Du couple and Ma Fatong, three people, were dipping their fingers on the teacups and writing on the table. These five people are truly cautious, he thought, Although they are convinced that Zhao Min and I are not Jianghu characters, they are still afraid we might leak their plan. Ay, too many families in Jianghu want to seek revenge on Yifu. There are even more people who covet the Tulong Saber. I am afraid there are countless people who want to get their hands on him even before the Duan Yang Festival. These people not only made extraordinary painstaking effort, they are also martial art experts. Yifu would certainly face a catastrophic suffering if Shaolin Temple is somewhat negligent. Looks like the sooner I can save him the better. As five people continued their silent, secret discussion, Zhang Wuji lied down on the wooden bench and slept. They woke up at dawn the next day, and saw the Three Swords of Qinghai had already left. Popo, Zhang Wuji asked Yi Sanniang, Why did those three Taoist masters come here last night with shining knives in their hands? At first, I thought they came here to capture us that I was scared out of my wits. Only later I found out that it wasnt the case. Yi Sanniang was secretly amused to hear him calling the sword a knife; but keeping a straight face she said, They were astray travelers; they left after drinking a bowl of tea. Zeng Xiaoge [young big brother Zeng], after lunch we are going to take three bunches of firewood for sale in the Shaolin Temple. Would you help us carry a bunch? If the monks in the Temple ask, I will say that you are our son. This might inconvenience you a bit, but I just want to avoid making them suspicious. Your wife who is as-pretty-as-a-flower, must not go out to take a walk on her own. Although she talked as if she was asking Zhang Wujis opinion, her tone carried an authority, which did not give Zhang Wuji any chance to say otherwise. As soon as Zhang Wuji heard her, he understood her intention. She thinks I really am a farmer boy, he thought, And she wants me to accompany her scouting the Temple. Nothing can be better than that! Therefore, he immediately agreed. Whatever Popo said, Xiaozi [little child referring to self] will obey, he said, All I ask is that Popo will give the two of us shelter. We have been running to the east and fleeing to the west with fear and trepidation, without a day of peace. Right after the seventh hour [between 11am 1pm], Zhang Wuji followed behind the Du couple, each one carried a pile of firewood on their shoulder pole, walking toward the Shaolin Temple. He wore a wide bamboo hat on his head, a short hatchet on his waist, and a pair of straw shoes on his feet. Among the three, he carried the largest bunch of firewood. With a smile on her face, Zhao Min stood by the door, sending him off with her gaze. The Du couple deliberately walked slow, huffing and puffing along the way, until at last they arrived at a pavilion just outside the Shaolin Temple, where they put down their loads and took a rest. There were two monks chatting idly in the pavilion. They did not think much of seeing these three people. Yi Sanniang took off her head scarf to wipe her perspiration. She also reached out to wipe the sweats on Zhang Wujis head while asking, Child, are you tired?
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At first Zhang Wuji was embarrassed, but then he realized that she said those words with genuine affection; he could not help but look in her eyes. He saw tears were forming on her eyes, so he knew she must be thinking of the son Xie Xun had killed. He saw she was looking at him with lingering emotion, apparently she was expecting a reply. He was touched, and said, Ma, I am not tired. You are tired. When he said, Ma, he was remembering his own mother, hence, his voice was full of emotion too. As Yi Sanniang heard him call her Ma, the dam broke and tears streamed down her cheeks. Instead of wiping the sweat off her head, she used the head scarf to wipe her tears away. Du Baidang stood up, heaved the firewood and waved his left hand while walking out of the pavilion. Even though he could not hear the two peoples conversation, he knew that his wife was overwhelmed with the memory of their perished child. He was afraid she would expose some weakness and the two monks would see through their scheme. Zhang Wuji went to Yi Sanniangs pile of firewood, took two bunches and added them to his own pile, and said, Ma, let us go. Seeing him showing this much consideration, Yi Sanniang thought, If my child were still alive today, he would be several years older than this young man, and I would have had several grandchildren. For a moment she was only staring blankly and unable to move. Then, seeing Zhang Wuji walking out of the pavilion carrying his load, she stood up to follow. But because she was still excited, she slightly staggered. Zhang Wuji turned around to help her, thinking, If my Mama were still in this world, I would hold her like this One of the monks said, This young man is actually very filial, which is rare nowadays. The other monk said, Popo, are you going to sell this bunch of firewood to the Temple? These past several days Fangzhang [abbot] has issued an order that no outsiders will be allowed to enter the Temple. Youd better come back. Yi Sanniang was quite disappointed; she thought, Shaolin Temple has indeed elevated their security, then it wont be easy to go in. Du Baidang had already proceeded several zhangs ahead, but realizing the other two did not follow, he stopped and wait. The first monk said, This village familys mother is a loving mother, the son is filial, we must help them. Shidi [younger martial brother], take them through the back door to the kitchen. If anybody asks, just tell them they are the villagers who used to sell firewood. I dont think there will be any problem. Yes, the second monk said, The Supervisor forbid the outsiders to enter the Temple to avoid casual onlookers. These people are honest and upright villagers, why would we hurt their livelihood? Thereupon he led the Du couple and Zhang Wuji to enter the Temple through the back door. They dropped the firewood in the kitchen and the monk in charge of the kitchen counted some coins to pay them. Yi Sanniang said, We have some nice da bai cai [bokchoy, Chinese cabbage], I will send Ah Niu to deliver several catties tomorrow. You dont have to pay, just consider it our gift to all the Shifus to taste something new.
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The monk who took her there laughed and said, Starting tomorrow, you cant come in anymore. If the Supervisor finds out, the blame we have to endure will not end for a lifetime. The kitchen manager looked at Zhang Wuji, sizing him up, and then suddenly said, Around the Duan Yang Festival, we are going to have more than a thousand guests in the Temple. We are going to be too busy to fetch water and chop the firewood. This Xiongdi [brother (general term)] looks healthy and strong. How about you come and help us for a couple of months, and Ill give you five silver coins per month for your wages? Yi Sanniang was delighted. Thats great, she hastily said, Ah Niu does not have anything important at home to do. It will be better for him to stay and do errands for all Shifus, while earning one or two coins of silver to help the family out financially. Zhang Wuji hesitated, he thought, Many people in the Shaolin Temple know me. Once in a while they are bound to wander into the kitchen then I would be in trouble. If I have to live in the Temple for two months, I must avoid going out to prevent being recognized. Thereupon he said, Ma, my wife Yi Sanniang thought it was a heaven-sent opportunity, which could never be expected but could only be accepted. Your wife is fine at home, she hastily said, Are you afraid your Mama will mistreat her? You just stay here and listen to the Shifus words, dont be lazy. After several days, Mama and your wife will come to visit you here. You are a big boy now; cant you get away from Mama for even a day? Do you still want Mama to nurse you and help you urinate? As she said that, she tussle his hair, with eyes brimming with love. Actually, the monk in charge of the kitchen had been upset for many days. Around the Duan Yang Great Assembly, heroes from all over the world would gather there; providing rice and vegetable dishes, and preparing tea were the most difficult parts to be dealt with. Although the Temple Supervisor had allocated more manpower to help in the kitchen, these monks were not in the habit of practicing meditation and Buddhism dharma; they were more interested in training martial arts. Therefore, they were not willing to do menial kitchen works. They went to the kitchen just because the Temple Supervisor told them to; but they carried their haughty attitude in the kitchen, staring a lot at the other kitchen workers, but did not do too much work. By this time, it was still all right, but as soon as they guests arrived, they would be in big trouble. He saw Zhang Wuji was an honest, simple, hardworking villager, so he was determined to retain his service; thereupon he constantly persuaded Zhang Wuji to stay. Zhang Wuji considered, I can stay in the kitchen during the day to avoid seeing the Temple masters, while leisurely looking for Yifus whereabouts in the evening. But he was still pretending to drag his feet, until the monk who took him inside also persuaded him, then he reluctantly complied by saying, Shifu, I want to get six coins of silver per month from you; five silver coins for my Ma, and one silver coin for my wife to buy some clothes The monk in charge of the kitchen laughed and said, Its a deal! Six silver coins a month it is. After repeatedly exhorting Zhang Wuji to work diligently, Yi Sanniang slowly went down the mountain with Du Baidang. Zhang Wuji ran after them and said, Ma, please take a good care of my wife. I know, Yi Sanniang replied, Dont you worry. In the kitchen, Zhang Wuji was extremely busy with chopping firewood and removing the ashes, lighting fire and fetching water. He deliberately let the ashes smeared onto his face, and let the
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ashes fell on his hair, so that when he looked at his own reflection in the water jar, he could not recognize his own face. That night he slept with numerous kitchen helpers in a little cabin next to the kitchen. He knew the Shaolin Temple was full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Oftentimes there were martial art masters hidden among the kitchen helpers. Thereupon, he was very cautious in all aspects, he did not even dare to speak half a sentence more than necessary. In this way he passed seven, eight days already, during which time Yi Sanniang took Zhao Min to visit him twice. He worked hard from morning till night, and had never refused any task given to him. The kitchen manager monk was very happy. He also got along well with the other kitchen helpers. He did not dare to ask any question, but he opened his eyes and ears wide, trying to find any clues within the idle talks around him. He expected someone would be sent to deliver food to his Yifu, and then he would follow and try to find where his Yifu was imprisoned. Who would have thought that after waiting patiently for several days, he neither found any clues nor heard any news. By the evening of the ninth day, he was sleeping on his bed, when suddenly around midnight he heard some faint shouting from about half a li [1 li is approximately 0.5km] away. He arose quietly, and after making sure nobody else was awake, he launched his qing gong towards the direction of the noise. It seemed like the noise came from the wooded area to the west of the Temple. Leaping up to a big tree, he crouched to look around. After making sure nobody was hiding among the grass around him, he leaped from tree to tree toward the noise. By this time he started to hear clashing weapons; and then he saw several people who were engaged in a fierce battle. Hiding behind a tree, he saw flickering light from sabers and swords, as six people, divided into two sides, were fighting each other. The three men wielding swords were none other than the Three Swords of Qinghai, who arranged themselves in the fake three-element formation, which was actually a five-element formation. Their defense was very tight. Their opponents were three monks, each with a saber in his hand, trying hard to penetrate the defense. After about twenty, thirty stances; stab! one of the Qinghai Three Swords fell by the saber. The fake three-element formation was broken. The other Two Swords of Qinghai were not able to hold much longer. Several stances later, with a miserable Ah! one of them was chopped by the saber. Judging from his voice, it was the short and fat Ma Fatong. The last mans arm was already injured, but he kept fighting to the death. One of the monks shouted in a low voice, Hold it! Three monks with sabers in their hands surrounded him, but did not continue their attacks. An old-sounding monk said, Your Yuzhen Guan of Qinghai has never had any enmity or hatred toward our Shaolin Pai; why did you trespass our territory in the middle of the night? The last of the Three Swords of Qinghai was Shao He; with grief in his voice he said, Since the three of us martial brothers have already been defeated, we can only blame our own inadequacy; why do you ask any questions? The old-sounding monk said with a cold laugh, You came for Xie Xun, and wanted to get the Tulong Saber, didnt you? Hey hey, I have never heard Xie Xun killed anybody from the Yuzhen Guan; so you must be after the Tulong Saber. Based on your childs play skill, do you think you can wander around the Shaolin Temple? The Shaolin Temple has been the leader of the Wulin world for more than a thousand years; it never occurred to me that some people actually look down on us like this.
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Swish! Shao He took advantage while the monk was talking happily to thrust his sword straight forward. The monk hastily evaded, but he was one step too slow and the sword pierced his left shoulder. The other two monks from either side of him slashed together with their sabers, Shao Hes head was immediately separated from his body. Without saying anything, the three monks picked up the bodies of the Three Swords of Qinghai and walked toward the Temple. Zhang Wuji was just thinking of following them to know the outcome of this affair, when suddenly he heard faint breathing from among the tall grass ahead of him and slightly to the right. What a close call! he silently sighed, Turns out they set up an ambush here. Immediately he crouched back and remained motionless. About almost an hour later, he heard from among the grass someone softly clap twice. And then from some distant away someone else also clapped in response. Zhang Wuji saw six monks arose from all around him, each with a weapon in his hand, either a monks staff, a saber, or a sword. They walked in a fan-shaped formation toward the temple. Zhang Wuji waited until those six months were far away before he returned to the cabin. The rest of the kitchen helpers were still sleeping soundly; nobody knew he was away. He sighed inwardly. If I did not see it with my own eyes, I would not believe three warriors have just lost their lives in a very short moment. From what he had just experienced, he knew that the Shaolin Temple has set up a thorough security system, far tighter than usual, so he had to be even more careful. A few more days passed; it was the middle of the fourth month already. The weather gradually turned warm. They were a day closer to the Duanyang Festival with each passing day. Zhang Wuji mused, If I keep doing this heavy manual labor in the kitchen, in the end it would be difficult for me to find out Yifus whereabouts. Tonight I must take a risk by going everywhere to investigate. That night he slept until the third hour [between 3 5 am]. He quietly got up and jumped to the roof, crouching behind the stony roof ridge. He had just settled down into position when he saw two shadows from the south, light as a feather, swept passing to the north; their monks robes floating in the air, the sabers in their hands flicker under the moonlight. They were patrolling monks of the Temple. After these two monks passed, Zhang Wuji quickly moved several zhangs forward. He heard footsteps on the tile floor ahead, as two more monks leaped up. He saw shadows of monks going back and forth everywhere. The security was very tight; he thought that even the security inside the imperial palace was not this strict. Seeing this kind of situation, he knew that if he proceeds, he would be unavoidably detected. Therefore, he decided to return in disappointment. Toward the third evening, a storm was brewing; thunderclaps boomed and heavy rain poured down from the sky. Zhang Wuji was delighted. Heaven helps me! he thought. He saw the rain was getting heavier, everywhere he looked all he saw was total darkness. Quick as a lightning, he moved toward the main hall, thinking, The Luohan Hall, the Damo Hall, the Banruo [lit. great wisdom] Court, the Abbots lecture hall, are all Shaolin Temples most strategic places. I will explore them all one by one. However, there were so many buildings and rooms in the Shaolin Temple; in reality, he did not know which way was the Luohan Hall, which way was the Banrou Court. Trying to hide from the flashes of lightning, he wandered aimlessly until he arrived at a small bamboo grove. He saw ahead of him was a small cottage, and a flicker of light coming through the
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window. By this time his body was totally soaked; raindrops as big as soybeans hit his hands and face, and bounced back from his skin. Stealthily he crept toward the window, and he heard someone speaking inside; the voice belonged to Reverend Kong Wen, the Abbot of the Shaolin Temple. Zhang Wuji heard him say, Because of this Jin Mao Shi Wang, the Shaolin Temple has killed twenty-three people in one month. We are heaping sins on ourselves, contrary to the teaching of Buddha about showing mercy. The Ming Cults Guangming Zuo Shi [left emissary of the brightness] Yang Xiao, You Shi [right emissary] Fan Yao, Bai Mei Mo Wang [white-browed devil king] Yin Tianzheng, Qing Yi Fu Wang [green-winged bat king] Wei Yixiao, one after another sent their envoys to the Temple, asking me to release Xie Xun Hearing this, Zhang Wujis heart was reassured, thinking, Turns out my grandfather [orig. wai4 gong1 maternal grandfather], Yang Zuoshi, and the others have learned this information and have already sent people to come over here. He heard Kong Wen continue, Of course our Temple refused, but how can the Ming Cult let the matter drop? That Zhang Jiaozhu has reached the pinnacle of the martial art mastery, until now he has not appeared. I am afraid he is operating surreptitiously. Kong Zhi Shidi [younger martial brother] and I owe him for saving our lives. If he personally came and asked for favor, how can we answer him? This is a serious problem. Shidi, Shizhi [martial nephew], do you have any honorable idea? An old and deep voice coughed lightly. As Zhang Wuji heard this cough, his heart was shaken, for he recognized this person as Cheng Kun, who changed his name to Yuan Zhen. Zhang Wuji had never spoken with him face to face, but at the Brightness Peak, when Zhang Wuji was inside the cloth-sack, he heard him recounting the past events, and then from behind the rock, he heard him shouting; he was very familiar with Cheng Kuns voice. In a flash, suddenly Xiao Zhao came into his mind. One part of his heart was sweet, the other part was bitter. He heard Yuan Zhen say, Xie Xun is being guarded by three Tai Shishu [martial granduncle], so nothing will happen to him. The heroes assembly this time concerns our Shaolin Pais thousands of years prosperity and decline, our glory or disgrace. Some small kindness or resentment from the Ming Cult should not worry Fangzhang Shishu [abbot martial uncle] too much. Besides, the Wan An Temple affair was a collusion between the Ming Cult and the imperial government to make things difficult for the Six Major Sects, doesnt Fangzhang Shishu know it? How can the Ming Cult collude with the imperial government? Kong Wen was surprised. Yuan Zhen said, The Ming Cults Zhang Jiaozhu was engaged to the Emei Pai Zhangmen [sect leader], Miss Zhou. On their wedding day, the Ruyang Princes Junzhu Niangniang [princess] suddenly took that fellow surnamed Zhang away. This matter has shaken the Jianghu; Fangzhang Shishu must have heard about it. Thats right, Kong Wen said, I heard it was so. One of that Junzhu Niangniangs subordinate is a very capable warrior, called Ku Toutuo, Yuan Zhen continued, Both Shishu must have seen him at the Wan An Temple. At the Wan An Temple, Kong Zhi was forced by Zhao Min to demonstrate his martial art. Once he was humiliated by Ku Toutuo, because at that time his internal strength was gone, and thus he was not able to resist. He still bore some resentment until this moment. Humph, he said, Once this important business is finished, I am going to Dadu to find Ku Toutuo and challenge him.
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Shishu [plural], do you know who this Toutuo really is? Yuan Zhen asked. This Ku Toutuos knowledge is very vast, Kong Zhi replied, He seems to know the martial art skill of every school and every sect. In all honesty, I cant pinpoint his school origin. Ku Toutuo is actually the Ming Cults Guangming You Shi Fan Yao, Yuan Zhen said. Is that so? Kong Wen and Kong Zhi exclaimed together. They sounded very surprised. How can Yuan Zhen dare to deceive Shishu? Yuan Zhen said, If he has the guts to appear on the Duan Yang Festival, once Shishu sees it, you will know. Kong Wen was deep in thought. If thats the case, then Zhang Wuji definitely collaborates secretly with that Junzhu. As the Junzhu captured the leaders of the Six Major Sects, Zhang Wuji sold his kindness by rescuing us. I am 80, 90% sure that was what really happened, Yuan Zhen said. But I still think that Zhang Jiaozhu looks honest, considerate and upright, Kong Wen said, Its hard to imagine he is that kind of man. We must not wrongly accuse a good person. Yuan Zhen said, I am sure Fangzhang Shishu remember the saying, knowing a man by his face, not knowing his heart [zhi1 ren2 zhi1 mian4 bu4 zhi1 xin1]. That Xie Xun is Zhang Wujis Yifu, he is also one of the four Great Protector Kings [hu jiao fa wang see my note in Chapter 30] of the Devil Cult. The Devil Cult will disregard everything to save its own people. In the upcoming Lionslaying Assembly, everything will become apparent. Thereupon the three of them continued their discussion on how to welcome the guests, and how to stop the enemies who wanted to abduct Xie Xun; they also estimated how many masters from each school and sect would attend the assembly. Yuan Zhen strived to provoke all schools to fight each other. Then, after they had been defeated and suffered some injuries, Shaolin Pai would take advantage by killing the tiger inside the village, subduing all sects, so by right they would obtain the Tulong Saber and kill Xie Xun as a sacrifice for Kong Jian. Kong Wen strongly emphasized that they should not shed too much blood and offended the Wulin people of the same principle; also, it seemed like he did not want to insult the Ming Cult. Kong Zhi, however, wanted to embrace both ideas. He said, When all is said and done, the most important matter is forcing Xie Xun to reveal the Tulong Sabers whereabouts before the Duan Yang Festival. Otherwise, this lion-slaying assembly will be meaningless and in turn will degrade our Sects prestige. Shidi has stated it well, Kong Wen said, We must show the Saber without fail at the meeting to set up our prestige. Well say that this most revered in the Wulin world [wu3 lin2 zhi4 zun1], the precious Tulong Saber has returned under our Sects control. Then our Sect will rule the world, and nobody would dare to disobey. All right, Kong Zhi said, Let it be so. Yuan Zhen, go and talk with Xie Xun again. Persuade him to hand over the precious Saber and well spare his life. Yes! Yuan Zhen replied, I respectfully follow Shishus instruction. Footsteps were heard as Yuan Zhen went out the room.
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Zhang Wuji was delighted, but he knew that these three Shaolin monks possessed extremely high martial art skill; if he made the slightest noise, he would be immediately detected. If he had to fight the three of them together, he was afraid it would be difficult for him to score a victory. The best he could do would be escape, but then his efforts to save his Yifu would be a thousand times, ten thousand times more difficult. Thereupon he held his breath and stayed perfectly still. He saw that Yuan Zhens slim figure was moving to the north. A loud pitter-patter noise was heard as the heavy rain struck the oilpaper umbrella in his hand. Zhang Wuji waited until he was more than a dozen of zhangs away before he lightly slipped out to follow him. End of Chapter 35.
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Chapter 36 The Three Withered Pine-trees Sprouting Green Leaves

As he saw the three black ropes curling toward the upper part of his body, Zhang Wuji pushed to the left and reached to the right. One hand swept, the other tangled as he borrowed these three monks forces to wind the three black ropes together. Zhang Wuji made several somersaults midair, before his left foot landed on a pine-tree branch, and he steadied his footing.
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Under the heavy rain, the patrols on rooftops and everywhere else were considerably slackened off. Zhang Wuji followed close after Yuanzhen by hiding behind the building corners and behind big trees. He saw Yuan Zhen leap over the back wall of the Temple. Turns out Yifu is imprisoned outside the Temple, he thought, No wonder I cant find any clues inside the Temple. He did not dare to jump openly over the wall; creeping along the wall, he climbed up slowly to the top of the wall, and then after the patrolling monks passed by, he jumped down to the ground. In the rain, he saw that the top of Yuan Zhens umbrella was already more than a hundred zhangs to the north of the Temple, and then it turned to the left toward a small hill. Yuan Zhen climbed to the top of the hill with an exceptional speed. By this time Yuan Zhen was already around seventy years of age, but his agility was still extraordinary; during the ascend to the peak, the umbrella in his hand did not seem to sway at all. His movements were so smooth that it was as if someone was pulling him up with a rope. Zhang Wuji quickly ran toward the foot of the hill. He was about to climb up when suddenly his eyes caught a glittering light by the mountain path; there was someone with open blade lying in ambush by the roadside, hastily he halted his step. After waiting for only a short moment, he saw from the cluster of trees four people, three in the front and one in the back, came out and ran toward the peak. From a distant, Zhang Wuji saw there were several pine trees on the peak, but he did not see any buildings. He wondered where Xie Xun could be imprisoned. After looking around for and not coming across any other people, he followed to the peak. The qing gongskills of the four people ahead of him were excellent. He picked up speed until he was only about twenty zhangs behind them. In the darkness he could still see that among the four, one was a woman, the other three were men, all of them wearing regular clothes. He thought, Most likely these four came to give my Yifu some trouble. Ill let them fight a life and death battle against Yuan Zhen first. There is no hurry for me to interfere. Arriving at the peak, the four people picked up their speed. Suddenly Zhang Wuji recognized two of them, Ah, those two are Kunlun Pais He Taichong and Ban Shuxian, husband and wife. He heard Yuan Zhen let out a long and fierce cry, turn around abruptly, and dash back down the hill. Immediately Zhang Wuji dove down and hid among the grass by the roadside. He crawled several zhangs to the left and heard the ringing noise of clashing weapons, as Yuan Zhen and the newcomers had begun to fight. From the sound of the clashing weapons, it sounded like only two people were fighting Yuan Zhen. The other two are not fighting, he mused, Obviously, they proceed to the peak to find Yifu. Right away he crept faster among the thick patch of grass to the peak of the hill. As he arrived at the peak, he only saw a bare stretch of flat land; there was no building, only three tall pine trees arranged in triangle, their branches looked like soaring dragon, reaching up to the sky. He felt strange, Could it be that Yifu is not being held here? he thought. He heard some rustling noise coming from the underbrush on his right, as someone was creeping along; followed by Ban Shuxians voice, Move quickly, our two Shidis may not necessarily able to hold that Shaolin monk. Thats right, He Taichong replied. Two people rose up and charged toward the three pine trees. Zhang Wuji was afraid Xie Xun was really around here, so he did not dare to act rashly; he crawled forward among the thick grass. Suddenly he heard He Taichong exclaim, Hey!, as if he was hurt.
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Raising his head, he saw that He Taichong was standing among the pine trees, brandishing his sword fiercely like he was fighting with somebody, but actually no one else was visible. He only heard occasional bang, bang, bang, as if He Taichongs sword was colliding with some strange weapon. Zhang Wuji was even more perplexed. He crawled several steps forward and focused his eyes to have a closer look; he could not help but gasp in shock. It turned out that the trunks of the two pine trees diametrically opposite to him were hollow. The cavities size was just enough to accommodate one person. In each cavity sat an old monk, each monk held a black long rope in his hand, with which they were attacking He Taichong, husband and wife. The third three was right in front of Zhang Wuji. A black long rope also came out from this tree, so he knew that this tree also had an old monk inside its trunk. In the dark night, the three black ropes did not reflect any light, hence, they were almost invisible in their movements. He Taichong, husband and wife, anxiously brandished their swords in tight defense. But because they could not see the direction of the enemies weapons, they did not have the leeway to launch any counterattack. These three long ropes appeared to move slowly, but in reality they were very fast, yet they did not create any wind at all. Under the heavy rain, in the middle of the night, on a lone hill peak, the three ropes moved like ghosts or as if by magic; it was unspeakably weird. Mr. and Mrs. He repeatedly shouted their frustrations. They tried to get away from the encirclement of these trees, but each time they charged outward, the ropes would always push them back in. Zhang Wuji was secretly amazed; these ropes moved noiselessly, the people who drove them must have had profound internal energy, clear, pure and without any ruggedness in its utilization, might not be inferior to his own. He was astonished. Yuan Zhen said that Yifu is being guarded by his three Tai Shishu [grand martial uncles]; obviously, they are these three old monks. Their power is extremely profound! Ah! suddenly he heard a miserable cry, as He Taichongs back was hit by the rope and was thrown out from the encirclement; his life was gone right away. Ban Shuxian was shocked and saddened. While she is losing her concentration ever so slightly, the three ropes struck together to burst her skull and break her four limbs, making her lose her human form. One of the black ropes shook and threw Ban Shuxians corpse out from the encirclement. Yuan Zhen was fighting and stepping backwards, luring his opponents toward the peak. Come! he called out, You dare to come here, receive your death. Although his two opponents were Kunlun Pais masters, with his level of martial art skill, Yuan Zhen would not necessarily lose, but it would be difficult to kill both of them at once. At best he would be able to injure only one of them, and then the other one would unavoidably escape. Therefore, he led them toward the pine trees. The two of them were still several zhangs away from the trees, when suddenly they saw He Taichongs body. They both halted their steps, and in that split second, two long ropes came noiselessly from behind their heads and wound around their waists. The ropes jerked, and two people were thrown down from the peak, which was more than a hundred zhangs tall. Needless to say, they died as soon as their bodies struck the foot of the hill, but they cried out wretchedly when they were still midair, and the echo of their cry was still heard even after they were dead. In a short moment the three old monks had killed four masters of Kunlun Pai. They were able to lift heavy objects as if they were very light, and accomplished the task with ease; the level of their
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martial art skill was rarely seen. Zhang Wuji believed they were superior to Lu Zhangke and He Biweng, although not as good as Tai Shifu [grand master] Zhang Sanfeng, whose skill was immeasurably deep; but they had definitely reached the boundary of divinity. Shaolin Pai unexpectedly still had this kind of old expert, perhaps even Tai Shifu and Yang Xiao were not aware of it. His heart was beating fast; he crouched down in the thick grass and did not dare to make the slightest movement. He saw Yuan Zhen kick twice in succession, sending the bodies of He Taichong and Ban Shuxian into the deep valley below. As the corpses fell, it was a moment later that they heard two dull thuds as the bodies crashed into the bottom of the valley. Zhang Wuji mused, He Taichong repaid my kindness with evil. Today he came here to harm my Yifu and steal the precious saber away; his conduct was despicable. But he was a martial art master, truly an expert in the martial art study, and a leader of his school. I did not expect for him to end his life this way. He heard Yuan Zhen respectfully say, Three Tai Shishus divine skill is truly matchless; just by raising your hands, you have killed four masters of the Kunlun Pai. Yuan Zhens respect is endless. Words truly cannot express it. Humph, one of the old monks snorted, but did not say anything. Yuan Zhen continued, Yuan Zhen received Fangzhang Shishus [abbot martial uncle] order to come and wish three Tai Shishu well, and also to talk with the prisoner. One raspy voice said, Kong Jian Shizhi [martial nephew] was very virtuous and highly skilled. The three of us are very fond of him. We were hoping he would develop Shaolins martial art study. It was unfortunate that his life was lost in this villains hands. The three of us have lived in seclusion for decades and for a long time did not encumber ourselves with the mundane affairs of this world; yet because of Kong Jian Shizhi we came to this hill peak. This criminal is worthy of death for his many sins. One chop of the blade will take his life away. Why should you waste your breath and disturb our peaceful meditation? Yuan Zhen bowed respectfully and said, Tai Shishus instruction is right. However, Fangzhang Shishu also said, my En Shi [benevolent master] was harmed by this villain, but what kind of martial art my En Shi possessed? How could this villain, alone, have the power to injure him? For that reason, we imprison him here and trouble three Tai Shishu to guard him. First, to lure his comrades to come and save him; we hope to destroy the enemies who help him harm my En Shi one by one. Second, we want him to hand over the precious Tulong Saber, so it wont fall into other sects hands, and thus usurp our position as the most revered in the Wulin world, which we have held for thousands of years. Listening to this point, Zhang Wuji could not help but gnash his teeth in anger. He mused, This evil thief Yuan Zhen truly deserves to be cut in pieces for all his crimes. His words are sweet but poisonous. He persuaded these three monks, who have lived in seclusion for decades, to come out, and borrow their hands to slaughter the martial art masters of the Wulin world. Hmm, he heard one of the old monk said, You can speak with him. By this time, the heavy rain had not stopped, thunders were still rumbling incessantly. Yuan Zhen walked toward the center of the triangle and kneeled on the ground. Xie Xun, he said toward the ground, Have you thought about it? You only need to say where you keep the Tulong Saber, I will let you go. Zhang Wuji felt strange, Why did he speak to the ground? he thought, Could it be there is some
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kind of dungeon down there, and my Yifu is held captive in it? Suddenly, with a loud and clear voice one of the old monks said angrily, Yuan Zhen, Buddhist monks [orig. chu1 jia1 ren2 people who leave their homes] do not tell lies. Why do you deceive him? If he did tell you the place where he hid the Saber, would you really let him go? Tai Shishu, please understand, Yuan Zhen replied, Disciple thinks that my En Shis enmity is deep, yet if we consider it carefully, our Sects prestige is more important. If he would tell us the precious Sabers whereabouts for our Sect to obtain it, then we would let him go. After three years, disciple will find him to avenge my En Shi. So be it, the old monk said, In the Wulin world, good faith is of priority. Our words are like arrows. Even toward big criminals or the most evil people, Shaolin disciples should not break our promise. Respectfully received Tai Shishus instruction, Yuan Zhen said. Zhang Wuji thought, These three Shaolin monks not only possess outstanding martial art skill, they are also virtuous eminent monks; too bad they unconsciously fell into Yuan Zhens sinister plot. He heard Yuan Zhen shout to the ground again, Xie Xun, did you hear my Tai Shishu? Three Seniors have agreed to let you go. Suddenly from underground came the reply, Cheng Kun, do you still have a face to talk to me? As Zhang Wuji heard this heroic, but bleak voice, which he recognized as his Yifus voice, his heart was shaken. He fought the strong urge to dash forward, kill Cheng Kun and rescue Xie Xun, knowing that as soon as his presence was detected, three Shaolin eminent monks black ropes would immediately strike him. Even without Cheng Kun joining the fight, he knew he could not match the collaboration of these three monks. He thought, I will wait for that evil monk Yuan Zhen to go, then I will step forward to pay my respect to the three monks. Then I will explain the entire complicated story. They are enlightened Buddhists, they must know how to tell right from wrong. Xie Xun, he heard Yuan Zhen say with a sigh, You and I are old, why do you still painfully hang on to those past events? At most in twenty more years, you and I both will return to the yellow earth. I know I have wronged you, but I have also done you some good. Let the matter of the past go. As he was rambling on, Xie Xun did not pay him any attention. He simply waited until he was done speaking, then he said, Cheng Kun, do you still have a face to talk to me? Yuan Zhen talked repeatedly for half a day, but the answer was always, Cheng Kun, do you still have a face to talk to me? Yuan Zhen coldly laughed and said, I give you three days to think it over. After three days, if you still do not want to tell the Tulong Sabers whereabouts, you know with what method I will deal with you. As he said that, he stood up, paid his respect to the three monks, and walked down the hill. Zhang Wuji waited until he walked far. He was about to arise to greet the three monks when suddenly he felt something different on the air around him. This sneak attack did not have the least bit of forewarning. He was shocked and immediately rolled away, while feeling two long objects from above of his face coming horizontally across, perhaps no more than half a foot in front of his face. It was a swift and marvelous attack, but did not carry the least bit of wind. These objects were
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precisely the long black ropes. As he rolled a little more than a zhang away, another black rope was pointing toward his chest. This black rope was as straight as a lance or a staff, coming fast to pierce his body. At the same time, the other two ropes wound around from behind him. Only a moment ago he had seen four masters of Kunlun Pai, in short succession, lost their lives under these three black ropes. So he knew that these strange weapons were very fierce. Feeling the danger he was facing at this precise moment, he was even more shocked. Flipping his left hand, he caught the black rope piercing his chest, thinking he would fling it to the side. But suddenly the rope shook and a whiff of mountain-moving, ocean-stirring internal energy attacked the pit of his stomach. If this attack hit its target, all his ribs would be broken and his five internal organs would be crushed. In the time of split seconds, Zhang Wuji moved his right hand to the back, warding off the two black ropes threatening his back, while his left hand launched the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi, backed by Jiu Yang Shen Gong. One hand pulled the other pushed and he let his body follow the force. With a whiz! he flew up to the sky. Right that moment, three, four flashes of lightning lit up the sky. Two of the eminent monks grunted, as if they were amazed at his martial art skill. These lightning illuminated Zhang Wuji. Three eminent monks lifted up their heads, only to see that the martial art master whose skill had reached the pinnacle of perfection was actually a peasant young man with a filthy face. They were even more surprised. Three black ropes flew up menacingly like three black dragons, aiming Zhang Wuji from three different directions. Taking advantage of the lightning, Zhang Wuji looked down to see clearly the three monks appearances. The one sitting on the northeast corner had a black face, as black as the bottom of a wok. The one on the northeast corner had a sickly yellowish face, the same color of a dry wood. The monk sitting on the south had a deathly pale, paper-white face. All three monks had deep cheeks. They were so thin that it looked as if they did not have any flesh on their bodies. The yellow-faced monk only had one eye. The five eyes of the three old monks sparkled under the lightning so that they looked even more mysterious. As he saw the three black ropes curling toward the upper part of his body, Zhang Wuji pushed to the left and reached to the right. One hand swept, the other tangled as he borrowed these three monks forces to wind the three black ropes together. This move was based on Wudang Pais Taiji technique, which he learned from Zhang Sanfeng. The force was like a vortex, the three black ropes were wound into one. The lightning flashed, the thunder rumbled continuously; the Heaven was showing off its soulshaking power. Zhang Wuji made several somersaults midair, before his left foot landed on a pinetree branch. As he steadied his footing, in between the crashing thunder he said in a clear voice, Junior [orig. hou4 xue2 wan3 bei4 younger generation who studied later] Ming Jiao Jiao Zhu [the Ming Cults Cult Leader] Zhang Wuji, pays his respect to three eminent monks. His left foot was treading on the tree branch, his right foot high up in the sky, while he bowed in respect. As he bowed down, the pine-tree branch followed his movement, bobbing up and down slightly like a wave. Zhang Wuji stood steadily, his body appeared graceful. Although he was bowing down, he was up on the tree looking down, so he did not degrade his position. As the three monks felt their ropes were wound up by Zhang Wujis internal energy, they shook
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their hands and the ropes separated. In this short exchange, the three monks had used the three different stances of nine different styles [san1 zhao1 jiu4 shi4]; each style concealed dozens of variations, dozens of killer moves. Who would have thought that each one of these three stances of nine styles was warded off by the opponent? Each style was extremely dangerous. If the opponent missed even a fraction of a hair width, his flesh would be crushed and his bones broken, he would die a violent death. However, Zhang Wuji appeared to stay composed, as if he was crossing a ravine like flat ground. The three eminent monks had never faced this kind of superior opponent. No wonder they were very amazed. They actually did not know that to neutralize these three stances of nine styles, Zhang Wuji was forced to exhaust his entire strength. So as he was standing on the fluctuating pine-tree branch, he took the opportunity to regulate the troubled internal energy [orig. zhen1 qi4 genuine breath] in his dan tian [pubic region]. The martial arts Zhang Wuji used just now consisted of Jiu Yang Shen Gong, Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi, and Taiji Quan, three major divine skills, but for the final somersault in midair, he used the technique he learned from the engraving of the Sheng Huo Ling. Although the three Shaolin eminent monks possessed unique skill in martial arts, they had been living in seclusion for decades; they did not follow the human affairs. Obviously, they had never seen even one of these four martial arts. They vaguely felt, however, that his internal energy was somewhat similar to Shaolin Jiu Yang energy, yet it also felt far superior to Shaolins divine energy in a subtle way. As they heard him introducing his own name, who was unexpectedly the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult, the admiration and surprise they felt earlier immediately turned into rage. The old monk with deathly-pale face spitefully said, Lao Na [lit. old cassock referring to self] was wondering which martial art expert descended down to pay us a visit; turns out it is the big devil head of the Devil Cult. Lao Na, three brothers, have shut ourselves up for dozens of years, ignoring the mundane affairs of this world. Even our own Sects important business usually eludes our attention. Today by chance we get to meet the Devil Cults leader; that is truly the good fortune we couldnt even hope for in our lifetimes. To hear him mentioning the words devil head and Devil Cult left and right, it was obvious to Zhang Wuji that they bore a very deep grievance against his Cult; he could not help hesitate greatly, and was at a loss as how to reply. He heard the yellow-faced monk with one eye say, The Jiaozhu of the Devil Cult is Yang Dingtian! How can it be Sire? Yang Jiaozhu has passed away almost thirty years ago, Zhang Wuji replied. Ah! the yellow-faced old monk exclaimed, but did not say anything. He sounded shocked, as if he was utterly crushed and broken-hearted. Zhang Wuji thought, He looks exceedingly grieved to hear about Yang Jiaozhus death. His friendship with Yang Jiaozhu in the past must be very deep. Yifu was Yang Jiaozhus subordinate. Perhaps I can bring up the old friendship and then tell them how Yuan Zhen bore a deep hatred toward Yang Jiaozhu, and Ill see what happen. Thereupon he said, Da Shi [reverend grand master] must have known Yang Jiaozhu then? Of course I do, the yellow-faced old monk replied, If Lao Na did not know the great hero [the word here is da ying xiong] Yang Dingtian, how could I turn into a one-eyed man? Why would we, three martial brothers, have to sit in suffering for more than thirty years?
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He said those words matter-of-factly, but the extreme pain and deep hatred behind those words were obvious. Zhang Wuji groaned inwardly, Bad! Its bad! He understood that this old monks eye went bad under Yang Dingtians hands, so the three martial brothers lived in seclusion for the last thirty years of their lives, making a painstaking effort, was to avenge this enmity. No wonder they were greatly disappointed to hear the death of their archenemy. The yellow-faced old monk suddenly let out a clear whistle and said, Zhang Jiaozhu, Lao Nas Buddhist name is Du E [lit. crossing distress]. This white-faced Shidi [younger martial brother] is Du Jie [lit. crossing calamity]. This black-faced Shidi is Du Nan [lit. crossing difficulty]. Since Yang Dingtian [his given name means top of the sky] has died, our three peoples deep hatred and great resentment must fall into the current Jiaozhu. Our martial nephews, Kong Jian and Kong Xing have died under your honorable Cults hands. Since you dare to come over here, you must be a fearless man. As for the dozens of years gratitude and grudges, let our martial art skills be the judge. Zhang Wuji said, Junior [wan3 bei4] does not have any enmity against your precious Sect. I come here to rescue Yifu, Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Daxia. Although Kong Jian Shen Seng [divine monk] accidentally perished under my Yifus hands, the background story is rather complicated. As for Kong Xing Shen Sengs death, it has nothing to do with my humble Cult. The three of you cannot listen only to one side of the story. You must be able to discern right from wrong. The white-faced old monk, Du Jie, said, So according to you, who harmed Kong Xing? Zhang Wuji frowned and said, According to Juniors understanding, Kong Xing Shen Seng died under the imperial familys Ruyang Palaces warrior. Who is the leader of the Ruyang Palaces warriors? Du Jie asked. The daughter of the Ruyang Prince, Zhang Wuji replied, Her Han name is Zhao Min. I heard from Yuan Zhen, Du Jie continued, That this girl has joined hands with your honorable Cult. She has abandoned her royalty, abandoned her father, and defected to the Ming Cult. Is it true? He was aggressively pressing on step by step. Zhang Wuji did not have any choice but said, Thats right, she right now, she she has crossed from darkness to light. In a loud voice Du Jie said, The killer of Kong Jian is the Ming Cults Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun. The killer of Kong Xing is the Ming Cults Zhao Min. This same Zhao Min has also broken into the Shaolin Temple, captured our Temples disciples. The worst of it all, she went as far as engraving insulting words on our revered sixteen Luohan idols. If we add my Shixiongs [older martial brother] eyeball to those offenses, the three of us bear a hundred years of grievance. Zhang Jiaozhu, if we do not settle this debt with you, then with whom? Zhang Wuji heaved a deep sigh, thinking that since he had decided to shelter Zhao Min, her previous excessively wicked deeds could only be heaped on his head. In that blink of an eye, he suddenly understood his fathers feelings when he committed suicide when confronted with his beloved wifes former crimes. He thought that as the settlement of Yang Jiaozhu and Yifus enmity from the past until today, Du Jie is right: If I do not undertake it, who would? He stood straight up, sending his strength to his foot, and the bobbing tree branch he was standing up suddenly stayed still. In a loud voice he said, Since the three honorable masters say so, Wanbei cannot run away from this responsibility. Then only Wanbei, one person, can accept all offenses. But as Yifu harming Kong Jian Shen Seng, there were innumerable difficulties surrounding that event. I am
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asking three honorable masters not to hold him accountable. Du E said, What do you depend on that you dare to plead for Xie Xun? Do you think we, three martial brothers, will not kill you? Zhang Wuji thought that as things had come this far, he must fight to the end; he said, With one against three, Wanbei is definitely not your match. Which one of the three honorable masters will grant instruction to me? Du Jie said, Fighting one to one, we cannot defeat you. This is about an enmity as deep as the sea, we dont have to follow Jianghu custom. Good devil head, come to receive your death. Amitabha Buddha! As he invoked the name of Buddha, Du E and Du Nan spoke in chorus, May Buddha shows mercy! Three black ropes flew in a flash to coil around his body. Zhang Wuji dropped down to evade the ropes, but before his feet touch the ground, he flipped midair and charged toward Du Nan. Du Nan raised his left palm; with an abrupt turn of his palm, a strong gust of wind attacked Zhang Wujis lower abdomen. Zhang Wuji turned sideways to evade; using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi on his palm he ward off the attack. In the meantime, Du E and Du Jies pair of black ropes curled down on him. Zhang Wuji smoothly skated half a circle. Du Jie waved his left palm and launched a noiseless attack. Zhang Wuji moved from tree to tree, sending attack after attack. Suddenly his palm hacked down, several hundred raindrops, as big as soybeans, flew toward Du E, carrying a strong gale of wind. Du E leaned his head sideways to evade, but dozens of raindrops still hit his face so he felt pain nonetheless. Good kid! he shouted. The black rope shook. It made two circles in the air and struck down toward the top of Zhang Wujis head. Zhang Wuji flew like an arrow to avoid the circle of rope and attack Du Jie at the same time. The more he fought, the more alarmed he became, as he felt his body was surrounded by the airstream from the three black ropes and the gust of wind generated by the three palms, which gradually tightened around him like glue. Ever since he started teaching himself martial art, he had never met such superior opponents like these three monks. Not only their stances very complicated, the abundance of their internal energy was matchless. At first, Zhang Wuji was still able to use 70% of his strength in defense and 30% for offense. More than 200 stances, however, he started to feel that his pure and clear internal energy gradually turned muddy that in order to survive he could only defend and not attack at all. His Jiu Yang Shen Gong was actually unlimited; the more he used it, the stronger he was. But right now, every move he made consumed enormous internal energy that little by little he felt his stamina decrease. Actually, it was also because he had never had this kind of experience ever since he trained the Shen Gong [divine skill/strength]. After several dozens more stances, Zhang Wuji thought, If I keep fighting, I will only deliver my life in vain. Id better escape today, and come back with Grandfather [orig. wai4 gong1 maternal grandfather], Yang Zuo Shi [left emissary], Fan You Shi [right emissary], and Wei Fu Wang [bat king]. With five of us joining forces, I am sure we will defeat these three monks. At that time we will be able to rescue Yifu. Immediately he sent three stances attack toward Du E in his attempt to break out of the encirclement. Unexpectedly, the circle of three long black ropes was as tight as copper wall or iron rampart. Several times he attacked, each time he was pushed back and was unable to get out. He
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was greatly shocked. Turns out these three monks collaborate as one individual, he thought, Can anyone in the world really achieve this kind of interlinked minds? He did not know that Du E, Du Jie and Du Nan, three monks had spent more than thirty years sitting in meditation together. Their biggest skill was in using the interlinked minds. As one person moved, the other two understood his intention immediately. This telepathic skill sounded mysterious, but these three men had been together in one room for more than thirty years; concentrating in interaction with each other in training, so it was not surprising that their minds could react as one person. Zhang Wuji further thought, If that is the case, then although Grandfather and the others come together, we might still be unable to breakthrough these three mens interlinked minds. Could it be that in the end my Yifu is beyond deliverance? That I will lose my life today? As he was anxious, his focus was slightly dispersed, his shoulder was swept by Du Jies five fingers, and the pain entered the bones and marrows. He mused, My own death is nothing to be regretted, but Yifus injustice must be washed clean. Yifu has always been a proud man. Since he has fallen into others hands, he will not utter half a word to defend himself. Thereupon, in a clear voice he said, Three Old Honorable Masters, since Wanbei has stranded over here today, my life is difficult to protect. A real man is not afraid of death. What else can I say? There is one matter I need to clarify, though Whoosh! Whoosh! two black ropes came from left and right. Zhang Wuji pushed to the left and pull to the right, warding off the incoming force away, while continuing, That Yuan Zhens real civilian name was Cheng Kun, his title was Hun Yuan Pi Li Shou [Lightning Hands of the Originating Formation]. He was my Yifu, Xie Xuns master The three Shaolin eminent monks noticed how he warded off their forces while spitting out words at the same time. It was a kind of internal energy cultivation they themselves were not able to master. They could not help but feel more alarmed. The three monks recognized the Ming Cult was the stop-at-no-evil Devil Cult. The higher the Jiaozhus martial art skill, the higher their capacity to harm others would be. Seeing that currently he fell into the tight encirclement and unable to escape, they decided to seize the opportunity. Only, their endeavor would need unlimited efforts. Therefore, without saying anything, they intensified the black ropes and their palms attacks. Zhang Wuji continued talking, Three Old Honorable Masters must understand, this Cheng Kuns Shimei [younger martial sister] was the Ming Cults Jiaozhu Yang Dingtians wife. Cheng Kun had some feeling toward his Shimei, thus he became jealous and eventually his jealousy turned into deep hatred toward the Ming Cult Thereupon as his hands were busy fending off the three monks stances, his mouth did not stop recounting, from the beginning to the end, how Cheng Kun schemed to destroy the Ming Cult, how he made illicit rendezvous with Mrs. Yang, which finally caused Yang Ding Tians demise, how he faked drunkenness and molested Xie Xuns wife and killed his entire family, how he compelled Xie Xun to randomly massacre Wulin people, how he took Kong Jian Shen Seng as his master and deliberately lured him to take thirteen fists from Xie Xun, but he did not appear and in the end Kong Jian died with unsatisfied regret. The more Du E, three monks heard, the more troubled their hearts were; the story appeared as it was cooked up by some criminals or barbarians, yet everything was logical and reasonable, everything fitted together perfectly. Du E was the first to relax his black rope. Zhang Wuji also said, Wanbei does not know how Yang Jiaozhu became enemies with Du E
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Dashi, but I am not surprised if there was a third party who incited disharmony between the two of you. Most likely this man was Yuan Zhen. There is no harm in Du E Dashi trying to recall past events. See if what Wanbei has said has some merit in it. Hm, Du E stopped his rope altogether. He lowered his head and pondered a moment. That makes sense, he finally said, In Lao Nas feud with Yang Dingtian, Cheng Kun did indeed play an important role. Afterwards, he wanted to take Lao Na as his master, but Lao Na had never taken any disciple, so I recommended him to Kong Jian Shizhi to be his disciple. Come to think about it, did he intentionally arrange all this? Not only that, Zhang Wuji said, Currently, he is coveting over the Shaolin Temple Abbot position, gathering supporters outside the Temple, and cooking up a secret conspiracy to usurp Kong Wen Shen Seng He had not finished speaking when there was a loud rumbling noise as a giant boulder on the sloping hill toward their left tumbled down toward the three pine trees. Whos there? Du E shouted. The back rope in his hand flew. Bang! Bang! it struck the boulder right on, but it only caused several chips to fly away. From behind the boulder a shadow suddenly pounced toward Zhang Wuji with an exceptional speed. A cold ray flashed as a short blade was thrust into his throat. This attack was so sudden, and it came when Zhang Wuji was using his full-strength to block Du Jie and Du Nan, two monks black ropes and palm strikes. He was totally caught off guard against this sneak attack. He only felt a sharp wind in the darkness and the short blade had already reached his throat. In this critical situation he threw himself sideways, and with a rip noise the sharp of the blade made a big cut on his clothes right on his chest. If he was a fraction of a second late, his chest and abdomen would be cut open. As his attack failed, the attacker broke out of the three monks black ropes encirclement by rolling behind the giant boulder. Close shave! Zhang Wuji silently cursed. He shouted, Wicked thief Cheng Kun! Come and deal with me personally if you dare! You want to kill me to close my mouth? Actually, he did not see clearly the assassin who attacked him with the blade, but he knew that persons movements were quick, his stance was fierce, his internal energy was strong, and his martial art was somewhat similar to Xie Xun, so he presumed it was none other than Cheng Kun. Just like three great hands, the three black ropes of the Shaolin three monks reached out toward the boulder. Wrapping and heaving, they lifted the thousand-catty giant boulder and hurled it away. But Cheng Kun had already gone down the mountain far away. Was it really Yuan Zhen? Du E asked. Of course that was him, Du Nan said. Du E said, If he did not have any guilty conscience, why would he Suddenly from all directions came repeated shouts, as seven, eight shadows arrived. The first one shouted, Shaolin monks became Buddha disciples in vain, you have killed too many people. Arent you afraid the consequences of your sins? Everybody, lets go together.
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Eight people, each with a weapon in their hands, charged toward the three monks. Zhang Wuji was still standing in the middle of the three monks. He saw that among these eight people, three wielded swords, each of the other five wielded either a saber or a whip. Each one of them possessed a high level or martial art skill. Immediately they fought the three monks black ropes. After watching for a while, Zhang Wuji recognized the stances of the three people wielding swords were similar to the Qinghai Three Swords, who were killed by the Shaolin monks several days earlier. Only their changes were more subtle and their forces stronger, far above the Qinghai Three Swords. These people must be Qinghai schools senior characters. These three people attacked Du E. The other three people fought Du Nan, and the remaining two joined hands in battling Du Jie. Although Du Jie only fought two people, these twos martial art skill was a notch higher than the rest of the attackers. After fighting for half a day, Zhang Wuji could tell that Du Jie gradually fell under his enemies control; while although fighting one against three, Du E seemed to be in control with his abundance internal strength. About a dozen or so stances later, Du E was aware of the difficulty Du Jie was facing. His black rope shook, and flew toward the two men attacking Du Jie. The two men were tall and powerfully built. Their black beards floating, their movements were extremely agile. One of them held a pair of judge brushes, the other held a short pole to seal acupoints. Du E and Du Jie were several zhangs apart, yet Du E could feel the wind generated by these two peoples weapons as if they were closed to him, proving that short weapons were inevitably more fierce than the long ones. On the other front, the power carried by the three swords of Qinghai people was getting weaker, and they slowly fell under Du Nans control. As it happened, Du Nan was fighting three enemies, while Du E and Du Jie two monks were fighting five enemies. For the time being, both parties were in a stalemate. Zhang Wuji wondered in his heart, These eight people are all martial art experts and they are not necessarily inferior to He Taichong, husband and wife. Other than the three Qinghai Pai people, I cannot figure out the school origin of the other five. Truly in this wide world, there are crouching tigers and hidden dragons among the tall grasses and thick weeds. I wonder how many heroes and warriors are hiding quietly, whose names I have never heard of. After these eleven people fought for more than a hundred moves, the black ropes in the three monks of Shaolins hands were getting shorter. The shorter ropes required less internal energy to operate, but their agility and attacking power were also reduced several degrees. Several dozens of moves later, the three monks black ropes were shortened six, seven feet more. The two blackbearded old men fought closer and closer. The power behind their weapons was getting stronger and stronger. As soon as they saw a hole in their enemies defense, they would do their utmost to advance step-by-step, to be as close as possible to the three monks. But as their black ropes were shorter, the three monks defense was also tighter. The three ropes were like a circle with infinite elasticity. Each time the two black-bearded old men pressed on, they would be pushed back by the ropes. By this time the three monks had already joined their qi that the battle turned into three against eight. The three Shaolin monks spared no effort in fighting the enemies, but they were groaning inside. They knew that although the battle with these eight people was prolonged, they would not suffer defeat. If they used the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan [Buddhas warrior devil subduing ring/loop], not only eight enemies, even sixteen or thirty-two people would not be able to penetrate their defense. However, inside this ring hides a powerful enemy who would endanger them internally. If Zhang Wuji ever decided to make his move, they would be crushed from inside and outside, then
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the Shaolin three monks lives would be gone. The three monks saw him quietly sit on the ground; apparently he was waiting for a good opportunity to strike. Perhaps he was waiting for the three monks and their enemies to exhaust their strengths, and then gain advantage at their expense. By this time the three monks had used their internal energy to its fullest potential. They were thinking of letting a long whistle down the hill to call for help from the Shaolin Temple, but they could not open their mouths. If they uttered even a single word, the flow of their blood and qi would reverse, and then if they were lucky enough not to die, they would certainly suffer internal injury and would be crippled. In their hearts, they were scolding themselves for being too proud. If, at the first sign of powerful enemys arrival they had raised the alarm asking reinforcement from the Temple, their victory would have been assured as soon as several masters of Damo Hall and Luohan Hall came to help. This dire circumstance was also clearly seen by Zhang Wuji. If he wanted to take these three monks lives at this time, it would be as easy as lifting his finger. But he thought as a real man, he should not take advantage when others were in danger. Let alone the fact that these three monks were the victims of Yuan Zhens evil plot. Besides, if he killed them, he would still have to deal with the eight powerful enemies, which would not make his job any easier. Knowing that victory or defeat between the two parties would not be decided for a while, he looked down to see that there was a dungeon in the ground, covered with a very big rock. All he could see was a small gap, supposedly it was the air passage for Xie Xun to breathe, and to deliver food for him. He thought that his time was limited. By the time victory and defeat between the combatants was decided, some people from the Shaolin Temple might have arrived; and then he would lost the opportunity to rescue Yifu. Thereupon he knelt down by the rock and pushed with both hands. He was able to push the giant stone slowly aside by exerting his strength using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi technique. He had not pushed the rock one foot when suddenly a strong wind came from behind, as Du Nan sent a palm strike toward his back. Zhang Wuji used the take off force to borrow strength. Bang! a large part of the clothes on his back tore to pieces. In the fierce wind and rainstorm, the pieces of clothes flutter in the air like butterflies; but actually he transferred Du Nans palm strength to the giant stone. With a loud rumbling noise the stone slid about a foot. He unloaded the palm strength to the rock so that he was not injured internally, but when he took the force, his own internal energy was focused on the stone in front of him; therefore, he felt severe pain on his back. As Du Nan launched a palm strike, he revealed a gap in the black ropes defense. One of the blackbearded old man immediately penetrated the loop. The short pole in his right hand struck toward Du Nans left breast. The Shaolin Three Monks flexible rope formation was very effective for a long distance attack, but not for a close combat. Du Nan raised his left palm to ward off the attack threatening the acupoint on his chest. The black-bearded old man stretched out his left-hand index finger to pierce Du Nans shan zhong xue [lit. in the flock (of sheep or goats) acupoint]. Not good! Du Nan cried out inwardly. He did not expect the enemys yi zhi chan [sacrificing finger] acupoint sealing technique was fiercer than his sealing acupoint pole. In this critical situation, he did not have any choice but to let go the rope in his right hand and sweep it across his chest with a strong gust of wind, and immediately launched a counterattack with his thumb, index finger and middle finger shaped like a fan. Although he succeeded in warding off the enemys attack, with the black rope no longer in his
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hand, the old man wielding judge-pens immediately entered in his line of defense. The Shaolin Three Monks Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan was broken. Suddenly, the end of the black rope, which was lying on the ground, rose up just like the head of a viper ready to strike its victim. With a loud scream the rope went toward the acupoint on the face of the old man wielding the judge pens. Even before the rope arrived, the strong wind generated was enough to stop the enemy. The old man hastily raised both of his judge pens to block. As the rope and the pens collided, he was shaken and his arms went numb, the pen in his left hand almost fell off, while the pen in his right hand was diverted to strike the rock underneath. Rock chips flew as sparks splashed everywhere. The black rope continued toward the Qinghai Pai three swordsmen, forcing them to withdraw about a zhang backwards. The Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan was not only restored, the power was even greater than the original formation. The Shaolin Three Monks were pleasantly surprised, especially since they saw the other end of the rope was unexpectedly in Zhang Wujis hand. He had never practiced the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan with them, so in term of interlinked minds and moving in seamless coordination with the others, he was far inferior to Du Nan. However, his unequalled abundance internal energy was more than enough to generate an earth-shattering force to drive the enemies to withdraw in all directions. Du E and Du Jies black ropes also moved that together they drove the remaining seven people to fall back. In the meantime, Du Nan focused his attention to deal with the black-bearded old man, which was a notch inferior to him both in terms of martial art and internal strength. He fought sitting inside the pine tree, and did not stand up at all. His ten fingers slapped, pierced, plucked, hooked, pointed, brushed, captured and seized, so that after several moves, the black-bearded old man repeatedly fell into dangerous situations. Seeing his seven companions were not in a better situation than what he was facing, the old man bellowed and leaped out from the loop. Zhang Wuji handed the black rope back to Du Nan, and then bending down, he used the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi again to push the giant rock another foot. He looked down into the exposed underground cave and called out, Yifu, Child Wuji is late in rescuing you. Can you come out? I am not going out, Xie Xun replied, Good Child, get out of here, quick! Zhang Wuji was surprised. Yifu, he said, Is your acupoint sealed? Or are you bound in shackles? Without waiting for Xie Xun to reply, he jumped down the dungeon. Splash! water splashed out. Turned out the several hours of heavy downpour had flooded the dungeon that the water reached his waist. Half of Xie Xuns body was submerged in water. Zhang Wujis heart ached. He reached out to carry Xie Xun up. His hands groped around Xie Xuns hands and feet, but did not feel any shackles. He then massaged Xie Xuns several main acupoints, but again, he did not find any signs of anybody sealed his acupoints. Hence, he wrapped his arms around Xie Xuns body, leaped up and out of the dungeon, and sat Xie Xun on top of the giant rock by the cave opening. This is the best time to escape, Zhang Wuji said, Yifu, let us leave. As he said that, he pulled Xie Xuns arm, with the intention to leave immediately. But Xie Xun kept sitting on the rock, refusing to move. Hugging his own knees he said, Child, the gravest sin I have ever committed in my life was killing Kong Jian Dashi. If your Yifu fall into other peoples hands, I would certainly fight bravely to the end. But today I become a prisoner of the Shaolin Temple, I am willing to receive the harshest punishment to pay for Kong Jian Dashis life.
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Zhang Wuji anxiously said, But you killed Kong Jian Dashi by mistake. It was Cheng Kun, that wicked thief, who engineered such a sinister plot. Besides, Yifus entire familys blood debt has not been restituted, how can you die under Cheng Kuns hands? Xie Xun sighed and said, Everyday for more than a month, in this dungeon, I heard the three eminent monks chant their prayers, I heard the morning bell and the evening drum from the temple at the bottom of this hill, which has made me think about my past. Your Yifus hands reek with too much innocent blood that even a hundred deaths cannot redeem it. Ay, all sorts of wickedness caused too much sin. I am more sinful than Cheng Kun. Good Child, dont mind me, just quickly go down the hill. The more Zhang Wuji listened to him, the more anxious he was. Yifu, he shouted, If you dont want to go, I will force you. As he said that, he turned around and grabbed both of Xie Xuns hands; he was going to carry him on his back. They heard clamoring noise of people coming up the mountain path, there were several people shouting, Who dare to cause trouble at Shaolin Temple? A dozen or so people were coming up the hill, amidst the noise of feet splashing in the water. Zhang Wuji was just about to grab Xie Xuns legs, ready to take him go; but suddenly the da zhui xue [big spine acupoint] on his back went numb. It was Xie Xun. Zhang Wujis hands lost their strength and he did not have any choice but to relax his grip. In his anxiety he almost cried. Yifu, he called out, You why are you being this difficult? Good Child, Xie Xun replied, The wrong I have received, you have already explained it clearly to the three eminent monks. The sins I have committed, I have to pay the retribution myself. If you are not leaving, who will avenge my grievances for me? Zhang Wujis heart turned cold; but he saw the dozen or so Shaolin monks wielding Buddhist staff or saber had already attacked the eight people. Bing, bing, bang, bang! the noise of the close combat can be heard. The black-bearded old man with judge pens realized that if the battle was prolonged, not only they would fail their mission at the last minute; they may find it difficult to escape alive. He was enraged that a nameless young man had spoiled their important business. With a clear voice he shouted, I beg to know the honorable surname and the great given name of the young man in the middle of the pine trees. Hao Mi and Bo Tai of Hejian [a city in Hebei province] want to know which expert has interfered with our business today. Raising his black rope up, Du E said, The Ming Cults Zhang Jiaozhu, the number one martial art expert in the world; how can the Hejian Shuang Sha [twin evils of Hejian] not know? Ah! the judge pen wielding Hao Mi exclaimed. He raised his pair of pens up and then walked out of the loop. The other seven followed him. The Shaolin monks were about to stop them, but those eights martial art skill was considerably higher than the monks; side by side they proceeded going down the hill. Du E and the others, three monks, had heard everything Xie Xun and Zhang Wuji said. They also knew that Zhang Wuji did not take advantage of their precarious situation, he simply stood on the side, did not help either side. When Bo Tai broke through their Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan defensive line, based on the Twin Evils of Hejians cruelty, the three monks would have lost their lives by now. The three monks laid down their black ropes, stood up, and put their palms together in respect. Many thanks for Zhang Jiaozhus benevolence, they said in chorus.
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Zhang Wuji hastily returned the propriety and said, Such an insignificant deed; is it worth mentioning? Du E said, In todays business, although Lao Na would not allow Xie Xun to accompany Zhang Jiaozhu, but Zhang Jiaozhu has just saved our lives, Lao Na would be powerless to stop you from leaving. Only Lao Na, three martial brothers, have received order from our temples Abbot to watch over Xie Xun. We have established a heavy oath before Buddhas presence, unless the three of us lose our lives, we will never let Xie Xun escape. This matter concerns our Sects thousand years of glory or disgrace; we beg Zhang Jiaozhu to understand of our difficulty. Humph, Zhang Wuji snorted, but did not say anything. Du E continued, About the animosity of Lao Na losing an eye, we can consider it over today. If Zhang Jiaozhu wishes to rescue Xie Xun, you may come back anytime. As long as you can break Lao Na, three martial brothers Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan, you can take Shi Wang [lion king] go. Zhang Jiaozhu may bring as many helpers as you wish. You can take turn fighting us, or you can fight us as a group; we, three martial brothers, will accept the challenge by ourselves. Before Zhang Jiaozhus return, Lao Na, three brothers, will guard Xie Xun carefully. We will not let Yuan Zhen to insult him even for half a sentence, or harm a single strand of his hair. Zhang Wuji cast a glance toward Xie Xun; in the dark night he saw the silhouette of his well-built form, his long hair draped over his neck and shoulders; he was standing with lowered head, as if his heart was full of remorse over the transgressions he committed in the past. He looked totally different from his impressive, invincible former self. Zhang Wuji felt tears forming in his eyes as he considered, I cant defeat them today, and Yifu does not want to leave. I must bring [maternal] Grandfather, Yang Zuo Shi, Fan You Shi, and the others to help me fight. This three black rope formation is as impregnable as a copper wall or iron rampart. If Du Nan Dashi did not send me a palm attack, that Bo Tai would definitely not able to break through their defense line. Even with the help of Grandfather and the Left and Right Brightness Emissaries, there is no guarantee that we can break their formation. Ay, right now, all I can do is to deal with whatever comes my way using one step at a time. Thereupon he said, Since that is the case, I will return to receive instructions from the Three Reverends. Turning around to embrace Xie Xuns waist he said, Yifu, your child is leaving. Xie Xun nodded. Gently stroking Zhang Wujis hair he said, You dont have to come back. I have made up my mind not to leave. Good Child, I hope in everything you will turn bad luck into good fortune. Dont let the hopes of your Father and Mother and myself down. Follow your Fathers example; dont follow your Yifus. Zhang Wuji replied, Both Father and Yifu are heroes and real men; upright warriors who do everything in the open. Both are Childs role models. As he said that, he bowed in respect. His shadow swayed and he flew out of the three pine trees circle. Raising his hands toward the Shaolin Temples three monks, he launched his qing gong and suddenly disappeared. They only heard his clear whistle, which in a very short time had reached about a li [approx. 0.5 km] away. The Shaolin monks standing on the peak of that hill looked at each other in astonishment. They had heard that the Zhang Jiaozhu of the Ming Cult possessed an outstanding martial art skill, but they had never expected his skill to be this divine. Since his presence was no longer a secret, Zhang Wuji thought he might as well show his martial art skill. Perhaps the Shaolin monks would be scared and would treat Xie Xun nicely. His whistle sound came out of his abundant qi; it was a continuous whistle, which rose up above
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the noise of the thunderstorm. It sounded like a dragon roar as it flew through the sky. Putting his entire strength on his feet, he ran faster and faster, while his whistling was also getting louder and louder. Thousands of Shaolin monks were startled awake from their dreams. It was not until the whistle was far away they started to talk to one another. Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, and the others knew Zhang Wuji had arrived; which only served to increase their anxiety. Zhang Wuji ran for several lis. Suddenly from behind a willow tree by the road side someone was calling out, Hey! Someone leaped out. It was Zhao Min. Zhang Wuji stopped his whistle and halted his steps. Reaching out, he pulled her over, only to see that her whole body was dripping wet from the heavy rain; as she looked up, water streaming down from her face. Did you fight with the Shaolin Temple baldies? Zhao Min asked. Yes, Zhang Wuji replied. How is Xie Daxia? Zhao Min asked, Did you see him? Zhang Wuji pulled her arm along, and while they were strolling in the heavy rain, he told her briefly what had happened just now. Zhao Min hesitantly asked, Did you ask him how he got captured? I was only thinking of how to help him escape, Zhang Wuji replied, I did not have time to mind other peoples business. Zhao Min sighed and no longer made any noise. You are not happy? Zhang Wuji asked. To you, it is other peoples business, to me, it is a very serious matter, Zhao Min replied, All right, Ill wait for Xie Daxia to be rescued. I dont think it will be too late to ask him then. I am only afraid What are you afraid of? Zhang Wuji asked, Are you afraid we cannot save Yifu? The Ming Cult is a lot stronger than the Shaolin Pai, Zhao Min said, If you really want to rescue Xie Daxia, I am sure you will eventually succeed. I am only afraid that Xie Daxia is determined to die because of Kong Jian Shen Seng. It was exactly what had been burdening Zhang Wujis heart. Do you think he is? he asked. I hope he isnt, Zhao Min replied. Two people walking and talking until they arrived at the Du couples hut. Zhao Min laughed and said, Your real identity has been exposed, you cannot hide from these two people anymore. Zhang Wuji noticed that the door of the hut was half closed, so he reached out to open it. After shaking the rain water from his head and body he went in, but suddenly smelled a burst of blood. He was shocked and immediately pushed Zhao Min back out of the door with his left hand. From the dark someones claw was reaching out. This claw was noiseless, without creating any wind, but it was shockingly fast. In a flash the fingers had reached Zhang Wujis cheek. He did not have
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enough time to evade. His left foot flew up toward that persons chest. The attacker pulled back his hand and his elbow struck the huan tiao xue [lit. jump-the-loop] acupoint on Zhang Wujis leg with an extremely fierce and ruthless move. Zhang Wuji knew that as soon as pulled back his leg slightly, the enemys left hand would immediately scoop out his pair of eyeballs. Therefore, he feigned a grab toward the enemys hand, expecting the enemy to pull back his elbow, but unexpectedly his grab was successful. He took the enemys left hand in his palm, but right at that moment, his huan tiao xue went numb; he could not stand and was forced to kneel down on his right leg. He was about to seize the opportunity by wrenching the enemys wrist when he suddenly realized the hand in his palm was soft, warm and smooth. It was a womans hand. His heart was stirred and he did not have the heart to treat her with a heavy hand. He lifted that person up and flung her outside. Stab, he felt a severe pain on his right shoulder as it was pierced by a knife. As the enemy leaped out of the room, her palm struck toward Zhao Mins face. Zhang Wuji knew Zhao Min would not be able to block it and would be killed on the spot. Thereupon, enduring the pain, he leaped up and sent out his palm to parry. Bang two palms collided. That persons body swayed, her feet staggered; but borrowing the momentum, she continued moving backward and ran several zhangs out, and then disappeared into the darkness. Who was that? Zhao Min was still in shock. Hey, Zhang Wuji mumbled. He tried to light a fire, but the flint inside his pocket was soaked wet from the heavy rain; he could not start the fire. Afraid that the enemys knife on his right shoulder was poisonous, he did not dare to pull it up. Light up the lamp, he said. Zhao Min went to the kitchen to get a flint and lighted the oil lamp. She was shocked to see the short knife on his shoulder. Zhang Wuji saw that the blade of the knife was without poison. Only a flesh wound, he laughed, Nothing to worry about. As he turned his head and pulled the knife out, he saw Du Baidang and Yi Sanniang curled up on the corner of the room. Ignoring the blood oozing out of his wound, he rushed to look; the couple had died for a while. Zhao Min was scared. They were still fine when I went out, she said. Zhang Wuji nodded. As Zhao Min wrapped his wound, he took up the short knife and examined it. It was precisely the weapon the Du couple used. He looked around the room, and saw on the beam, on the pillars, on the table, on the ground, everywhere, there were short blades scattered around. Apparently, the enemy engaged the Du couple in fierce battle, forcing them to use up their blades one by one, and then began to injure them. This persons martial art is very fierce, Zhao Min said in amazement. If Zhang Wuji was not quick enough in the battle in the dark just now, that person would have had gouged his eyes. Not only he would have been a blind man, but most likely Zhao Min and he would be lying on the ground, dead. He looked back at the bodies of the Du couple. Dozens of ribs on their chests were broken, as were ribs on their backs. It was obvious that the martial art which killed them was very cruel, with a very powerful palm strength behind it. He had fought countless
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archenemies, undergone many dangerous situations, yet thinking back about the quick-paced, three-stance close combat in the dark room, he could not restrain from shivering in fear. He had fought two vicious battles tonight; the first was one against three, which lasted for a long time. But speaking of soul-stirring and hair-rising battle, it was nothing compared to the second one, which lasted for a twinkling of the eye. Who was that? Zhao Min asked again. Zhang Wuji shook his head without answering. Suddenly Zhao Min understood. Her eyes grew big in fright. After staring blankly for half a day, she threw herself into Zhang Wujis bosom and wept in fear. They both knew that if Zhao Min did not hear Zhang Wujis whistle and came out amidst the heavy rain to welcome him, and thus escape the great catastrophe, right now on the corner of the room there would not only be two corpses, but three. Zhang Wuji gently patted her back and consoled her in gentle voice. Zhao Min said, That persons target must be me; she killed the Du couple first, and then hid to set up an ambush against me. She simply did not mean to harm you. You must not leave my side these next several days, Zhang Wuji said. After thinking for a while he muttered, How could her internal energy and martial art skill advance so rapidly in less than a year? I am afraid nobody in this world other than myself will be able to protect you. The next morning, Zhang Wuji took Du Baidangs hoe and dug a deep hole to bury the Du couple. Together with Zhao Min they kneeled and bowed to express their respect. Recalling how Yi Sanniang had treated the two of them with loving care, they could not help but feel grief. Suddenly from far away, from the direction of Shaolin Temple they heard a faint continuous dang, dang sound. It sounded very urgent. At the same moment, from the east a blue-green rocket shot to the sky; from the south a red rocket, from the west white, and from the north black, while from several lis away they saw yellow smoke rise up. These five rockets and smoke encircled the Shaolin Temple in the middle. The Ming Cults Five-element Flags have arrived! Zhang Wuji called out, And they are going to deal with the Shaolin Pai frontally. Lets go quickly. Hurriedly they changed their clothes, washed the mud from their hands and faces, and walked quickly toward the Shaolin Temple. Walking for only a few lis, they saw a company of white-clothed Ming Cult army, with small yellow banners in their hands, going up the mountain. Is Yan Qi Shi [Flag leader Yan] here? Zhang Wuji called out. As the leader of the Hou-tu Qi [thick earth flag/banner], Yan Yuan heard the call, he turned around and saw his Jiaozhu. In his delight, he quickly came forward to pay his respects. The people serving under him were also expressed their delights in thunderous voices and bowed down together. Yan Yuan reported: As the leaderships of the Ming Cult learned about Xie Xuns whereabouts, they held a discussion and decided that if they waited for the Duan Yang Festival to ask for Xie Xun, all the heroes under the Heaven would have flocked to the Shaolin Temple, then the Ming Cult would have to face the worlds heroes as their enemies. Since they were not able to report to their Cult Leader, they were forced to take the matter into their own hands. Thereupon, ten days before the Duan Yang Festival, Yang Xiao and Fan Yao led the masters of the Cult to the Shaolin Temple to ask for Xie Xun. They expected an open war would be unavoidable, but after looking everywhere,
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they could not find their Cult Leader, so the group of warriors felt like a dragon without a head. The Ming Cult people blew the bugle, announcing the arrival of their Cult Leader; so not too long afterwards, Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Yin Tianzheng, Wei Yixiao, Yin Yewang, Zhou Dian, Peng Yingyu, Shou Bude, Priest Tie Guan, and the others came one after another, while the Rui Jin [acute gold/metal], Ju Mu [gigantic tree], Hong Shui [flooding water], and Lie Huo [blazing fire], four banners were surrounding the Shaolin Temple on all sides. As they saw each other, everybody broke into delightful chatter. Yang Xiao and Fan Yao admitted their guilt for acting without authorization. Zhang Wuji said, You dont have to be too modest. Everybody with one mind join forces to rescue Xie Fa Wang. That shows our Cults brethrens have a strong spirit of brotherhood [yi4qi4]. Everybody appreciates what we are doing, why do you feel guilty? He told everybody briefly how he went undercover and mingled among the Shaolin Temples workers, and how last night he battled with Du E three monks. As they heard Cheng Kun was behind everything, plotting and scheming, they were all furious. Zhou Dian and Priest Tie Guan shouted some curse words. Zhang Wuji said, Today our Cult is paying a formal visit to ask Shaolin Fangzhang [Abbot] to release the prisoner. It is best if we do not injure our friendship. We will fight only out of absolute necessity. Our goal first and foremost is saving Xie Fa Wang, next, we want to apprehend Cheng Kun. Other than that we should not harm the innocents. The people acknowledged the order in one voice. Min Mei, to Zhao Min Zhang Wuji said, In order to avoid more trouble, it will be best if you would be in disguise, dont let the Shaolin Temple monks to recognize your true identity. Since she took the Shaolin monks prisoners to Dadu, she had sowed an extremely deep enmity with Shaolin Pai. Zhao Min laughed and said, Yan Dage [big brother Yan], let me pose as one of the brothers under your command! Yan Yuan immediately ordered one of his men to get the uniform for Zhao Min to wear. She quickly went to the woods behind the mountain and hurriedly put on the uniform and applied black grease onto her face. When she went out of the woods, she turned into a mean and ferocious thin man with a black face. The bugle sounded again, the Ming Cult warriors went up the mountain in neat formation. Earlier that day, the Shaolin Temple had received the Ming Cults visiting card. Eminent Monk Kong Zhi, leading a group of monks, had been waiting at the pavilion in front of the Temple. Because of Yuan Zhen, Kong Zhi was convinced that when the Shaolin monks were captured by deceit and brought to Dadu as prisoners, when their fingers were broken after they were forced to show their martial art skills, it was all part of the conspiracy between the Ming Cult and the Ruyang Palace. Later on, when Zhang Wuji came and rescued them, it was also part of the sinister plot to curry their favors. Therefore, he received the guests with a gloomy look. He put his palms together in respect, but did not say anything. Zhang Wuji cupped his fists and said, Our humble Cult has a favor wed like to ask in earnest from your precious Sect. For that reason, we are going up the mountain to pay our respect to the Fangzhang Shen Seng [Abbot Divine Monk]. Kong Zhi nodded. Please! he said, and he led the Ming Cult warriors walk toward the gate.
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Abbot Kong Wen, accompanied by the Damo Hall, Luohan Hall, Banruo [great wisdom] Hall, and Jielu [monastic discipline] Courtyard, all senior monks, was waiting outside the door to greet the guests. He took the warriors into the Da Xiong Bao Dian [great hero precious hall] and invited them to sit down. Immediately several young monks appeared to serve them tea. After exchanging some pleasantries with Zhang Wuji, Yang Xiao, Yin Tianzheng, and the others, Kong Wen was silent. Fangzhang Shen Seng, Zhang Wuji said, We would not go up to the San Bao Dian [threetreasure hall] if this wasnt an important matter. We come here to ask earnestly that Fangzhang would honor the Wulin way by releasing our humble Cults Xie Fa Wang. We will certainly repay this great kindness and great benevolence someday. Amituofo, Kong Wen said, Those who left homes [Buddhist monk or nun] must have mercy as their life principle. We must shun anger and avoid murder; actually, we should not make things difficult for Xie Fa Wang. However, Lao Na Shixiong [martial brother] Kong Jian perished under Xie Shizhus [benefactor Xie] hands. Zhang Jiaozhu is the leader of a cult, you must understand the custom of the Wulin world. Zhang Wuji said, There was another reason behind it, we must not blame Xie Fa Wang. Thereupon he narrated how Kong Jian willingly received some beatings in his attempt to reconcile a great enmity in the Wulin world. As Kong Wen and the others heard to the middle of the story, he exclaimed praises to Buddha, and stood up at once to show his respect. With tears in his eyes, Kong Wen said in a trembling voice, Shanzai, Shanzai! Kong Jian Shixiong willingly put this benevolent and self-sacrificing principle into practice; his virtue was not small. The rest of the monks chanted scripture verses in low voice, praising Kong Jians chivalry and righteousness; there wasnt anybody who did not admire him. The Ming Cult warriors also stood up to show their respects. Zhang Wuji narrated in detail what had happened that day, and said, Xie Fa Wang injured Kong Jian Shen Seng by mistake; he deeply regretted it. But if we think over it carefully, the real master mind behind this crime was your precious Temples Yuan Zhen Dashi. Noticing that Yuan Zhen was not in the Hall, he said, Would you ask Yuan Zhen Dashi to come out? Let us meet face to face and resolve right from wrong. Thats right! Zhou Dian opened his mouth, This bald donkey [derogatory term for Buddhist monks] feigned death on the Brightness Peak, but actually he is alive and well. What is he up to, being sneaky like that? Quickly tell him to roll out. He had suffered a great setback from Yuan Zhen on the Brightness Peak, so he still bore a grudge against him. Mr. Zhou, Zhang Wuji busily said, You shouldnt be rude in front of Fangzhang Dashi. Zhou Dian said, I was cursing that bald donkey Yuan Zhen, not cursing the bald Fangzhang As the word bald came out of his mouth, he knew something was wrong; hastily he put his hands on his mouth. As Kong Zhi listened to Zhou Dians rude remarks, he was even more indignant. In that case, how would Zhang Jiaozhu explain the death of my Kong Xing Shidi? he asked. Zhang Wuji replied, Kong Xing Shen Seng was a frank and upright hero; I [orig. zai4xia4 under] had the privilege of visiting with him on the Brightness Peak. I admired him very much. Kong Xing
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Dashi had agreed to meet with me again in the future to discuss martial art. Who would have thought that the unfortunate Master had met a terrible fate? I deeply regret his passing. It was a sinister plot of some traitors; it has nothing to do with our humble Cult. Kong Zhi laughed coldly and said, Zhang Jiaozhu, it seems like you are washing your hands really clean. Then the news that the Ruyang Princes Junzhu has joined hands with the Ming Cult is also a false rumor? Zhang Wuji blushed and said, Junzhu has had some disagreement with her Father and Brother, and has joined our humble Cult. In her former days, Junzhu has done a great deal of irreverence toward your precious Temple. I will ask her to go up the mountain to pay her respect to Buddha and seriously apologize. Zhang Jiaozhu, Kong Zhi was shouting, Your words are sweet but insincere; how can it be that easy? You are a leader of a Cult, yet you are talking nonsense. Arent you afraid you will be the laughingstock of the heroes all over the world? Zhang Wuji realized that the murder of Kong Xing and the captured of numerous monks were certainly Zhao Min gravest offense. Although she had done it without the Ming Cults knowledge, presently she entrusted herself to him. Apparently, he could not make any excuses that he had nothing to do with her. While he was in an awkward situation, Priest Tie Guan said with a stern voice, Kong Zhi Dashi, our Jiaozhu respects you as a senior eminent monk, he is giving you a face; therefore, you should not press too hard. Our Jiaozhu always keep his promises and holds justice in high regard, how can he tell any lie? Your insult to our Jiaozhu means insult to our million Ming Cult disciples. Our Jiaozhu is broad-minded and generous; he might not want to argue, but we, his subordinates, may not want to let it go. By that time, the Ming Cult army had besieged towns and occupied lands around the Huai Si and Henan, Hubei area. They recruited soldiers and built up cavalries, so when he said a million disciples, he was not exaggerating. With a cold laugh Kong Zhi said, So what if you have a million disciples? Are you going to destroy Shaolin Temple to the ground? The Devil Cult has insulted our Shaolin and we have not repaid that disgrace until today. We were captured, and then held captives at the Wan An Temple; we can only blame our own negligence. Evil and righteous do not coexist; that fact we understand well. But you came to our Shaolin Temple and on the back of our sixteen revered Luohan idols you carved sixteen large characters. Hey, hey, Destroy Shaolin first, then overthrow Wudang, only our Ming Cult fits to rule the Wulin world! How impressive! Such a fart! Those sixteen characters were carved on the back of the sixteen revered Luohan images with some kind of sharp tool by Zhao Mins warriors after the captured Shaolin monks had been taken away. Afterwards, Fan Yao waited until everybody had left, and flew back to the Luohan Hall. He turned the sixteen revered Luohan images back, so that their backs were against the wall. His goal was to thwart Zhao Mins plan of shifting the blame to the Ming Cult. Later on, Yang Xiao and the others knew something was amiss and they saw the carving on the backs of the Luohan images, but they had never expected the Shaolin monks would also find out about it. Zhang Wuji had never been known as an eloquent man. Besides, he thought that it was Zhao Min who deliberately stirred up trouble; he was inwardly ashamed and did not know how to answer. It was Yang Xiao who answered Kong Zhi.
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We dont understand what Kong Zhi Dashi was saying, he said, Our humble Cults Zhang Jiaozhu is the son of Wudang disciple, Zhang Wuxia [fifth hero Zhang]. It is not a secret in the Jianghu. Even if we were ten thousand times more arrogant than we are, we would never dare to insult Jiaozhus elders. How can our Zhang Jiaozhu himself make the overthrow Wudang inscription? Fangzhang Dashi and Kong Zhi Dashi are highly virtuous eminent monks, how can you not understand such a simple logic like this? I am [orig. zai4xia4] convinced that there is no such thing. His words were refined and thought provoking, rendering Kong Zhi speechless. Abbot Kong Wen was a man of learning and wisdom; his disposition was also kind. He realized that in the end, the situation was not advantageous for them. He knew the Ming Cult had great influence; if both sides engaged in serious battle, he was afraid the thousand years of Shaolin history, which was passed on from generation to generation, would unavoidably end in his hand. Therefore, he said, Its useless for us to debate endlessly; please follow Lao Na to visit the Luohan Hall. Well look at the Luohan images reverently, and then well know whos right and whos wrong. Zhang Wuji mused, As soon as we enter the Luohan Hall, the truth will be revaled. Hence, he hesitated and did not immediately give his consent. That is a good idea, Yang Xiao replied. Zhang Wuji did not understand Yang Xiaos intention, but seeing Zhao Min stayed with the Hou Tu Flag members and did not enter the Temple at all, he thought that there was little chance she would be found out by the Shaolin monks, so he had nothing to worry about. The monk in charge of receiving the guests led the way, and everybody followed him in single file, walking toward the Luohan Hall. Kong Wen bowed down in front of the Luohan images and said, Disciple is disturbing the revered Luohan, please forgive me. Then he stood up and ordered six disciples to respectfully turn an idol around. The six disciples went forward as instructed. After they clasped their palms together and uttered a silent prayer, with three men on each side, they lifted the first Luohan idol and turned it around. But not even a scratch was found on the back of this Luohan. Formerly, there was a large xian character [first ] on the golden lacquer, but right now there was not the least bit of trace of the character. Not only Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, and the others were surprised, even Zhang Wuji himself was stunned. Shaolin disciples moved together, they turned the Luohan over one by one, but there was not even a half stroke of character on the back of these Luohans. The Shaolin disciples were speechless; they looked at each other in astonishment. They had clearly seen there was a large character engraved on the back of each Luohan, which together, they read xian zhu Shaolin, zai mie Wudang, wei wo Mingjiao, wulin chen wang [Destroy Shaolin first, then overthrow Wudang, only our Ming Cult fits to rule the Wulin world]. But were did those sixteen characters go? The golden lacquer on the back of these Luohans looked new; it was obvious that the lacquer had just been applied. But for the last several months, the security in and around Shaolin Temple was very tight. To fix the writing on the back of these sixteen Luohans, and then re-apply the golden lacquer, was indeed not a simple thing to do. How could no monk in the Temple know about it? Zhang Wuji turned his head around and saw Wei Yixiao and Fan Yao looked at each other with suppressed smile on their faces. His heart was stirred; he realized it must be his fellow Cult brothers who went into action. Whoever is doing this must be very resourceful and have a vast knowledge, he mused.
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Seeing the bewildered looks on the monks faces, Yang Xiao said, Your precious Temples good fortune is very deep; there is no end to your virtuous beneficence. Sixteen revered golden images are in perfect condition. As Kong Zhi Dashi said, these idols suffered some vandalism, but the sixteen Luohans are obviously divine, their virtue boundless, they are able to fix themselves. It truly is a reason for us to celebrate. As he said that, he bent his knees and kowtowed toward the Luohans. Zhang Wuji and the others also followed his example and kowtowed. Kong Wen, Kong Zhi and the others did not believe such nonsense as the Luohans were divine, having boundless virtue that they were able to fix themselves up. They guessed it must be the Ming Cult who surreptitiously did this. Regardless of what happened, however, it showed that the Ming Cult was trying to make amends to their Temple; knowing this, they could not restrain a third of the anger in their hearts from melting away. But, thinking about how these devil heads were able to come and go like ghosts, they felt 30% admirations and 30% fears. Since the Luohan idols are as good as new, we should not mention this matter again, Kong Wen said. Waving his hand, he ordered Shaolin disciples to turn those Luohan back to their original positions. Last night, Zhang Jiaozhu has visited us and has made an acquaintance with Lao Nas three martial uncles, Kong Wen continued, I heard Du E Shishu and Zhang Jiaozhu have come to an agreement; as long as Zhang Jiaozhu is able to break my three Shishus Jin Gang Fu Mo Juan, you can take Xie Shizhu away. Thats right, Zhang Wuji replied, Du E Dashi did say that. But I [orig, zai4xia4] have a deep admiration to the three eminent monks profound martial art skill. In all honesty, I know I am their match. I had suffered defeat under three eminent monks hands last night. How can the general of a defeated army dare to speak bravely? Amituofo, Kong Wen said, Zhang Jiaozhus words are too heavy. Victory or defeat of last night has not been decided yet. Furthermore, Jiaozhus kindness and chivalry in helping them have left a deep impression on the three Shishus hearts. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, and the others had heard from Zhang Wuji how Du E and the other two monks possessed such an amazing martial art skill. Naturally, they wanted to see it with their own eyes. Yin Tianzheng said, Since the Shaolin eminent monks insist on seeing who is superior in the martial art study, Jiaozhu, I think forgetting our own inadequacy, we should follow their request and we ask instruction from the Shaolin Pai. Besides, that is the only way we can save Xie Xiongdi [brother Xie]. We are compelled to do this. Its not like we deliberately want to challenge Shaolin Temples supremacy in the Wulin world. Zhang Wuji had always held his grandfathers opinion in high regards; besides, Yin Tianzheng was right, they had no other choice. Thereupon he said, My brothers have heard how I praised the three eminent monks divine skill as unrivalled; they said the three eminent monks have been living in seclusion for decades that nobody in the Wulin world knew about them. Now that we are fortunate enough to pay a visit, it would be our lifelong happiness to be able to meet with them. Please! Kong Zhi raised his hand and led the group of warriors toward the hill behind the Temple. The Hong Shui Flag of the Ming Cult, under the leadership of Tang Yang, had arranged
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themselves, forming a formidable wall around the hill. But Kong Wen and the others seemed oblivious to their presence; they kept walking toward the peak. Kong Wen and Kong Zhi, with clasped palms, walked toward the three pine trees, bowed and reported to their elders. Du E said, The enmity against Yang Dingtian has been resolved last night. The affair of the Luohan idols has also been resolved today. Very good, very good. Zhang Jiaozhu, are you all coming here to fight? Yang Xiao and the others noticed the three monks were short and skinny. Sitting inside the hollow trunks, they looked like corpses. Yet as he spoke, Du Es voice resounded in the mountain and valley. It was obvious that his internal strength was very deep. They could not help their faces from changing. Zhang Wuji pondered in his heart, Last night I was alone, hence I could not defeat them. Today I have many people with me. If we rely on number in fighting them, first, I might not be able to unleash my skill to the fullest, second, even if we won, we will demean our own Cults prestige. Too many people wont look good, too few people wont achieve anything. I think the best way would be three of us against three of them. Fair and square. Thereupon he said, I have experience three eminent monks divine skill last night; my heart is full of admiration. I do not dare to show off my shameful skill in front of the three of you. But Xie Fa Wang has shown me fatherly love; he is also a good friend and a brother to my brethrens here. Even if we have to overestimate our own strength, we must try to save him. I am thinking of asking two of my Cult brethrens to help, so that we will fight three against three; that way, we are receiving instruction on a level ground. Zhang Jiaozhu does not need to be modest, Du E dryly said, If in your precious Cult you have someone whose seniority in martial art comprehension second only to Jiaozhu, then you need only one more person to kill us, the three old baldies. But if Lao Nas presumption is correct, there will not be any second person with skills as high as Jiaozhus to be found in the world. In that case, it doesnt matter if you have more people or less people; all of you can come up together. Zhou Dian, Priest Tie Guan, and the others looked at each other. They all thought this old bald donkey was very arrogant, by going as far as regarding the worlds heroes as nothing. However, they also realized that they were praising Zhang Jiaozhu by saying that nobody in the world could be considered on par with him; so they were being polite after all. Zhou Dian was about to open his mouth to speak, but Shuo Budes hand was quicker; it reached out to cover Zhou Dians mouth. Zhang Wuji said, Our humble Cult is considered heretical [orig. pang2 men2 zuo3 dao4 lit. side door, left way] and not worthy to be compared to your precious Sects prestigious name, but with our several hundred years of establishment, we do have some talented people. It was by chance that I am appointed the interim Cult Leader. In reality, in term of ability, insight and martial art skill, within my humble Cult, we do not lack people who are superior to me. Wei Fu Wang [bat king Wei], please deliver this visiting card to the three eminent monks. As he said that, he took out a piece of visiting card, which listed Zhang Wujis name on the top, and then Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Yin Tianzheng, Wei Yixiao, down to everybody who came to pay a visit. Wei Yixiao knew the Cult Leader wanted him to demonstrate his unparalleled-in-the-present-age qing gong, to show the Shaolin monks that they should not belittle the Ming Cult characters. Immediately he bowed to accept the order. After taking the visiting card, without straightening up his back or even turning around, his body flew backward, as smooth as floating smoke. He covered the several zhangs distance as if he was skating on ice. As he got to the pine tree, he handed over the visiting card to Du E with both hands. Du E and the others only saw his shadow sway, and Wei Yixiao had suddenly appeared in their
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presence. They had never seen qing gong this exquisite; much less he was flying backwards, which was even unthinkable to them. They could not help but praised, Good qing gong! The crowd of Shaolin monks also knew a good thing when they see one, so they broke out in applause. Although the crowd of Ming Cult warriors had already aware of Wei Yixiaos excellent qing gong, it was the first time for them to see he fly backwards like that. Only, they felt uncomfortable to praise their own people openly, so even though their hearts were full of admiration, they restrained themselves from saying anything. Only Zhou Dian applauded noisily. Du E slightly leaned his body forward and stretched out his hand to receive the visiting card. The five fingers of his right hand grabbed the card, and Wei Yixiao felt tingling sensation in his entire body, as if he was stricken by a thunder; his chest was burning, suddenly he felt weak. In his shock, he hastily circulated his energy trying to dissipate the attack. At the same time, Du E took away the visiting card, and the whiff of internal energy transmitted through this card disappeared. Wei Yixiaos countenance changed, thinking that this one-eyed old monks profound internal energy was truly immeasurable. He did not dare to linger any longer; leaning his body sideways, he skate on a layer of long grass on the ground, back to Zhang Wujis side. It was his infamous cao shang fei [flying on the grass] qing gong. Although it was not exceptionally good, but to train until he was able float like that, that could be considered brilliant. Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, and the others thought, This man can achieve this level of qing gong, he undoubtedly has received training from a master, but obviously because he has talent. It seems that he was born with different trait that other people would not necessarily reach this kind of level even though they train painstakingly. Du E said, Zhang Jiaozhu said on your precious Cult there will be three people joining our exchange of pointers. Other than Jiaozhu and this gentleman Wei Fu Wang, who will the other person be? Zhang Wuji replied, Wei Fu Wang had received instructions from Dashis divine internal energy. I am thinking of inviting the Ming Cults Left and Right Emissaries of the Brightness to help me. Du E was surprised, This young man has a very sharp vision, he mused, I sent the internal energy via the visiting card for only a split second, yet unexpectedly it did not elude his eyes. Now, what kind of people are these Left and Right Emissaries of the Brightness? Could their martial art skills be better than this person surnamed Weis? He had lived in seclusion for too long, hence he had never heard about Yang Xiaos reputation. As for Fan Yao, he had been living incognito for the last several years so not everybody knew about him. As Yang and Fan two people heard Jiaozhu mentioning their names, they stepped forward at once and bowed down. Respectfully accept Jiaozhus command, they said. The Three Eminent Monks use flexible weapons, what will be a good weapon for us to use? Zhang Wuji asked. Zhang, Yang and Fan, three people usually fought their enemies barehanded. Today they were facing formidable opponents, so they could not hold on to their habit of not wielding any weapon. For these three people, they knew ten-thousand different techniques as well as one; for them, any weapons would do. Zhang Wuji asked this question just for the convenience of the other two.
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Well follow Jiaozhus instruction, Yang Xiao replied. Zhang Wuji hesitated a moment; he thought, Last night, the Twin Evils of Hejian were using short weapons to attack long ones; and they seemed to gain quite a few advantages from it. Thereupon he took the six tablets of Sheng Huo Ling from his bosom and handed over four of them to Yang Xiao and Fan Yao, while saying, This time, we are going up the mountain to pay a visit to the Shaolin Temple, we do not dare to bring any weapons. This is our own Cults treasure; let us just use these tablets then. Yang and Fan two people bowed down and received the tablets. They were asking for further instructions when suddenly Kong Zhi shouted, Ku Toutuo, we still have an unfinished business from the Wan An Temple; how can I let you go? Come, come, come! Let Lao Na ask for your advice first. Lao Na did not take the Shi Xiang Ruan Jin San today; we are going to see our true power. He had never forgotten the resentment of being held captive at the Wan An Temple; upon seeing Fan Yao today, he had tried his best to suppress his rage, but at this time he could not hold his patience any longer. Fan Yao laughed dryly and said, I [orig. zai4xia4] received Jiaozhus order to ask instructions from the Three Eminent Monks. If Dashi wants to avenge the enmity of the former days, youll have to wait until this matter is closed, then I will be able to accompany you. From the hand of a Shaolin disciple standing next to him, Kong Zhi took a sword and shouted, You are overestimating your own ability. You want to fight my three Shishu; if you dont die, you will be seriously injured and then I cant extract my revenge on you. Fan Yao laughed, If I die under your honorable Shishus hand, wont that be the same? Kong Zhi laughed coldly, Looks to me there is no other master in your Ming Cult. What can I say? How could the Ming Cult warriors not know that he was provoking them? But if they ignored his remarks, would not the Shaolin Pai look down on the Ming Cult? In terms of rank, Yin Tianzheng was right after Fan Yao. Zhang Wuji thought that his grandfather was old, it was inconvenient for him to ask Grandfather to fight. Therefore, he was thinking of asking his uncle [orig, Jiujiu maternal uncle] Yin Yewang to take his fathers place. Yin Tianzheng took a step forward and said, Jiaozhu, subordinate Yin Tianzheng is ready to accept instructions. Waigong is advanced in years, let me ask Uncle Zhang Wuji said. Yian Tianzheng cut him off, I am old, but not as old as these Three Eminent Monks. Shaolin Pai can have their senior warriors; cant our Ming Cult have our own veteran? Zhang Wuji was aware that his grandfathers martial art skill was very deep; not beneath Yang Xiao or Fan Yaos, and a lot higher than his uncles. If he joined this battle, their chance of victory was several degrees better. All right, he said, Fan You Shi can conserve your strength to accept instructions from Kong Zhi Shen Seng later. I am asking Grandfather to help me. I follow the order! Yin Tianzheng replied, and took the Sheng Huo Ling tablets from Fan Yaos hands.
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In a clear voice Abbot Kong Wen said, Martial Uncles, this gentleman is Yin Lao Yingxiong [old hero Yin], Bai Mei Ying Wang [white-browed eagle king]. He is the founder of Tian Ying Jiao [heavenly eagle cult] of the former days, and its prestige was comparable to the Six major Sects. He is an extraordinary warrior. This gentleman is Mr. Yang; his inner and outer power has reached perfection. He is the Ming Cults first class character. Numerous masters of Kunlun and Emei Pai have been defeated under his hands. With a dry laugh Du Jie said, Fortunate meeting, fortunate meeting! Lets see how well Shaolin disciples compete against them. The three black ropes shook; they soared like three China-ink black dragons and formed three layers of loops around their opponents. Last night, when Zhang Wuji battled these three monks, he could not even see his own fingers, so he had to rely on the aura of the black ropes to determine the direction of the incoming weapons. This time, it was the beginning of the seventh hour [between 11am 1pm]; the sun was shining brightly in the sky that he was able to see clearly every wrinkle on the faces of the three monks. Reversing the Sheng Huo Ling tablets in his hands, he cupped his fists and bowed. Please forgive my offense, he said, and immediately attacked sideways. Yang Xiao flew toward his left. With a loud shout Yin Tianzheng raised the Sheng Huoling in his right hand to strike the black rope in Du Nans hand. A dull clanking noise was heard as the rope and the tablet collided. These two weapons were so strange that the noise generated when they struck each other also sounded weird. Both mens hands were shaken, and both exclaimed inwardly, Very fierce! They both realized that they were facing a formidable opponent, which they seldom meet in their lifetimes. Zhang Wuji thought, The three monks black ropes are connected together to form a loop. Their defense is very tight. Although the three of us join hands, we might not necessarily be able to make a breakthrough within three to five hundred stances. Wed better try to exhaust the three monks energy, then slowly look for a flaw. Seeing the black rope coil over his way, he used the Sheng Huo Ling to take the brute force head on with brute force. Fighting for the time needed to cook rice, Zhang Wuji, three people managed to press forward and reduce the loop diameter a zhang or so. However, as the three monks loop was getting smaller, their defensive power increased. Each step the three attackers took required several folds of effort from the previous ones. As the battle progressed, Yang Xiao and Yin Tianzheng were more astonished than ever. At first, the battle was three against three, but after about an hour, Yang and Yin, two people gradually could not hold their ground. In the end, the two of them fought Du Nan; while Zhang Wuji had to deal with Du E and Du Jie, two monks, alone. Yin Tianzheng always took the hard and ferocious approach. Yang Xiao, on the other hand, sometimes used soft, sometimes hard; his fighting style kept changing. Among these six combatants, Yang Xiaos martial art was the most attractive to look at. The two Sheng Huo Ling tablets in his hands circled around and danced in the air; sometimes it became a sword, suddenly it changed into a saber. Sometimes he thrust it forward like a short spear, next time it struck, coiled, slapped, and then changed into a judges pen; poking, pressing down, jerking up, and then the one in his left hand changed into a dagger, while the one in his right changed into an awl [(?) Translators note: I dont know what kind of weapon this is. The original was shui3 ci4 ?? - water thorn]. Suddenly the one in his right hand changed into a steel whip, while the one in his left a crowbar. Within these hundreds of changes, he struck the two tablets to each other, creating a ya ya [This is the transliteration of the Chinese characters, dont ask me what kind of noise is this.] sound, disturbing the enemys concentration. Before they even fought for four hundred stances, the
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tablets had changed into twenty-two different weapons; with each weapon incorporating two sets of styles, so altogether he had used forty-four different sets of styles. Kong Zhi had mastered eleven out of Shaolin Pais seventy-two unique skills; while almost no martial art skills in the world eluded Fan Yaos knowledge, but at this moment watching Yang Xiao deftly launch his divine skills, both of them could not help but inwardly sigh with admiration. Zhou Dian had never been in good terms with Yang Xiao. The two of them had fought each other several times. But this moment, the longer Zhou Dian watched, the more ashamed he was. Turn out this son of a turtle Yang Xiao has always yielded to me, he mused, I knew his martial art skill was somewhat higher than mine, and I thought each time we fought, he was just lucky that he won by one stance or half a style. Who would have thought that I, Zhou Dian, actually inferior by one big peg to this son of a turtle. However, no matter how many changes Yang Xiao launched, Du Nans black rope still parry the two peoples attack without showing any slackness. Everybody started to see white mist rising on top of Yin Tianzhengs head. They knew he was using his entire internal energy. The white robe he wore slowly ballooned up, and it was soaked with his perspiration. Each step he took left a deep mark on the ground. In an hour, the area around the three pine trees was full of his footprints. Suddenly, Yin Tianzheng moved the Sheng Huo Ling tablet in his right hand to his left. With this pair of tablets he pushed Du Nans black rope down; while with pi kong zhang [splitting air palm] his right hand hack down toward Du Nan. Du Nan raised his left hand up with five fingers forming a claw, like a hollow fist, also hacking toward the incoming palm. Ah! Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, and the other Shaolin monks exclaimed together; their voices were full of amazement and admiration. Turned out the technique Du Nan used was one of the seventy-two special skills of Shaolin, which was called the xu mi shan zhang [overflowing mountain palm; xu mi shan also means Sumeru Mountain, which is the central 'world mountain' of the Buddhist universe courtesy of Ren Wo Xing]. Needless to say, this special skill was very difficult to train. But even if someone did master the technique, each time it was launched, the practitioner must assumed the horse stance, and concentrated his qi for a long time; only then would he be able to gather his internal energy in his dantian. Who would have expected that Du Nan had a perfect control and was able to launch the xu mi shan zhang at will? Slap! as his hand blocked Yin Tianzhengs palm, the black rope in his hand shook and struck toward Yang Xiao. But because the xu mi shan zhang consumed a lot of energy, the power behind the black rope was diminished by more than a half. Du Nan quickly covered up his weakness by rolling, fluttering, and coiling the black rope as if it was a spirit snake randomly quivering in the air. Yang Xiaos pair of Sheng Huoling tablets was also making countless changes. The eyes of most of the spectators were watching the battle between these two people. Yin Tianzheng focused all his strength on his palms, sending strike after strike toward Du Nan. Sometimes he took two steps forward, another time he took two steps back. On the other front, Zhang Wuji was engaged in a fierce battle against two formidable opponents. These three peoples style looked ordinary and bland, because their true battle was internal. This kind of staking-it-all internal energy match was actually a lot more dangerous than Yin Tianzhengs battle of strength and Yang Xiaos battle of style against Du Nan. As soon as one of the parties internal energy was overcome by the opponent, if he did not die instantly, then suffering firedeviation, losing his sanity or being crippled was a common occurrence. However, only the combatants knew their own situations. To the spectators, even though their martial art skill was higher, they would never be able to predict the outcome of the battle by observing the three
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combatants outward appearance. Slowly the sun rose from the east, then it was exactly on top of their heads, before gradually moving to the west. By this time, the battle situation was clear for Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, Fan Yao, Wei Yixiao, and the other masters. They saw the mist coming out from the top of Yin Tianzhengs head was getting thicker; on the other hand, the trunk, the branches and the needle-leaves of the big pine tree in which Du Jie was sitting were shaking constantly. From this fact, they knew the difference in level of power of the two monks, Du E and Du Jie. At this stage of the battle, Du Jies back was leaning against the tree to borrow its strength in blocking Zhang Wujis Jiu Yang Shen Gong. If Yin Tianzheng fell, the Ming Cult lost; but if Du Jie gave up first, then the Shaolin Pai was defeated. The six combatants also understood they had reached the crucial point of the battle. Yin Tianzheng was staking it all in sending out his palm attacks toward Du Nan, but after more than thirty stances, he realized he was not Du Nans match. Our priority today is saving Xie Xiongdi, he said in his heart, My own victory or defeat, glory or disgrace, why should I care? Much less I lost under the hand of Shaolin Pais senior masters hand, so nobody can say that the Bai Mei Ying Wangs prestige is damaged. Thereupon, with all his might he blocked the enemys attack, while he was forced to retreat half a step back. Successively he blocked more than ten strikes, and was forced to fall back more than a zhang. He did not know, however, that Du Nan had trained the xu mi shan zhang, one of the seventy-two Shaolin Pais special techniques for dozens of years, so that the power of his palm was not a small matter. As Yin Tianzheng withdrew one step, Du Nans palm strength also advanced one step. Surprisingly, the power did not diminish ever so slightly with the increasing distance. Yang Xiao thought, This Shaolin monk is formidable indeed. No matter how much change my Sheng Huo Ling make, in the end I still fail to make him budge. Yin Bai Mei [white-browed Yin] only attacks with his strength, I am afraid he wont survive a prolonged battle. He combined the two Sheng Huo Ling tablets and struck them toward the black rope. It looked like he was going to fight force with force head-on in order to help Yin Tianzheng. As the Sheng Huo Ling just about to strike the black rope, Du Nan shook his wrist, and the black rope rose up toward Yang Xiaos face. Yang Xiaos mind was as quick as lightning; he threw the Sheng Huo Ling tablets toward Du Nans chest, while his palms turned over to grab the end of the rope. It was the stance called dao ye jiu niu wei [pulling back nine ox tails], in which a sudden force was pulling outward. Du Nan saw Yang Xiao throw his weapons like secret projectiles with an extremely strong force; he raised his left hand with a bent elbow to press down the Sheng Huo Ling threatening his left chest. To his surprise, the other Sheng Huo Ling suddenly changed its course midair and whoosh! it flew toward Du Jie. Yang Xiao was the most resourceful among these six combatants. His attack with these two Sheng Huo Ling tablets toward Du Nan was a fake; his real target was Du Jie, in which he sent out his entire internal strength. Du Jie was using his entire strength to fight Zhang Wuji. He noticed that in dealing with Yang and Yin, two people, Du Nan seemed to gain an upper hand. He had never expected that Yang Xiao was able to launch this extraordinary sneak attack with such a weird technique. In his shock, he saw the Sheng Huo Ling was already in front of his face. Du Jies concentration was slightly broken. He lightly stretched his hand with two fingers up to catch the Sheng Huo Ling. But his
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entire strength and attention was focused on blocking Zhang Wujis attack; as he was disturbed, the pine tree he was sitting on shook violently, pine-needles fell down like rain. As he saw a big break in his opponents line of defense, Zhang Wuji launched the highest technique of the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi to penetrate this opening. It was unstoppable even when the enemy used a hundred different techniques to block; much less Du Jie was in a disadvantageous situation. Zhang Wuji sent his internal energy toward his five fingers. With a zip, zip noise, his hand struck down. Crack, crack! In an instant, the branches on Du Jies tree were shaken and fell down one by one. Du E realized their precarious situation. Whoosh! He stood up suddenly. His shadow swayed and he flew toward Du Jie side. Stretching his left hand, he grabbed Du Jies shoulder. With the help of his martial brother Du E, Du Jie was able to steady himself. On the other front, Du Nans fight against Yin Tianzheng and Yang Xiao also reached a critical moment, where both sides were staking all they have in a life and death battle. Yang Xiao was grabbing the rope and trying to pull it away. With a splitting mountain, crushing stone kind of palm power, Yin Tianzheng kept pressing down the enemy. Two masters, one pulled, the other pushed. Du Nan was attacked with two exact opposite forces; even though he was extremely strained, he did not seem to be in danger of losing. The spectators on the side, both the Ming Cult warriors and the Shaolin monks, also saw this critical situation. They knew that if the battle went on, not only the victory or defeat was difficult to decide, perhaps from among these six masters, more than half would be either dead or seriously injured. The hill peak was awfully quiet, with the backs of most of the spectators wet with sweats. They were all very tense; everybody was concerned about their own side. The silence was suddenly broken by a low and deep voice, coming from the ground in the middle of the three pine trees, Yang Zuo Shi, Yin Dage, Wuji Haier [left emissary Yang, big brother Yin, child Wuji], I, Xie Xun, have a pair of bloodstained hands. I deserved to be condemned. Today, in order to save me, you are battling the Shaolin Temples three eminent monks. If either side is harmed, Xie Xun, cannot bear the additional guilt. Child Wuji, quickly take our Cult brethrens out of the Shaolin Temple. If you dont, I am going to cut my own main artery to avoid adding my own sin. Xie Xun spoke with his divine skill lion roar, with which, on the Wang Pan Island in the past, he had shaken the soul of countless warriors from various clans and sects [bang and pai]. This time, although he did not use it to harm anybody, he still managed to shake everybodys soul that their eardrums were buzzing, and they looked at each other with changed countenances. Zhang Wuji knew his Yifus words were as strong as a mountain; and his Yifu was not willing for anybody to be injured to get himself out of this trouble. Zhang Wuji considered the present situation carefully; supposing both sides fought with all their strengths, although he himself might be all right, but it was possible that Grandfather, Yang Xiao, Du Jie and Du Nan, four people could not avoid injuries. While he was hesitating, Xie Xun loudly shouted, Wuji, you are not leaving yet? Yes! Zhang Wuji said, I will follow Yifus order. He took a step backward, and in a clear voice he said, The Three Eminent Monks martial art skill is really marvelous. Today the Ming Cult is not able to break it. We will return some other day to ask more advice. Grandfather, Yang Zuo Shi, we stop fighting! As he said that, he gathered his qi and flicked Du E and Du Jies black ropes that the ropes returned to their master.
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Yang Xiao and Yin Tianzheng heard his order, but they were still engaged in an internal energy battle with Du Nan, and were incapable of stopping the fight, because if they pulled back their strengths, Du Nans force would injure them. For the same reason, Du Nan was also incapable of stopping the fight. Zhang Wuji walked in front of Yin Tianzheng. Waving both of his palms, he took and neutralized the palm power of Du Nan and Yin Tianzheng from left and right. And then reaching out with a Sheng Huo Ling, he pressed down on the black rope near the end held by Du Nans hand. This black rope was held at either end by Du Nan and Yang Xiao, it was stretched very tight just like a bowstring. As Zhang Wujis Sheng Huo Ling pressed down, Qian Kun Da Nuo Yis divine power immediately dissolved the pulling forces. The black rope loosened and fell down to the ground. Yang Xiao deftly reached down and caught the rope. Du Nans countenance changed; he was just about to speak when Yang Xiao, holding the black rope with both hands, took several steps forward and said, Respectfully presenting Dashis weapon. Du Jie understood Yang Xiaos intention. He picked the Sheng Huo Ling tablets by his side and returned them to Yang Xiao. After going through this battle, the three Shaolin eminent monks lost their previous haughtiness. They knew that if this staking-it-all battle continued, both sides would suffer losses, while the three of them would not necessarily achieve victory. Lao Na has lived in seclusion for decades, Du E said, To be able to make acquaintance with worthy warriors of the present time, we feel very happy and fortunate. Zhang Jiaozhu, you have people with outstanding ability in your precious Cult. You yourself are even more excelling above the others. I hope you will use this excellent capability to benefit common people and do not use it for dishonorable businesses. Zhang Wuji bowed and said, Thank you very much for Dashis advice. Our humble Cult does not dare to commit evil acts. Du E continued, We, three martial brothers, will respectfully await here for Zhang Jiaozhus third visit. I do not dare, Zhang Wuji replied, However, I will have to ask for some more advice. Xie Fa Wang is my Yifu. His kindness is more than a family to me. Du E heaved a deep sigh, closed his eyes, and did not say anything anymore. Leading Yang Xiao and the others, Zhang Wuji cupped his fists and took his leave from Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, and the other Shaolin monks; then they went down the mountain. Peng Yingyu sent out a signal, instructing the Five-element Flags to withdraw. Five lis outside the Temple, the Cult disciples from Jumu [gigantic tree/wood] and Houtu [thick earth] Flags built more than a dozen wooden shacks on a hillside for their leaders lodgings. Zhang Wuji was despressed, as he thought that within their Cult, nobody possessed martial art skills higher than Yang Xiao and his grandfather. Even if he took Fan Yao and Wei Yixiao, he doubt if the result would be different than todays battle. Where in the world can I find one or two masters who are superior to them, who can help me break the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan? Peng Yingyu guessed correctly what was in his mind. Jiaozhu, he said, Have you forgotten about Zhang Zhenren? Zhang Wuji hesitantly said, Supposing my Tai Shifu is willing to go down the mountain and help
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us, the two of us join hands, we would certainly break the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan. However, by doing this, Tai Shifu would damage the friendship between the Shaolin Pai and Wudang Pai; so Tai Shifu might not want to do it. Besides, Tai Shifu is over a hundred years old. Although his martial art skill has reached a high degree of proficiency, his physique is, after all, declining. If there is any accident, wouldnt that be very bad? Yin Tianzheng suddenly rose on his feet, with a laughter he said, If Zhang Zhenren is willing to go down the mountain, our success is guaranteed. Marvelous! Marvelous! After several hollow laughs, the laughing voice suddenly stopped, but his mouth was still wide open. Seeing he froze in standing position with a laughing face, the group of warriors felt strange. Yin Xiong, Yang Xiao said, Do you think Zhang Zhenren will go down the mountain to help us? He asked twice, but Yin Tianzheng did not reply, he did not even move. Zhang Wuji was startled, he reached out to feel his pulse, and found that Yin Tianzhengs pulse had already stopped; he had unexpectedly passed away. Turned out when Yin Tianzheng was the only one left to fight the warriors of the Six Major Sects on the Brightness Peak, he had strained himself, and his physique had suffered a great damage. His recent staking-it-all battle with Du Nan had further depleted his strength, plus he was also quite advanced in years, so his condition was like a dried up oil lamp. Crying, Zhang Wuji embraced his body. Yin Yewang rushed forward and cried his heart out. The group of warriors also remembered their comradeship and spirit of loyalty and brotherhood [yi qi]; there wasnt anybody who did not shed tears. The news travelled fast; there were a lot of Heavenly Eagle Cult disciples who now served under the Ming Cult banner, their sound of crying shook the hill and valley. For the next several days the group of warriors was busy attending to Yin Tianzhengs funeral. Wulin leaders and masters from various sects and clans and societies also went up the mountain. These people admired Yin Tianzhengs prestige, and came in front of his coffin in the wooden shack to offer their condolences. Later on, Shaolin Pai also sent thirty-six monks to offer prayers for Yin Tianzhengs departing soul. But they had only read several verses from the scripture when Yin Yewang, with a ku sang staff [from MDBG dictionary: a mourning staff draped in white, held at a funeral to show filial piety] in his hand, exploded in anger and chased these thirty-six monks out. From the side, Zhou Dian shouted his curse, Hypocritical Shaolin bald donkeys! Zhang Wujis heart was still burdened with their rescue effort; several times he consulted Yang Xiao, Peng Yingyu, Zhao Min, and the others, but nobody was able to offer a good solution. Zhao Min wanted to try the shi xiang ruan jin san in Du Es, three monks, diet. She also wanted to summon Lu Zhangke and He Biweng to collaborate with Zhang Wuji. But on both accounts Zhang Wuji, Yang Xiao and the others thought it was inappropriate. End of Chapter 36.
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Chapter 37 No Hero Under the Heavens Able to Withstand

A hundred Hong Shui Flag men pumped their spray guns and a hundred streams of water were shot out. The crowd of heroes smelled a peal of acid stench , as the twenty hungry wolves were hit by the water, they tumbled down at once, yelping madly and howling miserably. In an instant, their skin split open and their flesh rot, they turned into coal-black piles.
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Very soon it was the Duan Yang Festival. Zhang Wuji led the Ming Cult warriors to Shaolin Temple. The Shaolin Temples front hall, rear hall, left and right side rooms, everywhere was overflowing with heroes and warriors from all kinds of martial art schools. Among these Wulin characters, some had enmity toward Xie Xun, so they anxiously came to kill him to avenge their grievance. Some others were there for the Tulong Saber, so they were dreaming of snatching the precious saber away and becoming the most revered in the Wulin world [wulin zhi zun]. Yet some others were having a grudge against each other, so they came to seize the opportunity to avenge their grievances. But the majority came just because they loved the festivities bustling with noise and excitement. The Shaolin Temple prepared more than a hundred monks as ushers; they directed the guests to their respective places. Wudang Pai had sent Yu Lianzhou and Yin Liting as their representatives. Zhang Wuji quickly stepped forward to welcome them and inquired about Zhang Sanfengs wellbeing. Yu Lianzhou quietly said, Did you hear anything about Qingshu and Chen Youliang? Zhang Wuji briefly told him what happened since they parted, and was relieved to learn Song and Chen, two men, had not stirred up any trouble on Mount Wudang, and that at this moment, Song Yuanqiao and Zhang Songxi did not come because they were guarding their Shifu and their monastery against the traitors evil plot. Yu Lianzhou also mentioned that ever since Song Yuanqiao heard with his own ears how his own only son was plotting against him, he was heartbroken and did not have any appetite for food and drink. Right now, he was half as thin as he was. They did not dare to tell their Shifu anything, for fear that Shifu would be grieved. Zhang Wuji said, I do hope Song Shige [martial (older) brother] realizes his wrong path very soon and repents, so that he can be reunited with Song Da Shibo [first martial (older) uncle]. That is so, Yu Lianzhou said, But this renegade has killed Mo Qidi [seventh (younger) brother], we cannot let him off lightly. His voice was full of bitter hatred. Within the next two hours, more and more Wulin characters arrived. The Twin Evil of Hejian and the Qinghai Pai swordsmen who fought the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan the other day had also arrived. Huashan Pai, Kongtong Pai and Kunlun Pai also sent out their masters to attend the meeting. Only nobody from Emei Pai went up the mountain. Zhang Wuji was hoping he would see Zhou Zhiruo; he wanted to explain to her why he did what he did the other day. However, as he imagined her face and her gaze, he became anxious from a mixture of fear and shame. The Ming Cult warriors were assigned the west side room. They did not mingle with the other heroes, because they simply had too many enemies. They were afraid that as personal enemies meet, a big fight would ensue even before the Great Assembly was officially opened. As the seventh hour [between 11am 1 pm] arrived, the usher monks invited the guests to gather on a large open space to the right of the Temple. It was actually a several hundred mu [1 mu is approximately one fifteenth of a hectare] vegetable garden on which the monks grew their food. But this time the field was leveled, and several dozens wooden shelters were erected on it. The warriors sat on their assigned seats as directed by the monks. Any school, sect, clan or society with a large group of warriors occupied one shelter; while those with fewer numbers of delegates shared the shelter with other warriors. Peng Yingyu reported the name and origin of each and every warrior on the field for Zhang Wujis benefit.
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When all the warriors had gathered, it was obvious that this meeting would be a grand occasion. Many characters who normally did not roam the Jianghu too often, who had lived in the privacy of the remote mountains and forests, also made their appearance one after another. Peng Yingyu estimated that not including the Ming Cult, there were about 4,600 people on the field that day. Seeing these numerous assembly participants, most of them were not friendly toward the Ming Cult, Zhang Wuji, Yang Xiao, and the others were anxious. After the audience had been seated, the Shaolin monks began to appear. Beginning with the Yuan generation, followed by Hui, Fa, Xiang, and Zhuang, they bowed toward the audience. Finally Kong Zhi Shen Seng appeared, followed by nine senior monks from the Damo Hall. Kong Zhi walked toward the middle of the field, clasped his palms in respect, uttered some praises to Buddha, and then said, The arrival of the worlds heroes in acceptance to our invitation today has brought great honor to Shaolin Pai. However, Fangzhang Shixiong is suddenly ill that he does not have the good fortune of seeing the virtuous guests. He therefore, asked Lao Na to convey his deepest regret. Zhang Wuji felt little bit strange, When Kong Wen Dashi attended Grandfathers funeral the other day, he did not look sick at all; he looked spirited and bright. With the kind of internal energy he has, how can he fall sick so suddenly? Could he be injured? He looked around but saw neither Yuan Zhen nor Chen Youliang; he thought, That night I exposed Yuan Zhens treachery to Du E, three eminent monks; I wonder if Shaolin has taken care of him or not. I wonder if Kong Wen Dashis sudden illness has anything to do with it. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, after Guo Jing and Huang Rong, husband and wife, had scored several major victories, they invited the worlds heroes and warriors to Xiangyang to discuss plans and strategies to withstand the Mongolian invasion. And now, almost a hundred years later, another great assembly of worlds heroes and warriors, the biggest grand occasion in the Jianghu, was being held; but all of a sudden the host was ill. It is no wonder the crowd of warriors could not help but feel disappointed. They heard Kong Zhi continue, Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun has wreaked havoc in the Wulin; he has committed a very serious crime. Luckily, our humble Temple has captured him. Shaolin Pai does not dare to make the decision on our own. Therefore, we respectfully invite all honorable Wulin warriors to discuss how we are going to handle this matter. His face was long ever since he made his appearance; by now, he sounded lethargic. As soon as he finished speaking, he clasped his palms again and withdrew. A man stood up on the southeast corner, his stature was big and tall, the black beard on his face was interspersed with white, and it was fluttering in the breeze, he swept his gaze on the warriors with a bright and fiery pair of eyes; in short, he looked imposing. Peng Yingyu quietly informed Zhang Wuji that this person was Shandongs old pugilist master, Xia Zhou. They heard his thunderous voice say, This Xie Xun has done too much evil. Your precious Sect unexpectedly able to capture him, the benefit you bring to the Wulin world is not small. Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, two Shen Seng [divine monks] are too modest. This kind of evil person deserves to be executed immediately with a blade. End of story. Why do you have to ask others? Today, the heroes from all over the world are gathered here, and we call this assembly tu shi da hui [lion-slaying great assembly]. Let us put this Xie Xun to death, and then everybody eat his flesh and drink his blood, as a revenge for our innocent friends and relatives who died under his hands. Wont we all be happy? His own older brother was killed by Xie Xun, so for the last dozens of years he always wanted revenge. As his words, several hundred people around the field echoed his sentiment; they all wanted to kill Xie Xun as soon as possible.
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Amidst the commotion, suddenly a sad sounding voice was heard. Xie Xun is the Ming Cults hu jiao fa wang [see my note in Chapter 30 earlier]. If Shaolin Pai were not afraid to offend the Ming Cult, they would already have put Xie Xun to the sword early on; why would they invite everybody here to share the blame? I think, Xia Dage [big brother Xia], you are a bit muddle-headed. Let your brother here tell you something: youd better watch out for your own life. His voice might be sad and high-pitched, sounded like a man, but also like a woman, but as it reached everybodys ears, the words were very clear. Everybody turned their heads toward the voice, but they could not see who it was. Apparently, that speaker was short, and when he talked, he did not stand up. Sitting among the crowd, nobody could see him. Xia Zhou loudly said, Is that zui bu si [drunken but not dead] Brother Situ? I have an enmity with that Xie Xun for killing my brother. A real man is not afraid of his own actions. I can ask the Shaolin eminent monks to take him out; I will kill him personally. If the devil heads of the Devil Cult want revenge, they can come to look for the man surnamed Xia of Shandong. The man with the sad voice laughed and said, Xia Dage, everybody in Jianghu knows that the most revered in the Wulin world, the precious Tulong Saber, has fallen into Xie Xuns hand. Since Shaolin Pai has acquired Xie Xun, how can they not be interested in the treasured Saber? Killing Xie Xun is secondary; lifting up the Saber to show their prestige is the priority. Ill say: Kong Zhi Dashi, you dont need to put an act; just take that precious Tulong Saber and hold it high in your hands, let us broaden our horizons. For thousand of years, you, Shaolin Pai, have been the head and brain of the Wulin world. With the Saber you wont achieve much, without the Saber you wont lose much; you will always be the most revered in the Wulin world. In a low voice Peng Yingyu said to Zhang Wuji, The speaker is Zui Bu Si, Situ Qianzhong. This person is carefree; I heard he doesnt have any master, does not take any disciple, does not belong to any school or society, and very seldom engage in battle. Nobody knows the detail of his martial art skill. His tone is always cold and condescending, but oftentimes right on target. They heard about seven, eight people in the audience say, His words make sense. Would Shaolin Pai please take the Tulong Saber out for everybody to see? The Tulong Saber is not in our humble Temple, Kong Zhi slowly said, In all my life, Lao Na has never seen it. I am not even sure if such saber indeed exists in the world. As soon as the crowd of heroes heard this, they broke into murmurs; the field was suddenly bustling with noise. The attendees were originally thinking that other than about Tulong Saber, this assembly did not have anything else of great importance. Who would have thought that Kong Zhi would flatly deny the possession of the Saber? Everybody felt strange. The nine old monks standing behind Kong Zhi were all wearing red kasayas. After the commotion in the audience subsided, one of the nine monks took two steps forward and with a loud voice said, The Tulong Saber was originally in Xie Xuns hands; however, when our humble Sect captured him, the Saber was no longer in his possession. Our temples Fangzhang realizes that this is an important matter of the Wulin world; therefore, he immediately launched an investigation. Xie Xun is stubborn and arrogant; he is unwilling to tell us the truth. Todays great assembly of heroes, first of all, is to discuss how we are going to handle Xie Xun. Secondly, we want to inquire if any of the heroes has heard anything about the Tulong Sabers whereabouts. Whoever has any information is invited to speak up. The crowd of heroes looked at each other; nobody opened his mouth. Again, the Zui Bu Si Situ Qianzhong, with his sad and high-pitched voice said, For the last hundred of years, there is a
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saying in the martial art world, the most revered in the Wulin world, precious Saber slaughtering the dragon (Tu Long), ruling under the heavens, nobody dares to disobey. Yitian (relying on Heaven) does not appear, who can match its sharpness? Other than the Tulong Saber, there is the Yitian Sword. I heard this Yitian Sword was originally in the hands of Emei Pai, but after the battle of the western regions Brightness Peak, nobody knew its whereabouts. Just because todays meeting is called the Heroes Assembly, could it be that the Emei Pais heroines refuse to come? As the people heard his last sentence they broke into boisterous laughter. [Translators note: ying xiong hero, where the xiong character can also mean male (mostly used to refer to male animal), so literally, ying xiong means brave male. Situ Qianzhong used the characters ying ci brave female (animal). By calling the Emei Pai heroines as ying ci, he was not being complimentary (He would have used nu-xia if he wanted to be courteous).] Amidst the loud laughter, a monk in charge of guest reception made an announcement in loud voice, The Beggar Clans Shi Bangzhu, has arrived accompanied by various Zhanglao and various disciples. As he heard the word Shi Bangzhu three characters, Zhang Wuji was greatly surprised. The Beggar Clans Shi Huolong had died long ago under Yuan Zhens hands, he thought, How come there is another Shi Bangzhu? Please! Kong Zhi responded. The Beggar Clan was the biggest clan in Jianghu, so it was only proper for him to welcome them personally. They saw a large group of people walk towards the open field in quick pace. There were approximately 150 men, all in rags and tattered clothes. The Beggar Clans prestige has been in decline in the last several years, but just like a centipede that moves even after it dies, it had not become placid; the Beggar Clan still has an enormous power in the Jianghu. The crowd of heroes did not dare to despise them; most of them stood up to show their respect. The ones in the front were two elderly beggars. Zhang Wuji recognized them as Chuan Gong Zhanglao and Zhi Fa Zhanglao. Behind these two old beggars was an ugly girl of twelve, thirteen years; her nose curved upward, her mouth was wide, revealing two big front teeth. She was none other than Shi Huolongs daughter, Shi Hongshi. In her hand was the Beggar Clans symbol of authority, the Dog Beating Stick. Behind Shi Hongshi walked Zhang Bang Longtou and Zhang Bo Longtou, followed by eight-pouch elders, seven-pouch disciples, and six-pouch disciples. It looked like the lowest ranking disciples within the Beggar Clan contingent this time were the six-pouch disciples. As Kong Zhi saw the one holding the Dog Beating Stick was a little girl, he hesitated; he was not sure which one was the Clan Leader and thus was not sure to whom he should speak, but he was obliged to respond. Therefore, clasping his palms, he said without addressing anybody in particular, The monks of Shaolin respectfully welcome the warriors of the Beggar Clan. Together, the Beggar Clan warriors cupped their fists to return the propriety. Chuan Gong Zhanglao said, Our humble Clans former Shi Bangzhu was unfortunate and has return to Heaven. The elders have voted to elect Shi Bangzhus daughter, Miss Shi Hongshi to be Bangzhu. This lady is therefore our Clans new Bangzhu. He pointed toward Shi Hongshi. Kong Zhi and the crowd of warriors were taken aback. They remembered the saying in the Jianghu, Ming Jiao, Gai Bang, Shaolin Pai. Within the jiao [cults, religions], Ming Cult was the leader; within the worlds bang hui [clans and societies], the Beggar Clan held the place of honor; within the men pai [martial art schools and sects], Shaolin Pai was the number one. The Ming Cult
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had elected a twenty-year-old young man, Zhang Wuji as their Jiaozhu; already people were clucking their tongues in amazement. And now the Beggar Clan pushed this little girl to be their Bangzhu? If it did not come from a Zhanglaos [elder] mouth, nobody would believe it. In the past, Huang Rong was also a young girl when she took over the Beggar Clans Bangzhu position. Although it was a good precedent, at that time Huang Rong was several years older compared to this little girl. Kong Zhi did not lack any courtesy in his surprise. He clasped his palms and said, Shaolin disciple Kong Zhi pays his respect to Shi Bangzhu. Shi Hongshi bowed down to return the propriety; she seemed to mumble something, but nothing came out of her mouth. Chuan Gong Zhanglao said, Our humble Clans Bangzhu is young. All businesses of the Clan are temporarily being handled by Xiongdi [brother, referring to self] and Zhi Fa Zhanglao, two people. Kong Zhi Shen Seng is more senior by far so you do not need to be overly courteous. After the two of them exchanged some modest pleasantries, the usher monk directed the Beggar Clan warriors to take their seats in one of the wooden shelters. The Beggar Clan contingent was big, so it took half a day for all of them to be seated. Zhang Wuji noticed that the group of beggars was wearing mourning clothes; their faces carried grief and an indignation expression. The pouches on some of the disciples had things inside that were seemingly wriggling and moving. It was obvious that they came with some purpose in mind. Zhang Wuji smirked inwardly; he whispered to Yang Xiao, We have some helpers. He saw Chuan Gong and Zhi Fa, two elders were escorting Shi Hongshi walk toward the Ming Cults shelter. Chuan Gong Zhanglao cupped his fists in salute and said, Zhang Jiaozhu, our humble Clan shares a large part of responsibility in Jin Mao Shi Wang falling into the enemy. Even if we have to lose our lives today, we must redeem our offense. Furthermore, we want to avenge our Shi Bangzhus death. The Beggar Clan, from top to bottom, is under Zhang Jiaozhus command. I do not dare, Zhang Wuji hastily returned the propriety. Chuan Gong Zhanglao was speaking with his strong internal power that his words were loud and clear; obviously, he deliberately wanted everybody in that open field to hear. As he finished speaking, the numerous Beggar Clan disciples stood up together and said in loud voices, Respectfully waiting for the Ming Cult Zhang Jiaozhus command; we will not refuse to go through the water or tread on the fire. The warriors were baffled, Since when the Beggar Clan formed a life and death alliance with the Ming Cult? Other than very few people who seldom roamed the Jianghu, everybody knew that for the past many years, the Beggar Clan and the Ming Cult were always at each others throat. A few years ago, the Beggar Clan participated in the siege of the Brightness Peak. The casualties from both sides were very heavy in that one bloody battle alone. On their last attack against the Brightness Peak, almost all Beggar Clan warriors were annihilated. And now, Chuan Gong Zhanglao had openly declared that the entire Beggar Clan force was under Zhang Wujis command, and that they wanted to avenge their former Shi Bangzhu, everyone scratched their heads in confusion. Chuan Gong Zhanglao turned around and said in a loud voice, Our Beggar Clan and Shaolin Pai never had neither enmity nor grudge. Our humble Clan has always regarded Shaolin Pai as the
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Wulins number one major sect. In case of any small misunderstanding, we have always exercised self-restraint as much as we possibly can, and have never dared to offend Shaolin Pai openly. As our humble Clans Shi Qian Bangzhus [former Shi Bangzhu] subordinates, we have always admired the Four Divine Monks of Shaolin as persons of virtue and prestige; as the model warriors of the martial art study we should imitate. Shi Qian Bangzhu had long ago lived in seclusion to recuperate from his injury in peace and quiet; for dozens of years he had not made any contacts with other Jianghu characters. But somehow, he had fallen under a Shaolin senior monks evil hands Ah! as he spoke to this point, the people around the field called out in shock. Even Kong Zhi was taken by surprise. In the meantime, Chuan Gong Zhanglao continued, We come here today to ask, in the presence of the heroes of the world, Kong Wen Fangzhang to give us directions in treading this confusing path. What did our Shi Qian Bangzhu do to offend Shaolin that that Shaolin senior monk, even after he killed Shi Qian Bangzhu, had to be so merciless toward his widow, a lone helpless woman that in the end Mrs. Shi was not able to defend her own life? Amituofo, Kong Zhi clasped his palms, Only at this moment Lao Na learned of Shi Bangzhus misfortune and that he passed away. Zhanglao keeps proclaiming that it was our humble Sects disciple who has done it; I am afraid there is a big misunderstanding in this case. Would Zhanglao please tell us the details? Chuan Gong Zhanglao said, For thousands of years Shaolin Pai has been the tai shan bei dou [Mount Tai (Taishan) Big Dipper Constellation, as weighty as Mt. Tai, as brilliant as the Big Dipper, meaning the ultimate] of the Wulin world; how can we dare to make a false accusation? Your precious Temple has an eminent monk and a secular disciple; we request that they come out and confront us. Zhanglao please tell us what to do, we will comply, Kong Zhi replied, I wonder which two people Zhanglao wants to come out? They are Chuan Gong Zhanglao only uttered the are word, and suddenly he was tongue-tied with his mouth open, unable to continue. Kong Zhi was shocked. He hastily stepped forward and grabbed his right wrist, feeling for pulse, which, unexpectedly, had stopped. Kong Zhi was even more shocked. Zhanglao! Zhanglao! he called. Looking at Chuan Gong Zhanglaos face, Kong Zhi saw a small black dot the size of the head of an incense stick between his eyebrows; apparently his fatal point was hit by some poisonous secret projectile. With a loud voice Kong Zhi shouted, Fellow Heroes and Warriors, please understand. This Beggar Clan elder was hit by a poisonous secret projectile and unfortunately lost his life. Our Shaolin Pai has never used this kind of evil secret projectile. The Beggar Clan people immediately broke into clamor; several dozen people rushed toward Chuan Gong Zhanglaos body. Zhang Bo Longtou took a piece of magnet from his pocket and put it in between Chuan Gong Zhanglaos eyebrows. He pulled a steel needle, as fine as an ox hair, only about an inch long. The Beggar Clan elders realized that Kong Zhi was not lying; an upright and prestigious sect like Shaolin Pai certainly would not use this kind of evil secret projectile. However, someone had sneakily and unexpectedly launched a secret projectile, under broad daylight, under the gaze of thousands of eyes without anybody seeing it, and this was certainly strange beyond anybodys imagination.
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Zhi Fa Zhanglao and the others thought that Chuan Gong Zhanglao was standing with his face to the south, so the secret projectile must come from the south. At this time, the sun was shining dazzlingly, Chuan Gong Zhanglao was indignant and excited so he must have been unguarded against this kind of fine secret projectile. With angry glare the elders looked at the people behind Kong Zhi. They saw that the eyes of the nine old monks wearing red kasaya were half-closed with their eyebrows drooping down. Behind these nine monks stood a row of monks wearing yellow robes, followed by monks in gray robes. However, although they had no doubt that the murderer was one of these Shaolin monks, they could not tell which one was the villain. Zhi Fa Zhanglao let out a loud and long laugh, while tears rolling down like rain from his eyes. Kong Zhi Dashi, he said, Are you still thinking that we have brought false accusation towards Shaolin Pai? How will you explain what has just happened? Zhang Bang Longtou was the most hot-tempered among the beggars; brandishing the iron staff in his hand, he roared, We will fight to the death with Shaolin Pai today! Clang, clang, clang! a chaotic noise was heard as the Beggar Clan people took out their weapons and charged toward the middle of the field. With a grieved countenance Kong Zhi turned around toward the group of Shaolin monks. Ever since our ancestor Damo arrived from the west, for thousands of years our Temple has established a strong foundation in diligent cultivation of the teachings of Buddha and the most refined in maintaining monastic discipline. Although we train martial arts for self-defense and have been interacting with the brave warriors of the Jianghu, we have never dared to perform dishonorable deeds. Fangzhang Shixiong [martial brother Abbot] and I have long ago given up the worldly matters. How can we still feel any attachment to this red dust His gaze swept the faces of the monks. This poisonous needle, he continued, Who shot it out? A real man who dares to do it, must also have the courage to accept responsibility. Stand up and face me. None of the several hundred monks opened his mouth; some of them muttered, Amituofo, sin, sin! Zhang Wujis heart was stirred, he recalled his parents story how his mother Yin Susu had posed as his father, Zhang Cuishan, and used poisonous needles to kill Shaolin monks, and thus had caused his father to bear the grudge despite his innocence. But the silver needles of Tian Ying Jiao [Heavenly Eagle Cult] differed greatly from this steel needle, both in shape and in toxicity. The poison of the one taken from Chuan Gong Zhanglaos dead body looked like that of the western regions venomous insect xin yi tiao [one heart beat]. It was called the xin yi tiao because as the poison from the insect contacted the warm blood, the heart would beat only once, and then it would stop beating altogether. Zhang Wuji knew that Shi Huolong was killed by Yuan Zhen; he also knew that hidden among the Shaolin monks were Yuan Zhens henchmen. Consequently, the reason Chuan Gong Zhanglao was shot with the needle must be to close his mouth from mentioning Yuan Zhens name. Only at that time everybody was looking at Chuan Gong Zhanglao, so nobody paid any attention on who shot the needle. Zhang Bang Longtou shouted, Tens of thousands Beggar Clan disciples all know who Shi Bangzhus killer is. You want to kill others to close their mouths? Humph, humph! Only if you kill all Beggar Clan disciples under the heavens! The murderer is a Buddhist monk, his name is Yuan Zhen Zhang Bo Longtou suddenly leaped in front of his comrade; his iron bowl moved. Ding! he caught
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a steel needle with the bowl. It was still unclear from which direction the steel needle was shot, but Zhang Bo Longtou had put all his concentration guarding from the side. As soon as he saw a bluish streak of light flickered under the sun, he lifted his iron bowl to catch it. If he was half a step late, Zhang Bang Longtou would certainly meet his violent death. Kong Zhis shadow circled around to the back of the nine Damo Hall monks. Bang! He kicked the fourth old monk down, followed by a grab on that monks collar. Kong Ru, he said while lifting that monk up, It turns out that it is you! You are also ganging up with Yuan Zhen? His right hand pulled down the front lapel of Kong Rus Buddhist robe. Rip! the robe tore, revealing a small steel tube, with a small hole on the head of the tube, on his waist. Suddenly it became clear to everybody: there must be a powerful spring inside this steel tube. That monk only needed to reach into his pocket, press the trigger and the poisonous needle would shoot out of the hole. He did not need to raise his hand or wave his arm to do this; therefore, even if one was facing him only a few feet apart, one would not necessarily be able to see him shooting the secret projectile. In his grief and anger, Zhang Bang Longtou raised his iron staff and swept it down, crushing Kong Rus brain out. Kong Ru was a peer of the Four Divine Monks; his martial art skill was on par with them, but he was seized by Kong Zhi and the acupoint on his back was sealed, so he could not move. As Zhang Bang Longtous iron staff swept down, he was unable to evade. The crowd of warriors cried out in alarm together. Kong Zhi was taken by surprise; he glowered at Zhang Bang Longtou, thinking, You are too hotheaded; you did not even investigate clearly. Amidst this confusion, suddenly from outside the field four Buddhist nuns wearing black robes walked in quick steps, each one had a whisk in her hand. In loud and clear voices they announced, Emei Pai Zhangmen [sect leader] Zhou Zhiruo, leading the Emei disciples, pays her respect to Shaolin Temples Kong Wen Fangzhang. Kong Zhi laid down Kong Rus body and replied, Please come in. He welcomed the guests in a calm and composed manner. The remaining eight old monks of the Damo Hall followed behind him. It was as if they completely ignored the recent tragedy and it did not weigh on their mind at all. After the four nuns paid their respects, they withdrew, turned around and left as swiftly as they came. The extraordinary thing about them was that these four women came and went as if they were one person; their footwork was light and graceful, as if they were floating leisurely, like passing clouds or flowing river, surging waves devoid of discreet steps. As Zhang Wuji heard Zhou Zhiruo was coming, his face immediately turned red, and he stole a glance toward Zhao Min. At that exact same time, Zhao Min was also looking at him. Two peoples gaze met. Zhao Min winked, it was as if she was smiling, but actually she was not. The corner of her mouth slanted down, as if in contempt; although it was not clear whether she was mocking Zhang Wuji, who was at a loss, or she was looking at Emei Pai bluff with disdain. Unlike the Beggar Clan warriors who walked into the field on their own, the Emei Pai heroines waited for Kong Zhi and the Shaolin monks to go out and welcome them, and only then did they enter the field in neat formation. There were about eighty, ninety female disciples wearing black robes; most of them were bald Buddhist nuns of all ages, elderly, middle-aged and young, even teenaged nuns. Behind these female disciples, more than a zhang away, walked a very beautiful young woman wearing dark green ordinary [Translators note: by ordinary here, I mean secular, not a Buddhist nun clothes] clothes in slow steps. She was the Emei Pai Sect Leader, Zhou Zhiruo.
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As Zhang Wuji saw her slim figure, with a rather thin and pallid face, he felt sorry for her, but also ashamed of himself. Several zhangs behind Zhou Zhiruo, there were about twenty male disciples; they also wore black robes. Most of them had refined scholar-like features, unlike the masculine and imposing features common to those of Wulin characters. Each mans hands carried a wooden case of varying sizes, long and short. These hundred or so Emei disciples did not carry any weapon either on their bodies or their hands, obviously, the weapons were inside those boxes. The crowd of warriors secretly praised, The Emei Pai truly knows propriety; by not carrying weapons openly, they are showing deep respect toward the Shaolin Pai. Zhang Wuji waited until they were seated before he walk toward Emei Pais shelter and greet Zhou Zhiruo by cupping his fists. In bashful and ashamed voice he said, Zhou Jiejie [elder sister Zhou], Zhang Wuji comes to apologize humbly. More than ten Emei Pai female disciples stood up suddenly; their eyebrows were raised, their faces looked angry. I do not dare, Zhou Zhiruo returned the propriety. Zhang Jiaozhu, why must you overly courteous? I am sure you are well since we part? She looked completely calm, without any sign of either delight or anger. Zhang Wujis heart was thumping erratically. Zhiruo, he said, Because I was eager to save Yifu, I was being rude to you. I feel endless regret in my heart. Zhou Zhiruo said, I heard Xie Laoye [old master Xie] has fallen into Shaolin Temples hands. Zhang Jiaozhu is an unrivalled hero, I am sure you have already rescued him. Zhang Wuji blushed and said, Shaolin Pais eminent monks possess profound martial art skill. The Ming Cult has lost a battle. My (maternal) Grandfather was unfortunate and has passed away. Yin Laoye Zi [old master] was a hero of this age, Zhou Zhiruo said, What a pity, what a pity! She did not show any emotion whether happy or angry. Zhang Wuji could not read her true feelings; he only felt that his words seem like bumping on her flexible nail, always bounce back without generating any interest on her part. However, thinking that compared to how bad he had hurt her by leaving her for Zhao Min in front of multitude of guests, the cold reception he received today was a thousand times, ten thousand times better. Thereupon he said, Later, when we try to save Yifu, I wish you would lend your hands for old times sake. His heart stirred as soon as he said those words. In the past half a year, her skill has advanced greatly, he mused, At the wedding hall the other day, Fan You Shi was forced to retreat by her in just one stance even with the kind of skill he has. Min Mei has learned the special skills of various sects leaders, yet she was almost killed instantly by her; not to mention Du Baidang and Yi Sanniang, husband and wife just a few days ago. Perhaps perhaps as she took over the Emei Zhangmen [sect leader] position, she trained some secret martial art from some secret manual reserved exclusively for Sect Leader. Her comprehension is better than Miejue Shitai to the extent of although green was born of blue, it surpasses the blue [Translators note: a Chinese saying, means student (or children) become superior to the master (or parents)]. If she is willing to collaborate with me, we might be able to break the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan. Thinking to this point, he was excited and said, Zhiruo, I want to ask you a favor.
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Zhou Zhiruos countenance suddenly stiffened. Zhang Jiaozhu, she said, Please exercise selfcontrol. At this point, how can you address me like in the former days? Beckoning to someone behind her she said, Qingshu, come over here. Tell Zhang Jiaozhu about us. Zhang Wuji saw a man with face full of spiky beard step forward, cupping his fists and say, Zhang Jiaozhu, how are you? Zhang Wuji recognized the voice as belonging to Song Qingshu; he took a closer look and recognized him as Song Qingshu; only he disguised himself as an older and uglier man to hide his original features. Thus Zhang Wuji also cupped his fists and said, Turns out it is Song Shige [martial (older) brother]; I am well, thank you. Song Qingshu showed a faint smile and said, Actually, I should thank Zhang Jiaozhu. That day when you were about to marry my wife you had a second thought and regret What?!? Zhang Wuji was shocked; his voice trembled. I have Zhang Jiaozhu to thank for my happy and blissful marriage, Song Qingshu said. It was as if five thunderbolts had struck Zhang Wuji at once. He stood with a blank expression on his face; his eyes glazed over like he was looking at a vast expanse of whiteness, his ears were buzzing with indistinct noise that he could not hear what people were saying around him. After a long time, he felt someone was tugging his arm. Jiaozhu, let us go back! that person said. Zhang Wuji calmed himself down and took a sidelong glance. He saw his arm was pulled by Han Liner. Han Liners face was full of anxiety, grief and anger. Miss Zhou, Han Liner said to Zhou Zhiruo, My Jiaozhu is a righteous hero; just because of a small misunderstanding you married this this humph, humph! Actually, he wanted to scold Song Qingshu, but out of respect to Zhou Zhiruo, he swallowed back the word that was on the tip of his tongue. Although Zhang Wuji had deep feelings toward Zhao Min, he had always thought that he was engaged with Zhou Zhiruo. That day, because he wanted to rescue Yifu, he had no choice but follow Zhao Min. He thought as a sweet and gentle girl, Zhou Zhiruo would understand and would not blame him as long as he honestly told her the reason. Who would have thought that in her rage she married Song Qingshu? The pain in his heart right now far exceeded the pain on his chest when Zhou Zhiruo stabbed him at the Brightness Peak. Turning his head, he saw Zhou Zhiruo stretch out her delicate hand, as white as jade, to beckon Song Qingshu. With a very smug expression Song Qingshu walked back to her side, and sat next to her. With a faint smile on the corners of his mouth he said to Zhang Wuji, When we get married, we did not throw any invitations and thus announced it publicly. Someday, we will invite Sire to enjoy our wine of happiness [orig. xi3jiu3 wine drunk at a wedding feast]. Zhang Wuji wanted to say thank you [orig. duo1xie4le5], but his throat was dry; unexpectedly he could not utter these three characters. Han Liner pulled his arm and said, Jiaozhu, dont pay any attention to this kind of person. Song Qingshu laughed and said, Han Dage [big brother Han], when the time comes, you also have to enjoy this wine of happiness.
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Han Liner spat and hatefully said, Id rather drink three jars of horse urine than your bad-luck, dead-peoples wine. Zhang Wuji sighed; he pulled Han Liners arm and took him away sadly. In the meantime, the Beggar Clans Zhang Bang Longtou was engaged in a fiery argument with a Shaolin monk. The exchange among Zhang Wuji, Zhou Zhiruo, Song Qingshu and Han Liner took place at the Emei Pai shelter, on the northwest corner of the field, so it did not attract anybodys attention; the crowd of warriors was busy listening to the dispute between the Beggar Clan and Shaolin Pai. Zhang Wuji returned to the Ming Cults shelter and sat down with a troubled mind. He vaguely heard that old Shaolin monk in red kasaya say, I told you Yuan Zhen Shixiong [martial brother] and Chen Youliang are not in our Temple, but your precious Clan did not believe me. Your precious Clans Chuan Gong Zhanglao was unfortunate to meet his death, but our Sects Kong Ru Shishu [martial uncle] had paid it with his own life. What else do you want? Zhang Bang Longtou said, You said Yuan Zhen and Chen Youliang are not here? I dont believe you! You must let us search Shaolin Temple. That Shaolin monk sneered and said, Sire, you want to search Shaolin Temple? Dont you think you are a bit too arrogant? The puny Beggar Clan might not necessarily have the ability to do so. You are looking down on the Beggar Clan? Zhang Bang Longtou said angrily. Fine, Ill ask you for advice first. The Shaolin monk replied, For thousands of years, there have been countless heroes and warriors paying a visit to Shaolin. But because of our founders mercy, Shaolin has never burned anybody. The argument of these two was getting hotter by the minute; it looked like they were about to fight soon. Kong Zhi was standing quietly on the side; he did not even try to intervene. Suddenly Situ Qianzhongs weird voice was heard again, The worlds heroes are gathered together at Shaolin today. Some of us had to cover a distance of thousands of lis. Are we here to watch the Beggar Clan seeking a revenge? Thats right, Xia Zhou said, The enmity between the Beggar Clan and Shaolin Pai can be temporarily set aside. It will not be too late for the two of you to settle your account later. Wed better talk about how we are going to handle that villain Xie Xun first. Dont be foul-mouthed, Zhang Bang Longtou was indignant. Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Daxia is one of the Ming Cults Protector Kings; what villain are you talking about? Xia Zhou thundered, You are scared of the Ming Cult, I am not scared of them! A villain with a wolf heart and dog lung like Xie Xun and you still honor him as a hero? Yang Xiao walked toward the center of the field, cupped his fists around and said, I am [orig. zai4xia4] the Ming Cults Guangming Zuo Shi [left emissary of the brightness]. I have something Id like to say in front of the worlds heroes. My humble Cults Xie Shi Wang has killed innocent people in the past, but actually, he cant be blamed Humph, Xia Zhou snorted, Those people he killed are already dead. Do you think you can resurrect them with several sentences of your superficial words? Yang Xiao was unfazed; he said, We are roaming the Jianghu; we lick the blood on our blades on
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a daily basis. Which one among us has never taken anybodys life to be able to stay alive until today? One with stronger martial art skill might kill more people. One with inept skill might lose ones life. If for every life we take we must pay with our own lives, hey, hey, I wonder how many of us, among these several thousands of heroes and warriors in this field, would remain. Xia Lao Yingxiong [old hero Xia], you have never killed people in your whole life? The Mongolian occupation of China was a time of chaos; there was trouble and confusion everywhere. As the Wulin characters roamed the Jianghu, they would either kill or be killed. It was quite difficult to cultivate ones own moral worth. Other than a small number of monks and nuns from Shaolin Pai and Emei Pai, perhaps it was rare to find anybody whose hands were free from bloodstain. This Shandongs warrior Xia Zhou was a hot-tempered man; he had injured countless people. Yang Xiaos words had rendered him speechless. After being dumbfounded for a while, he said, Bad people we can kill, good people we should not kill. This Xie Xun and the devil heads of the Ming Cult are entirely alike; always do dishonorable deeds. I wish I could cut you in thousands pieces, eat your flesh and sleep on your skin. Humph, humph, the one surnamed Yang, I think you are not a good thing. He understood that there were many highly skilled people within the Ming Cult, but today he wanted to kill Xie Xun to avenge his brothers death, so a bloody battle against the Ming Cult was unavoidable. Therefore, he spoke boldly without showing any restraint. A piercing voice came from the Ming Cult shelter, Xia Zhou, do you think I am a good thing? Xia Zhou turned to look at the speaker; he saw a thin-cheeked and sharp-mouthed, pale-faced man; so pale that his face looked gray. Xia Zhou did not know what kind of person this speaker was; he shouted, I dont know who you are, but since you are one of the Devil Cults devil heads, I am sure you are not a good thing. Xia Xiong [brother Xia}, Situ Qianzhong said, Dont you know this gentleman? He is one of the Four Protector Kings of the Ming Cult, the Qing Yi Fu Wang. Pei, pei! Xia Zhou spat, The Blood Sucking Devil! Suddenly, while the crowd of warriors was still talking among themselves, Wei Yixiao had arrived in front of Xia Zhou. They were actually more than ten zhangs apart, but somehow Wei Yixiao managed to cover that distance in split seconds. Wei Yixiao raised his hand and slap, slap, slap, slap! he gave Xia Zhou four slaps on his face, followed by an elbow strike toward the acupoint on Xia Zhous lower abdomen. Actually, Xia Zhous martial art skill was not so bad. Based on their actual skill levels, Wei Yixiao would need at least fifty stances before he could beat Xia Zhou. However, Wei Yixiaos qing gong skill was too strange for Xia Zhou. He moved like a ghost, like a demon; so because of this element of surprise, by the time Xia Zhou realized the attack and was about to parry, the strike had already arrived. While the crowd of warriors was crying out in shock, a white shadow flew from the Ming Cults shelter. It was inferior to Wei Yixiaos lightning speed, yet the shadow was faster than a galloping horse. As the shadow reached Xia Zhou, a large cloth sack opened, went down on his head, and scooped him inside the sack. It was not until the shadow slung the sack on his shoulder did the crowd of warriors finally saw that the shadow was a giggling Buddhist monk, the Bu Dai Heshang [cloth sack monk] Shuo Bude.
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Shuo Bude laughed and said, A good thing, you are a good thing! The monk will take you home and cook you slowly for my dinner! Carrying Xia Zhou along, light as a feather he swiftly returned to the wooden shelter. This attack on Xia Zhou happened very quickly and ended just as quick. Although he was surrounded by a dozen friends and fellow martial brothers, the two men from the enemy side were too fast that nobody was able to render their assistance. Only after Wei Yixiao and Shuo Bude were back to their seats that these dozen or so people unsheathed their weapons and charged toward the Ming Cults shelter with loud shouting and cursing. Shuo Bude pulled open the sacks mouth and said with a laugh, Just return to your seats nicely and sit down quietly. After the meeting is over, I will let him go. If you are not obedient, the old monk will urinate into this cloth sack, or put some dung inside, or the best I can do is farting into the sack. Do you believe me or not? As he said that, he put his hand onto his belt, as if he was ready to take his pants off. These dozen or so people were so angry that their faces turned green and yellow, but remembering that these Ming Cult people would not stop at anything, they believed that he would do what he said he would do. They also realized that their skills were insufficient to help Xia Zhou. If this bald thief really urinated on his head, Xia Lao Yingxiong would certainly kill himself. They looked at each other, and then they returned to their seats with a dejected look on their faces. Watching this affair, the crowd of heroes was startled and amused at the same time. When they went up the mountain, they were in high spirits, thinking that they were going to witness the execution of Xie Xun. But as they saw the skills of these two Ming Cult warriors, they realized that this assembly could turn dangerous. Even if they were successful in killing Xie Xun, the field would unavoidably be soaked with blood, and corpses would be scattered everywhere. They could not restrain trepidation from creeping into their hearts. They saw Situ Qianzhong, with a wine cup in his left hand and a wine gourd in his right, walk toward the center of the field while shaking his head. There is indeed a lively event worthy to be watched today, he said, Some want to kill Xie Xun, some want to save him. But after going back and forth, whether Xie Xun is really at the Shaolin Temple or not, is still left to our own speculation. Ill say: Kong Zhi Dashi, why dont you invite Jin Mao Shi Wang to come out so that everybody can see him first. And then, those of want to kill and those who want to save, can show their true ability by competing against each other. Dont you think it will be interesting? At his words, most of the warriors around the field applauded and cheered loudly. Yang Xiao thought, Xie Shi Wang [lion king Xie] has too many enemies. Even with Ming Cult and the Beggar Clans combined forces, we simply cannot fight the heroes from all over the world. It will be better to divert their attention to the Tulong Saber and stir up these warriors to fight each other. Thereupon with a loud and clear voice he said, All the warriors under the heavens are gathered here at the Shaolin Temple today, first, to settle the unfinished business of gratitude and grudges with Xie Shi Wang; second hey hey! I am afraid everybody wants to get their hands on this treasured Tulong Saber. If we follow Mr. Situs suggestion, everybody will fight everybody else and then after when all is said and done, I wonder who will get the precious Saber? As the crowd heard him, they thought he was speaking reasonably. Besides, among these several thousand people, perhaps only a little over a hundred people who truly had intense and deephatred toward Xie Xun. Without realizing it, their hearts were beating faster as soon as they thought about the most revered in the Wulin world [wulin zhi zun], four characters. A black-bearded old man stood up and said, I wonder what kind of person is in possession of the
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Tulong Saber, would Yang Zuo Shi inform us? This matter is also unclear to me, Yang Xiao replied, I am afraid we must consult Kong Zhi Chanshi [honorific title for a Buddhist monk]. Kong Zhi shook his head without saying anything. The crowd of heroes was secretly dissatisfied, they all thought, Shaolin Pai is the host and initiator of this assembly, but Kong Wen Fangzhang is suddenly ill and cannot come out; this Kong Zhi Chanshi is so lethargic that it looks like he is half dead. I wonder what kind of trick they are playing. A middle-aged man in dark-green coarse long robe stood up and said, Although Kong Zhi Chanshi does not know, Xie Shi Wang certainly does. Let us invite him to come out and inquire of him. Afterwards, each one of us can play around with our true skills. Whose martial art skill is number one under the heavens will be clear to us; naturally, he is worthy to bear the wulin zhi zun title. No matter in whose hands the Saber is, he should hand it over to the wulin zhi zun. If you ask me, Ill say we must agree to this first to avoid any dispute in the future. If he refuses to hand it over, all the heroes under the heavens will rally together to attack him. Gentlemen, what do you think? Zhang Wuji recognized the speaker as one of the three Qinghai Pai sword masters who joined the attack to the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan the other night. Situ Qianzhong said, Wont that be a martial art competition? [orig. da2 lei4 tai2 beating drum on the platform; as martial art competition on those days was usually held on a raised platform, with people beating drums on the side] I think it is completely inappropriate. Any why not? that man in the dark-green robe coldly asked, Are you saying that we should not compete in a martial art, but compete on liquor capacity? If thats the case, then which thousand bells [Situ Qianzhong means Situ (surname) thousand bells] is not drunk, whoever gets drunk but does not die [Situ Qianzhongs title was zui bu si (drunk but did not die)], will be crowned the wulin zhi zun. The crowd broke up in laughter. Some in the crowd said with a strange voice, Why do we have to compete then? This wulin zhi zun title would certainly belong to the zui bu si, Mr. Situ! Situ Qianzhong tipped his wine gourd to pour a cup of wine, and then tilting his head backwards he drank it in one gulp. I dont dare, I dont dare! he said earnestly, To win the title jiu lin zhi zun [the most revered in the wine world], I, zui bu si might have a thirty percent chance; but wulin zhi zun, ha ha .. I dont dare to accept the challenge; I dont dare ... To the man in the dark-green robe he said, Since Sire has raised this issue, your martial art knowledge must have transcended the mortal world attainment. Under my faulty vision, I actually do not know Sires illustrious name. That man coldly said, I am Ye Changqing of Qinghai Pai; both my drinking capacity and my clowning skills are inferior to Sires. He implied that in martial art skill, I am much stronger than Sire. Situ Qianzhong tilted his head sideways and thought for half a day. Qinghai Pai? he said, Never heard. Ye Changqing? Hm, hm never heard either. Everybody thought, This Old Situ has such a nerve. Insulting Ye Changqing one man is all right, but he dares to insult the entire Qingjai Pai; wonder if he has a formidable backer behind him? Or did he have an unresolved enmity against Qinghai Pai? Just based on these few words, I am afraid Qinghai Pai would not let him go easily. Only those who knew Situ Qianzhong well realized that he was always alone, without anybody to back him up. He also did not have any enmity against the
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Qinghai Pai. He simply was a brassy man, who loved to argue and did not exercise control over his own tongue. Although he had suffered countless troubles in his life, his behavior did not change. Murderous intent started to grow in Ye Changqings heart, but his face remained calm when he said, Qinghai Pai and the Ol Ye are indeed obscure names, no wonder Sire did not know. But since Sire said martial art competition was inappropriate, while in drinking wine [orig. pouring yellow soup] competition Sires skill is unequalled under the heavens, then how would we resolve this problem? Please advice. Unequalled under the heavens is truly much easier said than done, Situ Qianzhong said, Truly much easier said than done. Back then, when I was at Jinan Prefecture [capital of Shandong, northeastern China] Zui Bu Si, he was about to prattle along when someone in the crowd shouted, Dont get drunk in here! We dont have time to listen to your nonsense. Another man shouted, What about Xie Xun? What about the Tulong Saber? Yet another man shouted, Kong Zhi Chanshi, you are the host of this heros assembly, are you inviting us here to listen to this empty talk? What kind of assembly is this? In short, the people wanted Situ Qianzhong to shut up, and for Kong Zhi to take charge of the situation. These people were shouting from among the crowd, some far, some near, they were from all directions. Situ Qianzhong said, Shi Laoda [old (big) man Shi] from Jiangling [a place in Hubei] prefectures Hei Feng Zhai [black wind fort], you dont have to worry. Although your Hei Sha Zhang [black sand palm] is fierce, you will not necessarily able to defeat the Unequalled under the heavens. Poyang Lakes shui di jin ao [mythological golden turtle from the bottom of Poyang Lake] Hou Xiongdi [brother Hou], that Xie Shi Wang [lion king Xie] possesses an excellent water skill; you wont be able to take advantage of him with your underwater skill. Much less they still have one Zi Shan Long Wang [purple-robed dragon king] who has not made her appearance yet. Hey, hey, how can turtle and fish compete against the dragon king? Mount Qingyangs [a place in Anhui] Wu San Lang [third lad surnamed Wu], if you are dreaming of snatching the Tulong Saber with your sword, you must be blind This man might talk like a madman, but he had a skill that surpassed others; his network of acquaintances was broad, his hearing was keen. From a bustling and random noise of the people shouting, he was able to call the surname and special skill of each speaker, one by one, without any mistake. The crowd of warriors realized this special skill of his; they could not help but break out in cheers. An old monk behind Kong Zhi stood up and said, Shaolin Pai is ashamed to be the host; as luck would have it, our Fangzhang [Abbot] has suddenly fallen ill. Nobody is in charge of this grand assembly, and in the end we become the laughingstock of everybody present. Xie Xun and the Tulong Saber are two separate matters, but they are two in one and one in two, which can be handled together. According to Lao Na, what this Ye Shizhu [benefactor] of Qinghai Pai said is very reasonable. There are countless brave people with outstanding ability among the attending heroes. We only need everybody to demonstrate each ones skill. Whoever stays standing at the end will have the right to handle Xie Xun; the Tulong Saber will also be his. Let the heroes consider; isnt it a good idea? Zhang Wuji asked Peng Yingyu, Who is this monk? Peng Yingyu shook his head. Subordinate does not know, he said, This monk did not participate in the besieging of the Brightness Peak. He also was not one of those held captive by Junzhu Niangniang at the Wanan Temple. But since he repeatedly speaks in front of Kong Zhi Dashi, his
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position in the Temple must not be low. Zhao Min said in a low voice, Nine out of ten, this man belongs to Yuan Zhen gang. I am guessing that Kong Wen Fangzhang has fallen into Yuan Zhens hands. Kong Zhi Dashi thereupon is forced to comply with these rebels wish. Thats why he looks so gloomy and dispirited. Zhang Wujis heart sank; Peng Dashi, what do you think? he asked. Junzhus guess makes sense, Peng Yingyu replied, Only Shaolin Temple is full of martial art masters. Yuan Zhens his nerves must be too big to have the courage to openly defy his superior and create trouble. Yuan Zhen has made preparations long time ago, Zhang Wuji said, First, he wants to destroy our Cult; second, he wants to gain control over the Beggar Clan. Both deceitful attempts failed when success was just in sight. This time, I believe he wants to be the Shaolin Pais Zhang Men Fangzhang [sect leader, abbot]. To be Zhang Men Fangzhang might not be enough, Zhao Min said. Shaolin Pai is the number one Sect in the Wulin world, Zhang Wuji said, Being the Zhang Men Fangzhang is the pinnacle of achievement; nothing can be higher than that. How about wulin zhi zun? Zhao Min asked, Isnt the most revered in the Wulin world higher than Shaolin Pais Zhang Men Fangzhang? He wants to be the wulin zhi zun? Zhang Wuji asked absentmindedly. Wuji Gege, Zhao Min said, Just because Zhou Jiejie [elder sister] married another man, you become muddle-headed, and cannot think about anything else clearly. As the secret of his heart was exposed, Zhang Wuji blushed. Zhang Wuji, he silently scolded himself, You must not be engrossed in one thing and care about man-woman relationship only, and thus setting the important matter of rescuing Yifu aside. Calming himself down, he thought about how Yuan Zhen was really farsighted; todays great assembly was part of his grand schemes, so there must be something greater than what meets the eye. Min Mei, he said, What do you think Yuan Zhens real intention is? Zhao Min said, This man Yuan Zhen is very cunning; extremely intelligent Zhou Dian, who had been listening on the side this conversation in low voice, finally could not restrain himself from cut in, Junzhu Niangniang, you are also very cunning and extremely intelligent. Ill say you are not the least bit inferior to Yuan Zhen. Zhao Min laughed, You flatter me too much, she said. Zhou Dian said, Not too much Dian Xiong, Peng Yingyu cut him off, Do not interrupt Junzhu Niangniang. Zhou Dian was indignant. You interrupted me first he said. Peng Yingyu smiled without saying anything. He was well aware that bickering with Zhou Dian for two to four hours [orig. one or two sichen, 1 sichen = 2-hour] was not unusual; therefore, he would
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rather not respond. Why dont you say anything? Zhou Dian asked. You told me not to interrupt you; I wont interrupt you, Peng Yingyu replied. But you have already interrupted me, Zhou Dian said. Then please continue whatever you were going to say, Peng Yingyu said. Ive forgotten already, I dont remember what I was going to say, Zhou Dian said. Zhao Min laughed and continued, I thought that if Yuan Zhens sole objective was to be Shaolin Temple Abbot, he did not need to gather all the heroes under the heavens here. Xia Daxia has already fallen into his hands, why would he want the heroes to fight over him? Wuji Gege, speaking about martial art skill, I am afraid nobody in the world is superior to you. Its impossible that Yuan Zhen did not know this fact. I dont think he is being nice by arranging all heroes under the heavens to gather here so that you can defeat them all and become the wulin zhi zun. It is like he is offering Xie Daxia and the Tulong Saber to you for free. Zhang Wuji, Peng Yingyu and Zhou Dian nodded and asked, What do you think is his real plot? At this time Yang Xiao walked over toward Zhang Wuji and joined the discussion, I have been thinking, this traitor Yuan Zhens evil scheme must not be a simple one Zhou Dian could not bear not to comment, Yuan Zhen is our Cults archenemy. Junzhu Niangniang, you were once also our Cults archenemy. This traitor Yuan Zhen is very cunning and extremely intelligent, Junzhu Niangniang, you are also very cunning and extremely intelligent. I say the two of you are on par with each other. You are talking rubbish! Yang Xiao scolded him. With a faint smile Zhao Min continued, What Mr. Zhou said makes sense. If I were Yuan Zhen, how would I carry out my conspiracy? Mmm first, I would persuade Kong Wen Fangzhang to send out mass invitation to all heroes under the heavens, requesting them to come to Shaolin Temple. Kong Wen Fangzhang is a devout Buddhist; a person of mercy and peace. Naturally, he did not want to be meddlesome in other peoples business; but all I need to do is mention the names of Kong Jian and Kong Xing, two Shen Seng. Kong Wen Fangzhang loves his martial brothers very much, so, he gave his permission. Furthermore, if Shaolin Temple wanted to kill Xie Daxia, the enmity with the Ming Cult would be as deep as the ocean. Based on one Sects power alone, Shaolin might not necessarily be able to resist Ming Cults full-force attack; but if Shaolin shifted the blame to the heroes from all over the world, certainly the Ming Cult could not massacre several thousand attending warriors, could it? Everybody nodded their heads in agreement. Zhao Min continued, Once the great assembly is in progress, I would not show my own face; Ill let others use Xie Daxia and the Tulong Saber as a bait to provoke the heroes and warriors to kill each other. Inevitably, The Ming Cult would have to fight countless enemies. After the battle is over, it doesnt matter who win or lose, the Ming Cult force would be decreased by half and its power would diminish considerably. Exactly, Zhang Wuji said, I have had the same concern, but Yifus kindness to me was as heavy as the mountain. He also has dozens of years of friendship with our brethrens. How can we sit down without trying to save him? Ay, we have been on this mountain only for several days,
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Grandfather had already died. That traitor Yuan Zhen must be clapping and cheering in his hiding place. Zhao Min continued, At the end of the battle, most likely Zhang Jiaozhu will be crowned the number one martial artist; so the Shaolin monks would say, Zhang Jiaozhus skill surpasses all the heroes. You are worthy of the honor and the accolades. Our Temple sincerely hands over Xie Daxia to Zhang Jiaozhu. Would Zhang Jiaozhu please go to the hill peak behind the Temple to welcome him? Thereupon everybody would climb the peak together; Zhang Jiaozhu must break the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan. If anybody stepped forward to assist him, Yuan Zhens crony would say, The one defeating all the warriors was Zhang Jiaozhu of the Ming Cult; it has nothing to do with anybody else. It would be better for Sire to stand on the side and watch. In his effort to win the title of number one martial artist in the world, even if Zhang Jiaozhu did not suffer any injury, his internal energy would be consumed I dont know how much; by that time, how can he be the three monks match? In the end, not only Xie Daxia could not be rescued, he would die among the three green pines instead. Only the cold moon and the bitter wind would accompany the body of the great hero of this generation, Zhang Wuji. Tell me, isnt my scheme wonderful? Listening to this point, the group of warriors countenances changed; they believed Zhao Mins words were not meant to frighten anybody. Zhang Wujis courage and uprightness was outstanding; he would not care how much suffering and calamity he had to endure, he would definitely try to rescue Xie Xun. Even if he had to lose his life, he would never regret his decision. Yuan Zhen had accurately seen these traits on Zhang Wuji; he knew that Zhang Wuji would jump into a mountain of blades or pot of oil. Zhao Min sighed and said, This way, the Ming Cults demise is guaranteed. Yuan Zhen would carry out his evil plot further. He would poison Kong Wen, and put the blame on Kong Zhi Dashi. This scheme would be very easy to do, he would only need to fabricate false evidence, and the Shaolin monks would believe him. Consequently, his cronies would unanimously recommend him as the logical candidate to take over Fangzhang position. He, Senior, would issue a decree for the warriors to besiege the Ming Cult. Relying on numbers to achieve victory, he would annihilate the Ming Cult. At that time, the title number one martial artist in the world, I am afraid other people would be unable to take it away from him. If Tulong Saber did not appear, so be it. But if in the Jianghu the trail of this precious Saber reappeared, everybody would know that the rightful owner of this Saber would be the Shaolin Temple Abbot, Yuan Zhen Shen Seng. If the owner of the Saber was unwilling to hand this Saber away, I am afraid he would be in a precarious position! Although Zhao Min was speaking in a low voice, several people in the wooden shelter were intently listening to her. As she finished speaking, Zhou Dian slapped his own thigh and called out, Exactly, exactly! What an excellent evil plan! Unconsciously, his voice grew loud that most of the people around the field heard him. Everybody turned their eyes toward the Ming Cults shelter. What kind of excellent evil plan? Situ Qianzhong asked, Can you tell it to this old man? Definitely not! Zhou Dian said, The Old Man [referring to himself] wants to sow dissension so that the heroes from all over the world would kill each other, to the point that you die, I live. If I tell you, wont the evil plan lose its effectiveness? Wonderful, wonderful! Situ Qianzhong laughed, But how are you going to sow dissension? Would you elaborate? Zhou Dian loudly said, I am thinking of an ingenious evil plan; I would tell a lie by saying that the Old Man has the Tulong Saber in his possession. Whoever possesses the strongest martial art, the Old Man would hand over the Tulong Saber to him
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What a plan! What a conspiracy! Situ Qianzhong called out, And then what? Zhao Min and Zhang Wuji exchanged a glance, they both thought, This drunkard is neither our relative nor our friend, but he is a great help to us. Zhou Dian loudly said, Just think, this precious Saber is known as the wulin zhi zun; who wont fight with his all might to get hold of it? Thereupon, the lunatic would be killed by the drunkard, the drunkard would be killed by the monk, the monk would be killed by the priest, the priest would be killed by the young lady the killing would continue, the field would be littered with dead bodies, blood would flow like a river. Woohoo! What a pity! What an awful sight! As soon as the crowd of heroes heard him, they shivered in fear; thinking that although this man acted like a lunatic, his words actually made a perfect sense. Kongtong Pais Er Lao [second elder] Zong Weixia stood up and said, This gentleman, Mr. Zhou, actually has a point. We are honest and upright people, we do not speak in riddles; it is unavoidable that every school and every sect has an interest in the Tulong Saber. However, I think it is not worthwhile to lose our reputation just for the sake of the Saber, or even go as far as the destruction of the entire sect. I wish everybody will not bicker over it, to honor our martial art code of brotherhood, to the point that our friendship will not be harmed regardless of victory or defeat. What do you think? At the Brightness Peak, Zhang Wuji had shown him kindness by healing his internal injury due to the Qi Shang Quan [seven-injury fist] training. Afterwards, Zhang Wuji also saved him from the Wan An Temple Pagoda. This time Kongtong Pai came to Shaolin Temple with the intention of providing assistance to the Ming Cult. Situ Qianzhong said with a laugh, I see you are a big fellow, but you are afraid of death. If nobody spills any blood and nobody loses his life, the martial art contest will not be worth seeing. Kongtong Pais Si Lao [fourth elder], Chang Jingzhi angrily said, To hurt a drunkard like you, I dont need to spill your blood. The drunkard is only joking, Situ Qianzhong said, Why should Mr. Chang the Fourth be this angry? Everybody knows Kongtong Pais Qi Shang Quan can kill anybody without spilling any blood. Didnt Kong Jian Shen Seng of Shaolin Temple die under the Qi Shang Quan? How can my old bones, the drunkard surnamed Situ, be compared to Kong Jian Shen Seng? The crowd of heroes thought, This drunkard is offending both the Kongtong Pai and Shaolin Pai. Its a wonder that he can survive this long roaming in the Jianghu the way he is. Zong Weixia ignored his remarks and said in a loud voice, In my opinion, each school, sect, clan or society is to nominate two of their masters. These masters will compete in martial art skill, and whoever has the highest martial art skill will have the right to handle Xie Daxia and the Tulong Saber. The crowd of heroes applauded loudly; they all said that this is the best proposal ever. Zhang Wuji carefully looked at the monks behind Kong Zhi; most of them frowned, as if they were displeased with this turn of events. He knew Zhao Mins speculation on Yuan Zhens evil plot was correct; he indeed wanted to provoke the crowd of heroes to kill each other. A white faced middle-aged man with little moustache stood up; his hand waved a folding fan with golden spine, his face was rather good-looking. He said, I believe Zong Er Xias [second hero Zong] proposal is very good. When we compete in martial art, although we will stop at touching the
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opponent, we must remember that weapons, fists and legs do not have eyes. If anybody slips, that can be considered a fate. Martial brothers and friends shall not come out to seek revenge. Otherwise, the fight will continue without conclusion. Thats right, the crowd of heroes replied, Let it be so. With a shrill voice Situ Qianzhong said, This brother, the good-looking gentleman with laughter in his speech, could you be Ouyang Xiongtai [xiongtai is yet another way of saying brother] of Hengyang prefecture in Xiang Nan [southern Hunan]? That man shook his folding fan twice and laughed. I do not dare. Such a humble name, he said, You flattered me in one sentence and insulted with me the next. Situ Qianzhong said, It seems like Ouyang Xiong and I are loners [orig. gu1hun2ye3gui lonely soul, wild ghost]; we do not belong to any clan, society, school or sect. I like wine, you like women. How about the two of us found the jiu se pai [wine and sex sect, or drunkard and lecher sect]? Then our Jiuse Pais two masters will stand hand in hand to face the worlds masters together. The crowd of heroes broke out in laughter again, thinking that this Situ Qianzhong repeatedly blurting jokes, creating happy atmosphere, inciting not a few laughter around the meeting place; and thus reducing the hostility inside the hearts of many people. Peng Yingyu informed Zhang Wuji that this white-faced man was Ouyang Muzhi, altogether, he had twelve concubines. Although his martial art was strong, very seldom did he roam around the Jianghu. He spent his days snuggling with his women, enjoying the soft and tender happiness. Ouyang Muzhi laughed and said, If we join hands to found a sect, I am afraid my family heritage will not be enough to buy you the wine. Ladies and Gentlemen, speaking of martial art competition, we may want to elect several venerable seniors to act as referees and arbitrators. Otherwise, you say I win, and I say I win, and thus the dispute continues. Situ Qianzhong laughed, Wont we know it if we win or we lose? Who would be as shameless as you are? Zong Weixia said, Electing several arbitrators is good. Shaolin Pai is the host, naturally Kong Zhi Dashi will be one. Situ Qianzhong pointed his finger to Shou Budes sack and said, I nominate Shandong Daxia [great hero of Shandong], Xia Zhou, Xia Lao Yingxiong. Shuo Bude lifted up his sack and tossed it toward Situ Qianzhong. One arbitrator coming up! he said with a laugh. Situ Qianzhong put down his wine gourd and wine cup. Carrying the cloth sack, he tried to loosen up the cord tied around the sack mouth. Unexpectedly, the knot and the thread were the result of Shou Budes special skill; the thread was braided from golden silk and fish bladder strands. Situ Qianzhong struggled with all his might, but was unable to untie the knot. Shuo Bude laughed out loud and leaped forward. His left hand picked the sack and slung it behind his back. His right hand reached up, his ten fingers twisted and turned; then he heaved the sack to the front again. After heaving the sack back and forth, the knot on the sack mouth was loosened. Turning the sack over and shaking it, Xia Zhou rolled out the sack. Situ Qianzhong hastily reached out to unseal Xia Zhous acupoint.
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After being kept inside the dark cloth sack for half a day and now suddenly he was let out, Xia Zhou found the bright sunlight dazzled his eyes. And then he realized that thousands pairs of eyes were looking at him. He could not bear the shame and wanted to die. Turning around, he pulled the dagger on his waist and stabbed it into the pit of his own stomach. Situ Qianzhong quickly reached out to grab him with both hands and laughed while saying, Victory and defeat is common within the martial art practitioners. Xia Dage, why is your heart so dull? From among the crowd, a short and plump man shouted loudly, I am afraid the hero inside the cloth sack is not qualified to be an arbitrator. I nominate Sun Laoyezi [old master Sun] of Mount Changbai. A middle-aged woman also said, Zhe Dong Shuang Yis [pair of righteous from eastern Zhejiang] prestige shakes the Jiangnan; these two brothers are upright and selfless. They are perfect candidates for the arbitrators. From here and there the crowd of heroes shouted names and very quick there were more than a dozen arbitrators; all were prestigious and respectable heroes of the Jianghu. Suddenly from within the Emei Pai crowd an old nun coldly said, Whats the use of electing arbitrators? There is no need of them from the start. Her voice was not loud at all, but it went straight into everybodyd eardrums. Apparently her internal energy cultivation was quite deep. Situ Qianzhong laughed. I beg Shitais pardon; why dont we need arbitrators? he asked. The old nun replied, Two people fight, the victor lives, the loser dies. Let Yanwu Ye [the ruler of the netherworld] be the arbitrator. Listening to these cold and cruel words, everybody felt chill creeping up their backs. Situ Qianzhong said, We are friends in the martial art world, we also do not have any grudges or enmity against each other; why should we fight a live and death battle against each other? Those who left their homes should practice mercy. By saying those words, isnt Shitai afraid of Buddhas rebuke? The old nun coldly replied, You can talk nonsense in front of other people, but you should watch your manners in front of Emei Pai disciples. Situ Qianzhong raised his wine gourd and poured a cup. Tsk, tsk, tsk! What a fierce Emei Pai! he said, There is a saying that a good man would not fight a woman, good drunkard would not fight a nun! Raising his hand, the cup was just about to touch his lips when suddenly two whiz! whiz! noise split the air, as two tiny objects, as small as a prayer bead, were shot. One flew toward the wine cup, the other flew toward the wine gourd. These two projectiles were immediately followed by another one, aimed at Situ Qianzhongs chest. Bang! Bang! Bang! three loud explosions were heard successively, as the three prayer beads exploded. The gourd and the wine cup were smashed at once, while a large hole appeared on Situ Qianzhongs chest. He was thrown several zhangs backward from the explosion, while his clothes were burning. Xia Zhou immediately rushed forward, but Situ Qianzhong had already died, with a frozen smile on his face. Apparently, because the prayer beads were coming and exploding so fast, he did not even realize that death was at the door. It was just like a sudden thunder in a clear blue sky. There were plenty of experienced warriors with vast knowledge among the crowd, yet nobody had ever seen this kind of fast and deadly secret projectile.
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The nun is serious! Zhou Dian called out, What kind of secret projectile was that? In low voice Yang Xiao said, I heard there is a big country in the western region where someone is perfecting technique to manufacture gunpowder into some kind of secret projectiles. It is called pi li lei huo dan [Translators note: pi li thunderbolt, lei is also thunder, huo fire, dan bullet. Shall we call it thunderbolt bullet for short? Actually, it was closer to modern day grenade, but the original says it was a bullet]. The gunpowder is concealed inside, and it is shot out using a powerful spring mechanism. It seems to me this old nun is using that fellows invention. Carrying Situ Qianzhongs black burning body, Xia Zhou said in loud voice, Although this Situ Xiongdi often said harsh and sometimes mean words, it was because he loved to fool around, his character was actually kind. He had never harmed anybody nor committed any dishonorable acts in his life. Today, the heroes from all over the world are gathered here, which one of you can say that he had done any evil conduct? The crowd of heroes was completely silent. Xia Zhou pointed his finger toward the old nun and angrily said, Emei Pai has always been known as upright and chivalrous school; who would have thought that they are capable of using such an evil and ruthless secret projectile? Even the strong in the Wulin world will not overstep the appropriateness of character. [orig. li reason, logic, truth] May I know Shitais title? The old nun replied, I am called Jing Jia. The hero inside the sack, what do you want by talking and gesticulating like that? Xia Zhou mournfully said, The one surnamed Xias skill is inadequate, thus falling miserably under the Ming Cults devil heads insult. That was the surnamed Xias own weakness; yet I did not damage my lifelong reputation of the way of chivalry. Jing Jia Shitai, you are this vicious; arent you doing a great disservice to your precious sects founder, Guo Xiang, Gu Nuxia [heroine Guo]? Hearing him bring up the venerated name of their founder, the Emei disciples sprang up on their feet. Jing Jias eyebrows rose up. Can a bastard like you casually mention our founders revered name? she roared. You have disgraced your founders revered name by doing many unrighteous acts, Xia Zhou retorted, Not to mention Guo Nuxia, even Miejue Shitai, when she was alive, she was cruel and merciless but her sword had never taken innocent peoples lives. You have killed an innocent man like this and your Zhangmen [sect leader] surprisingly did not care. Hey, hey, after today, can Emei Pai take its stand in the Jianghu? If you carry on talking half a sentence more of those nonsense talk, this drunkard will be your example, Jiang Jia said. Xia Zhous anger welled up in his chest, he courageously took two big strides forward and said, If the Emei Pai Zhangmen will not clean up her own school, Emei Pai will be held in contempt by the worlds heroes from now on. The crowd of warriors, as well as the Emei Pai disciples, turned their gaze toward Zhou Zhiruo. They saw her nodding slowly to Jing Jia. Bang! Bang! two loud explosions followed as Jing Jia shot out two thunderbolt bullets. Two large holes appeared on Xia Zhous chest and lower abdomen; his clothes were burning. But in his unyielding spirit, although his breathing had ceased, he was still standing, with his arms still around Situ Qianzhongs body. The crowd of heroes looked at each other in utter shock. After a moment, several hundred people
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raised a clamor, condemning Emei Pais ruthlessness. Wei Yixiao and Shuo Bude exchanged a glance, nodded at each other, and then rushed toward Xia Zhous remains. They knelt down in front of the corpse. Xia Lao Yingxiong, Shuo Bude said, The two of us did not know your chivalry and uprightness, and thus have offended you much. We are very ashamed of our conducts. They both raised their palms and then slap, slap, slap, slap they slapped their own faces that their cheeks turned red and swollen immediately. They extinguished the fire still burning on the two corpses, and then carried the bodies into Ming Cults wooden shelter. Zhang Wuji was deeply grieved seeing Zhou Zhiruo suddenly become so cruel and heartless. Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Zhou Zhiruo was seen whispering into Song Qingshus ear. Song Qingshu nodded, and then in deliberate steps he walked toward the center of the field. In a loud and clear voice he said, The heroes and warriors assembled here today, not to drink wine and discuss poetry, to play the zither, beat the drum or pluck the harp; nor do we come here to compose a poem by each one contributing a line. This is the place where we clash our weapons, our fists and feet. That being the case, most likely there will be casualties. This Xia Lao Yingxiong had just said that in all his life, Mr. Situ had never done anything evil, and blamed our Sects Jing Jia Shitai for indiscriminately killed an innocent. The honorable heroes raised up a clamor, seemingly discontent of our Sect. Xiongdi [brother, referring to self] wants to ask something: do we have to verify moral character and virtuosity of each other first before we contend in martial art today? A sage or a saint must never, ever be harmed; while the poor, ominous, extremely evil people can be killed at will? The crowd was taken aback and was at a loss momentarily; they thought that what he said was not totally without any reason. Song Qingshu continued, If we say that only a virtuous person can own the Tulong Saber, why should we hold a martial art competition? Why dont we all go visit the Confucius temple inside the great city of Qufu in Shandong, and respectfully present the Saber to Confucius descendant over there? If we are still speaking about this wu [martial art] character, then what we concern about most is life or death, victory or defeat. I am afraid we wont be able to deal with other peoples innocence or guilt. Thats right, several people responded from among the crowd, Saber and spear do not have eyes. We have agreed that we must not seek revenge. The more they listened to Song Qingshu, the more Yu Lianzhou and Yin Liting felt that this persons accent was somewhat familiar. However, with the short beard, this man looked different; besides, he kept saying our sect this and our sect that. Consequently, he must be an Emei Pai male disciple. Therefore, they could not help but feeling doubtful. Yu Lianzhou stood up and said, May I know Sires honorable surname and great given name? Seeing his Er Shishu [second martial (younger) uncle], Song Qingshu was rather afraid of Yu Lianzhous longstanding prestige; he stammered for a while before answering, I am a nameless younger generation, not worth Yu Er Xias [second hero Yu] inquiry. In stern voice Yu Lianzhou said, Sire did not stop talking about martial art competition. I presume your martial art study must have reached excellence. My Shifu had received great kindness from your precious sects Guo Nuxia in his childhood; thereupon he instructed Wudang disciples not to fight with Emei Pai. I [orig. zai4xia4] must understand clearly, whether Sire is truly Emei disciple or not. What is your name? Real men should be straightforward and upright; why would you conceal
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your own identity? Brushing away the dust from her clothes, Zhou Zhiruo said, Yu Er Xia, I dont have to conceal anything from you. This man is my husband; surname Song, given name Qingshu. He was related to Wudang, but this time he has entered the Emeis school. If Yu Er Xia has anything to say, you can tell it to me. She spoke those words with a clear, but cold voice, as cold as a torrential river and frozen ice. Her manner and movements were as exquisite as a jade, her countenance was clear and beautiful; indeed she looked like an immortal rising from among the dust. There were thousands of heroes around the field, yet nobody made any noise, they all held their breath, trying to listen with full attention. Song Qingshu reached up to rub his face, peeling the short beard from his chin and taking his hat off; immediately he emerged as a young man as handsome as a jade crown. As the crowd of heroes saw him, they could not restrain from praising in their hearts, What a beautiful pair of immortals! Remembering Song Qingshus offense in killing his Qidi [seventh (younger) brother] Mo Shenggu, anger rose up in Yu Lianzhous breast. However, his character had always been calm; in the last few years, the older he got, the deeper was his self-control. Although he was furious, he managed to keep a calm face; only his eyes flickered like lightning, sweeping Song Qingshus face. Song Qingshu hung his head down in shame. Zhou Zhiruo said, My husband has left Wudang and joined Emei. Hereby I am making it official today in the presence of these worlds heroes. Yu Er Xia, Zhang Zhenren does not allow Wudang disciples to fight our Sects disciples for the sake of friendship of the former days. It shows the Seniors yi qi [spirit of loyalty, code of brotherhood]; but it might also show how smart the Senior is in preserving Wudangs prestige. Yin Liting could not hold his patience much longer; leaping forward, he pointed his finger toward Zhou Zhiruo and said, Miss Zhou, when you faced calamity in your childhood, it was my Shifu who held out his hands to save you, and brought you to the Emei Pai. My Shifu has never wished for you to repay his kindness, yet in what youve just said today, you obviously accuse our Wudang Pai of earning false reputation, of being far inferior to the heroines of Emei Pai. This you arent you doing my Shifu wrong? Zhou Zhiruo laughed indifferently and said, Wudangs heroes have shaken the Jianghu; obviously you have real ability. Song Daxia is my father-in-law. How can I dare to accuse my in-law of earning false reputation? However, Wudang and Emei two schools have their own history, each developed its own martial art; so it is difficult to say who is superior and who is inferior. In the past, our Sects Guo Shizu [ancestor, founder] has shown kindness toward Zhang Zhenren, later on, Zhang Zhenren has shown kindness to me. We are even. Nobody owes anybody kindness. Yu Er Xia, Yin Liu Xia, let us hereby discard the custom that says Wudang disciples must not fight Emei disciples. All around the field, the crowd of warriors under their wooden shelters talked among themselves in low voices, This young Zhangmen is very arrogant; listening to her words, it sounded as if Emei Pai has a high confidence in exceeding the Wudang Pai. Yu Er Xia has reached the pinnacle in term of internal and external power. Extremely few people in the world today can be his match. Could it be that Emei Pai relies on the fierce and evil secret projectiles to dominate the Jianghu? Yin Liting was very emotional thinking about Qidi Mo Shenggus tragic death; tears flowing down
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on his face and he cried out, Qingshu Qingshu! You why did you kill your your Qishu [seventh (younger) martial uncle] As he said the word Qishu, suddenly he broke into a loud weeping. The crowd of heroes was surprised; they looked at each other, thinking, Wudangs Yin Liu Xia has such a reputation, how can he cry in public? Yu Lianzhou stepped forward and pulled Yin Litings right arm. With a loud and clear voice he said, The worlds heroes, please hear this: Wudang is very unfortunate to have a renegade disciple like this Song Qingshu. Our Qidi, Mo Shenggu, was killed by this disciple Suddenly two whiz! whiz! noise split the air. Again, two thunderbolt bullets flew toward Yu Lianzhous chest. Aiyo! Zhang Wuji called out in alarm and was about to rush forward to save his uncle; but the thunderbolt bullets were simply too fast; while listening to the conversation, he had never expected Emei Pai would to launch this kind of sneak attack, even if he could move faster, he would still be too late. This attack was actually also beyond Yu Lianzhous expectations; his first reaction was to evade, but the bullets would certainly hit the numerous Beggar Clan disciples standing behind him. He surmised that these bullets were meant to deal with him, to close his mouth so that he would not expose publicly Song Qingshus crime in offending his superior and rebelling against his own father. If he evaded, unavoidably, some innocents would be killed. In the split seconds this thought was flashing through his mind, the two thunderbolt bullets, one after another, had already arrived in front of his chest. Yu Lianzhou turned his palms around in the yun shou [cloudy hand] stance of the Taiji Fist. With the utmost softness, as if his palms were pressing empty air, he dissipated the incoming power with which the thunderbolt bullets were shot, by lightly catching the bullets in the middle of his palms. He was seen standing with his arms outstretched in front of his chest, palms facing the sky, with the two thunderbolt bullets spinning with unfathomable speed in the middle of his palms. The crowd of heroes stood up at once, several thousand pairs of eyes stared at his hands. It was as if their hearts had stopped beating, extremely anxious to see whether these spinning bullets would explode at any moment. This Taijiquans special skill of incorporating softness was the softest martial art skill in the world; it was called a feather cannot add (to the weight), a fly cannot drop (the weight). The main principle was sticking and sucking [create a vacuum], using bent to overcome straight, the feeble geriatric to defend the crowd, as well as hero aiming for the invincibility. [Translators note: I do not know Taiji, so the translation might be inaccurate.] For the past several years, Yu Lianzhou had diligently and painstakingly trained hard in Zhang Sanfengs special skill. Seeing Situ Qianzhong and Xia Zhou lose their lives just now, he understood that these bullets would explode as soon as they contacted any hard object; the bullets were very difficult to be dealt with, and in this desperate situation, he had no choice but risking this skill, backed by his entire lifes cultivation of power. Sure enough, the soft was able to overcome the hard; the softness of his palms controlled the two thunderbolt bullets that they were spinning just like a drill trying to bore through a thick object, but did not explode. Suddenly two other whiz! whiz! noises were heard, Emei Pai shot two more thunderbolt bullets toward Yu Lianzhou. Yin Liting was standing next to his Shixiong; immediately both of his palms rose up to meet the thunderbolt bullets in the air. As soon as his palms made contact with the
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thunderbolt bullets, he executed the lan qiao we shi [seizing a birds tail style] from Taijiquan, by gently catching the thunderbolt bullets, while with the jin ji du li shi [golden rooster standing style], his left foot strongly grounded, his right foot in the air, his entire body spin fast, just like a top. Yin Liting was very skilled in swordsmanship, but his mastery of Taijiquan was not as deep as his Shixiongs. He saw that Yu Lianzhou was straining in catching the two thunderbolt bullets; he was completely aware that if there was the slightest bit of hardness in the palms, the evil and ruthless secret projectiles would explode immediately. Therefore, he dissipated the shooting force by spinning his body and took the thunderbolt bullets spinning along in his palms. In terms of martial art skill, Yin Litings way of dissipating the incoming force by catching them midair was slightly inferior compared to Yu Lianzhou using his palm power to neutralize the bullets; however, they way he spun his body rapidly was a lot more attractive. After he spun for more than thirty revolutions, all around the field the crowd broke into thunderous applause, while the thunderbolt bullets also failed to explode. To everybodys surprise, a series of whiz! whiz! noises were heard again as eight thunderbolt bullets came their way. Yu Lianzhou and Yin Liting shouted together and threw the thunderbolt bullets in their hands. Wudang disciples did not use secret projectiles, but they were trained in striking projectiles with projectiles. After catching the enemys secret projectile, they were able to return the projectile, one projectile striking two, two projectiles striking three. As these two shot the four thunderbolt bullets in their hands, the bullets struck the incoming eight enemys thunderbolt bullets. Bang! Bang! In the field, the explosion was deafening, black smoke filled the air, and burning sulfur smells attacked everybodys nostrils. As soon as they shot the thunderbolt bullets, Yu and Yin two people immediately leaped more than ten zhangs back, to guard against the successive attacks of Emei Pai. If they were shot again and again, they knew that eventually they would not be able to stand. There wasnt anyone among the crowd of heroes who was not stunned to see that the thunderbolt bullets were this deadly. They thought that in the present age, other than these two Wudang Pai masters, perhaps not too many people would be able to escape these thunderbolt bullets. Those with superior qing gong might be able to evade, but if the bullets were scattered with man tian hua yu [blossoming rain filling the sky] technique, several thunderbolt bullets would collide with each other midair, as soon as these bullets exploded, they would not escape alive even if they were able to move faster. A big and tall man in the Huashan Pai wooden shelter stood up; with a loud voice he said, Will Emei Pai rely on numbers to achieve victory in this martial art competition? This man was one of the Huashan Er Lao [two elders], who joined hands with He Taichong, husband and wife, to fight Zhang Wuji at the Brightness Peak. Jing Jia of Emei Pai replied, The study martial art has thousands of change and ten thousand of variations. Those who are strong, win. Those who are weak, lose. We are not pedantic intellectuals who always insist that everything should adhere to meticulous principles. Besides, in this world, there are not too many meticulous principles worth talking about. The crowd of heroes was astonished that although Emei Pai was dominated by women, they were actually persistently unreasonable; surprisingly more so than the men were. When the old master of Huashan was arguing with the women, he did not dare to walk close to the Emei Pai shelter; he stayed at his own shelter and argued from a distant, for fear that in their unparalleled aggressive spirit, the opposite party would shoot their thunderbolt bullets away.
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Zhang Wuji thought, Zhiruo must have married Song Shige against her heart. Wasnt she so kind and loving toward me when we were stranded on that desolate island over the sea? The two of us have pledged our undying love and taken an oath not to fail the other. The words are still ringing in our ears, how can we destroy our own oath? Its all because I have done her wrong. On the day we were about to bow to the Heaven and the Earth, in the presence of guests filling the wedding hall, I fled with Min Mei. Zhiruo is a Zhangmen of a Sect; she is worth a thousand gold, and I have disgraced her that bad. Is it any wonder that she is that angry and full of resentments toward me? Today the Emei Pai is going against the tide, and it is all because of me. The more he thought, the more restless he was. Leaving his own wooden shelter, he walked toward the Emei Pais shelter. Zhiruo, in everything, I have done you wrong, he said to Zhou Zhiruo, Song Shige has killed Mo Qishu; ultimately we must resolve this matter. I say, let Song Shige return to Wudang with Yu Erbo and Yin Liushu; let Song Dabo decide on how he has to pay for his crime. Zhang Jiaozu, Zhou Zhiruo coldly laughed, At first I thought you were a real man, only a little bit muddle-headed; to my surprise, turns out that you are a lowly man. A real man will bear the consequences of what he has done. You have killed Mo Qi Xia; why do you put the blame on my husbands head? Zhang Wuji was shocked. You you said I killed Mo Qishu? he stammered, I how can there be such thing? Zhou Zhiruo said, The murder of Mo Qi Xia was arranged under the scheming of the imperial households Ruyang Junzhu. Why dont you tell her to come out and confront her directly in front of the worlds heroes? Zhang Wuji thought, Min Mei has offended the Six Major Sects. I am afraid she has more enemies than Yifu. How can I have her make an appearance here? Zhiruo deliberately brought this point up to put Min Mei and me in danger. Ay, a thousand errors, ten thousand blunders, I should have not left her on our wedding day. Biting his own lower lip, he turned around and walked away. Suddenly someone from the Emei Pai crowd shouted, I am surprised that Zhang Jiaozhu of the Ming Cult is such a despicable coward. Seeing the fierceness of our thunderbolt bullet, he ran away with his tail between his legs. Zhang Wuji halted his steps, but did not turn his head. I dont need to see who was talking, he mused, Whatever insult the Emei Pai people hurl at me, I deserve the punishment. The jeering and mocking behind him was getting louder, yet Zhang Wuji ignored them all and walked straight to the Ming Cults wooden shelter. Yang Xiao let out a cold laugh and said, The thunderbolt bullet is such an insignificant thing; its not even worth mentioning. Since it was useless against Wudangs Second Hero, it is also useless against Wudangs direct descendant Zhang Jiaozhu. You, Emei Pai people, are boasting on your special apparatus. Lets see what you can do against our Ming Cults special apparatus. As soon as he waved his left hand, a boy dressed in white came forward carrying a small wooden tray on his hands. There were more than a dozen small flags of five different colors inserted on the tray. Yang Xiao grabbed a white flag and tossed it to the center of the field. The flag fell down with its pole sticking out of the ground. The crowd of heroes could see that the flagpole was not even two feet long. The Ming Cults flaming fire insignia was embroidered on the flag. The crowd wondered what kind of a trick Yang Xiao was playing.
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At this moment, someone behind Yang Xiao launched a rocket, which flew fast to the sky, and dispersed white smoke in the air. Footsteps were heard as a team of Ming Cult disciples, with white cloths wrapped around their heads, rushed to the field. There were altogether five hundred men; they all bent their bows and Swish! Swish! Five hundred arrows made a neat circle around the white flag. Then the team arranged themselves in a circle formation. They were the Rui Jin [acute metal] Flag under the command of Wu Jingcao. The crowd broke into cheers and applause. Each one of the Rui Jin Flag grabbed a javelin from his back. They rushed a dozen of steps forward, and hurled the javelins. Five hundred javelins made a neat fence inside the circle of arrows. Then they rushed another dozen of steps forward, and drew the short hatchets from their waists. The crowd of heroes saw flickering rays of light as five hundred short hatchets whizzed through the air and landed neatly in a circle on the ground. The short hatchets, the javelins and the arrows formed three concentric rings, with no weapon touching another. Even if ones martial art skills were as high as the sky, under these 1,500 long and short weapons converging attack, one would definitely become minced meat. The Rui Jin Flag suffered an extremely heavy loss when fought a fierce battle against the Emei Pai in the western region. Even their flag leader, Zhuang Zheng, died under Miejue Shitais Yitian Sword. Later, learning from this painful experience, they developed this battle formation to destroy even the enemys strongest defense. During the last several years, the Ming Cults prestige rapidly rose up; the Five-Element Flags also grew at a tremendous rate. The Rui Jin Flag now had more than twenty thousand men under its banner. This team of five hundred men with javelins, hatchets and arrows was handpicked from among the twenty-thousand members. Their martial art skills were not weak to begin with and after undergoing a rigorous training under the direction of the masters within the Ming Cult, they became a squadron of fighting force, which could be used to support the Ming Cult army in the battlefield or could be deployed as an elite squad in special assignments. As they watched this demonstration, the crowd of heroes faces changed; they thought, Wherever Ming Cults Yang Zuoshi tosses the white flag, these one thousand five hundred weapons will also follow. Although Emei Pais thunderbolt bullets are fierce, their destroying capability is limited; when they shoot ten bullets, even if each one of them hit the target, they could at most harm only ten people. How can they match the Ming Cults Rui Jin Flag? They also thought, If the Ming Cult suddenly turned hostile and wanted to destroy us, then what? Although the attendees of this great assembly today are all martial art masters, we are actually no more than a mob; certainly we are no match for the refined formation of Rui Jin Flag who are well-trained for a long time and can move together as one unit. Although their hearts were full of disconcerting thoughts, the crowd of heroes could not help but cheer at the amazing display of the Rui Jin Flags special skill. Yang Xiao lifted the white flag in his hand and waved it several times behind his back. The five hundred Rui Jin Flag men pulled out their feathered arrows, javelins and hatchets, walked toward the Ming Cults wooden shelter, bowed in respect to Zhang Wuji, and then turned around and left the field. Yang Xiao took a dark green flag and tossed it next to the white flag. Again, heavy footsteps were heard as five hundred Ju Mu [gigantic wood] Flag people, with dark green cloth wrapped around their heads, walked quickly into the field. Every ten men carried a large wooden log. The gigantic logs weighed around a thousand jin [catty, 1 catty is approximately 0.5kg] each. Each log was fitted with iron hooks. Each man pulled one iron hook. They marched in even steps.
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Suddenly they all shouted in one voice and the fifty gigantic logs flew out from their hands. Some flew high, some flew low; some to the left, some to the right; but as each one flew out, it would at least strike another log. All fifty logs and amazingly not a single log was missed. A continuous series of Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! sounds were heard as the fifty logs, divided into twenty-five pairs, struck each other. With fifty logs, each weighed over a thousand catties, struck each other, the momentum was really astonishing. If there were people standing next to the dark green flag, no matter how high they jumped, or evaded to the left and escaped top the right, they would unavoidably struck by these gigantic logs. The Ju Mu Flag developed this flying-log formation from military tactics on breaking the defense of a besiege city. The troops would usually utilize wooden logs to ram down the city gate. With logs of this size, even a strong city gate would be struck open. If flesh and blood were subjected to the impact of these big logs, wouldnt they be smashed into pulp? As these gigantic logs fell back down, the five hundred men caught the iron hooks, and then they turned around and rushed for about a dozen zhang out, waiting for the next order in the shape of another dark green flag, before they tossed the gigantic logs up for the second time. Yang Xiao waved the dark green flag, ordering the Ju Mu Flag to withdraw. And then his right hand picked a red flag and tossed it to the center of the field. As the Ming Cult men with dark green headbands withdrew, five hundred men from Lie Huo [raging inferno] Flag, with red cloth wrapped around their heads, marched into the field. Each man had a spray gun in his hand. As they pumped the gun, they spurted thick and blackish oil to the center of the field. The Lie Huo Flag leader waved his hand to toss a blazing sulfur ball. The oil met the fire and the field was ablaze with wave after wave of raging fire. The neighboring area of the Ming Cult headquarters on the Brightness Peak was very rich with petroleum. Day and night crude oil spouted out from among the rocks, which would burn as soon as it met with fire. Each one of the Lie Huo Flag men carried an iron tank on his back. Each tank was full of petroleum. With them spraying more oil to the burning fire, nobody would be able to withstand it. After the Lie Huo Flag withdrew from the field, Yang Xiao tossed a black flag into the field. Five hundred Hong Shui [flooding water] Flag men, with black cloth wrapped around their heads, rushed into the field. These Hong Shui Flag men carried household items. Altogether, there were twenty water hoses, some spray guns and buckets. Ten men at the front pushed ten wooden carts. The Flag Leader, Tang Yang, shouted his command. The carts opened to release twenty hungry wolves. The wolves made threatening gestures and growled in the field then they charged to the crowd, trying to bite people. The heroes were shocked; they wondered what did these hungry wolves have to do with the words flooding water? They heard Tang Yang shout his order again Spray the water! A hundred men pumped their spray guns and a hundred streams of water were shot at these hungry wolves. The crowd of heroes smelled a peal of acid stench. They saw that as soon as the wolves were hit by the water, they tumbled down at once, yelping madly and howling miserably. In an instant, their skin split open and their flesh rot, they turned into coal-black piles. It turned out that the water sprayed by the Hong Shui Flag was a deadly poison to dissolve flesh in liquid form. It was concocted from sulfur, potassium nitrate and other chemicals. Watching this extremely disturbing demonstration, the crowd of heroes could not help but be absolutely horrified; each of them thought, If this poisonous water was not sprayed to the wolves
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but were aimed on me, what would happen? The Hong Shui Flag carried twenty water hoses with the spray guns. They assumed a standby position, and then squirted the water towards the wolves. Obviously, they carried more poisonous water than what was needed to kill the wolves. If a little more pressure was added, not only the spray would be stronger, it could also reach farther. Yang Xiao waved the black flag to withdraw the troops. The Hong Shui Flag pulled their water hoses away from the field. As they turned the spray guns around, the heroes who stood in the direction the spray gun was turned at, couldnt restrain their faces from cringing. Meanwhile, Yang Xiao had tossed a small yellow flag. A group of men wearing yellow headbands marched into the field. Each man carried an iron shovel in his hand and pushed a wheelbarrow full of dirt. Compared to the other four flags, Jin, Mu, Shui, Huo [metal, wood, water and fire], their numbers were a lot smaller; they had only a hundred people in their team. These hundred men formed a circle around the field. Then they simultaneously started to dig vigorously. Suddenly there was a loud booming noise. The dust rose. The center of the field collapsed, revealing a large hole, about three, four zhangs in diameter. Next, the ground all around the hole was moving, followed by the appearance of men, each wearing a metal helmet on his head and holding an iron shovel in his hand. Four hundred men bored through the surface of the ground. The heroes were greatly shocked and cried out in unison. Turned out these four hundred men had dug a tunnel from some distant away to the center of the field, where they excavated a large hole underground and supported the ground overhead with planks of wood. They waited, hidden underground, until the Hou Tu [thick earth] Flag Leader, Yan Yuan, gave his command and the four hundred men simultaneously pulled the planks so that the entire layer of ground fell down. Then the Ming Cult people underground emerged to the surface. This way, the wolves carcasses, oil, scorched earth, everything fell down into the hole below. The hundred men brandished their iron shovels and struck the air above the holes three times. If there were any people who fell into the hole and wanted to escape by jumping up, they were bound to be struck down by these hundred shovels. One by one the wheel barrows poured their loads of dirt, black sands and pebbles into the hole. In a short period of time, the big holes, along with hundreds small holes around it, were filled and the ground was level again. The five hundred iron shovels rose and fell continuously, making an attractive scene. The Flag Leader shouted his command and the five hundred men saluted toward Zhang Wuji. The center of the field was now filled with dirt and sand, as flat and smooth as a mirror, a lot more firm and solid than it was previously. The crowd of heroes understood. If I stood at the center of the field and spoke condescendingly against the Ming Cult, I would have been buried under the ground by now. In a way, this little demonstration had showcased the invincible might of the Ming Cults FiveElement Flags. There werent any one among the spectators, from heroes all around the world who was not amazed by it. They were aware that for the last several years, the Ming Cult had staged a rebellion in Huai Si, Henan, Hubei, and other area. They had besieged towns and seized territories; successively defeated Yuan army. This moment they displayed the military skill and tactics they had mastered for the benefit of the gathering of Wulin heroes and warriors. They were large in numbers, organized and followed strict discipline, plus they were highly trained. No
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Jianghu sect or school under the Heavens would be able to withstand. After withdrawing the troops, Yang Xiao returned the small flags to the wooden tray, which was then carried back by the young boy. With cold eyes he looked at Zhou Zhiruo. He did not say anything, but his meaning was very clear: With only a little more than a hundred male and female Emei disciples, can you match our strong Ming Cult of several thousand? Around the field, each of the heroes was immersed in their own thoughts. For a moment, the field was quiet. After a while, the old monk behind Kong Zhi stood up and said, The Ming Cult demonstration of troop movements and military tactics we have witnessed just now looked impressive. However, when all is said and done, whether it can be really used, whether it can really subdue the enemy, we are not military generals; we have not studied the Sun Wus art of war. I am afraid none of us can really tell Everybody knew he was speaking contrary to his convictions; it was just that the Ming Cults prestige was truly awe-inspiring, so he played down the fierceness of the Five-Element Flags. Zhou Dian called out, You want to know whether it can be really used? That is very easy. All Shaolin Pai needs to do is send some monks to try and then the result will be apparent. The old monk pretended not to hear, he continued his speech, Today is the great assembly of the heroes from all over the world. Every school and every sects aspirations are to observe and emulate, to compare and deliberate the study of martial art skills. Still, as highlighted by several Shizhu [benefactor] earlier, everybody will compete in martial arts and the one with the highest skill will win. What we are interested in doing is a one on one competition; relying on numbers to achieve victory, is actually an unheard custom in the Wulin world. Ouyang Muzhi said, Relying on numbers to achieve victory is an unheard custom in the Wulin world, but what about pi li lei huo dan? This poisonous and malicious trick, is it allowed? The old monk was silent for a moment before saying, If a contestant wants to use secret projectiles, of course it is allowed. If some friends put some poison on their secret projectiles, we have no way of forbidding them. But if somebody launches a sneak attack, he is breaking a major rule of this assembly; then everybody else has the right to attack him together. Gentlemen, what do you think? Most of the heroes in attendance gave their consent by applauding loudly. Tang Wenliang of Kongtong Pai said, I have one thing Id like to say: whoever has won two fights in a row must be allowed to take a rest, so that he can restore his internal energy and take a breather. Otherwise, if one is forced to fight a series of capable people, one cannot fight them all in one breath regardless of how high onea skill is. Furthermore, from each school, each sect, each clan and each society, if there are two people already defeated, they must not send anybody to the stage anymore. Otherwise, there are thousands of heroes in here; if for every hero defeated another one takes his place, I am afraid even three months will not be sufficient to accommodate everybody. Although Shaolin Temple has abundant provisions [orig. liang2cao3 food and grass], they will go broke if they have to feed us all; and I doubt if they would recover within a hundred years. The audience broke out in laughter; they agreed that these two propositions made a lot of sense. The Ming Cult warriors knew that Tang Wenliang was indebted to Zhang Wuji because he set his broken bone at the Brightness Peak; and then again when he saved him from the Wan An Temple. He was hoping Zhang Wuji would triumph over the opponents. By proposing these two rules to the crowd of heroes, he was helping Zhang Wuji to conserve his energy.
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Peng Yingyu said with a smile, Tang Lao San [Ol Tang the third] is doing us a favor. It seems like we can count on Kongtong Pai to be on our side today. All right, other than Jiaozhu, who will compete for us? All of the Ming Cult masters were eager to try, but they all realized that the battle today was of a very great importance; it was necessary for them to spare no effort. They would have to try to defeat as many opponents as possible, and thus leave as little powerful opponents as possible to their Jiaozhu, so that he could conserve his energy to face the unexpected. If they only managed to defeat a few people, and then got defeated, not only they would leave a heavy burden for Jiaozhu to bear alone, the damage to their own prestige would not be small, but also the burden to the Cult would be great; Xie Xun and their Cult Leader were too important. Furthermore, if they volunteered rashly, they would inevitably gave the impression that after the Cult Leader, their martial art skills were better than everybody elses, and thus they risked damaging the yi qi [spirit of loyalty and self sacrifice/code of brotherhood] among the brethren. For these reasons, they were all silent; nobody dared to make any noise. Jiaozhu, Zhou Dian said, Its not that Zhou Dian is scared of death. Its just that my martial art has not reached perfection. If I volunteer, I would only expose my own disgrace. Zhang Wuji looked at his subordinates one by one. He thought, Yang Zuo Shi, Fan You Shi, Wei Fu Wang, Bu Dai Shifu, Tie Guan Daozhang [Taoist priest]; everybody possesses an unsurpassed quality. Any one of them may go. Among them, Fan You Shis martial art knowledge is the broadest. No matter what school the opponent came from, he has a greater chance to score a victory. Id better ask Fan You Shi to go into action with me. Thereupon he said, Actually, any one of the brethren going is the same to me. But Yang Zuo Shi had helped me fighting the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan. Wei Fu Wang and Bu Dai Dashi have just captured Xia Zhou, so they have used up some strength. This time, I am thinking of asking Fan You Shi to come with me. Fan Yao was delighted. I accept the order! he bowed and said, Many thanks Jiaozhu, for your high regards! The Ming Cult warriors all knew that Fan Yaos martial art skill was superb; nobody raised any objections. Fan Dashi, Zhao Min suddenly said, I am going to ask you something. Would you be willing to indulge me? Whatever instruction Junzhu has, I will comply, Fan Yao replied. Zhao Min said, Kong Zhi Dashi of Shaolin Pai has not resolved his enmity against you. If you fight him first, victory or defeat between the two of you will be hard to predict. Even if you gain victory, your strength would be depleted. Fan Yao nodded. He understood that Kong Zhi Shen Seng had been famous for dozens of years. Kong Zhis face looked long as if he was in constant anxiety; he looked like someone who would not reach old age, but actually, his internal and external skills had reached perfection. Zhao Min said, There is no harm in making an appointment with him; state it explicitly that you want to fight him one on one at the Wan An Temple in Dadu. One fight to decide victory and defeat. Marvelous plan, marvelous plan! Yang Xiao and Fan Yao exclaimed. They knew that if Kong Zhi agreed to fight Fan Yao at a later date, then they could not fight today. With her idea, Zhao Min
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eliminated one powerful enemy to the Ming Cult. In the mean time, the heroes and warriors of every sect and every school were whispering among themselves in their respective wooden shelters to choose their champions. From several wooden shelters came loud noises of people bickering; apparently, they have some disagreement in the selection process. Fan Yao went to the hosts shelter. He saluted Kong Zhi and said, Kong Zhi Dashi, I wonder if you have guts? Do you dare to meet me at the Wan An Temple? Hearing the word Wan An Temple, which was the only disgrace he had ever experienced in his entire life, the lines on Kong Zhis forehead went even deeper. His thin eyes were gleaming as he asked, What is it? Fan Yao said, We tied our enmity at Wan An Temple, we must resolve it at Wan An Temple. You, Kong Zhi Dashi, are a man of virtue and prestige. Unfortunately, I also have some insignificant reputation. In todays battle, if you defeated me, Jianghu people would say that a strong dragon cannot repress a snake in its lair; you, a Dashi [great master], take advantage of your home turf. If by luck I gained half a style advantage, ignorant people would add fuel to the fire by saying Ku Toutuo came to Shaolin Temple to overpower Shaolins number one master. If Dashi is not afraid, I will be asking for Dashis unsurpassed artistries at the Wan An Temple, in the evening of the full moon, on the Mid-autumn festival of this year [orig. ba yue zhong qiu 15th day of the eighth month of lunar calendar]. Actually, Kong Zhi was rather afraid of Fan Yaos martial art. Besides, there was a big change in the Temple right now; he was not in a good mood to fight Fan Yao. Therefore, although he knew Fan Yao was provoking him, he agreed immediately. Very well, the Mid-autumn festival of this year, we will meet at the Wan An Temple. I will not leave until we meet. Fan Yao cupped his fists to salute, and then turned around and left. He had just walked for seven, eight paces when he heard Kong Zhi unhurriedly say, Fan Shizhu [benefactor], you wholeheartedly want to save Jin Mao Shi Wang today. Thats why you do not dare to fight with me. Am I right? Fan Yao was startled; he halted his steps while thinking, This monk sees through our intention after all. Turning his head, he laughed and said, I dont have the confidence I would defeat you. Kong Zhi smiled and replied, Lao Na also do not have the confidence to defeat Shizhu. The two of them nodded. In that moment, in their hearts grew a fondness toward each other; hero admired another hero, a real man cared for another real man. End of Chapter 37.
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Chapter 38 A Gentleman is Vulnerable to Deceit

Zhou Zhiruo's flexible whip coiled back and stormed toward Yin Liting. Yin Litings Taiji Sword going back and forth, opening and closing, the yin and yang elements intertwined with each other. He was unleashing the instructions given by Zhang Sanfeng to the fullest. While facing a life and death situation, he was able to display the most refined of their schools sword technique.
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Gradually, the noise around the field died down. The old monk from Damo Hall who sat behind Kong Zhi stood up and said, We have agreed to the rules set by the heroes to govern our martial art competition today. Saber and spear, fists and legs, do not have eyes. Death will not be discussed further, alive and well will be the Heavens fate. Whichever school, sect, clan or society has the strongest martial art, will have control over Xie Xun and the Tulong Saber. Zhang Wuji frowned slightly. He thought, It seems like this monk is afraid the battle will not be fierce enough, the enmity among schools will not be deep enough. Dont they have mercy as displayed by Shen Seng like Kong Jian and Kong Wen anymore? The crowd further agreed that as soon as one had defeated two opponents in a row, one must be given an opportunity to rest. Other than that, there was not much difference than the previously agreed rule. Immediately some people went down the field and called out their challenges, which were answered at once. A moment later, there were six people fighting in three pairs. Zhao Min had learned the essence of each unique skill belonging to the Six Major Sects masters when she detained them in the Wan An Temple. Although her comprehension was still shallow, her knowledge and experience were not ordinary at all. Standing in between Zhang Wuji and Fan Yao, they discussed the martial arts of those six people. She made predictions on who would win and who would lose. Surprisingly, her analysis was very clear and logical. About the time needed to drink a cup of tea later, among the three pairs, two had reached conclusion, and only one pair was still engaged in a fierce battle. Two more people immediately went down the field to challenge the victors. Hence, it was still six people fought in three pairs. The newcomers were using weapons, so their opponents also unsheathed their weapons. As the competition proceeded this way, it was only natural that eight or nine fights out of ten were decided with some shedding of blood. Zhang Wuji mused, This way, the friendship between each clan and sect will definitely suffer some damage. As soon as one school defeats another, although nobody loses his life or suffer injury, the loser will unavoidably try to retaliate in the future. I will be greatly surprised if this event will not breed an enormous disaster in which everybody kills each other. In the meantime, the Beggar Clans Zhi Fa Zhanglaos palm hacked down on the short elder of Huashan Pai that the latter spurted blood from his mouth. The tall elder of Huashan Pai cursed, Stinky Beggar! Rotten Beggar! while jumping out to challenge the Beggar Clans Zhi Fa Zhanglao. The short elder quickly grabbed his arm and said in low voice, Shidi [younger martial brother], you are not his match. Well have to swallow this defeat for the time being. The tall elder angrily said, I dont care, I must fight him! Although his mouth said those words, deep down in his heart he realized that his Shixiongs [martial brother] martial art skill was comparable to his own; their energy cultivation was identical. If Shixiong was beaten, then he had no chance of victory. As he was being pulled by his senior, his mouth did not stop shouting abusive words, but his feet actually moved toward their wooden shelter. After that, Zhi Fa Zhanglao scored another victory over the Sect Leader of the Mei Hua Dao [Plum Blossom Blade]. Since he had defeated two people in a row, amidst the thunderous applause from the Beggar Clan crowd, he returned to their shelter, feeling very pleased with himself.
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And thus, one come the other go, the competition in the field had been going on for more than four hours. The red glowing sun was slowly moving to the west. The martial art skill of the people going down into the battle was increasingly higher. At first, a lot of people were having lofty aspirations; their hearts were filled with desire to show off their skills in this general assembly of the world heroes. However after seeing other peoples martial art skills, and only then did they realize that they were no more than a frog in the well. Without ascending the Mount Tai, one would not know the vastness of the earth. Therefore, they did not dare to enter the competition. By the ninth hour (between 3 to 5 pm), the Beggar Clans Zhang Bo Longtou entered the arena to challenge Peng Siniang [fourth lady Peng] of Xiang Si Pai Jiao [lit. Four-Row Cult(?) of Hunan province], which he struck until she tumbled down. The clothes on Siniangs back were torn. It was such a big tear that she withdrew from the fight in her embarrassment. Zhang Bo Longtou turned his eyes toward the Emei Pai people and with a cold laugh said, What kind of real ability can womenfolk have? If they do not depend on their sharp weapons, then they would depend on strange secret projectiles. This lady Peng Siniang is able to train to this level, it truly is not easy. Zhou Zhiruo spoke in low voice to Song Qingshu. Song Qingshu nodded, and then unhurriedly went down the arena. He cupped his fists to Zhang Bo Longtou and said, Longtou Dage; let me receive pointers from your masterful strikes. Zhang Bo Longtou was furious to see Song Qingshu. The one surnamed Song, he angrily shouted, You are in collusion with that traitor Chen Youliang in penetrating our Beggar Clan. You, the traitor, must have played a part in the death of our Shi Bangzhu. Do you still have a face to see me today? Song Qingshu coldly replied, Penetrating the enemys nest and stealing secrets are common occurrences in Jianghu. You only have your own bunch of blind beggars to blame that you failed to see Song Dayes [big master Song] true identity. Zhang Bo Longtou cursed, You are capable of betraying your own old mans Wudang Pai; you are capable of doing anything. You are not being filial to your father, later you will not be faithful to your wife. Emei Pai will certainly meet its destruction in your hands. Song Qingshu was so angry that his face turned pale. Are you done farting? he said. Zhang Bo Longtou did not respond. With a loud grunt his palm hacked down. Song Qingshu turned around to evade. His hand lightly swept backhandedly, using Emei Pais Jin Ding Mian Zhang [lit. golden peak soft/supple palm] to parry the attack. Zhang Bo Longtou was angry with Song Qingshu for penetrating the Beggar Clan and deceiving them, so his move was intended to kill; it was exceptionally fierce. Unfortunately, his opponent this time was not an ordinary martial artist. Within the Beggar Clan, Zhang Bo Longtous martial art skill was inferior only to their late Bangzhu, and Chuan Gong and Zhi Fa, two elders. His palm technique had reached an unordinary level. Song Qingshu was chief among the Wudang Pais third generation disciples; but after all, his comprehension of Emei Pais Jin Ding Mian Zhang was not deep enough. He had not yet able to unleash the full potential of exquisite and subtle variations within the palm technique. After fighting for about forty, fifty stances, he repeatedly fell into dangerous situations. Automatically his Jin Ding Mian Zhang turned into Wudang Pais Mian Zhang [cotton palm]. It was the martial art he was most familiar since his childhood. He had trained it for more than twenty years. He was able to
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launch this martial art at will; it was very powerful. The outward appearance was similar to Emei Pais Jin Ding Mian Zhang, but the method of transmitting energy to the moves was actually entirely different. The spectators did not know this fact. They only saw Song Qingshu gradually turned the situation over in his favor. The more he watched, the angrier Yin Liting was. Song Qingshu, he called out, You, the kid, have no shame at all! You have left Wudang, why do you still use Wudang skill to save your life? You betrayed your father, but why do you use the martial art your father taught you? Song Qingshus face turned red. Whats so special about Wudang Pais martial art? he called out, Look carefully! Suddenly his left hand turned into a hook in front of Zhang Bo Longtous eyes. Revolving to the left and turning to the right, he launched seven, eight different styles. In a surprise movement, his right hand thrust forward and stab! His five fingers pierced Zhang Bo Longtous forehead. The spectators were stunned. They only see Song Qingshus fingers dripping with blood, while Zhang Bo Longtou fell backwards. It was obvious that he was dead. With a cold laugh Song Qingshu said, Does Wudang Pai have this kind of martial art? The crowd of heroes called out in alarm. Eight people from the Beggar Clan rushed forward. Two quickly grabbed Zhang Bo Longtous body, while the other six attacked Song Qingshu. These six were Beggar Clans masters; among them, four were brandishing their weapons, so that in a short moment Song Qingshu was surrounded by dangers. A big and fat monk behind Reverend Kong Zhi loudly shouted, The Beggar Clans gentlemen take advantage of a solitary man; arent you breaching todays heroes assembly rule? Zhi Fa Zhanglao called out, Brothers, get back. Let me avenge Zhang Bo Longtou. The Beggar Clan disciples leaped backward. They took Zhang Bo Longtous body back to their wooden shelter. With angry look on their faces, they stared at Song Qingshu menacingly. The heroes watching on the side thought, Although it was agreed that in this martial art competition death is not a big deal, but this surname Songs hands are too heavy and ruthless. At this moment, Zhang Wuji was recalling the injury on Zhao Mins shoulder, which was from a fivefinger claw; and then that night at the thatched hut, the way Du Baidang and Yi Sanniangs corpses lying on the floor. With a trembling voice he asked, Yang Zuo Shi, where did Emei Pai get this evil martial art from? Yang Xiao shook his head. Subordinate has never seen this kind or martial art, he said, However, Emei Pais founder Guo Nuxia was known as Xiao Dong Xie [young eastern heretic] so I wouldnt be surprised if 30% of her martial art skill was heretical. While the two of them were talking, Song Qingshu has started fighting Zhi Fa Zhanglao. Zhi Fa Zhanglao was a thin and small man, and extremely agile. His ten fingers were like a hook or an awl, attacking Song Qingshu with mo zhua gong [devil claw skill]. It looked like he was very adept in using his fingers, and wanted to poke five holes on top of Song Qingshus head to avenge Zhang Bo Longtous death. At first, Song Qingshu was still using the Jin Ding Mian Zhang to parry the opponent. After fighting for a while, Zhi Fa Zhanglao roared, Little dog thief! The five fingers of his left hand had already
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touched Song Qingshus forehead. Just a little bit more strength, the fingers would have pierced Song Qingshu. Song Qingshu stretched out his right hand, and stab! his five fingers entered Zhi Fa Zhanglaos throat. Zhi Fa Zhanglao fell forward. His left hand had not lost its strength that it penetrated the surface of the earth. Blood spread out on the ground. He stopped breathing at once. Zhou Zhiruo made a signal with her hand. Eight Emei Pai female disciples, each with a sword in her hand, jumped forward and with two on each side, they stood with their backs facing in, on the front, rear, left and right, around Song Qingshu. There would be a chaotic battle if the Beggar Clan people rushed forward to attack again. With a loud and clear voice, one of the old monks of Damo Hall said, Luohan Halls thirty-six disciples, obey the order! His palms clapped three times, thirty six Shaolin monks wearing yellow robes came out. Eighteen of them held Buddhist staves, while the other eighteen brandished sabers. They quickly spread out around the field. They stood in what looked like a formation, yet it was not exactly a formation. However, all strategic places were guarded. The old monk said, Receive Kong Zhi Shishus [martial (younger) uncle] order: the thirty six Luohan Hall disciples are to enforce the great hero assemblys rules. If there are some people who rely on number to bully an individual, they are to be treated as Wulin worlds public enemy. We, Shaolin Temple, must not shame ourselves as the host. We must maintain the justice. Thirty six disciples to look carefully; regardless who break the rules, kill him on the spot. Do not show any mercy. The thirty six disciples loudly voiced their compliance. With ferocious stare they fixed their gaze to the center of the field. With the Emei Pai guarding Song Qingshu, and Shaolin Pai guarding on the side, the Beggar Clan disciples did not dare to make any rash moves even though they were grieved and furious. They only shouted and cursed while taking Zhi Fa Zhanglaos body back to their shelter. Ku Dashi, in a low voice Zhao Min said to Fan Yao, I didnt expect Emei Pai still have this deadly stance. At the Wan An Temple, Mie Jue Shitai would rather die than showing off her martial art. Perhaps this is the reason. Fan Yao shook his head without saying anything. He was deep in thought to find a way to break this particular stance. After staring blankly for half a day, he suddenly approached Zhang Wuji. Jiaozhu, he said, Subordinate wants to consult with you a martial art stance. With his palms pressed on the table, he stretched out his left hand index finger, and then his right hand index finger, one after another. With an incredible nimbleness he moved the fingers continuously seven times. And then with a low voice said, My arms will attack successively this way. I only need to coil around this boys arm, and exert my internal energy to break his arm joint. With a broken arm, even if his fingers were fiercer, he would not be able to execute his move. Zhang Wuji also moved around his fingers on the table. Left hooked, right lifted. Be careful not to let his fingers pierce your arms, he said. Fan Yao nodded his agreement. He said, I will use qin na shou [grab and seize, grappling technique] to grab his wrist, and then shiba lu yuanyang lian huan tui [eighteen way/method mandarin ducks chain legs (continuous kicking)] to kick the lower part of his body]. Zhang Wuji said, Attack him ferociously with eighty one stances, dont give him any opportunity to take a breather.
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These two peoples four fingers moved backward and forward, attacked and defended with exceptional speed. Fan Yao suddenly smiled, Jiaozhus attacks are too marvelous. I dont think this boy has this kind of power. His martial art is limited. He wont be able to unleash the full potential of these several stances. Zhang Wuji also showed a faint smile and said, If he cannot unleash the full potential of these three stances, then Fan You Shi, you have already won. His left index finger made two circles, right index fingers suddenly thrust out from within the circles and hooked Fan Yaos finger. He smiled slightly without saying anything. Fan Yao was startled. Many thanks for Jiaozhus directions, he delightedly said, The admiration of your subordinate reaches the highest level. These four stances are unthinkable. They truly enlightened subordinates dark mind. I really wish I could bow to you and take you as my master. Zhang Wuji replied, These are part of Taijiquan technique bestowed to me by my Tai Shifu, the luan huan jue [secret of the random circles]. The main point is the circles made by the left hand. Although this man surnamed Song came from Wudang, I dont think he has mastery over the most refined of these principles. With this new idea in his mind, Fan Yao was confident he could defeat Song Qingshu. However, after two streak victories, Song Qingshu was entitled to take a rest according to the competition rules. Therefore, Fan Yao must wait for him to reenter the stage before he could come forward and challenge him. All this time Zhao Min was standing close to them. With a faint smile on her face, she looks extremely delighted. Zhang Wuji shifted to get closer to her and asked in low voice, Min Mei, what is it? Why do you look so happy? Zhao Mins jade-like cheeks blushed. Hanging her head low, she whispered, You taught Fan You Shi these several martial art techniques only to break Song Qingshus arm. Why didnt you teach him something to take the life of that person surnamed Song? Zhang Wuji replied, Although Song Qingshu has done much evil, he is, after all, my Da Shibos [first martial (older) uncle] only beloved child. It will be up to Da Shibo to discipline him. If I told Fan You Shi to take his life, I would have been unfair to Da Shibo. Zhao Min said with a laugh, If you have him killed, Zhou Jia Jiejie [older sister from Zhou family] would become a widow. Then you can rekindle the old flame. Wouldnt that be marvelous? Zhang Wuji laughed. Would you allow me to do that? he asked. Zhao Min smiled and replied, I wouldnt think of not allowing you. Ill just wait till you turn doubleminded again [orig. san xin liang yi three hearts, two intentions], then shed use her fingers to poke five holes on your chest. While Zhang Wuji was discussing counterattack measure with Fan Yao, and talking and joking with Zhao Min, Song Qingshu had retreated to his wooden shelter under the protection of the eight Emei female disciples. The crowd of heroes saw how hair-raising and ruthlessly he killed his two opponents just now. They could not help but feeling frightened; they were not willing to go down the arena and thus subjected themselves to the danger. A moment later, in a leisure manner Song Qingshu returned to the arena. Cupping his fists he said, I [orig. zai4xia4 under] have had enough rest. I am ready to take any hero who would like to give
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me some instructions. Fan Yao called out, Let me ask for some advice from Emei Pais marvelous skill. He was just about to jump into the arena when suddenly a grey shadow flashed by and stopped right in front of Song Qingshu. He turned toward Fan Yao and said, Fan Dashi, please let me try first. This persons manner was very dignified. He stood with his feet sturdily grounded. His attitude was guarded. He was the Wudang Er Xia [second hero], Yu Lianzhou. Seeing that Yu Lianzhou rushed over, and realizing he was Jiaozhus martial uncle, Fan Yao felt it was inappropriate to argue with him. He said, The Ol Fan is lucky today to be able to see Yu Er Xias Wudang divine skill. I do not dare, Yu Lianzhou replied. Since he was little, Song Qingshu had always a bit scared of this particular Shishu. Right now, seeing him with an imposing aura and stern look, he knew todays battle was no longer a sparring while he was training on Mount Wudang, but it would be a life and death combat. Although he had learned amazing martial art from a different school, he still cowered in the end. Yu Lianzhou cupped his fists and said, Song Shaoxia [young hero], please! This salute, and also the way he addressed Song Qingshu, showed clearly that he did not dare to show the slightest degree of contempt toward Song Qingshu, but also showed that he considered Song Qingshu as a total outsider. Song Qingshu did not say anything. He simply bowed in respect. Yu Lianzhou shouted and his palm hacked down on Sing Qingshus face. Yu Lianzhou had been famous in the Wulin world for the last thirty years or so, but the number of people who had actually seen him displaying his true capability was actually very few. Until today, when they saw him with soft power in his palms he rendered the strong, ruthless, explosive power of the pi li lei huo dan [thunderbolt bullet] useless. His skill was so refined that the spectators felt ashamed of their own inadequacy. The Jianghu people had known for some time that the essence of Wudang Pais martial art was soft subduing hard, the style was slow moving but also very rich with subtle changes. Who would have thought that Yu Lianzhous palms stormed like the wind, his style was amazingly swift, that Song Qingshus lower part, between his legs and his waist, was successively hit by a kick and a palm. Song Qingshu was very shocked. Tai Shifu and Father both prepared me to be the Wudang Pais third generation Zhangmen [sect leader], they would not hold any martial art secret from me. Yu Ershus [second uncle] swift fist and quick leg were in the style I had already learned, but how could he launch the stances with such a speed? Didnt the way he use it is contrary to our schools main principle? Whatever it is, the result is this fierce! He wanted to use the finger skill Zhou Zhiruo taught him, but Yu Lianzhou did not give him even a chance to catch his breath. Thereupon he had no choice but kept stepping back and did his best to hold his position. The crowd of heroes watched the fight between these two men with rapt attention. Presently, Yu Lianzhou was gaining an upper hand. However, in the two previous battles, Song Qingshu was also at a disadvantage before he was able to turn defeat into victory by stretching out his fingers and killing his opponents. He might be able to repeat it this time. They saw Yu Lianzhou moved faster and faster, but every style and every stance was very clear. It was just like an expert singer, although the singer sang a fast-tempo song, the enunciation of every syllable was very clear,
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without the slightest degree of fuzziness. The crowd of heroes started to stand up one by one. Those who sat on the back climbed the tables and chairs. In their hearts, they were all praising, Wudangs Yu Er Xia truly deserves his reputation. He does not stop pressing his opponent, yet not a single stance was used twice. Lucky for Song Qingshu that he was a direct-line disciple of Wudang; he knew all the subtle changes of Yu Lianzhous hands and feet movements. However, fighting in such a pace was actually the first time for him. The yellow dust on the field rose upward, becoming a thick fog enveloping these two men. Suddenly there was a loud bang as two palms collided. Both Yu Lianzhou and Song Qingshu leaped backward at the same time. The cloud of dust was divided. Before he was even standing firmly, with a monkey-like agility Yu Lianzhou had jumped forward again. Yin Liting was concerned over his Shixiongs safety. He could not help standing by the field with his hand on the hilt of his sword and his unblinking eyes trained on the battle in the field. By now, Song Qingshu felt as if he was treading on the fine line between life and death. He fought with everything he had. He did not even think of using other schools martial art any longer; all he could use was Wudang Pai martial art, which he trained since his childhood. Yin Liting was very familiar with these two mens punching and kicking style; he knew that each stance was meant to take the opponents life. Hence, his anxiety far surpassed of those who were merely spectators. Fortunately, he noticed that Yu Lianzhou gradually gained the upper hand. He would have hacked him dead early on if he did not guard against Song Qingshus malicious and ruthless five-finger piercing stance, hence being somewhat cautious. Zhang Wuji was also quite worried. Secretly he grabbed two Sheng Huo Ling tablets in his pocket. If Yu Lianzhous life will be in danger, he would disregard the general assemblys rule by dashing out and save him. The cloud of dust was growing higher. Suddenly Song Qingshu stretched out his left hand with his five fingers spread out to claw Yu Lianzhous right shoulder. For the last hundred stances or so, Yu Lianzhou had been waiting for Song Qingshu to launch this stance. Yu Lianzhou had clearly seen the way Song Qingshu used his claw to kill the two elders of the Beggar Clan. If there were no previous fatal example, Yu Lianzhou would have been taken by surprise by this kind of fierce and killer stance. Although he might not die, but he would certainly be seriously injured. However, since he had seen this stance, he had prepared beforehand how to deal with it. On the other hand, Song Qingshu had not practiced this claw technique long enough; his movement did not have too many variations. His movement this time was almost the same to the previous ones. Yu Lianzhou made a slight shoulder movement to evade. His left hand made several circles in the air. Ah! Zhao Min and Fan Yao could not bear not to exclaim together, because Yu Lianzhous circles were exactly the luan huan jue of Taijiquan Zhang Wuji taught Fan Yao earlier. As Zhao Min and Fan Yao watched this, they knew Song Qingshu was in a very bad moment. Before their ah! exclaim was even finished, the five fingers of Song Qingshus right hand had arrived at Yu Lianzhous throat.
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Zhang Wuji was enraged. He deserves to die! He deserves to die! he muttered under his breath. The Beggar Clans Zhi Fa Zhanglao lost his life under this claw. Unexpectedly Song Qingshu was brazen enough to use this malicious hand toward his own martial uncle. But he saw that one of Yu Lianzhous arms made a circle, while the other arm revolved in the zuan fan [drilling/boring movement] and luo xuan [corkscrew turn] stances from the liu he jin [six gathering strengths] style. Yu Lianzhous arms coiled around Song Qingshus arms. Crack! Crack! Song Qingshus arm joints broke. Qidi [seventh (younger) brother] is avenged today! Yu Lianzhou roared. Joining his arms together, Yu Lianzhou continued striking both of Song Qingshus ears with the shuang feng guan er [a pair of wind piercing the ears]. It was an attack where the soft power was focused into one target. Song Qingshus skull disintegrated immediately. But before his body even fell to the ground, Yu Lianzhou gave him a powerful kick. Obviously, he wanted to finish Song Qingshu on the spot. Suddenly a dark green shadow flashed by; a long whip threatened Yu Lianzhous face. Hastily he leaped back to evade. But with an unimaginable speed the long whip kept threatening his face. It was none other than the Emei Pais Sect Leader seeking revenge for her husband. Yu Lianzhou hurriedly took three steps backward. Zhou Zhiruos whip technique was truly out of this world; in just three stances Yu Lianzhou was surrounded by the whip. Suddenly the flexible whip shook and coiled back. Zhou Zhiruo caught the tip of the whip with her left hand and coldly said, If I take your life right now, you will be dissatisfied. Unsheathe your weapon! Shua! Yin Liting drew his sword out. He stepped forward and said, Let me receive Miss Zhous instruction. Zhou Zhiruo stared at him with cold eyes; she turned around to look at Song Qingshus injury. His eyes were closed, blood flowed out from is seven orifices, he laid down on the ground, paralyzed. It looked like his life could not be saved. Three male disciples from Emei Pai rushed forward and took him back to their shelter. Zhou Zhiruo turned back and pointed at Yu Lianzhou and said, Ill kill you first. Killing the one surnamed Yin later will not be too late. Yu Lianzhou had exhausted his entire strength just now yet he was unable to escape from her whips encirclement. He was inwardly shocked. He loved his younger martial brother. He thought, If I fight her, even though I might die under her whip, at least Liudi [sixth (younger) brother] would have a chance to see her whip technique. My only hope is that his chance of survival will be increased by several points. Reaching behind his back, he wanted to take over Yin Litings sword. Yin Liting also realized the mortal danger they were facing. Even with the two martial brothers level of martial art skills, the chance of them escaping her long whips strike seemed very remote. Both he and his Shixiong had the same intention; he also wanted to fight her first, so that Shixiong would have a chance to find the gist of her whip technique. Thereupon, he was unwilling to hand his sword over. Shige [martial (older) brother], he said, Let me have a go first. Yu Lianzhou turned his gaze to him. They had been training in the same school for dozens of years. They had a very close relationship with each other; as close as blood brothers. That
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moment, deep emotion surged up his breast; his thought flashed back and forth like lightning. He remembered Yu Daiyan was crippled, Zhang Cuishan killed himself, Mo Shenggu died a tragic death. From the Wudang Seven Heroes, only four left. It seemed like two more heroes would lost their lives in this place. Although Yin Liudi was strong in martial art, emotionally he was very weak. If he died first, Yin Liudis mind would take such a blow that he might be unable to fight an all out battle. If I died first, he carefully considered, Liudi would have to go through countless difficulties to avenge me, while he himself would not want to escape alive alone. In the end, the two of us, martial brothers, would unavoidably die together in vain. If he died first, I would have a chance to understand the essence of this womans whip technique, and then perhaps I could fight her with all I have and die together with her. Thereupon he nodded and said, Liudi, try to hold your ground as long as possible. Remembering his pregnant wife, Yang Buhui, Yin Liting could not help but taking a glance toward Yang Xiao and Zhang Wuji. But immediately he rebuked himself, After I die, other people will certainly take a good care of Buhui and the child; why would I act like a weak woman by asking others to help? Thereupon he raised his sword, his eyes focused on the sword, his mind cleared of other matters, his back straightened, his chest puffed out, his shoulder relaxed and his elbows hang loosely. Zhang Men Ren [sect leader], please grant your instructions! he said. Although he was a lot older than Zhou Zhiruo, at this moment, Zhou Zhiruo was the Sect Leader of Emei Pai. He did not want to show the least bit of disrespect. Noticing that Yin Liting was using the Taijijian [Taiji Sword] to face the opponent; Yu Lianzhou knew that his sixth brother was prepared to unleash the full potential of their schools most powerful skill to contend with the most powerful enemy. He slowly retreated from the arena. You may start! Zhou Zhiruo said. Yin Liting thought that the opponents movement was lightning fast. If he let her took the initiative, he might never be able to regain his momentum. Thereupon as his left foot took a step, he switched the sword to his left hand, and launched the san huan tao yue [three rings around the moon]. This first stance was a mixture of truth and deceit; the sword in his left hand lunged toward the enemy, the blade flickered with rays of light, swish, swish, swish, the sword produced light swishing noise. The crowd of heroes broke into an earth-shattering applause. Zhou Zhiruo turned her body sideways to evade; Yin Liting followed with da kui xing [the Great Bear Constellation] and yan zi chao shui [swallow hunts over the water]. His sword drew a big circle in the air, his right hand pierced straight forward, surprisingly, it also carried light swish, swish, swish noise. Zhou Zhiruo swung her slender waist like a pendulum, dodging the attacks one by one. Yin Liu Xia, she said, I gave you three stances to repay your kindness on Mount Wudang in the old days. As the last word came out of her mouth, the flexible whip in her hand shook like a cobra and struck directly into Yin Litings chest. Yin Liting quickly evaded to the left; but the whip changed its course midway and curved toward him. Yin Liting countered with feng bai he ye [the wind sweeps lotus leaves]. His sword pared down. The whip and the sword collided, creating a light scratching noise. Yin Liting felt a burning sensation on the palm of his hand; the sword nearly fell off.
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He was greatly shocked. I thought her stances were strange but her internal energy was in par with mine, he mused, Who would have thought that her internal energy is also strange beyond measures. Refocusing his attention, he launched the Taiji Sword by creating random circles, generating an extremely tight defense around his body. The flexible whip in Zhou Zhiruos hand was like a string of soft silk thread, like a weightless object. Her body flashed to the east and to the west, dashed forward and backward, yet the whip was always fluttering around Yin Liting. Zhang Wujis amazement grew as he watched the battle. The way she moves the whip is entirely different from Du E, Du Nan and Du Jie, three eminent monks. At first, he thought that Emei Pai still had some heretical martial art that he was unaware of, but as he watched she move with demon-like agility, which differed greatly from Mie Jue Shitais movements, against his will, a vague feeling of fear crept into his heart. Suddenly Fan Yao exclaimed, She is a ghost, she is not a human! His words echoed what was in Zhang Wujis mind that he shivered involuntarily. If he were not in the field where the sun was still shining brightly and people were standing all around him he would have thought that Zhou Zhiruo had died and her ghost picked up a whip and fought with Yin Liting. In all his life, he had seen countless of strange martial arts, but Zhou Zhiruos footwork and whip technique, which was like the wind blowing willow branch, or the water floating duckweed, was truly beyond anybodys imagination. In that moment, he felt as if he was awakened from a nightmare and was shivering from fear, Could it be that she practices some kind of demonic skill? Or she is being possessed by some monster? Zhou Zhiruos movements were strange, but Taiji Sword was developed from Zhang Sanfengs Taijiquan [Taiji fist], which he created in his later years. It was the pinnacle of the sword technique, which came from the culmination of his life-long comprehension of martial art theory. Yin Liting unleashed his entire strength and skill into his continuous sword movements. Although he was unable to injure the opponent, his defense was flawless, enough to hold his ground. Suddenly, someone called out with a strange voice and strange intonation, Aiyo! Song Qingshu is about to breathe his last. Zhou Da Zhangmen [great sect leader], if you dont pay your last respect to your husband, you will considered a dishonorable widow! Everybody turned their eyes toward the voice. It was Zhou Dian. He knew that in their entire lives, Wudang disciples put great emphasis to the internal energy cultivation to control their breathing. In facing the enemy, they were like the Mount Tai collapsed in front of their eyes, their countenances would not change; an elk hit their left ears, their eyes did not blink. So he intended to help Yin Liting by disrupting Zhou Zhiruos attention. Hey, hey, Miss Zhou Zhiruo of the Emei Pai, he called again, Your husband is about to die, he has some last words for you. He says he has three times seven, twenty-one, and four times seven, twenty-eight, illegitimate children outside. He wants that after he dies, you will take a good care of them, so that he wont die with open eyes. Will you or will you not consent to his request? As the crowd of heroes heard him blabber such nonsense, some of them could not help but snicker. But Zhou Zhiruo acted as if she did not hear anything. Aiyo, Zhou Dian called out, Its too bad! Miejue Lao Shitai, how have you, Senior, been doing? Long time no see. You, Senior, has never looked better. Your spirit must have possessed Miss
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Zhou; the way she plays this flexible whip is indeed very attractive! Suddenly, Zhou Zhiruos shadow flashed several zhangs backward. She lashed her long whip over her right shoulder. The tip of the whip curved up from the ground toward Zhou Dians face. Initially she was more than a dozen zhangs away from the Ming Cults thatched shelter, but just like a dragon swooping down from the sky, the flexible whip suddenly arrived at his face like an arrow. Zhou Dian was happily blabbering with spittle coming out of his mouth. He did not expect in the middle of a fierce battle, Zhou Zhiruo was able to launch a sudden attack with her whip. As he was stunned, the long whip had already arrived at his face. Zhou Zhiruo did not even turn her head, but it was as if the back of her head grew a pair of eyes; the tip of the whip was pointing right at his nose. As Zhou Zhiruo flung the long whip backward, two of her left-hand fingers repeatedly pierced toward Yin Liting. Within seven of such attacks, she had covered the entire vital acupoints on Yin Litings head, face and the front of his chest. Yin Liting was unable to attack the opponent. He also could not turn back his sword to pare her arm. With no other choice, he launched the feng dian tou [nodding phoenix] by bending his knees to dodge the attacks. In the meantime, from the Ming Cults thatched shelter came a loud bang! followed by a series of crashing noises. Turned out Yang Xiao, who was standing on the side, and had keen eyes and quick hands, hurled the wooden table in front of him to block Zhou Zhiruos whip. As the whip struck the table, wooden splinters flew all over the place. The teapots and teacups on the table were also thrown to all directions, splashing hot tea to numerous people around them. As her attack missed, Zhou Zhiruo no longer paid Zhou Dian any attention. Her flexible whip coiled back and stormed toward Yin Liting. Holding the hilt of a sword in his hand, Yu Lianzhou had been standing on the side. But after watching for half an afternoon, he still could not predict the essence of her whip technique. Even if I have to fight, in Taiji Sword technique I am not any better than Liudi [sixth younger brother]. But if the fight is prolonged, this womans internal energy might be insufficient, and then relying on our resilience, we might score a victory. He saw Yin Litings sword going back and forth, opening and closing, the yin and yang elements intertwined with each other. Yin Liting was unleashing the instructions given by their benevolent master, Zhang Sanfeng to the fullest. He thought that in all his life he had never seen his Shidi [younger martial brother] unleash this kind of brilliant swordsmanship. Today, while facing a life and death situation, he was able to display the most refined of their schools sword technique. Wudang Pais martial art paid particular attention to resiliency; the longer the fight, the stronger they were. The longer they were able to hold their ground, the greater the chance they would not get defeated. Suddenly Zhou Zhiruos long whip vibrated, creating circles, big and small circles, surrounding Yin Litings entire body with these circles. Taiji Fist and Taiji Sword also based on transmitting strength through circles. Surprisingly, Zhou Zhiruos long whip was also vibrating strength through circles. The rotational direction of the whip and Yin Litings sword were the same, but the whip was several times faster. As Yin Litings sword was entangled by her whip, it lost its strength and did not want to follow its
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masters command. The sword was swirled several times and then a blue ray flickered as the sword was thrown upward. Zhou Zhiruos long whip coiled down to smash the crown of Yin Litings head. Yu Lianzhou immediately jumped forward. His right hand caught the tip of the flexible whip. From inside her gown, Zhou Zhiruos leg flew out, threatening Yu Lianzhous waist. From the start, Yu Lianzhou had always had difficulty predicting the direction of Zhou Zhiruos whip strange movements. However, when he saw her shook the whip to create the circles and snatch Yin Litings sword, it suddenly it dawned on him, Turns out her skill is only mediocre. Her technique in vibrating the whip to make circles is far inferior to our Taiji Fist. As he grabbed the tip of the whip, ignoring the attack toward his waist, his left hand struck Zhou Zhiruos lower abdomen using the hu zhua jue hu shou ['Tiger Claws Destroying Procreation Skill - See Chapter 10, translated by Faerie Queenie]. Zhou Zhiruo was unable to block. Like a lightning, this thought came into her mind, Ill die under Yu Er Shus [second (younger) uncle] hands today. Releasing the whip handle, the five fingers of her right hand came down on top of Yu Lianzhous head, hoping that in her death, she would take Yu Lianzhou along. Yu Lianzhou wanted to lean his head sideways to evade, but unfortunately, the tui hou xue [lit. behind the leg acupoint] on his waist was sealed by Zhou Zhiruos kick that his neck stiffened and he could not turn his head. However, the strength of his left hand did not diminish. At the time when both peoples lives were hanging by a thread, someone suddenly darted in from the side; his right hand blocked Yu Lianzhous hu zhua jue hu shou, his left hand stopped Zhou Zhiruos fingers, which were about to pierce Yu Lianzhous skull. It was Zhang Wuji who decided to save them. Zhou Zhiruo combined the forces of her palms to strike Zhang Wujis chest. If Zhang Wuji dodged the attack, this pair of palms would strike Yin Litings face, therefore, he had no choice but parry her palms with his left palm. As these two peoples three palms struck each other, Zhang Wuji suddenly felt that Zhou Zhiruos palms were void of any strength. Zhang Wuji was stunned. Aiyo, not good! he thought, After fighting ferociously with Liu Shu [sixth uncle] for more than 200 stances, she is like a lamp which oil has dried up. If I continued sending out my strength, she would certainly die on the spot. In desperation, he hastily pulled back his strength. When he sent out his left palm, he only knew that Zhou Zhiruos martial art did not differ too much from his own, that she was a powerful opponent; therefore, he did not dare to be negligent. With one palm blocking two, he had sent his entire strength. As the force was just about to come out, he realized the opponent was devoid of any strength, so he hurriedly pulled back his power. He was well aware that by doing so, he had violated an important principle of the martial art theory. It was equal to attacking his own body with his entire strength. In addition, he needed to use more strength in order to pull back the outgoing power. Fortunately, he had reached a level where he could send out or pull back his power at will. This sudden withdrawal of his strength would only stop the flow of his chi momentarily, but would not greatly harm him. Unexpectedly, as he pulled his strength, he suddenly felt like a burst of flooding water breaking a dam, the opponents strength surged into his body with an irresistible force. Zhang Wuji was greatly shocked; realizing that he had fallen into the enemys trap. Bang! his chest was squarely
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hit by Zhou Zhiruos palms. Zhang Wuji was stricken by his own strength plus Zhou Zhiruos palm power. It was as if two martial art masters joined hands to attack him. Although his Jiu Yang Shen Gong protecting his body was profound, it was simply too much for him to bear. Much less, the power of Zhou Zhiruos palms seized the opportunity to burst in when his defense line was wide open; right when his previous strength was pulled back and before the new strength was generated. This technique was actually Emei Pais specialty. In the past, Miejue Shitai had used it to strike him until he spurted blood and fell down to the ground. It was just that in the past, he was completely ignorant on how to withstand the attack. This time however, he misread Zhou Zhiruos intentions and thus had fallen under the deceit. Zhang Wuji was thrown backwards. His vision blackened and he spurted a mouthful of blood. As Zhou Zhiruos sneak attack succeeded, her left hand followed with five fingers aimed at the pit of his stomach. Zhang Wuji was heavily injured, but he had not lost consciousness. Seeing the claw was about to rip his throat and chest open, he strained himself to inch backward some more. Rip! Zhou Zhiruos claw scratched the front part of his clothes open, revealing Zhang Wujis bare chest. Zhou Zhiruos right hand claw swiftly followed. At this moment, Yu Lianzhous acupoint was sealed by her kick so he was unable to move. Yin Liting was some distance away so even though he pounced forward, he would be too late to save him. It looked like Zhang Wuji would not be able to escape this calamity. As she was glancing down, Zhou Zhiruo suddenly saw a deep scar on his chest. It was the scar when she stabbed him with the Yitian Sword at the Brightness Peak. Her five fingers were less than half a foot from his chest, but mixed emotions suddenly surged up in her breast. Her eyes turned red and her claw stopped midair. While she was hesitating, Wei Yixiao, Yin Liting, Yang Xiao, and Fan Yao, four people had already arrived. Wei Yixiao flew and blocked in front on Zhang Wuji. Yang and Fan, two people launched a converging attacked from left and right. Yin Liting quickly grabbed Zhang Wuji and took him away. The crowd around the field was thrown into chaos. Emei Pai disciples and Shaolin monks shouted and grabbing their weapons, they rushed into the arena. Yang Xiao and Fan Yao only fought Zhou Zhiruo for several stances before they stopped. Wei Yixiao helped up Yu Lianzhou, taking him back to their shelter. Emei Pai and Shaolin Pai also returned to their positions as they saw that the fight has ceased. Zhao Min was actually also rushing into the arena, but her speed was inferior to that of Wei Yixiao, Yang Xiao, and the others. By the time she was halfway, Zhang Wuji was already carried back. As she saw blood seeping out from his mouth, she was so frightened that her face turned sheet-white. Forcing a smile, Zhang Wuji said, I am all right. I only need to circulate my chi for a while. Everybody helped him to sit in the shelter. At once Zhang Wuji slowly circulated his Jiu Yang Shen Gong to treat his internal injury. Zhou Zhiruo called out, Which hero will come up to grant me instruction? Tightening his belt, Fan Yao went out in big strides. Fan You Shi, Zhang Wuji quickly called out, Listen to my order: you must not fight. We we
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admit defeat As he opened his mouth, he vomited two more mouthful of blood. Fan Yao did not dare to defy his Jiaozhus order. Supposing he insisted on fighting, he would inevitably make Zhang Wujis injury worse. Besides, even if he fought with everything he had, he might only deliver his life in vain, without any advantage to their own Cult. Standing in the middle of the field, Zhou Zhiruo asked two more times. The fact that Zhang Wuji was injured by his own pulled-back strength was known to him and Zhou Zhiruo only. Others believed that Zhou Zhiruos power was so strange that Zhang Wuji was not her match. The spectators only saw that Zhou Zhiruo did not continue her claw and thus they believed that she spared Zhang Wujis life. As a young woman, she successfully defeated Yin Liting, Yu Lianzhou and Zhang Wuji; three prominent martial art masters of this age. Everybody believed that her martial art was simply too strange; totally beyond anybodys comprehension. Although there were more than a handful warriors among the crowd of heroes who were quite skillful in martial arts, upon self-introspection, these people realized they could not be compared to Yin, Yu and Zhang, three people; therefore, they decided there was no need for them to lose their lives for nothing. Standing in the field, Zhou Zhiruos gown was blown by the mountain breeze, giving the impression that her gentle and frail figure was swaying by the wind. All around the field there were several thousand heroes and warriors from all over the world [orig. san shan wu yue, si mian ba fang three hills and five mountains, four faces and eight directions. Five sacred mountains of the Taoism are: Tai Shan, Hua Shan, Heng Shan, Heng Shan (different characters) and Song Shan.], yet not a single one dared to come down and challenge her. Zhou Zhiruo waited a while longer, still nobody stepped forward. The old monk from Damo Hall walked into the field. Joining his palms together he said, The skill of Emei Pai Zhang Men Ren [sect leader], Mrs. Song surpasses the crowd of heroes. Her martial art skill is number one in the world. Is there any hero who disagrees? Zhou Dian called out, I, Zhou Dian, disagree. In that case, the old monk said, I invite Zhou Yingxiong [hero Zhou] to come down and have a competition with her. I am not her match, Zhou Dian replied, What can I compete with her? Zhou Yingxiong, the old monk replied, Since you are aware you are not her match, arent you submitting to her? I know that I am not her match, Zhou Dian said, But I do not submit to her. Whats wrong with that? The old monk no longer argued with his twisted logic. He asked, Aside from this gentleman, Zhou Yingxiong, is there anybody else who do not submit to her? He repeated the question three times. Zhou Dian also voiced his disagreement three times. But nobody else made any noise to challenge the decision. Since nobody is going to challenge her, the old monk said, Then according to the prior agreement of this great assembly, Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun will be handed over to Emei Pai
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Zhang Men Ren, Mrs. Song. Whoever has the precious Tulong Saber in his possession should also hand over the control of the said Saber to Mrs. Song. This is the agreement reached by theh heroes present and nobody will be allowed to dissent. Zhang Wuji was in the middle of treating his heavy injury by dispersing his internal energy and activating his Jiu Yang Zhen Qi. He was slowly entering the clear and void state of mind. But as he suddenly heard the old monk say Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun will be handed over to Emei Pai Zhang Men Ren, Mrs. Song, his mind was shaken and he nearly threw up another mouthful of blood. Zhao Min was sitting close to him, caring for him with complete attention. Seeing Zhang Wuji suddenly shiver and his face greatly change, she understood his concern. Wuji Gege, she said in a soft voice, Nothing could be better than that Yifu falling into Zhou Jiejies hands. She did not have a heart to kill you just now; obviously, she still has deep feelings for you. I am sure she will not harm Yifu. Please set your heart at ease and just concentrate on treating your injury. Zhang Wuji thought she was right. He was relieved. In the meantime, the sun was slowly setting behind the western mountain. The field gradually turned dark. The old monk said, Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun is confined somewhere in the back of the mountain. Right now, the sky has turned dark, Gentlemen and Ladies must be hungry. We will gather here again tomorrow afternoon. Lao Seng [old monk, referring to himself] will lead Mrs. Song to release the prisoner. That time we will witness Mrs. Songs unparalleled martial art skill once again. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, and the others cast their glances toward Zhao Min. They all thought, Exactly as you predicted. Shaolin Pai indeed has another plot. Even if Zhou Zhiruo possessed stronger martial art skill, there is no way she would be able to defeat Du E and the others, three eminent monks. I am afraid she would lose her life on top of that small hill. By showing off their power, Shaolin Pai will still dominate over the Wulin world. By this time Zhou Zhiruo had already returned to her thatched shelter. By defeating the heroes that day, Emei Pais prestige soared high. Seeing their Sect Leader return, there was not a single Emei disciple who did not show profound respect. Although the crowd of heroes had seen Zhou Zhiruo win the title Number One Martial Artist under the Heavens, the most important matter had not been brought to completion yet, its conclusion was still left to everybodys guess. Therefore, nobody went down the mountain that day. The old monk said, By visiting our Temple, all heroes are Shaolin Pais esteemed guests. If there is any resentment in your midst, we respectfully request for our sake that you do not settle it up on the Shaoshi Mountain. Otherwise, we will consider you as looking down on Shaolin Pai. After dinner tonight, you may visit the front part of the mountain as you wish. The rear part of the mountain, however, is where our Sect keeps our scriptures and manuals. We ask you to stay away from that part. Immediately Fan Yao took Zhang Wuji and carried him back to the Ming Cult camp. Although Zhang Wujis injury was very heavy, after taking nine of his own miracle pills plus circulating his Jiu Yang Shen Qi, deep into the night, around the second hour [between 1 3am], he vomited three mouthfuls of blood and his internal injury was completely healed.
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Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Yu Lianzhou, Yin Liting, and the others were pleasantly surprised. They all praised his internal energy cultivation as unparalleled in the world. If someone else suffered such a heavy injury, even if he was under a master physicians care, he would need at least one or two months before he could comfortably circulate his chi again. The fact that Zhang Wuji was able to recuperate in a matter of hours was simply too incredible. It would be hard for them to believe if they did not witness it with their own eyes. Zhang Wuji ate two bowls of rice. After resting for a moment, he stood up and said, I need to get some air. He was the Cult Leader. Even though he did not tell them what he was going to do, nobody dared to inquire. Yin Liting only said, You have just recovered from a serious injury; you must be very careful. I will! Zhang Wuji replied. Noticing a great concern on Zhao Mins face, he gave her a faint smile as if he was saying, Dont worry! As Zhang Wuji walked out the shed and looked up, he saw the bright moon and sparse stars in the sky. He took a deep breath and felt that his zhen qi [real/genuine chi] was flowing freely around his body. His spirit rose as he walked toward the Temple gate. I [orig. zai4xia4 under] have something Id like to discuss with Emei Pai Zhang Men [sect leader]; would you please show me the way? he said to the monk in charge of the reception of the visitors. The monk on duty knew he was the Ming Cult Jiaozhu. Yes! Yes! he said, full of respect, Xiao Seng [humble monk referring to self] will show the way. Zhang Jiaozhu, this way, please. Leading Zhang Wuji to the west, they walked for approximately a li [0.5km] before he pointed toward several little huts some distance away. The monk said, Emei Pai stays over there. Monks and nuns are not supposed to mingle. Xiao Seng feels uncomfortable to get too close this late at night. Actually, he was afraid Zhang Wuji might fight with Zhou Zhiruo again. If two masters of the present age involved in a battle, he might get unlucky and would be hurt as an innocent bystander. With a smile Zhang Wuji said, If you returned and mentioned this matter, you would unavoidably alarm the others. Id better seal your acupoint. What do you say? The monk hastily said, Xiao Seng will not dare to open my mouth. Jiaozhu, dont worry. Hurriedly he turned around and left. Zhang Wuji strolled leisurely toward the huts. He stopped about a dozen of zhangs away from the huts. Two nuns immediately flew in. Holding their swords horizontally across their bodies they shouted, Whos there? Zhang Wuji cupped his fists and said, Ming Cults Zhang Wuji wishes to have an audience with your precious Sects Sect Leader, Mrs. Song. The two nuns were very apprehensive; the more senior of the two haltingly said, Zhang Zhang Jiaozhu, please wait here, I I have to report it first. Although she tried to act calm, her voice trembled. She turned around and started to walk. But only several steps later she took out a bamboo whistle and blew it.
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Emei Pai was very happy and proud that day. Their Sect Leader had defeated three of the great masters of the present age in front of the world heroes. She had scared the several thousand fierce warriors so that none dared to challenge her. That was indeed an unprecedented grand occasion in the history of their Sect. However, the Emei Pai had killed two Elders of the Beggar Clan, defeated two heroes of Wudang, and injured the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult. The number of people they had offended today was truly not a few. In addition, with Zhou Zhiruo winning the Number One Martial Artist in the World title, there would be many heroes who were angry or envious. Thus, that night they set up tight sentries and patrols around their camp to guard against any threat from the outside. As the nun blew the whistle, more than twenty people rushed in immediately from all directions. Their blades flickered under the moonlight. Zhang Wuji ignored their presence. He stood still with his hands behind his back. The nun disappeared into a small hut. She reappeared a moment later and said, Our humble Sects Zhang Men Ren says: Men and women are not supposed to mingle, especially this late at night. Zhang Jiaozhu, please return. I have a rather acceptable medical skill, Zhang Wuji said, I only wish to treat Song Qingshu Shaoxias [young hero] injury; nothing more. The nun was startled. She went back into the hut to convey the message. After a long time, she returned and said, Zhang Men Ren invites you to come in. Zhang Wuji patted his waist to show that he did not carry any weapon before walking behind the nun to enter the hut. He saw Zhou Zhiruo sitting by a table on the side; her cheek rested on her palm. She was lost in thought so that she did not turn her head although she heard him. The nun poured a cup of green tea and set it on the table then she retreated and gently closed the door. There were no other people in the room. A flickering white candle on the table illuminated Zhou Zhiruos plain dark green attire. The overall scene was sad and gloomy. Zhang Wujis heart ached. In a low voice he said, How is Song Shiges condition? Let me take a look at him. Without turning her head, Zhou Zhiruo coldly said, His skull is smashed, his injury is very heavy. Most likely he wont survive. I dont even know if he would survive the night. You know my medical skill is not too bad, Zhang Wuji said, I will do my best to save him. Why do you want to save him? Zhou Zhiruo asked. Zhang Wuji was startled. I did you wrong, he said, In my heart, I am very ashamed. Moreover, you have showed me mercy today by letting me live. Song Shige is injured; I want to make it up to you somehow. You showed me mercy first, do you think I did not know it? Zhou Zhiruo replied, If you can bring Song Dage back to life, how do you want me to repay? A life for a life, Zhang Wuji replied, I am asking you to show mercy on my Yifu. Pointing toward the inner chamber Zhou Zhiruo indifferently said, He is inside. Zhang Wuji walked toward the inside chamber. But as he saw the room was pitch-black without
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any light, he took the candlestick and went in. Zhou Zhiruo did not move; she was still sitting motionless with her cheek on her palm. Zhang Wuji raised the dark green mosquito net up. Under the candlelight, he saw that Song Qingshus eyes were bulging, his facial features [orig. wu3guan1 five sensory organs: nose, eyes, lips, tongue, ears] were distorted, making his countenance hideous. His breathing was very weak and he had lost consciousness long ago. Zhang Wuji held his wrist only to find his pulse was chaotic; sometimes fast, sometimes slow. His skin felt ice-cold. If he was not treated immediately, indeed he would not survive the night. Zhang Wuji lightly touched his skull and felt that four pieces of Song Qingshus skull, the forehead and the back of his head, were disintegrated. Zhang Wuji thought about the fierceness of his Yu Er Bos [second (older) uncle] pair of fists. This shuang feng guan er stance was backed by a hundred percent internal energy. If Song Qingshu did not have a very strong foundation in internal energy cultivation, he would have died on the spot. Zhang Wuji let down the mosquito net. He put down the candlestick on the table, sat on a bamboo chair by the table, and was deep in thought, thinking how he was going to treat the injury. Song Qingshus injury was fatal; even with all his might, Zhang Wujis confidence only reached 30%. It took him about the time to cook rice to consider all options carefully; and then he stood up and went out the room. Mrs. Song, he said, Whether or not Song Shiges life would be saved, I find it very difficult to assert. Would you let me give it a try? If you cant save him, nobody else in this world can, Zhou Zhiruo answered. Zhang Wuji said, Even if his life is spared, I am afraid his face, his martial art will not return to his former days. His brain was also shaken badly. I am afraid I am afraid even speaking will not be easy for him. You are not a deity, Zhou Zhiruo said, I know you will do your utmost to bring him back to life, so that you can be the imperial courts consort with a clear conscience. Zhang Wuji was stumped; he thought it was inappropriate for him to respond, so he simply went back to the inner chamber and uncovered the quilt covering Song Qingshus body. After sealing Song Qingshus eight major acupoints, with an extreme care and very light pressure, which was neither here nor there, his ten fingers started to mend Song Qingshus broken skull, piece by piece. And then he took out a golden case from his bosom. With his little finger he picked a bead of blackish paste, which he then rubbed evenly with both hands on Song Qingshus broken skull. This black paste was the hei yu duan xu gao [black jade bone mending ointment], which was the supreme panacea of broken bones, developed by the Shaolin Pai of the Western Region. It was what remained from the ointment he begged from Zhao Min to treat Yu Daiyan and Yin Litings broken limbs. He also sent out his Jiu Yang Zhen Qi in steady stream through his palm to help the medicine penetrate Song Qingshus broken bones. About the time needed to burn an incense stick later, Zhang Wuji had finished applying his energy. Seeing Song Qingshus face did not worsen, he was delighted; knowing that his chance of saving Song Qingshus life had been increased by several points. He had just recovered from a heavy injury so that after exerting that much energy, his heart was beating faster and his breath was labored. After standing next to the bed while regulating his chi for half a day, he walked back to the outer chamber and put the candlestick back on the table. Under the flickering candlelight, he saw Zhou Zhiruos face was unusually pale. Hearing light
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footsteps outside the room, he knew that the Emei disciples were still patrolling around their camp. I think Song Shige will live. Set your heart at ease, he said. You dont have the confidence of saving his life, I also dont have the confidence of saving Xie Daxias life, Zhou Zhiruo said. She is going to attack the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan tomorrow, Zhang Wuji thought, Even if there is one or two masters within the Emei Pai to give her a hand, nine out of ten it would be difficult for her to succeed. Perhaps she might deliver her life instead. Thereupon he said, Do you know the situation of the place where they hold Yifu captive? I dont, Zhou Zhiruo replied, What kind of fierce ambush Shaolin Pai is preparing? And thus Zhang Wuji explained briefly how Xie Xun was held prisoner in a dungeon on top of a small hill, and that he was guarded by Shaolins three old monks; how he himself had failed to break the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan twice, resulted in the death of Yin Tianzheng. Zhou Zhiruo was listening quietly until he was finished, and then she said, That being the case, if you failed to break their defense, what hope do I have? Suddenly Zhang Wuji got an idea. Zhiruo, he happily said, If the two of us join hands, we can accomplish greater merits. With my pure yang and hard power, I can entangle the three eminent monks long whips. With your yin and soft power, you seize the opportunity to enter. Once you are inside the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan defense line, with converging attack from outside and inside, we could score a victory. With a cold laugh Zhou Zhiruo said, We were once engaged to each other. Right now, my husband is hovering between life and death. On top of that, I did not take your life today. Other people would say that I still have a feeling toward you. If I took your advice by asking you to help me, the heroes of the world would scold me as one without any sense of honor, indecisive and capricious. Zhang Wuji anxiously said, We only need to have clear conscience. Why would we give any regard to whatever other people might say? And if I do have a guilty conscience? Zhou Zhiruo asked. Zhang Wuji was taken aback; he could only say, You You Zhang Jiaozhu, Zhou Zhiruo said, You are a single man and I am a widow. With us being together this late of night, its hard for us to avoid public criticism. Please leave immediately! Zhang Wuji stood up and bowed deeply. Mrs. Song, he said, You have been very good to me since we were very young. I wish you would bestow kindness to me one more time. For the rest of his life, Zhang Wuji will not dare to forget your kindness. Zhou Zhiruo met his request with silence; she neither agreed nor disagreed. All along, she did not even turn her head so that Zhang Wuji was unable to see her expression. While he was just about to repeat his request, in a loud voice Zhou Zhiruo called, Jinghui Shijie [martial (older) sister], see the visitor out! With a creaking noise, the outer door opened. Jinghui stood outside with a sword in her hand. She
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stared at Zhang Wuji with an angry look. Zhang Wuji thought that at this moment, his Yifus life was at stake; his own reputation was of no importance. Thereupon, he knelt down in front of Zhou Zhiruo and kowtowed four times. Mrs. Song, he said, I am asking for your mercy. Zhou Zhiruo sat motionless like a statue. Zhang Wuji, Jinghui shouted, Zhang Men Ren [sect leader] told you to get out. Why are you still pestering her? You are indeed a scum of the Wulin community. There is no one this shameless! She thought that Song Qingshu had died and thus Zhang Wuji was begging Zhou Zhiruo to marry him. Zhang Wuji sighed and jumped out the door. Before even reaching the Ming Cult camp, Zhao Min had already met him. Song Qingshus life is saved, isnt it? she said, And you have used my hei yu duan xu gao to be a good man. Ah! Zhang Wuji exclaimed, You truly have a deitys foresight. At this time, its still hard to say whether he will be alive or not. Zhao Min heaved a deep sigh and said, You wanted to save Song Qingshus life as an exchange for Xie Daxia. Wuji Gege, you are growing more and more muddleheaded; you do not have the least bit of understanding of other peoples hearts. Why? Zhang Wuji wondered, I dont understand what you were saying. You saved Song Qingshu with all your strength, your blood, your sweat. That means you did not care about Zhou Jiejies feeling to you the least bit, Zhao Min said, Tell me, do you think she is or she isnt angry? Zhang Wuji was startled; he was at a loss for words. He thought it would defy any logic if Zhou Zhiruo did not want her husband to be healed. However, she did say, I know you will do your utmost to bring him back to life, so that you can be the imperial courts consort with a clear conscience. Clearly, this sentence carried the idea that Zhou Zhiruo resented him. Moreover, she also said, what if I do have a guilty conscience? You have saved Song Qingshus life, and now you regret it, dont you? Zhao Min asked. Without waiting for Zhang Wujis answer, she smiled slightly and then flew back into the shed. Zhang Wuji sat on a large rock. He raised his head to look at the cold crescent moon, and was lost in thought. His mind wandered back to the events that followed the first time he met Zhou Ziruo, especially her tone of speaking and her body language just now. He lowered his head, while myriads of indiscernible thoughts raced back and forth in his mind. Early morning on the sixth day of the fifth month, the bells inside the Shaolin Temple rang, calling the crowd of heroes to gather again in the field. This time, the old monk of the Damo Hall did not even ask for Kong Zhis permission. He stood in the middle of the field and said in a loud and clear voice, All heroes, greetings! In the martial art competition yesterday, the Emei Pai Sect Leader, Mrs. Songs skill was proven to surpass everybody elses. We invite Mrs. Song to the back of the mountain to break the guard and get Jin Mao Shi Wang Xie Xun out. Lao Seng [old monk referring to self] will show the way. Finished speaking, he proceeded walking toward the back of the mountain.
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Emei Pais eight senior female disciples promptly followed him, with Zhou Zhiruo and the rest of Emei disciples close on their heels. The rest of the heroes followed after them. Zhang Wuji noticed that Zhou Zhiruo wore similar clothes to the ones she wore the previous day, not mourning clothes, so he knew Song Qingshu had not died yet. Critical moment has passed, Zhang Wuji thought, He will live. As the crowd of heroes went up to the peak of the hill, they saw that the three eminent monks were still sitting cross-legged under the pine trees. The old monk of the Damo Hall said, Jin Mao Shi Wang is held captive in the underground dungeon in between the three green pine trees. Guarding the dungeon are our Sects three elders. Mrs. Songs martial art skill is unrivalled under the heavens. She only needs to defeat our Sects three elders then she can open the dungeon and take the prisoner away. The rest of us will have the opportunity to admire Mrs. Songs skill once again. Seeing Zhang Wujis indeterminate expression, Yang Xiao said quietly by his ear, Jiaozhu, dont worry. Wei Fu Wang and Shuo Bude are leading the Five-Element Banners to surround the peak. If Emei Pai is unwilling to hand Xie Shi Wang over, we will have to use force. Frowning, Zhang Wuji said, That means we are breaking the general assemblys rules and breaking good faith. I am only afraid Mrs. Song would place a sword on Xie Shi Wangs neck, Yang Xiao said, And then many innocent bystanders would be hurt. Breaking good faith or not, we simply cant deal with this crowd alone. Zhao Min quietly said, Xie Shi Wangs enemies are numerous. We must guard against sneak attacks, someone launching secret projectile from among the crowd. Yang Xiao said, Fan You Shi, Priest Tie Guan, Zhou Xiong [brother Zhou] Peng Dashi [reverend Peng], four people are taking their positions on the four corners, guarding against sneak attacks. In a low voice Zhao Min said, It would be better if someone launched a secret projectile. We may seize the opportunity amidst the chaos to snatch Xie Shi Wang. The world heroes could not blame us for breaking good faith. However, if all is quiet something has to happen Hmm, Yang Zuo Shi, have someone in disguise secretly launch an attack toward Xie Shi Wang to stir up the water, and then in the midst of trouble we snatch him away. Yang Xiao laughed. This is a wonderful idea, he said, and then immediately left to find someone to execute the plan. Zhang Wuji realized they were not being straightforward and upright; but in order to save his Yifu, they were left with no other choice but to act decisively. In his heart, he could not stop feeling grateful toward Zhao Min. He thought, In the face of critical situation, Min Mei and Yang Zuo Shi both have the ability to act decisive. It is very seldom that they had to stop and discuss matters at length, and lose a good opportunity. I dont have that ability. In the meantime, he heard that Zhou Zhiruo was saying, Since the three eminent monks are Shaolin Pais elders, your martial art skill must be very profound. If I fought you with one against three, not only it will be unfair, it will also be disrespectful of me. The Damo Halls old monk said, If Mrs. Song must have one or two people to help, you may do
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so. Zhou Zhiruo said, Because all the heroes under the heavens yielded to me, I was fortunate to win the competition. I was using our Sects special skill, secretly passed on by Xian Shi [late/departed master], Miejue Shitai. Supposing we fought three against three, even if we scored a victory, I would fail to display the instructions my Xian Shi painstakingly taught me. But if I fought one against three, I would show disrespect toward the host. Therefore, let us do this: I am going to call someone who was injured under my hands yesterday, whose injury has not completely recovered, a kid to lend me a hand. This kid was once struck by my Xian Shi three times that he spurted blood. Let all the heroes under the heavens know. That way, my Xian Shis prestige will not be damaged. As Zhang Wuji heard this, he was utterly delighted. Thanks the Heaven and thanks the Earth! She indeed allows me to come forward. Zhang Wuji, he heard Zhou Zhiruo call out, Come out. Aside from Yang Xiao and a few other people, the Ming Cult warriors did not know the background story; but all of them were angry to hear Zhou Zhiruo saying this kid this and this kid that in total disrespect of their Cult Leader. To their surprise, however, they saw that Zhang Wuji looked so happy. He stepped forward, bowed with cupped fists and said, Many thanks Mrs. Song, for showing mercy and sparing this kids life yesterday. Zhang Wuji had already decided in his heart, She is humiliating me publicly not only to gain face to the Emei Pai, but also to retaliate for the disgrace that day, when the groom fled in the middle of the wedding ceremony. For Yifus sake, I must set aside everything else. Zhou Zhiruo said, You were heavily injured that you vomited some blood yesterday. I dont really need any help today, but we must show some manners. Yes, Zhang Wuji replied, I will follow your orders, I will not dare to disobey. Zhou Zhiruo took out her whip. As she shook her right hand, the whip immediately created more than a dozen big and small circles in the air. It was a very beautiful sight. Her left hand flipped over. A blue ray flashed. A short blade appeared in her hand. The crowd of heroes had seen the formidable power of her flexible whip yesterday; they did not expect that she was able to use a blade at the same time. One long, the other short, one flexible, the other stiff; these two weapons were exact opposite of each other. The crowd of heroes gasped in admiration; their spirits were aroused. Zhang Wuji fetched a couple of Sheng Huo Ling tablets from his pocket. He took two steps forward. Suddenly he staggered and deliberately let out several coughs, as if he had not fully recovered and was having difficulty even to protect himself, so that if they defeat the three Shaolin monks, the crowd of heroes would think that all credits belong to Zhou Zhiruo. Zhou Zhiruo came near to him and said in a low voice, You have sworn an oath to avenge your biaomei [younger maternal female cousin]. But if the murderer who harmed her was your Yifu, do you still want to save him? Zhang Wuji was taken aback. Yifu suffers from some mental illness, he cannot be held responsible for his own actions, he finally said. Du E said, Zhang Jiaozhu come here to grant some more instructions today.
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I beg the forgiveness of the three Eminent Monks, Zhang Wuji replied. Well said, well said! Du E said, This Emei Pai Zhang Men; I heard she defeated all heroes under the heavens yesterday. Could it be that her martial art is superior to Zhang Jiaozhus? Certainly, Zhang Wuji replied, Wan bei [younger generation referring to self] suffered a severe injury and I vomited blood under Zhou Zhang Mens hands yesterday. Thats strange, Du Nan said. The three old monks long whip slowly shook and came out. Right at this moment, from the waist of the hill suddenly came a gentle sound of qin [zither] and flute ensemble, intermingled with the cry of the birds. Zhang Wuji was very happy. As the yao qin [jade or mother-of-pearl zither] made three zheng, zheng, zheng noise, four young woman wearing white clothes floating onto the peak, each one had a short zither in her hands. Next, amidst the rising and falling flute sound, four young women in black, each blowing a long flute, walked up the peak. The black and white intermingled, eight young women stood on eight directions. The zither and flute ensemble played a gentle, yet elegant music. Accompanied by this beautiful music, a beautiful woman draped in light yellow soft cotton clothing strolled leisurely toward the peak. She was the woman Zhang Wuji met during the Beggar Clan meeting at Lulong the other day. As soon as the little girl, the Clan Leader of the Beggar Clan, Shi Hongshi saw her, she rushed forward, threw herself in that womans bosom and cried out, Yang Jiejie, Yang Jijie! Our Zhanglao and Longtou have been killed! She pointed toward Zhou Zhiruo and said, They were killed under Emei Pai and Shaolin Pais malicious hands. The woman in yellow nodded and said, I know. Humph! Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhua is not necessarily the strongest martial art in the world. Ever since she arrived at the peak, her entourage, her beautiful face and her elegant manners have captivated the attention of everybody present. These few words of her were clearly heard by everyone. The crowd of heroes was astonished. The older ones among them thought, Could it be that Emei Pais claw technique is the sinister and ruthless skill, Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhua, which shook the Jianghu over a hundred years ago? They had heard the Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhuas name, and they knew this martial art was evil and brutal to the extreme; but since it had been lost for a long time, nobody had ever seen it. The woman in yellow took Shi Hongshi by the hand and led her back to the Beggar Clan crowd. Then she sat on a piece of mountain rock. Zhou Zhiruos countenance slightly changed as in a low voice she asked, Who is this woman? I only met her once, Zhang Wuji replied, I dont know her name, I dont know her origin; I only know she has some relation with the Beggar Clan. Humph! Zhou Zhiruo snorted, and then said, Lets start! Her long whip shook and coiled toward Du Nans long rope, while grasping this opportunity to occupy the space in between the three deep green pine trees. Her first move in attacking the center of the enemies was very ruthless and swift, with lots of guts; even first-class Jianghu masters might be unable to do what she did.
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The crowd of heroes only saw her shadow in the air, just like a giant dark green crane sweeping down from the sky; her movements were incomparably graceful. The flexible whip in her right hand entangled Du Nans long rope. Both of them exerted their strength trying to pull their respective weapons that Du Nans weapon was rendered useless temporarily. Du E and Du Jies pair of whips made a converging attack from left and right. Zhang Wuji immediately stepped forward, but his step faltered and he tumbled down to the ground. The crowd of heroes gasped; they thought that after his injury, Zhang Wujis steps were weakened. They did not know that Zhang Wuji was using the ancient Persian martial art he learned from the Sheng Huo Ling tablets. His movements were weird, totally unpredictable. As he seemed to be falling forward, the Sheng Huo Ling tablets in his hands actually struck toward the pit of Du Nans stomach. Du Nans long rope was still entangled by Zhou Zhiruos whip that he was unable to use his weapon to block the attack. Du E and Du Jie saw the danger. Their ropes left Zhou Zhiruo to assault Zhang Wuji. Two long strips of black ropes, with overwhelming power swiftly struck toward Zhang Wuji like a pair of black dragons so that he would be hard pressed to block. Who would have thought that Zhang Wuji rolled around on the ground to escape the attack while rolling toward Du E. Du E thrust his left hand toward Zhang Wujis shoulder. Zhang Wuji parried with his left palm using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi. His body shook and his shoulder bumped toward Du Jie. He resolutely wanted to make Zhou Zhiruo famous today by giving up the credit of defeating the Shaolin three eminent monks entirely to Emei Pai Zhang Men. His only wish was that he would be able to save Xie Xun. By using the ancient Persian martial art, he rolled and circled to the east, and stumbled and turned to the west. His movements were totally unattractive; he seemed to be in a very distressing situation. There were many outstandingly experienced warriors with vast knowledge among the spectators, but this special ancient Persian martial art was simply too strange. In addition, there had never been anybody from the Central Plains using it. Much less, the fact that Zhang Wuji was heavily injured the previous day was a public knowledge. Consequently, no one realized that he was only pretending. There wasnt any one among the enemies of the Ming Cult who was not secretly delighted, while all the friends of the Ming Cult were deeply troubled; thinking that Zhang Wuji might lose his life over this matter today. Over several dozens of stances later, they saw that Zhou Zhiruos shadow abruptly flashed up and down, swiftly swaying in an unpredictable manner. In the meantime, Zhang Wuji seemed to be losing his ground. His hands and feet moved in a frantic manner, not any better than a fool who had just started training martial arts. However, no matter how dangerous his situation was, he always managed to escape the opponents fatal blow at the last moment. The experienced heroes among the crowd started to realize that Zhang Wuji must have followed some type of footwork; perhaps something similar to zui ba xian [drunken eight immortals], where the movements seemed disorderly, but actually contained strange and subtle variations within it. This type of martial art skill was much more difficult to master than the orthodox martial art commonly practiced in that era. If this ancient Persian martial art were used to fight one of the three eminent monks, regardless of which monk, he would certainly be confused and put at a disadvantage; just as Zhang Wuji was battered and exhausted when he was dealing with the Wind and Cloud Emissaries for the first time. However, these three Shaolin eminent monks had been in meditation together for several
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decades; their minds were interlinked. As soon as one of the monks showed a small opening in his defense line, the other two monks would immediately close that gap. Zhang Wuji executed all kinds of strange movements. Each one was designed to confuse enemys vision. He would move to the left, but actually attack to the right; he seemed to attack to the front, but actually aim to the back; his movements were very difficult to predict. However, the three monks whips were as steady as their heartbeat, totally immune to his tricks. Toward the seventieth, eightieth stance, Zhang Wujis strange movements continuously emerged one after another, but all along he failed to harm even a strand of these three monks hair. After nearly a hundred stances, he felt the three monks whips were getting stronger, while his own movements were getting sluggish; he was unable to move as quick as when they started fighting. He did not realize that the martial art he used was somewhat demonic, while the three monks Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan was based on Buddhism power utilization technique to subdue evil spirit. The spectators only saw as if he was fighting with renewed vigor, while actually it was because the demonic influence in his mind was growing stronger. If he fought for another hundred stances, unavoidably he would completely fall under the control of the three monks Buddhist influence and would continuously dance crazily beyond his control. Without any attack from the three eminent monks, he would condemn himself to his doom. The common people called the Ming Cult as the Devil Cult not without any reason. This ancient Persian martial art was developed by the Old Man of the Mountain, the big devil that killed without batting his eyes. When Zhang Wuji first trained this martial art, he was unconscious of this demonic character; however, now that he was battling formidable opponents, he had to bring out the essence of this demonic martial art to its fullest potential, and thus his mind was gradually stimulated. Suddenly he looked up to the sky and let out a hysterical and devilish ha, ha, ha laughter. As he stopped laughing, from inside the dungeon among the three green pine trees came a voice; it was his Yifu, Xie Xuns voice. Zhang Wuji heard Xie Xuns old voice slowly recite the Jin Gang Jing [Vajracchedika Sutra or Diamond Sutra], Upon the occasion of hearing this Discourse Subhuti had an interior realization of its meaning and was moved to tears. Whereupon he addressed the Buddha thus: It is a most precious thing, World-honored One, that you should deliver this supremely profound Discourse. Never have I heard such an exposition since of old my eye of wisdom first opened. World-honored One, if anyone listens to this Discourse in faith with a pure, lucid mind, he will thereupon conceive an idea of Fundamental Reality [Translators note: I was about to give up translating this passage, fortunately, I found the English translation by A.F. Price, http://personal.palouse.net/lotus/diamondsutra.htm The passage Xie Xun recited was from Section XIV.] Zhang Wuji was listening and fighting at the same time. As Xie Xuns chanting rose up, he felt that he was able to resist the power of the whips of the three Shaolin monks. He heard Xie Xun continue, World-honored One, having listened to this Discourse, I receive and retain it with faith and understanding. This is not difficult for me, but in ages to come - in the last five-hundred years, if there be men coming to hear this Discourse who receive and retain it with faith and understanding, they will be persons of most remarkable achievement. Wherefore? Because they will be free from the idea of an ego-entity, free from the idea of a personality, free from the idea of a being, and free from the idea of a separated individuality Listening to this point, Zhang Wujis heart became troubled. He knew that as his Yifu was being imprisoned in the dungeon on this peak, he listened to the three Shaolin eminent monks reciting the sutra every day. He was definitely able to escape the other day, but realizing he had committed
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grave offenses in the past, he was adamantly not willing to leave. Could it be that after listening to the teachings of Buddha for several months, he finally had a change of heart? The sutra said, in ages to come - in the last five-hundred years, if there be men coming to hear this Discourse who receive and retain it with faith and understanding. At this moment, in Yifus heart, the latter man of the five-hundred years must be a reference to Zhang Wuji. Only, the meaning of the scripture was very deep; Zhang Wuji was in the middle of a heated battle, he could not stop to ponder. Naturally, he did not know that Subhuti was an elder who listened to Sakyamuni Buddhas discourse of the Diamond Sutra. Therefore, his understanding of what Xie Xun was reciting was next to nothing. He heard Xie Xun continue, Buddha said to Subhuti: Just as you say! If anyone listens to this Discourse and is neither filled with alarm nor awe nor dread, be it known that such a one is of remarkable achievement When the Rajah of Kalinga mutilated my body, I was at that time free from the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, and a separated individuality. Wherefore? Because then when my limbs were cut away piece by piece, had I been bound by the aforesaid distinctions, feelings of anger and hatred would have been aroused in me Bodhisattvas should leave behind all phenomenal distinctions. Zhang Wuji understood this passage of scripture. It was clear that everything in this world was illusionary. In regard to my own body, my life, my mind, everything was temporal. Even if others cut my flesh into pieces, I simply need to disregard my own body, naturally all hatred and resentments would vanish. Yifu lives in a dungeon, yet he seems to be at peace. Could it be that he has reached the realm of freedom from shock, intimidation, and fear? As he pondered about this, he had another thought, Is Yifu trying to tell me not to agonize over his well-being? That I dont have to exert myself in rescuing him? Xie Xun had been imprisoned in the dungeon for several months. Every evening he heard the three monks in the pine trees reciting the Diamond Sutra. He was slowly enlightened by the meaning of the scripture. This time, as he heard Zhang Wujis devilish laughter, he realized the demonic influence was already growing in his heart; Zhang Wuji gradually entered into a dangerous situation. Immediately Xie Xun recited the Diamon Sutra with the hope of driving the demonic influence out of Zhang Wujis heart. While listening to the Buddhist scripture, Zhang Wujis hands did not stop moving. In his heart, he pondered upon the meaning of the text he was hearing. The demonic influence in his heart gradually diminished. Consequently, his ancient Persian martial art lost its effectiveness. Swish! Du Jies long rope struck toward his left shoulder. Zhang Wuji shrank his shoulder to dodge. Without realizing it, he was using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi , supported by his Jiu Yang Shen Gong. At once he was able to neutralize the power of the incoming attack. His mind was moved, Its hard for me to score a victory using this ancient Persian martial art. Casting a sidelong glance toward Zhou Zhiruo, Zhang Wuji saw that she was struggling just to hold her ground, to the point that she was in the brink of defeat. He thought, Todays business is difficult to be resolved in a manner that will satisfy both sides."I can forget about saving Yifu, if I dont go all out and Zhiruo is defeated. Letting out a clear whistle, he used the Sheng Huo Ling tablets to attack bit by bit. Meanwhile, Xie Xun did not stop reciting the sutra, but Zhang Wuji focused his entire attention on the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi so he closed his ears to the chanting. He tried to take the three monks long ropes as much as possible with the hope of Zhou Zhiruo finding an opening so that she might enter the circle. As Zhang Wuji fought with all his might, the three monks felt the pressure on their ropes was
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gradually getting heavier that they were forced to increase their internal energies to resist it. The three monks Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan was based on Jin Gang Jings [Diamond Sutra] highest essence; namely, it aimed to achieve the realm of free from the idea of an ego-entity, free from the idea of a personality, free from the idea of a being, and free from the idea of a separated individuality. There was no difference between me and you, no separation of life and death, completely regarded everything as illusory. Only, although the three monks cultivation was high, as they fought, they were still unable to overcome the desire to win. Although they had disregarded life and death, their human ego had not disappeared. Therefore, the power of their Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan could not reach its pinnacle. Among the three monks, Du Es cultivation was the highest that he had gotten rid of the four freedoms from individuality. However, the other two monks, Du Nan and Du Jie were still burning with the desire to achieve victory. This mixture of different inner desires had taken its toll in that Du Es long whip movements did not seamlessly match with those of his two colleagues. The crowd of heroes watching from the side had seen the changes in Zhang Wujis martial art. The battle in the middle of the green pine trees were growing in intensity. Thin mist started to rise from the top of the three monks heads. The spectators knew the mist came from the perspiration on the monks foreheads, which was turned into vapor by the heat generated from the exertion of their internal energy. It was clear that these five people had reached the stage of all out internal energy battle. Thin mist also appeared on top of Zhang Wujis head. But the mist rose like a long, thin straight line; it did not disperse like regular steam. Obviously, his internal energy cultivation was very deep, deeper than the three monks. Just the previous day the crowd of heroes saw that he had received a severe injury. Who would have thought that he completely recovered in only one night? The depth of his internal energy really amazed others. Zhou Zhiruo, on the other hand, did not dare to engage the three monks in direct confrontation; she only wandered outside the circle. As soon as the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan revealed a crack in their defense line, she would jump in the opportunity. But as one of the whips intercepted her, her graceful figure would lithely turn back to evade. Because of this, the difference in martial art cultivation between Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruo became apparent to the spectators. Many among the crowd of heroes could not restrain from voicing their opinions in whispers. For the last several years there is a rumor in the Wulin world that the Ming Cults Zhang Jiaozhus martial art skill is without equal. Sure enough, his reputation in well-deserved. Apparently, he was deliberately yielding to this Mrs. Song yesterday. It is called a gentleman will not fight a woman. What do you mean a gentleman will not fight a woman? Dont you know Mrs. Song was about to become Zhang Jiaozhus wife? It is called old rulers affection is deep! [Translators note: I know it sounds weird in English, but perhaps someone will explain this saying for us?] Pei! It is old swords affection is deep, not old rulers affection is deep! Dont you see those two iron rulers in Zhang Jiaozhus hands? After that, Mrs. Song did not have a heart to kill Zhang Jiaozhu with a vicious blow. Wont it be the old hands affection is deep? Meanwhile, the stances launched by the three monks and Zhang Wuji were getting slower; the changes were also getting more subtle. Zhou Zhiruos martial art skill grew at a fantastical rate; her victory over Wudang's Second Hero was the peak of her achievement. However, speaking about internal energy cultivation, compared
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to Yu Lianzhou and Yin Liting, she actually fell far behind. This moment, Zhang Wujis battle with the three Shaolin monks had reached an all-out, real-skill stage; there was no leeway for a shortcut, no opening for Zhou Zhiruo to attack. Now and then her flexible whip would sweep and strike forward, but as soon as it bumped into the four peoples internal energy, it would bounce back immediately. Less than an hour later, the Jiu Yang Shen Gong inside Zhang Wujis body flowed out rapidly. The Sheng Huo Ling in his hands created swish, swish, swish noise. Originally, the three monks countenances were different from each other, but at this time their faces were dark red, their Buddhist robes bubbled up as if they were blown by a strong gale. On the other hand, there were not any visible changes in Zhang Wujis clothes. His superiority had been established by this fact alone. If he fought them one-on-one, or even one-on-two, he would have scored a victory early on. Zhang Wujis cultivation of Jiu Yang Zhen Qi was immeasurably deep to begin with. After receiving instructions from Zhang Sanfeng, he further developed his chi with cultivation technique of Taijiquan. Right now, the longer he fought, the stronger he was. He would win an endurance race, since he could fight an all-out battle for one or two sichen [1 sichen = 2 hours] more, waiting for the opponents to exhaust their own strength. The three Shaolin also realized that a prolonged battle would be detrimental to their side. Suddenly they let out a high-pitched shout together. Three long whips rotated rapidly, the whips turned into blur shadows that it was difficult to see which one was real and which one was a mere shadow. Zhang Wuji focused his gaze on the incoming whip; he blocked them one by one, while anxiety started to grow in his heart. Although Zhiruos martial art is marvelous, her days of training were, after all, not too many. Our joint power cannot be compared to [maternal] grandfather and Yang Zuo Zhi. I cant do it based on my strength alone. It looks like we are going to be defeated again today. If I cant save Yifu this time, what do I do? As his heart was anxious, his internal energy was somewhat reduced. The three monks seized this opportunity to press on; their attacks grew more dangerous, surrounding Zhang Wuji from all sides. Suddenly, like a flash of lightning a thought came into Zhang Wujis mind. He recalled Xie Xuns affection toward him when he was little on the Bing Huo [ice and fire] Island. He also remembered although Xie Xun was blind, he braved the danger by re-entering the Jianghu, all because of him. If he could not save him today, he definitely did not want to live alone. He saw that Du Nans long whip was threatening his back. Disregarding his own safety, his left hand reached up to let the whip strike his arm, but he dissipated the incoming force using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi. The Sheng Huo Ling tablet in his right hand blocked the pair of whips of Du E and Du Jie. Like a giant bird he suddenly pounced to the left, but his body turned around midair and suddenly he grabbed Du Nans long whip, and wound it once around the trunk of the green pine tree in which Du Nan was sitting. This maneuver was truly unthinkable; Zhang Wuji raised his left arm, pulled the whip and wound it around the tree trunk. Du Nan was greatly shocked; he hastilypulled back. Zhang Wujis change of movements were amazingly fast; he also pulled the rope to counter Du Nans force. Although the bough of the pine tree was thick, almost half of it had already scooped out hollow by the three monks to protect them from the wind and the rain. This time, a very tough and durable long rope wound around it, and Zhang Wuji and Du Nans internal energy pulled it at the same time, a loud crashing sound was heard as the pine tree broke right at the hollow part, with the top portion of the tree came crashing down from the sky. Seizing the opportunity when Du E and Du Jie, two monks were still stunned by this turn of events,
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Zhang Wuji struck with both palms, with a loud shout he pushed the pine tree where Du E was sitting. In this strike he put the entire life-long cultivated strength into his palms. The pine tree could not stand and snapped off at once. The two broken pine trees, along with their branches and leaves, fell down on the tree where Du Jie was sitting. These two trees carried the momentum of several thousand catties. Zhang Wuji flew up and landed on the third tree. His feet pushed down and the tree broke. It swayed in the air and slowly fell down. The noise of the broken trees intermingled with the cry and shouts of the crowd of heroes. Zhang Wuji threw the two Sheng Huo Ling tablets in his hands toward Du E and Du Jie. The two monks were busy dodging the falling trees, and now they had to deal with the incoming Sheng Huo Ling tablets; the movements of their hands and feet became chaotic. Zhang Wuji bent his knees and rolled underneath the falling trees, which had not reached the ground yet. He had entered the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quans center. Using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi technique, his palms pushed and turned, and the boulder covering the dungeon was shoved open. Yifu, come out, quick! he called out. Afraid that Xie Xun was unwilling to come out, without waiting for a reply, Zhang Wuji put one hand down the hole and grabbed the back of Xie Xuns collar and lifted him up. Right this moment, Du E and Du Jies whips arrived. Zhang Wuji was forced to let Xie Xun down. He took out two more Sheng Huo Ling tablets from his bosom and threw the tablets toward the two monks. Quick as lighting his hands grabbed the tip of the whips. Du E and Du Jie were about to exert their internal energy to pull the whips back, but the two Sheng Huo Ling tablets had already arrived in front of their faces with speed that did not give them any leeway. The two monks did not have any choice but let their whips go as they hastily jumped back. It was the only way they could evade the Sheng Huo Ling attack. In the meantime, Du Nans left palm was threatening Zhang Wujis chest. Zhiruo, Zhang Wuji called out, Stop him! Slanting his body sideways to evade, he carried Xie Xun in his arms. As soon as he managed to get Xie Xun out of the three pine trees encirclement, Shaolin Pai would not have anything to say. Humph, Zhou Zhiruo snorted, but she hesitated, while Du Nans right palm followed his left. Zhang Wuji turned his body around to avoid the vital acupoint on his back from being hit, letting the palm to land on his shoulder instead. Carrying Xie Xun, Zhang Wuji wanted to break out from the pine trees. Child Wuji, Xie Xun said, In all my life I have committed grave sins. In this place I am listening to the scripture about repentance, my heart is at peace. Why do you insist on taking me out? While saying that, he tried to struggle free. Zhang Wuji knew Yifus martial art skill was very high; if he stubbornly refused to go, he could be very difficult to be dealt with. Yifu, he said, Please forgive Childs offense! The five fingers of his right hand moved lightning fast, sealing several acupoints on Xie Xuns thigh, chest and abdomen, rendering Xie Xun immobile temporarily. Because of this slight delay, the palms of the three Shaolin monks had struck by. Leave him! they barked. Zhang Wuji was aware that the palms of these three monks had surrounded him from all directions. Before the palms arrived, the wind generated by these palms had already pressing him. He had no
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other choice but put Xie Xun down on the ground, and then lifted his palms to block. Zhiruo, he called out, Quickly take Yifu out! His palms shook, forming a circle, and he sent his palm strengths to engage the palms of the three monks so that none of them could leave to stop Zhou Zhiruo. It was the highest technique of the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi; his palms moved randomly, making it hard to tell which one was real, holding the three monks palm strengths together like glue. Zhou Zhiruo leaped into the circle toward Xie Xun. Pei! Xie Xun spat, Lowly woman Zhou Zhiruo reached out and sealed his mute acupoint. Surnamed Xie, she scolded, I have come to rescue you with good intentions. Why do you insult me? Your crimes have reached the heavens; your life is hanging by the thread in my hand. Do you think I cannot kill you? While saying that, she raised her right hand with her five fingers forming a claw, ready to strike the top of Xie Xuns head. Zhang Wuji was very anxious to see this. Zhiruo, no ! he hastily said. At this moment, he was engaged in a stake-it-all battle with the three monks, in which everybody was exerting the internal energy cultivation of their entire life. The three monks did not have any intention to kill him, but in this kind of battle, they had reached the critical moment; where either they injured the enemy, or they themselves would perish. There was simply no room for either side to yield to the opponent. As Zhang Wuji opened his mouth, his chi was decreased slightly. The three monks topple-themountain-and-overturn-the-sea kind of palm strength immediately surged in. Zhang Wuji had no choice but increase his own strength in defense. Both sides were in a stalemate situation. Their strengths were interlocking each other. They had to continue until victory or defeat was decided, without any chance to escape midway. Zhou Zhiruos claw was hung midair, but she did not continue her strike. Casting a cold sidelong glance toward Zhang Wuji she said with a cold laugh, Zhang Wuji, when you abandoned me during the wedding ceremony in Haozhou that day, did you ever imagine there will be a day like today? Zhang Wujis mind was divided into three parts: he was anxious over Xie Xuns safety, he was angry that she chose this critical moment to settle an old score, and he was busy fending off the three monks palm strength, which was flooding in towards him. Even if he was completely focused, he would most likely still lose in the end. Much less now that his mind was in confusion, he was facing a more imminent catastrophe. Cold beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, streaming down to his chest and back, soaking his clothes. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Wei Yixiao, Shuo Bude, Yu Lianzhou, Yin Liting, and the others were all shocked to see this critical situation. They all had the same thought, namely, they wanted to save Zhang Wuji. Even if they had to lose their lives in the process, they would not regret it. However, they all realized that their own strength was inadequate. Not only they could not break the fight, even if they did attack the Shaolin three monks, the three monks would easily divert the external force toward Zhang Wuji, adding to the force he had to withstand. In the end, instead of helping him, they would harm him. Raising his voice, Kong Zhi called out, Three Shishu [martial (younger) uncle], Zhang Jiaozhu has shown kindness to our Sect; please be lenient to him.
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But the battle between these four people had reached the stage where they could not back off. Zhang Wuji had never had any intention to harm the three monks. The three monks remembered Zhang Wuji had helped them out of trouble the other day, they were also waiting for an opportunity to stop the battle. Only, both sides were in the qi hu nan xia [riding a tiger, hard to get off] predicament. The spirituality of the three monks had transcended the material world. It was not that they turned a deaf ear to Kong Zhis cry; they did want to acknowledge him, but they were unable to do so. Wei Yixiaos shadow flashed by. Like a floating blue smoke, he slipped into the middle of the broken pine trees. He wanted to pounce on Zhou Zhiruo, but he saw Zhou Zhiruos right hand was still suspended in the air. If he pounced on her, her claw would certainly strike down on top of Xie Xuns head. If Xie Xun died, Zhang Wujis heart would be greatly grieved and he would die immediately under the three monks hands. Thereupon, when Wei Yixiao was less than a zhang away from Zhou Zhiruo, he halted his steps in hesitation and did not dare to make a further move. That moment, everybody on the peak looked like a statue; nobody dared to neither move nor make any noise. Suddenly Zhou Dian laughed and strode forward. Yang Xiao was startled. Dian Xiong, he shouted, Dont be reckless. Zhou Dian ignored him; he walked toward the three Shaolin monks and with a smiling face said, Three great monks, do you eat dog meat? Reaching into his pocket, he produced a boiled dog leg and waved it in front of Du Es face. These past two days, Shaolin Temple only served vegetarian dishes to its guests. Zhou Dian loved to drink wine and eat meat; how could he stand eating green vegetables and tofu every day? He went out the previous night to steal a dog and cooked it. After eating his fill, he still had a dog leg, which in this critical moment he used to disturb the Shaolin three monks concentration. As soon as they saw it, Yang Xiao and the others were delighted; they thought, Zhou Dian usually acts like a lunatic, but this time his move is brilliant. They knew that in an internal energy battle, the key was the combatants concentration. As Zhou Dian stepped forward to create trouble, even if only one of the monks got angry, his concentration might be broken and Zhang Wuji would be victorious. The three monks turned a blind eye to him; they completely ignored Zhou Dian. Zhou Dian took the dog leg to his open mouth and took a bite. Smells good, tastes good! he said, Three great monks, why dont you take a bite? Seeing the monks did not even blink, he brought the dog leg closer to Du Es mouth. As he was about to shove the dog leg into Du Es mouth, several monks watching from the side shouted, Baldy Dian, back off quickly! As soon as the dog leg touched Du Es lips, suddenly Zhou Dians arm shook, half of his body turned numb. Bang! the dog leg fell to the ground. Turned out at this moment Du Es entire body was covered with his internal energy that he was in the fly cannot penetrate realm. As soon as his four limbs and hundreds of bones met with an external force, the force would bounce back. Aiyo! Aiyo! Terrible, terrible! Zhou Dian cried out, You dont want to eat my dog meat, thats all right. Why did you have to snap it out to the ground? Now it is dirty and wasted. I want compensation, I want compensation! His hands and feet were flailing all over the place; he raised
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a clamor. Unexpectedly, the three monks concentration was so deep that they were not disturbed by any external demonic influence. Zhou Dian flipped his right hand and fished a short blade from his bosom. Since you dont appreciate my kindness by eating my dog leg, Laozi [old man referring to self] will risk everything to fight you. His blade slashed his own face that immediately he was dripping with blood. The crowd of heroes shouted in shock. Zhou Dian used the short blade to make another slash. His face was covered with blood; he looked terrifyingly fearsome. Regardless of who saw this kind of scene, their hearts would be shocked and disturbed. But in their deep concentration, the Shaolin three monks eyes, ears, nose and tongue seemed to be closed to the world outside. Not only they did not see the scene Zhou Dian was making, they even seemed unaware of his presence, which was very closed to their bodies. Good monk, Zhou Dian loudly called out, If you dont compensate my dog leg, Ill die in front of you! Lifting his short blade, he thrust it into his own heart. Because his Cult Leader was in such a dire situation, he was determined to kill himself to disturb the concentration of the three monks. Suddenly a yellow shadow flashed by; someone flew in and snatched the short blade away from his hand. The yellow shadow then continued sideways, with five fingers striking toward the top of Zhou Zhiruos head. The technique used was exactly the same as the one Song Qingshu used to kill the Beggar Clans elders. Zhou Zhiruos five fingers were less than a foot away from Xie Xuns head, but the enemys movement was simply too fast; she had no alternative but to turn her hand over to block this attack. Zhang Wujis internal energy level was very strong; it was not inferior to the combined energy of the three monks. However, in terms of forgetting everything, his meditation skill fell short. He could not reach the stage of looking without seeing, hearing without listening of the outside influence. Seeing that Zhou Zhiruos hand was threatening Xie Xun, his mind was immediately thrown into confusion. He also saw Zhou Dian stepping forward to create trouble, and then drawing his blade to commit suicide. He saw everything clearly and was even more anxious. Currently, his internal breathing was boiling, he was about to spurt out some blood and perish. To suddenly see that woman in yellow gown leaping forward into the circle, snatching the short blade from Zhou Dians hand, and attacking Zhou Zhiruo, Zhang Wuji knew that Xie Xun was out of danger. His heart was delighted and his internal energy was growing so that he was able to neutralize the three monks internal energy attacks one by one. As a result, now the four of them were back into the stalemate situation. Although Du E and the others were not affected by outside disturbance, they were able to differentiate the subtle decrease and increase of either side's strength. They realized the sudden increase of the opponent force, but the force did not change from defensive to offensive; which was precisely the best opportunity to withdraw without endangering either side. The three monks minds were interlinked; they concurrently reduced their own power. Zhang Wuji followed by reducing his own power one notch. The three monks then reduced their power another notch. By you reduce one notch, I reduce one notch, in a short time both sides had withdrew their power completely. Four men laughed together and stood up at the same time. Zhang Wuji cupped his hands and bowed low. Du E, Du Jie and Du Nan also clasped their palms to return the propriety. Almost together they said, My utmost admiration!
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Zhang Wuji turned his head and saw that lady in yellow had already fought Zhou Zhiruo. The lady in yellow was barehanded, while Zhou Zhiruo still had the whip in her right hand and the dagger in her left, yet the lady in yellow did not show the least sign of defeat. The lady in yellows martial art seemed to have the same source as Zhou Zhiruos. They both moved swiftly with seemingly infinite variations, yet her hands and feet looked upright without any sign of demonical influence. If Zhou Zhiruo moved like a ghost, then the lady in yellow moved like an immortal. Zhang Wuji took a second look and knew that the lady in yellow would certainly win without any chance of defeat, and that his Yifu was completely out of danger. But he had a feeling that the lady in yellow was tantalizing Zhou Zhiruo; it seemed like she was trying to find out the ins and outs of Zhou Zhiruos martial art. She would have had flattened Zhou Zhiruo early on if she took the fight seriously. Shanzai, shanzai! Du E said, Zhang Jiaozhu, although you cannot defeat us three brothers, we three brothers also cannot defeat you. Xie Juzhi [warrior Xie], you are free to go! Having said that, he stepped forward and unsealed Xie Xuns acupoints, while saying, Xie Juzhi, lay down your saber and follow the teachings of Buddha. The gateway to our Buddha is wide open, there is no one in this world who cannot be brought to cross over. You and I have spent many days together on this peak. That is also destiny. Xie Xun stood up and said, Merciful Buddha. The three Dashi [reverend, grandmaster] have shown the direction to the bright road. Xie Xun cannot thank you enough. Suddenly they heard the lady in yellow shouted in clear voice. She flipped her left hand to grab Zhou Zhiruos long whip, followed by her elbow striking the acupoint on her chest. Her right hand opened up, her five fingers were hanging on top of Zhou Zhiruos head. Do you want to taste the Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhua [nine yin white bone claw]? she asked. Zhou Zhiruo was unable to move; she closed her eyes, waiting for death. Although Xie Xuns eyes could not see anything, he could hear clearly what had been going on around him. He stepped forward and bowed with cupped hands while saying, Miss has saved this father and sons lives. We feel greatly indebted. There will come a day when this Miss Zhou will meet her just retribution, if she does not repent from her unrighteous ways. I am asking earnestly that Miss would spare her life today. The lady in yellow said, Jin Mao Shi Wang turned from your ways really quickly. Her shadow swayed as she withdrew. End of Chapter 38.
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Chapter 39 The Hidden Military Strategy Manual

The two men fought faster and faster that they had exchanged seventy, eighty stances in a very short period of time. Xie Xun was more than ten years younger than Cheng Kun; his physique was considerably stronger. The many years he spent on the extraordinarily cold and extremely hot Bing Huo Island had given his internal energy cultivation a tremendous advantage. He did not show the slightest sign of defeat even after fighting for more than a hundred stances.
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Taking Xie Xun by the hand, Zhang Wuji was about to walk away when suddenly Xie Xun said, Hold on! Pointing to an old monk among the Shaolin crowd he called out, Cheng Kun! Come out! In the presence of the heroes from all over the world, I want you to clearly explain all kinds of gratitude and grudges of the past. The crowd of heroes was startled; they only saw a hunchback old monk with a nondescript face. Definitely he did not look like Cheng Kun. Zhang Wuji was about to say, He is not Cheng Kun. But he heard Xie Xun say, Cheng Kun, you might change your appearance, but you cant change your voice. I only heard your cough, but I know who you are. The old monk grinned fiendishly and said, Who would listen to such nonsense from a blind man like you? As soon as he opened his mouth, Zhang Wuji recognized him immediately. That day on the Brightness Peak, when he was held captive inside the cloth sack, he had heard Cheng Kuns lengthy speech. He clearly remembered his voice. This time Cheng Kun deliberately made his voice sound throaty and his disguise was perfect, but in the end he could not change his voice. Zhang Wuji leaped up to cut Cheng Kuns escape route. Yuan Zhen Dashi, Cheng Kun Qianbei [senior, older generation], he said, A real man is straightforward and upright. Why dont you show your true face? Turned out Cheng Kun had disguised himself and mingled among the crowd. All along he managed to hide his true identity. But when the lady in yellow subdued Zhou Zhiruo, which he did not anticipate, he could not restrain from coughing lightly. Ever since he turned blind, Xie Xuns ability to distinguish sound grew. Besides, he harbored a deep hatred toward Cheng Kun; naturally, he would remember Cheng Kun with an inscribed in the heart, engraved on the bone kind of memory. To Xie Xuns ears, this light cough was no less than a thunder in the midst of a clear blue sky; he recognized him immediately. Cheng Kun realized his plot had fallen through and he had been exposed. Straightening his back up he shouted, Shaolin monks, listen to this: The Devil Cult has come to disturb the holy place of Buddha. They are here to despise our Sect. Everybody must fight together. Show them no mercy. His followers immediately responded; they unsheathed their weapons and charged forward to fight. Because his martial brother, Abbot Kong Wen, had fallen into the hands of the Temples rebels, Kong Zhi was forced to suppress his anger for quite a long time. This time, hearing Yuan Zhen issue an order to fight against the Ming Cult, he knew that his temples monks would suffer countless damage if a tangled battle ensued. Taking everything into consideration, in the end, the lives of the monks in his temple were more important. Thereupon he shouted, Kong Wen Fangzhang has fallen into this rebel Yuan Zhens hands. All disciples must capture this traitor first then well save Fangzhang. All of a sudden there was great confusion on the peak. Zhang Wuji saw that Zhou Zhiruo was still kneeling on the ground; she looked utterly dejected, he felt sorry for her. Zhang Wuji came to her, unsealed her acupoints, and helped her get up. Zhou Zhiruo pushed his arm away and leaped toward the crowd of Emei disciples. They heard Xie Xun say in loud and clear voice, Everything that happens today is between Cheng Kun and I, two people only. All kinds of gratitude and grudges ought to be concluded by us, two people, alone. Shifu, my entire skill came from you; Cheng Kun, my whole family was murdered by you. Your great kindness and deep animosity, we will settle it between us today.
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Cheng Kun realized that Kong Zhi had disregarded everything by giving the order; he also knew that the honest Shaolin Temple monks were simply too numerous compared to his followers, which were only about a tenth of the entire Shaolin disciples. It looked like his ambition to become the Shaolin Abbot had also turned into an illusion. He thought, Xie Xun has committed all kinds of evil deeds. If I subdue him, I can push all the blame on him. His martial art came from me, plus he is blind; I dont see any reason why I cannot defeat him. Therefore, he said, Xie Xun, I dont know how many heroes and warriors of Jianghu lost their lives in your hands. Today, you are taking the bunch of Devil Cults devil heads to come to Shaolin and create trouble in Buddhist paradise, going against the heroes of the world. I regret teaching you martial art in the past. Now I have to clean up my own school; I have to punish you, a renegade disciple who betrayed his schools forefathers. He then strode toward Xie Xun. Xie Xun raised his voice, All heroes hear me: Xie Xuns martial art was taught by this gentleman Cheng Kun. But because he failed to defile my wife, he murdered my father and mother, my wife and my son. Although I must love and honor my master, I must love and honor my parents more. I want to seek revenge on him, do you think I deserve to do it? All around the heroes thundered their response, You deserve to seek revenge, you deserve to seek revenge! Without saying anything, Cheng Kun sent out his palm to hack Xie Xuns head. Xie Xun leaned his head sideways to avoid the strike on his vital point. Bang! the palm hit his shoulder. Xie Xun grunted, but did not hit back. Cheng Kun, he said, When you passed on this move, chang hong jing tian [long rainbow traverse the sky], you said that as soon as you hit the opponents body, you must immediately send out the hun yuan [originating formation] chi to injure the enemy; why didnt you send out any strength? Are you getting old that your strength is gone? Actually, Cheng Kuns first move was a fake one; he did not anticipate that the opponent did not even make any effort to evade so his strike was on target. But he did not send any power with this move therefore Xie Xun was not injured at all. Cheng Kuns right palm followed his fake left hand strike. Xie Xun leaned his head sideways again, but still he did not hit back. Cheng Kun sent out a chain-kick attack with his both legs. Bang, bang! Xie Xun received these two kicks on the side of his body. These two kicks carried an extremely fierce force that even though Xie Xuns physique was sturdy, he could not withstand it. Wah! he spurted out a mouthful of blood. Yifu! Zhang Wuji anxiously called, Fight back! Why do you take a beating without retaliating? Xie Xuns body swayed several times. With a bitter laugh he said, He was my Shifu, I ought to take a couple of kicks and a palm from him. With a sudden long whistle, Xie Xun flipped his palm and hack down on Cheng Kun. Bad luck! Bad luck! Cheng Kun silently cried out, I only knew that his hatred to me was as deep as the ocean, and that he would stake everything he has as soon as he sees me. If I had known that he was willing to take my first three moves, I would have strike him with killer strike and thus I would not have missed this good opportunity. Seeing the swiftness and fierceness of Xie Xuns palm, Cheng Kun immediately swept his left hand diagonally to fend off Xie Xuns palm power, while he moved a half turn toward Xie Xuns back. Taking advantage of Xie Xuns blindness, Cheng Kuns palm silently pressed on Xie Xuns back. But it was as if Xie Xun could see; he sent a kick backward. Cheng Kun leaped up gently. Like a
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big predatory bird, he swooped down from the sky. He was more than seventy years old, but his agility was not inferior to those of the younger people. Xie Xun raised both of his hands to block. Cheng Kuns downward strike met Xie Xuns palms. Borrowing the momentum from the impact, Cheng Kuns body shot up once again. He made a gentle maneuver in the air and struck down again. The two men exchanged blow after blow. They fought faster and faster that they had exchanged seventy, eighty stances in a very short period of time. Although Xie Xuns pair of eyes could not see a thing, his martial art skill came from Cheng Kun, so he knew Cheng Kuns fists and kicks by heart. No matter how many times Cheng Kun changed his style, Xie Xun was able to anticipate his movements without difficulty. After decades of separation, both men had enjoyed tremendous advancement in terms of their internal energy cultivation, but the styles and stances were still their martial art schools techniques. Xie Xun did not need to use his eyes; as he launched a strike, he knew exactly how the opponent would react, as well as by which stance, or at least the most likely variation, the opponent would counterattack. In addition, he was more than ten years younger than Cheng Kun; his physique was considerably stronger. The many years he spent on the extraordinarily cold and extremely hot Bing Huo Island had given his internal energy cultivation a tremendous advantage. For these reasons, he did not show the slightest sign of defeat even after fighting for more than a hundred stances. Xie Xuns animosity toward Cheng Kun was as deep as the ocean. He had waited bitterly for several decades. This time as he met his archenemy, at first Zhang Wuji thought that Xie Xun would disregard everything and fought Cheng Kun with all he had so that both sides would perish together. Contrary to his expectation, each style and every stance Xie Xun launched was exceptionally steady and calm, his line of defense was also very tight. Initially Zhang Wuji was astonished, but after watching the battle progress for dozens of moves, he finally understood. Cheng Kuns martial art skill was not inferior to Du E, Du Nan, three monks. If Xie Xun brazenly attacked with all he had, he might not be able to last more than three hundred moves. It was evident that the deeper Xie Xuns hatred toward Cheng Kun, the more cautious he was in his movements. He was afraid that he would be destroyed under Cheng Kuns hands before he was able to avenge his father, mother, wife and sons blood debt. After about two hundred moves, Xie Xun gave a loud shout. His fist struck out with a strong gust of wind. Qi Shang Quan! [seven-injury fist] Guan Neng of Kongtong Pai called out. He saw Xie Xuns left and right fists continuously move with matchless overwhelming power. The elders of Kongtong Pai looked at each other with amazement; they could not help but feel ashamed of their own inferiority. Cheng Kun subsequently evaded three fists. As Xie Xuns forth fist arrived, Cheng Kun swept his right palm horizontally. Bang! The fist and the palm collided. With loose hair and beard, Xie Xun stood motionless; while Cheng Kun was forced to withdraw three steps back. Many of the heroes watching the fight were cheering inwardly. By this time, it was already clear to the Jianghu people how the enmity between Xie Xun and Cheng Kun started, and how it escalated. Although the people were angry with Xie Xun because he was too ruthless, excessively harming the innocents, they understood the cruel fate Xie Xun met. On the other hand, they thought Cheng Kun was too malicious and evil. Therefore, other than a few people whose close friends and family were killed by Xie Xun, most of the people present hoped he would triumph.
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Xie Xun rushed three steps forward. Again, with strong gusts of wind his fists punched left and right. Cheng Kun parried with his pair of palms, while he took three more steps backward. Not good! Zhang Wuji cried out silently, Cheng Kun is using the Jiu Yang Gong [nine yang energy], which he learned after he entered Kong Jian Shen Sengs [divine monk] tutelage. He did not pass it on to Yifu. Xie Xun trained the Qi Shang Quan in a rush. As a result, he had suffered internal injury. His fist strength was actually flawed. Cheng Kun had a deep knowledge of this fist techniques crucial keys; therefore, he deliberately showed weakness, but in actuality, he was sending out his Jiu Yang Gong to counterattack the opponent. With each fist Xie Xun sent, Cheng Kun received about 70% of the force and neutralized it with his Jiu Yang Gong, while he sent the remaining 30% back to Xie Xun. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Xie Xun sent out twelve punches. Cheng Kun took a dozen or so steps backward. It appeared that Xie Xun was gaining the upper hand; however, the internal injury he suffered was actually getting heavier. Zhang Wuji was extremely anxious, but he knew this was his Yifus lifelong dream to finally have the opportunity to exact his revenge; obviously, he could not meddle by giving him a hand. Yet if Xie Xun continued fighting like this, in a few dozen moves he would inevitably vomit blood and die. Yuan Zhen, with a cold voice Kong Zhi suddenly said, Did my Shixiong [martial brother] teach you this Shaolin Jiu Yang Gong to harm others? Cheng Kun sneered and said, My En Shi [benevolent master] lost his life under the Qi Shang Quan. I am avenging En Shi today to wipe out a disgrace. Suddenly Zhao Min called out, Kong Jian Shen Sengs Jiu Yang Gong cultivation was far above yours. How come he could not withstand the Qi Shang Quan? Kong Jian Dashi was harmed by your traitorous hands. You deceived the Senior to come forward and resolve your enmity; you deceived him to take a beating without hitting back. Hey, hey, look, look! Whos that standing behind you? His face is full of blood; he looks at your back with angry glare. Isnt that Kong Jian Shen Seng? Cheng Kun knew perfectly well that she was blabbering nonsense, but what he had done had been weighing his conscience down, so he did feel guilty and he shivered involuntarily. Right this moment, Xie Xun sent another punch. Cheng Kun used his palm to block. Surprisingly, he did not retreat. Because of Zhao Mins distraction, his concentration was divided and his chi did not flow properly. Xie Xuns punch made the chi and blood in Cheng Kuns breast turned upside down. He was forced to use his qing gong to run around Xie Xun for a while until he could regulate his breathing. Kong Jian Shen Seng, Zhao Min called out, Nail him! Thats right! Just like that! Blow your breath on the back of his neck! You died under your disciples hands, he must also die under his disciples hands. It is called karma. Lao Tian Ye [lit. old master of the sky a reference to God or the Heaven] has eyes, the just retribution is coming. The hair on Cheng Kuns back stood up. He did not believe in ghosts, but at that time he indeed felt a puff of cold wind on the back of his neck. He was flustered. He did not remember that the wind had always been blowing on that peak all year long. Besides, Xie Xun and he were leaping up and down in their fight; naturally his back was blown by the wind.
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Zhao Min could see doubt was starting to grow in Cheng Kuns mind, she shouted, Aiyo! Cheng Kun, watch your back! You dont dare to turn your head? Look down to the shadow on ground. There are only two people fighting, where did the third shadow come from? Cheng Kun could not help but look down. He did see that between the two shadows, there was another dark shadow. His heart skipped a beat. Xie Xuns punch arrived. Cheng Kun did not have enough time to evade; he was forced to use his fist to meet the incoming fist head-on. Bang! Two enormous forces collided. They were both shaken and they were both pushed one step backward. Then Cheng Kun could see clearly that the extra shadow was actually a broken pine tree trunk. When the battle dragged on with him unable to achieve the victory, Cheng Kun had already been impatient. He is my disciple, he thought, And he is blind; yet I still cannot deal with him. My followers watching from the side wont accept it. Too bad my special skill huan yin zhi [lit. fantasy yin finger] was broken by the pure yang energy of that extremely loathsome little thief, Zhang Wuji, that night; otherwise, how could I fight such a long fight with Xie Xun right now? Currently the situation is dangerous. I must subdue this renegade disciple as quickly as possible. Only then can I hold the Ming Cult at bay and also provoke those people who have grudges against him. At least I can still escape with my life. As he made this decision, his footwork changed. Making his steps as quiet as possible, he took two steps backward toward the broken pine tree. Xie Xun sent three punches in succession while he took two steps forward. Cheng Kun retreated two steps. He wanted to entice Xie Xun so that he would stumble on the broken pine tree. Xie Xun was about to chase Cheng Kun forward when Zhang Wuji called out, Yifu, watch your steps! Xie Xun shivered; he stepped sideways to avoid the obstacle. But as he was hesitating, Cheng Kun seized the opportunity to launch his silent punch, aimed at Xie Xuns chest. Cheng Kun suddenly sent out his force and Xie Xun fell backward. Cheng Kun raised his foot to kick Xie Xuns skull. Xie Xun rolled away and quickly stood up. Blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth. Cheng Kun stood motionless. His right palm stretched out slowly. When Xie Xun fought Cheng Kun, he relied on his knowledge of Cheng Kuns techniques, but also by listening to the wind to distinguish the direction. This time Cheng Kun stretched out his palm without using any particular technique, slowly reaching out toward Xie Xuns face. Suddenly his palm struck Xie Xuns shoulder. Xie Xun staggered a few steps and braced himself to stop. A lot of the heroes on the side were not happy; they shouted one after another, A sighted person fighting a blind, and still using this despicable trick! Cheng Kun paid no attention; he slowly raised his palm to strike again. Xie Xun focused his attention to listen. As he felt the enemy palm was coming, he raised his hand to block. Seeing the yellow hair on Xie Xuns head flutter, the corner of his mouth was daubed in blood, Zhang Wuji was very angry and anxious at the same time. He knew that if this kind of fight continued, Xie Xun would undoubtedly die under Cheng Kuns hands. Yet if he stepped forward to lend a hand in this situation, even if he managed to kill Cheng Kun, his Yifu would certainly regret it for the rest of his life. Grabbing Zhao Mins hand, he anxiously said, Quickly think of a good way to help him. Can you stealthily launch secret projectiles to blind that old thiefs eyes? Zhao Min asked. Zhang Wuji shook his head. Yifu will not let me do such thing even if he has to die! he said.
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Meanwhile, he that saw Cheng Kun was slowly raising his palm again. Zhao Min suddenly shouted, Chest! Xie Xun sent a jab straight out. Cheng Kun pulled back his palm without making any contact. Again and again he launched several slow attacks, but each time Zhao Min foiled his attacks by shouting his target. Seeing his tactic fail, Cheng Kun changed plan. He raised his palm slowly toward Xie Xuns right shoulder. Right shoulder! Zhao Min called out. Cheng Kuns left shoulder moved slightly. Zhang Wuji immediately understood his intention. Back! he shouted. When Xie Xun heard Zhao Mins shout, he waved his right arm to block the palm threatening his right shoulder. To his surprise, Cheng Kuns palm was an empty move; when he followed Zhao Mins warning by moving his right arm, Cheng Kuns left palm entered Xie Xuns open defense. Slap! His palm heavily struck Xie Xuns back. Although Zhang Wujis warning came in time, Cheng Kuns palm was simply too swift. By the time Xie Xun heard the warning, it was already too late to change his move. The crowd shouted in alarm. Xie Xun vomited a mouthful of blood, most of it sprayed onto Cheng Kuns face. Ah! Cheng Kun cried out while reaching up to wipe his face. Xie Xun rolled down on the ground. Suddenly they both screamed and disappeared together. Turned out as soon as Xie Xun rolled down, he grabbed both of Cheng Kuns legs and furiously pulled him down that both of them fell into the underground dungeon together. The dungeon was filled with water reaching to their necks. It was also pitch black inside that Cheng Kun immediately became like a blind person. Hastily he leaped back to get away from the enemy, but the dungeon was very narrow that as he leaped, his back crashed heavily onto the rock wall. He wanted to jump up, but his lower abdomen was struck by Xie Xuns Qi Shang Quan. Severe pain rushed into his heart instantly. Cheng Kun realized his injury was not light. If he continued leaping, he would be hit again. Thereupon he changed his tactic. He used the xiao qin na shou [lit. little grab and capture or grappling technique] to fight the enemy. This xiao qin na shou was very effective to use in close combat in the darkness. It possessed an exquisite ability to adapt to changes in a marvelous and rapid way. Although the eyes could not see, the fingers, palms, arms and elbows could be used to detect the enemy, and then grabbed, clawed, hit, tore, poked, hooked or struck the enemys body. Xie Xun gave a loud shout and also used the xiao qin na shou to fight back. The crowd only heard shouts coming out of the dungeon again and again, mixed with rapid noise of fists and palms collided with each other or with the opponents body, just like the noise of firecrackers. Large sheets of water splashed out of the dungeon. It appeared that the two men were attacking each other at full speed. Zhang Wujis heart was thumping madly as he thought that if right this moment his Yifu met a dangerous situation, he would be helpless to render his assistance, since he obviously could not
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jump into the dungeon to save his Yifu. In his anxiety, his back was wet with cold sweat. Xie Xun had been blind for more than twenty years; his ability to distinguish shape from listening to the noise was very well trained. He was accustomed to rely on his ears instead of his eyes. On the other hand, Cheng Kun fought like a blind person amidst the splashing water; he hit and grabbed randomly, so the table was turned in that now he was at a disadvantage. Cheng Kun panicked. He could not think of anything else except moving his arm rapidly like a gust of wind under a sudden downpour. He increased the speed of his xiao qin na shou while using only killer moves with this thought in his mind, I am going to stake everything I have; whatever happens, we must return to fighting above the ground. Step by step the crowd of heroes approached the dungeon. Their palms were wet with cold sweats, while their ears heard continuous shouting of Cheng Kun and Xie Xun from underground. It seemed like victory and defeat had not been decided yet. Suddenly Cheng Kuns scream was heard from underground, followed by the two men jumping out of the dungeon together. Under the sunlight, everybody could see that both Cheng Kun and Xie Xuns eyes were bleeding. The two men stood still, facing each other. What happened was: during the fierce battle, with open arms Xie Xuns palms struck down toward Cheng Kun. Cheng Kun was delighted. Got you! he shouted, while the two fingers of his right hand struck Xie Xuns eyes. It was the move shuang long qiang zhu [a pair of dragons fight over a pearl], which was quite common. However, because it was launched in the midst of xiao qin na shou, it carried an enormous power. He expected the opponent to lean sideways to evade, and then his left hand would sweep across the opponent head. He was certain the opponents vital tai yang xue [sun acupoint, located on the temples] would be hit. Contrary to his expectation, Xie Xun neither evaded nor blocked his strike; he also shouted, Got you! with the same shuang long qiang zhu, his two fingers poked Cheng Kuns eyes. As soon as Cheng Kuns fingers pierced Xie Xuns eyes, like a flash of lightning a thought came into his mind, Bad! followed by stabbing pain as his own eyes were pierced by Xie Xuns two fingers. Both men suffered the same injury. However, Xie Xun had been blind for a long time. As he was pierced by Cheng Kuns fingers, he only suffered some superficial wound. Cheng Kun, on the other hand, had turned blind. With a cold laugh Xie Xun said, Does it feel good, being a blind man? With a loud shout he launched another punch. Cheng Kun could not see anything; he was unable to evade. The Qi Shang Quan hit him squarely on the chest. Xie Xun followed with a left hand punch. Cheng Kun staggered several steps backward until his back was against the broken pine tree; blood gushing out from his mouth. Suddenly Du E opened his mouth, Just retribution! Shanzai, shanzai! Xie Xun stopped dead on his track; he had concentrated his power on the third punch, but right now it stopped midway. I should have punched you thirteen times with the Qi Shang Quan; but your martial art skill is gone and you are blind, henceforth you have become a handicapped person and thus will not do wicked things on the earth anymore. You need not receive the remaining eleven punches.
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Seeing that Xie Xun achieved a total victory, Zhang Wuji and the others cheered. But suddenly Xie Xun sat on the ground; the bones on his entire body were cracking. Zhang Wuji was shocked, knowing that Xie Xun was using his own internal energy to destroy his own martial art skill. Yifu, he hastily said, Dont! He rushed forward and stretching out his hand, using the Jiu Yang Shen Gong, he pressed Xie Xuns back to stop him. Xie Xun suddenly leaped up and fiercely punched his own chest; blood gushing out from his mouth. Zhang Wuji busily reached out to support him, but he felt that Xie Xuns hand was feeble. His martial art skill had definitely gone, and would be very difficult to recover. Xie Xun pointed his finger toward Cheng Kun and said, Cheng Kun, you murdered my entire family. Today I destroyed your eyes and wiped out your martial art skill. We are even now. Shifu, my martial art skill was taught by you. Today I willingly destroyed it; I am giving it back to you. From now on, there is no gratitude nor grudges between me and you. You will never see my face again and I also will never see your face. Cheng Kun pressed his hands on his eyes. He was groaning from the pain, but did not say anything. The crowd of heroes looked at each other; who would have thought that this battle between master and disciple would end up like this? In a loud and clear voice Xie Xun said, I, Xie Xun, have done much wickedness; I have never hoped I would live until today. If there is anyone among the heroes of the world whose family or martial brother died under the Old Xies hands, you are free to take the Old Xies life. Wuji, you must not stop them, nor you must avenge me in the future and thus adding to your Yifus guilt. Zhang Wuji consented with tears in his eyes. Although there were quite a number of heroes who harbored deep enmity with Xie Xun, they all saw how Xie Xun had avenged his entire family only by destroying Cheng Kuns martial art skill. However, Xie Xuns own martial art was also gone. Therefore, if anybody went forward and stabbed him with a sword, or punched him with a fist, his action would be considered a hero or a warriors bad deed. Suddenly a man stepped out from among the crowd. Xie Xun, he said, My father, Yan Ling Fei Tian Dao [The Wild-Goose-Plume-Flying-to-the-sky Saber] Qiu Lao Yingxiong [old hero Qiu] lost his life under your hands. I am here to avenge my Xian Fu [deceased father]! Finished speaking, he walked toward Xie Xun. Thats right, Xie Xun sadly said, Your honorable father died under my hands. Qiu Xiong [brother Qiu], you may proceed. The man surnamed Qiu drew his saber and took two more steps closer. Zhang Wuji could not think straight; if he did not act, his Yifu would lose his life under this mans saber, but if he stopped this man, he was afraid that he would add to the agony his Yifu had to endure for the rest of his life. Much less, Yifu was blind and had lost his martial art skill; it was difficult to say whether Yifu would live a happy life or not. His body shook; he took two steps forward without intending to do so. Wuji, Xie Xun roared, If you stop anybody from exacting their revenge, you are being greatly
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unfilial to me. After I die, go down into the dungeon and take a look. You will understand everything. The man surnamed Qiu lifted his saber in front of his chest. Suddenly tears started to flow down from his eyes. He spat on Xie Xuns face and said with a choking voice, My Xian Fu was a hero. If his spirit in Heaven saw me killing a blind man whose martial art skill has gone, he would be angry with me for being unworthy Clang! his saber fell to the ground. Covering up his face, he rushed back into the crowd. Next, a middle-aged woman came out and said, Xie Xun, I am here to avenge my husband, Yin Yang Pan Guan [pan guan is a mythological judge of the underworld], Yin Dapeng. Walking toward Xie Xun, she also spat on his face; then she walked away while crying loudly. Seeing his Yifu was being humiliated in succession, outwardly, Zhang Wuji was standing unperturbed, but inwardly, his heart was like being sheared by a knife. The heroes and warriors of the Wulin world considered death lightly, but they would never take any insult. It was called a warrior can be killed, but not disgraced. These two peoples spittle on Xie Xuns face was the greatest insult, but he endured it patiently. It was clear that he acknowledged his sins in the past and that he was pained with regret, and thus he took the repentance seriously. One by one people were coming out from the crowd; some slapped Xie Xun on the face, some kicked him, some opened their mouths in curses, but Xie Xun only sit with bowed head, enduring everything in silence. He did not withdraw, he did not even try to talk back. In this manner, more than thirty people came out one by one to humiliate Xie Xun. Finally, a Taoist priest with long beard stepped out. He bowed and said, Pin Dao [lit. impoverished Daoist referring to self] Taixu Zi [Translators note: I am not an expert in Daoism, but it seems to me that many Taoist priest used Zi (lit. son or male child) as the last part (suffix?) of their title. Remember the Seven Quanzhen priests? Anyway, this priests name means great emptiness]. My two Shixiong lost their lives under Xie Daxias fists. Looking at Xie Daxias character today, Pin Dao is deeply ashamed. Pin Daos sword has also killed innumerable warriors, both from the black and white worlds. If I came to you to seek revenge, other people would also come to me to seek revenge. Having said that, he drew his sword, his left hand reached up and plucked the blade of the sword with his fingers. Clang! the sword broke into two. He tossed the broken sword to the ground, saluted Xie Xun, turned around and left. The crowd of heroes broke into soft murmurs. This Taixu Zi was not very well known in the Jianghu, yet his martial art skill was actually superb. However, what was harder to come by was his broadmindedness; his ability to rebuke himself. After he left, it seemed like no one else would come out to make things difficult for Xie Xun. To everybodys surprise, while they were still talking among themselves, a middle-aged nun stepped out from among the Emei Pais crowd. She walked toward Xie Xun and said, To avenge my husbands murder, I also will resolve it by spitting on you! As soon as she said that, she opened her mouth and spat toward Xie Xuns forehead. Who would have thought that this spittle carried a strong gust of wind? Turned out it was not spittle, but a date stone steel nail. Xie Xun heard the difference in the sound of the wind. He smiled bitterly, but did not evade at all. He thought, If I die right now, it can be considered already too late. Suddenly a yellow shadow flashed by. The lady in yellow dashed forward. Her sleeve swished, and the date stone nail was rolled inside the sleeve. How must we address Shitai by your Buddhist title? she asked sternly.
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As the nun saw her attack fail, a slightly frightened expression appeared on her face. I am called Jing Zhao [lit. still/calm/quiet illumination], she said. Hmm, Jing Zhao, Jing Zhao the lady in yellow said, Before you left home to become a nun, what was your husbands name? How did he die under Xie Daxias hands? Jing Zhao angrily said, What does it have to do with you? Why do you meddle in other peoples business? The lady in yellow replied, Xie Daxia repents from his former sins. If anybody wanted to avenge his father, brother, martial family or friends, even if he is cut into thousand pieces, Xie Daxia would accept his fate willingly; other people have no right to interfere. But if there are people with malicious intention, trying to fish in the muddled water, trying to kill him to shut his mouth, then it becomes everybodys business. Jing Zhao said, Between Xie Xun and I, there are no grudges and no enmity; why would I want to kill him to shut his The last word mouth had not come out of her mouth when she suddenly realized she had blundered. She stopped abruptly. Her face turned deathly pale; and she could not help but cast a glance toward Zhou Zhiruo. Thats right, the lady in yellow said, You have no grudges and no enmity with Xie Daxia, then why did you want to kill him to shut his mouth? Humph, among the twelve Emei Pais Jing generation nuns, Jing Xuan, Jing Xu, Jing Kong, Jing Hui, Jing Jia, and Jing Zhao, are all virgins when they left home. Where did the husband come from? Without saying anything, Jing Zhao turned around and walked away. Do you think its this easy to walk away just like that? the lady in yellow barked. Rushing two steps forward, her palm reached out to grab her shoulder. Jing Zhao turned her shoulder to evade. The lady in yellows right index finger pierced toward her waist, followed by a kick to hit the huan tiao xue [hop the loop acupoint] on her thigh. Jing Zhao grunted and fell down to the ground. Miss Zhou, in a cold voice the lady in yellow said, This ploy of killing someone to shut his mouth is very cruel. In the same cold voice Zhou Zhiruo replied, Jing Zhao Shijie is seeking revenge against Xie Xun. What killing someone to shut his mouth? Waving her left hand she said, There are countless disciples from prestigious upright sects in here who fail to distinguish the just from the evil, willingly associate themselves with unorthodox demonic sects. Its not worthwhile for Emei Pai to be involved with the murky water. Lets go. The Emei Pai crowd responded together and stood up immediately. Two female disciples helped Jing Zhao. The lady in yellow did not stop them. Zhou Zhiruo led her fellow disciples going down the peak. Zhang Wuji walked toward the lady in yellow. Cupping his fists, he said, I have received many help from Jiejie; my gratitude is beyond words. I wish to know your illustrious name, so that Zhang Wuji can cherish it in his heart day and night. The lady in yellow showed a faint smile. She said, Behind the Mount Zhong Nan, the Tomb of the Living Dead, the Divine Eagle and Gallant Knights vanished from the Jianghu. [Translators note: it
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was like a poem of four characters each: Zhong Nan Shan Hou, Huo Si Ren Mu, Shen Diao Xia Lu, Jue Ji Jiang Hu.] Finished speaking, she tucked her gown and returned the salute. Her hand beckoned, the eight young maidens wearing black and white followed her floating away. Zhang Wuji took a step forward and said, Jiejie, please stay. Unexpectedly, the lady in yellow did not pay him any attention; she continued going down the peak. Yang Jiejie, Yang Jiejie! the young Clan Leader of the Beggar Clan, Shi Hongshi called out. From the waist of the hill came the lady in yellows reply, I am asking Zhang Jiaozhus unreserved involvement in helping the Beggar Clan solving their important matters. Wuji accepts the order, Zhang Wuji replied in loud and clear voice. Many thanks, then! the lady said. These three words duo xie le came from a distant, since she had been far away, but her voice was still very clear. Zhang Wuji could not help but feel a sudden emptiness in his heart. Kong Zhi went to Cheng Kun and sternly shouted, Yuan Zhen, quickly tell your followers to release the Fangzhang. If there is any unexpected misfortune to the old Fangzhang, you will heap more sin to your head. Forcing a smile, Cheng Kun said, Since things have come this far, everybody will perish together. Even if I want to release Kong Wen He Shang [monk Kong Wen] now, I am afraid we are already too late. You are not blind, are you? Cant you see the blazing flame? Kong Zhi was taken aback, he turned his head to look down from the peak and saw black smoke and tongues of fire rising up from the Temple complex. Startled, he said, The Damo Hall is on fire! Quickly put out the fire! The crowd of monks was thrown into confusion; they scrambled down the hill at once. Suddenly they saw from all around the Damo Hall columns of water like white dragons rose up and poured down on the blaze, suppressing the flame. Amituofo, Kong Zhi joined his palms and chanted the name of Buddha, The ancient Shaolin Temple has once again escape disaster. Not too long afterwards, two monks rushed up the peak to give their report, Reporting to Shishu [martial (younger) uncle], the rebel followers of Yuan Zhen set fire to burn down the Damo Hall. Fortunately, for the sake of justice and loyalty, the heroes under the Hong Shui Flag of the Ming Cult have extinguished the raging fire. Kong Zhi went toward Zhang Wuji, joined his palms and said, The thousand years old ancient temple Shaolin is spared from the fire, all thanks to Zhang Jiaozhus great kindness and virtue; one the old monk will never be able to repay even if my body is ground to powder. Zhang Wuji returned the salute and answered modestly, We only did what we ought to do; Da Shi need not be overly courteous. Kong Zhi said, Kong Wen Shixiong is being held prisoner in the Damo Hall by this traitor. Although the fire is out, I do not know Shixiongs safety yet. Zhang Jiaozhu and the other heroes please wait
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here for a moment, Laodi [lit. old younger brother referring to self] must go and see. Cheng Kun laughed out loud and said, Kong Wens entire body is smeared with butter and lard, as soon as he met the fire, he would turn into charcoal immediately. Hong Shui Flag can save the Damo Hall, they cannot save the Old Fangzhang. From the waist of the hill suddenly came a voice, If Hong Shui Flag failed, there is still Hou Tu Flag. It was Fan Yaos voice. He had just finished speaking when he appeared with Hou Tu Flag Leader, Yan Yuan, on the peak, each holding the hand of an old monk walking between them. It was none other than the Shaolin Temple Abbot, Kong Wen. However, the three mens clothes were scorched; their eyebrows were partially burned. They looked battered and exhausted. Kong Zhi rushed forward to embrace Kong Wen. Shixiong, he called out, Are you well? Shidi is incompetent, I am guilty and deserve ten thousand deaths. Kong Wen smiled and said, If not because of these Fan Shizhu [benevolent master, donor] and Yan Shizhu came out from the tunnel, you and I would have to say goodbye to each other today. Kong Zhi was astonished. The Ming Cults Hou Tu Flags ability to dig tunnels is divine. He bowed deeply to Fan Yao and Yan Yuan to express his gratitude, and then said, Fan Shizhu, Laoseng [old monk referring to self] was rude and offensive to you; please forgive me. Laoseng does not dare to go to the appointment at the Wan An Temple of Dadu. When a Wulin character made an appointment for a martial art competition and ate his own words by not showing up, the loss of face he would experience would be ten thousand times worse than if he lost because of inferior skill. Kong Zhi was endlessly grateful toward Fan Yao for risking his life in saving his Shixiongs life; hence he was willing to break his own promise. These two men admired each other to begin with. After this incident, their respect for each other grew. From now on, they became the very best of friends. Turned out Cheng Kun had made a comprehensive arrangement in advance. On the eve of the Great Heroes Assembly, he caught Kong Wen off guard and sealed his acupoint, and held him prisoner inside the Damo Hall. The Hall was filled with sulfur, firewood and other flammable material. Then he assigned his trusted aides to stand guard. He coerced Kong Zhi to do everything he commanded, or else he would set the fire and burn Kong Wen to his death. When things did not turn out the way he planned later, when everything did not happen as he anticipated, when he believed his plan had failed completely, he issued an order to his cronies to set the fire as his last gambit to break the cauldrons and sink the boats. He was hoping that when the crowd of heroes and monks were busy putting off the fire, his cronies might have a chance to help him escape down the mountain. Unexpectedly, Yang Xiao and the Ming Cult army arrived at the Shaoshi Peak a few days early. The Hou Tu Flag was immediately ordered to dig a tunnel toward the Shaolin Temple, originally, it was to rescue Xie Xun, but Xie Xun was not imprisoned inside the Temple at all. As the Hou Tu Flag people looked everywhere with no avail, they took the opportunity to erase the writing on the back of the sixteen Luohan images. Later on, after Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruo battled the Jin Gang Fu Mo Quan, and Cheng Kuns real identity was revealed and he was confronted in front of Kong Zhi and everybody else, Zhao Min and Yang Xiao immediately guessed thru his plan. After a short discussion, they asked Fan Yao to lead Hong Shui and Hou Tu, two Flags, to infiltrate the Temple and find Kong Wen. However, Cheng Kuns arrangement was extremely thorough and
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ominous; sulfur and firewood were piled high inside and outside the Damo Hall. As soon as a fire was ignited, the Hall caught in a blazing inferno, burning five Hou Tu Flag disciples to their deaths. Fan Yao and Yan Yuan moved quickly through the smoke and fire to rescue Kong Wen. Still, the three of them suffered some burns on their clothes, hair and eyebrows. If not for the tunnel, they would not escape and would be buried under the burning hall. Damo Hall, as well as several adjacent buildings, suffered heavy damages from the fire. Fortunately the fire did not spread further, the Da Xiong Bao Dian [great heroic precious hall], the library, the Luohan Hall, and other important places did not suffer any damage. After a short discussion, Kong Wen and Kong Zhi issued an order for Cheng Kun and his followers to be detained in the rear hall, waiting for further instructions. Cheng Kun had been staying in the Shaolin Temple for quite a long time, he had made a lot of friends and gathered quite a bit of followers, but as the leader was apprehended and the Abbot escaped from danger, Cheng Kuns supporters realized their cause was lost. They did not offer any resistance and were led down the peak by the monks, under the leadership of the Luohan Halls chief monk, with their head hung low in dejection. Zhang Wuji came near Xie Xun and could only call out, Yifu! while tears streaming down his face like rain. Silly Child! Xie Xun laughed, Your Yifu is enlightened by the three eminent monks and has passed through to great awakenings. My lifetime of crimes have been resolved, every single one of them. You should be very happy for me, why would you be grieving? Why would you feel sorry that I lost my martial art skill? Do you want me to use it to do evil again in the future? Zhang Wuji could not think of anything to answer, but there was pain in his heart; he called out again, Yifu! Xie Xun went toward Kong Wen and kneeled down saying, Disciples sin is grave, I hope for Fangzhang to offer a shelter by taking me under your discipleship. Kong Wen had not answered when Du E said, Come, let Laoseng take you as my disciple. Xie Xun said, Disciple does not dare to hope for such good fortune. He asked Kong Wen to be his master, because then he would be a Yuan generation disciple. If he entered Du E tutelage, then he would have a Kong generation rank, which was at the same level of seniority with Kong Wen and Kong Zhi, two martial brothers. Rubbish! Du E barked, Kong is empty, Yuan is also empty. I would have thought that youd understand it by now! Xie Xun was startled, but he understood immediately. Master-disciple relationship was a mere distinction of the Buddhist title; it was all illusory for Buddhist followers. Thereupon, he recited a Buddhist verse, Master is empty, disciple is empty, no guilt no responsibility, no virtue no merit! Du E laughed out loud and said, Shanzai, shanzai! You have become a disciple of our school, yet you are still called Xie Xun. Do you understand? Disciple understands, Xie Xun replied, Xie Xun is ox dung. Everything is but a shadow, the body does not exist, let alone a name? Xie Xun was skilled in both pen and sword [orig. wen wu cuan cai], there wasnt any zhu zi bai jia
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[lit. many sages, hundred schools, a general term for all the pre-Han schools of thought] he did not pry into. With a little enlightenment from Du E, he became aware of the essential meaning of Buddhism. Henceforth he entered Buddhism and eventually became an eminent monk himself. Enter the rest, enter the rest! Du E said, Only by comprehending the way one will avoid devil's traps! Taking Xie Xun by the hand, he went down the peak unhurriedly with Du Jie and Du Nan following behind. Kong Wen, Kong Zhi, Zhang Wuji, and the others bowed to send them off. The Golden-Haired Lion Kings name shook the Jianghu thirty years ago by doing countless deeds which offended the whole society. Today he entered the empty gate, there wasnt anyone among the crowd of heroes who did not sigh with mixed feelings. Zhang Wujis heart was filled with joy mixed with sorrow. Kong Wen said, The presence of the heroes has brightened our humble Temple. We are ashamed that there was a sudden change in the Temple that we have offended many people and were not able to perform our duty as the host. The heroes from all over the world have gathered here. We do not know when we will meet again. Therefore, we would like to invite you all to stay in our Temple for a few more days. The crowd of heroes went down the peak to enter the Temple. Shaolin Temple prepared vegetarian banquet for the guests. The monks immediately performed a religious ceremony on behalf of the heroes who were unfortunate to lose their lives during the great assembly. One by one the crowd of heroes also offered sacrifices to express their condolences. As the important matters were resolved, there remained many unclear businesses in Zhang Wujis heart. Since Xie Xun left in a hurry, he did not have time to inquire about doubts and suspicions troubling his heart. He only had a feeling that the key to this mystery was somewhat related to Zhou Zhiruo. Thinking about their former relationship, he felt that he did not need to scrutinize everything and thus damage her reputation. After dinner, Zhang Wuji visited Shi Hongshi and the Beggar Clan elders at the western chambers to discuss important matters within the Beggar Clan. Suddenly a Ming Cult disciple rushed in with a report, Jiaozhu, the Wudang Zhang Si Xia [fourth hero Zhang] has arrived. He has an important matter to discuss with you. Zhang Wuji was startled, Could it be that Tai Shifu has met some mishaps? He quickly went out and walked toward the main hall. He knelt down in front of Zhang Songxi, but did not see anything different on his expression, thereupon he felt relieved. Is Tai Shifu well? he asked. Shifu is well, Zhang Songxi replied, At Mount Wudang I received information that the Yuan cavalry, twenty thousand strong, is heading to the direction of Shaolin Temple. Obviously, they do not have good intentions toward the Heroes Assembly. Therefore, I come here in the middle of the night to inform you. We must let Fangzhang know as soon as possible, Zhang Wuji said. Two men immediately went to the rear courtyard and informed Kong Wen. Kong Wen thought for a moment. This matter implicates a lot of things; we must discuss it with the crowd of heroes. Thereupon he ordered a monk to sound the alarm, inviting everybody to the Da Xiong Bao Dian.
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As soon as they were alerted, the crowd of heroes discussed the matter at hand. The hot-blooded among them said, While the heroes from all over the world gather here, let us go down the mountain to catch them off guard and slaughter them. The more experienced among them said, The Yuan army is always on the move. Perhaps this is one of their routine relocation operations. They might not necessarily come to give us trouble. Zhang Songxi said, I understand Mongolians; I heard it with my own ears the Tatar officer ordering his troops to attack the Shaolin Temple. By that time, the Mongolians had been occupying the Central Plains for more than a hundred years; the number of Han people who understand Mongolian language was not small. Zhang Songxi was intelligent and experienced; he understood a considerable number of dialects from different towns and villages, and was quite fluent in Mongolian. Gentlemen Heroes, Kong Wen said, It appears that the imperial court has found out about our assembly in here, and they decided our meeting is not beneficial to the imperial court, and thus they dispatch an army to suppress us. We are all martial art practitioners, and we are not afraid of the Tatars. We are ready to cope with anything, we will resist by whatever means available, we He had not finished his speech when some people started cheering and clapping. Kong Wen continued, However, we are Jianghus warriors who are accustomed to fight one on one; if not using a blade or fists and kicks, then using internal energy and secret projectiles. We are not experts in fighting on horseback or using long spear and double-ended lance. In Laosengs opinion; how about the heroes go down the mountain and disband? The crowd of heroes looked at each other in silence. Zhang Wuji said, If we go down and disband, first, the Tatars would think we are afraid of them and we will unavoidably crush the spirit of the people. Second, what will happen to the masters in the Shaolin Temple? Kong Wen smiled and said, If the Yuan army come to the Temple and only see a bunch of monks and not Jianghu warriors, they would certainly leave us alone. This is called arrive in high spirit, return in disappointment. The crowd of warriors knew that Kong Wen said this out of his good intention. The crowd of heroes was invited by Shaolin Pai; of course they did not want their guests to face disaster and shed their blood on the Shaoshi Peak. But this crowd of heroes was all people of courage and uprightness; they would not flinch in front of the enemy, naturally, they were unwilling to leave. Besides, the imperial government had already dispatched their troops. They simply would not return emptyhanded. They would definitely trouble the Shaolin Temple. Most likely, they would kill most monks and capture the rest, and then they would probably burn the Temple down. The Mongolian soldiers were well known of their brutality; killing and burning were not foreign to them. Yang Xiao said, The Tatars kill without mercy. It is the duty of all Han people to fight the enemy. In my humble opinion, we have no other choice but to fight. We must battle them someplace else so that this thousand-year ancient Temple will be spared of the catastrophe of war. The crowd of heroes applauded in agreement. Let it be so, they said. When they were still talking, from outside the gate suddenly came the sound of hoof beats; two riders galloped near. The horses stopped with a neigh outside the door. Two men, ushered by the monk in charge of visitor reception entered the hall in a hurry. As soon as the crowd of heroes saw the riders clothes, they knew these men were Ming Cult disciples.
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The two men walked before Zhang Wuji, bowed in salute and one of them reported, Reporting to Jiaozhu: Tatar vanguard army of five thousand troops has arrived to attack Shaolin Temple. They say the Shifus in the Temple are gathering a crowd to rebel, so they are here to flatten Shaolin. All shiny shiny Kong Wen smiled and said, You were about to say shiny head monks, werent you? Those words are not taboo. Please continue. The man said, Along the way, the Tatars have killed many monks. The Tatars say: Shiny heads are not good people, those with hair are also not good people; they all deserved to be put to death by the blade. A lot of people raised their voices, they all said, If we dont fight a life and dead battle against the Tatars, we are ashamed to be the descendants of the Yellow Emperor. Although by that time the Song dynasty had been subjugated by foreign power for almost a hundred years, the mainstream heroes and warriors had always considered Mongolians soldiers and officers as barbarians. They were unwilling to be the foreigners subjects. This time hearing how the Mongolian troops went on a killing spree, their blood boiled and everybody wanted to go to battle. Gentlemen, the heroes, in a loud and clear voice Zhang Wuji said, Today is the day we, the Han men, kill the enemy to serve our country. The name of the Great Assembly of Shaolin Temple will go down the history for thousands of years! The Great Hall shook with the deafening cheers of the people. Zhang Wuji continued, We cant go back now even if we want to. I am asking Kong Wen Fangzhang to give us the order. We, the Ming Cult, from top to bottom will follow with all our hearts. Zhang Jiaozhu, what are you talking about? Kong Wen said, Although our humble Sects monks have learned a little bit punching and kicking, we know nothing about marching in the army and going to war. In the last several years the Ming Cult has initiated such a great undertaking; who in the Jianghu has not heard about it? Only the Ming Cult has the resources to fight Tatars large army. We nominate Zhang Jiaozhu to hold the commander position and lead the heroes from all over the world to fight the Tatars. Zhang Wuji tried to decline modestly, but the crowd of heroes had already cheered loudly. It was true that Zhang Wuji was young and inexperienced, but his martial art skill was strong. His power in fighting the three Shaolin monks had been witnessed by everybody present. In addition, the success of Han Shantong, Xu Shouhui, Zhu Yuanzhang and the other Ming Cult generals in staging rebellions, attacking cities and capturing territories in such places as Huai Si River, Hunan and Hubei, and other areas had shaken the world. Earlier, the people had also seen the FiveElement Flags displaying their full capabilities in the arena. No other school or sect possessed these kinds of skills. The warriors from various sects and clans all agreed that nobody else fit to take such a big responsibility other than the Ming Cult. Zhang Wuji said, I [orig. zai4xia4] have never learned how to manage soldiers. Please elect other capable person to be in charge. While he was still declining modestly, from the foot of the mountain came the rumbling noise of people shouting and fighting. Two Shaolin monks rushed into the Hall and reported, Reporting to
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Fangzhang: the Mongolian army has attacked our mountain. Zhang Wuji said, Rui Jin, Hong Shui, two Flags, are going to be the first to engage the enemy. Mr. Zhou Dian, Tie Guan Daozhang [Priest Tie Guan (hard hat)], you are to assist these two flags. Zhou Dian and Priest Tie Guan complied and quickly left. The situation this time was so urgent that it did not allow Zhang Wuji to decline anymore. He had no choice but issue his orders: Shuo Bude Shifu, please take my Sheng Huo Ling and go to our Cults encampments in the surrounding area. Tell them to go up the mountain to lend their assistance. Shou Bude took the tablet and left. As the crowd of heroes in the Great Hall heard about the Yuans army arrival to destroy them, they drew their weapons and rushed out. Jiaozhu, in a low voice Yang Xiao said, If you dont take command, these people will fight randomly, and they will certainly be defeated. Zhang Wuji nodded and ran out the Hall. He went to the pavilion halfway down the mountain and saw thousands of the Mongolian vanguard troops had arrived at the waist of the mountain. The Rui Jin Flag drove them back down by a salvo of arrows and javelins. As far as eyes could see, the Mongolian troops were creeping up; their power looked so intimidating. Although their prestige was far below Genghis Khans army, whose power overawed foreign lands, the Mongolian cavalry, after all, was very well trained and was still holding their reputation as unmatched elite troops. Suddenly from the left came loud shouts as a large number of nuns, men and women ran up the mountain. They were the Emei Pai contingent, which was on their way down the mountain when they met the Mongolian army and was driven back up. About a dozen or so men were carrying stretchers and other things. They were surrounded by the Mongolian soldiers. Leading Jing Xuan, Jing Zhao, and several other senior disciples, Zhou Zhiruo charged and killed the enemy. But although they had killed dozens of Mongolian officers and soldiers, they still could not penetrate the enemys siege and save their fellow disciples. Not good! Zhang Wuji groaned inwardly, One of the stretchers must be carrying Song Shige! Hong Shui, Lie Huo, two flags, cover us! he shouted, Fan and Yang two Emissaries, Wei Xiong [brother Wei], follow me to save people! He jumped and rushed down. Two Mongolian soldiers thrust their lances straight toward him. With one hand Zhang Wuji grabbed one lance; exerting his strength he shook the lance and the two Yuan soldiers were thrown down the mountain. He turned the lance over and like a pair of dragons diving into the sea, the pair of lances plunged into the crowd. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Wei Yixiao, Peng Yingyu, and the others followed. The Mongolian soldiers scattered and a passageway has opened behind Zhou Zhiruos group. Fan Yao threw a punch, crushing the face of a Yuan armys Shi Fu Zhang [leader of a ten-man unit]. He then snatched the person on the stretcher and turned around to leave. Zhang Wuji saw that Zhou Zhiruos body and face were covered in blood; he charged back into the Yuan soldiers encirclement. Zhiruo, Zhiruo! he called out, Song Dage is saved!
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Zhou Zhiruo did not pay him any attention; she kept wielding her whip and charged ahead, but the mountain pathway was too narrow. Moreover, it was crammed full of soldiers so that after a while she could not charge anywhere anymore. Zhang Wuji saw two more Emei disciples carrying another stretcher were being caught up in the encirclement; they were brandishing their swords in a desperate struggle against the Yuan army. Looks like Song Shige is on that stretcher, Zhang Wuji thought. Dodging an attack, he jumped into the encirclement. He pulled two spears, which hit the rock wall and stuck, and then moving his hands and feet, he used the spears as stilts. When he was still a little more than a zhang away, he saw the two Emei disciples were hit one after another by a saber and an arrow. They fell and both disciple and the stretcher rolled down the mountain. Zhang Wuji flew in; with the spear in his left hand he stopped the stretcher. He saw the person on the stretcher was wrapped in plain cloth from head to toe; only the face was exposed. It was indeed Song Qingshu. Zhang Wuji threw the spears and carried Song Qingshu horizontally in his arms. He was surprised to feel Song Qingshu was exceptionally heavy. Apparently, there was a hard and stiff object inside the plain cloth wrap. Zhang Wuji did not have time to think about it, he was afraid that all this twisting and turning would break Song Qingshus skull. Dodging to the left and evading to the right, he tried to stay away from the rain of sabers and spears of the Yuan cavalry, while keeping his steps exceptionally smooth and stable. Tang Wenliang and Zong Weixia of Kongtong Pai charged together, protecting Zhang Wuji on either side. Their pair of swords stabbed and blocked, the Yuan troops fell one by one under their swords. Carrying Song Qingshu in his arms, Zhang Wuji made a steady progress going up the mountain. Several hundreds of Yuan soldiers arranged themselves in formation. Lie Huo Flag, move to action! Peng Yingyu called out. The Lie Huo Flag men spurted oil from their spray guns, followed by shooting the rockets one by one. Raging flames rolled in waves, burning more than two hundred Yuan soldiers. Their burning bodies rolled down the mountain like balls of fire. On the other side, the Hong Shui Flags hoses belched out poisonous water, spraying several hundred Yuan troops. The dead and the injured scattered on the mountainside. The Yuan armys Wan Fu Zhang [leader of ten-thousand-man unit] ordered his troops to retreat. The front end of the formation changed into the rear. Shooting the arrows to prevent the enemy from pursuing, the army drew back slowly. Peng Yingyu sighed and said, Although they are defeated, the Tatars army does not get chaotic. They are truly world caliber elite troops. The Yuan army withdrew to the base of the mountain, and then spread out in a fan-shaped formation. It appeared they were not going to attack again, at least for the time being. Zhang Wuji issued his order, Rui Jin, Hong Shui and Lie Huo, three flags to defend the major road going up the mountain. Ju Mu and Hou Tu, two flags to quickly cut lumber and construct barriers to guard against the enemy attack. All the Five-Element Flags leaders accepted the order in one voice, and then went separate ways to lead their people laying out a defense. Previously, the crowd of heroes thought that although they might not be able to completely kill Tatars troops, defending themselves certainly would not be too difficult, would it? However, in the
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battle just now they experienced the power of the Yuan army first hand. Now they realized that large-scale battle was substantially different than fighting one-on-one in a martial art competition. With thousands upon thousands soldiers surging in like a tide of people, even someone excelled in martial art like Zhou Zhiruo would not have the opportunity to unleash her full potential. In a forest of sabers, spears, swords and lances, where everybody was chopping and killing everybody else, the skill they learned in normal time, be it weaponry or bare fist bare foot, internal or external strength, everything lost its usefulness. If the Ming Cults Five Element Flags did not use troops formation to fight troops formation, at this moment there would be wretched mourning on the Shaoshi Peak; while the Shaolin Temple would turn into charred rubble under the raging fire. Actually, Shaolin monks were also following some kind of discipline. They were divided into teams of younger monks, armed with monk staves and sabers, under the leadership of more senior monks. These teams spread out all around the Temple to guard all strategic locations. However, their number was simply too small; it was impossible for them to withstand the attack of twentythousand Mongolian elite troops. The crowd of heroes broke into discussion with one another as they saw Yuan army retreat. Now they understood why the previous dynasty, which was defended by a large number of heroes and warriors with superior martial art skill, was still unable to prevent their river and mountain [jiang shan country] from falling into the Tatars hands. Zhang Wuji gently placed Song Qingshu on the floor and looked for his breath. Luckily, he was still breathing. Turning his head, he wanted to talk to Zhou Zhiruo, but he did not see her anywhere. Where is Mrs. Song? he asked. But everybody was busy fighting the Yuan force; nobody paid any attention to where Zhou Zhiruo was going. By this time, Emei Pai disciples hostility toward the Ming Cult had been reduced substantially, yet they also said that they had not seen their Sect Leader. Zhang Wuji was afraid that Song Qingshus injury had worsened in the confusion of the battle just now; he decided to take off the wrapping on Song Qingshus body and examine him carefully. There were three layers of wrapping cloth on Song Qingshus body. By the time Zhang Wuji had loosened the second layer, clang, clang, clang, four pieces of broken weapon fell down. Zhang Wuji was startled. Tulong Saber, Yitian Sword! he called out. One after another the crowd of heroes came near and stood around him. They saw the blades of both the Tulong Saber and the Yitian Sword were broken into two parts each. Zhang Wuji picked the half Tulong Saber, which still felt rather heavy in his hand. At that moment, all sorts of feeling welled up in his heart. He remembered his own parents lost their lives because of this Saber. For the last twenty years or so the Jianghu was in continuous trouble, all because of this Saber. The primary intention of the crowd of heroes gathered in Shaolin was also for this treasured saber. He could not imagine that this Saber suddenly reappeared broken and turned into a useless thing. As he lifted the Saber closer, he noticed that the broken part was hollow; large enough to conceal something. The Yitian Sword was also hollow. However, both holes were empty. Someone must have taken whatever object that was previously hidden inside. Yang Xiao sighed, Turned out Miss Zhous astounding martial art skill came from these Saber and Sword. Looking at the appearance of the broken sections of the Saber and the Sword, Zhang Wuji suddenly realized that when the Saber and the Sword went missing on that little island, they were
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taken by Zhou Zhiruo. Somehow she managed to banish Zhao Min, kill Yin Li, and strike the Saber and the Sword to each other, and thus two sharpest weapons in the world gave up and broke. She then took the concealed secret martial art manual and trained surreptitiously. Thats right, he thought. The more Zhang Wuji thought, his mind grew clearer, On that island, when I tried to use the Jiu Yang Shen Gong to drive the poison out from her body, I felt a strange internal energy vaguely resisting my strength. Later, this strange energy grew stronger. Obviously her internal energy cultivation has made some advancement. Ay! Because of her impatience to get a quick result, she did not cultivate a strong internal energy foundation, but took a shortcut by training a ruthless and evil martial art skill. In the end, she will not be able to reach the perfection of the martial art study. She had defeated Yu Er Bo and Yin Liu Shu, but it was because she was relying on strange moves, thus gaining the advantage of surprise, just like when I was defeated under the Central Cults Wind and Cloud, three Emissaries hands in the past. Zhiruos real skill is still far inferior to Yu and Yin, two uncles. If they fight again in the future, she will certainly die under the hands of Wudang Heroes When he was still deep in thought, the Rui Jin Flag Leader, Wu Jingcao stepped forward and said, Reporting to Jiaozhu: your subordinate came from a blacksmith family. I have learned how to forge metal into saber and sword. Let subordinate give it a try. Perhaps I can fix these treasured Saber and Sword. Yang Xiao was delighted. Wu Qishis [flag leader Wu] skill as a swordsmith is unparalleled in the world. Jiaozhu, there is no harm in letting him try. Zhang Wuji nodded. It is indeed a pity that these sharp weapons are broken like this. Wu Qishi, you might as well give it a try. Wu Jingcao turned toward the Lie Huo Flag Leader, Xin Ran, and said, The most important ingredient in sword making is the fire. I will need Xin Xiongs wholehearted assistance. From the look of it, the Tatars will not going to attack the mountain for a while; what do you say we two brothers start working together rightaway? Xin Ran said with a laugh, Making fire is actually Xiongdis [brother, general term] expertise. Thereupon the two of them ordered their subordinates to build a blast furnace, with an opening not more than one foot wide. Laying bricks, Wu Jingcao firmly clamped the top section of the Tulong Saber inside the furnace with the broken end toward the fire. There were all kinds of fuel and flammable materials in the Lie Huo Flag that in an instant the furnace was blazing hot with raging fire. Wu Jingcao had lost his right arm, only his left arm was left. He arranged a dozen or so swords and sabers by his side. His eyes were fixed on the fire. Each time the fire changed color, he put a blade inside the furnace to test the strength of the fire. When the fire turned from blue to white, his left hand quickly grabbed a pair of steel pliers and pinching the other half section of the Tulong Saber, he joined it with the top section, and held it in the fire. He was bare-chested; sparks landed on his body, but he seemed oblivious, his attention was focused completely on the task at hand. Zhang Wuji thought, Although being a swordsmith is a humble occupation, it actually requires great knowledge and great ability. An ordinary blacksmith would not be able to endure even this blistering hot furnace. Suddenly, bonk, bonk, the two Lie Huo Flag men who were pumping the bellows fainted and fell on the floor. Xin Ran and the Lie Huo Flags Vice Flag Leader quickly stepped in. They pulled their
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two fainted men and then took their place in pumping the bellows. These two mens internal energy cultivation was not bad; as they exerted their strength, blast of air made the fire inside the stove blazing high, reaching about a zhang above the smokestack, creating quite a spectacle. About half the time to burn an incense-stick later, Wu Jingcao suddenly cried out, Aiyo! and jumped backwards with disappointment on his face. Everybody was stunned; when they looked at his hand, they saw the steel pliers in his hand had melted and deformed beyond recognition, while the Tulong Saber did not show the slightest bit of melting. Wu Jingcao shook his head and said, Subordinate is incompetent; this treasured Tulong Sabers reputation is truly justified. Xin Ran and his second in command stopped pumping and stepped aside. Their clothes were soaking wet with perspiration, as if they had just swam in the water fully clothed. Wuji Gege, Zhao Min suddenly said, Wasnt even the Tulong Saber not able to chop the Sheng Huo Ling tablets? Ah, thats right! Zhang Wuji said. Out of six Sheng Huo Ling tablets, one was taken by Shuo Bude going down the mountain to call for reinforcement; there were still five tablets left. Zhang Wuji took these five tablets and handed them over to Wu Jingcao, while saying, If the Saber and the Sword cannot be fixed, thats all right. Sheng Huo Ling is our Cults most precious object. We simply must not damage it. Yes! Wu Jingcao replied, while bowing down to receive the tablets. He looked at the five tablets and noticed that the tablets were made neither of steel nor iron; they were hard like nothing he had seen. He estimated the weigh to be about more or less a catty [approx. 1 lb or 0.5kg]. Lowering his head, he pondered deeply. If you are unsure, you dont have to take a risk, Zhang Wuji said. Wu Jingcao did not reply. After a while, he awoke from his deep thought and said, Subordinate did not promptly reply, begging Jiaozhus pardon. This Sheng Huo Ling was cast using bai jin, xuan tie [lit. white gold platinum, black/mysterious iron (same material as Yang Guos heavy sword)], blended with jin gang sha [lit. very hard steel (or diamond) powder/granule] and other materials; ordinary blaze would not smelt it. Subordinate was pondering deeply how it was made in the past. It was truly unthinkable; thereupon I was lost in thought for a while. Zhao Min cast a sidelong glance toward Zhang Wuji. Pursing her mouth, she laughed and said, When Jiaozhu needs to go to Persia to meet with a certain important character in the future, you can go with him to consult their master artisan. Zhang Wuji was bashful. Why would I want to go to Persia? he asked. Zhao Min smiled and said, Do I have to spell it out in front of everybody? To Wu Jingcao she said, Have you looked? There are engravings of characters on the Sheng Huo Ling. If sharp weapons like Tulong Saber and Yitian Sword cannot damage it the least bit, what kind of tool did they engrave the characters with? Actually, to engrave the characters is not difficult, Wu Jingcao replied, You can apply a layer of white wax [heres from the dictionary: white wax from Chinese white wax bug] to the Sheng Huo Ling; and then engrave the characters on the wax. Next, apply a strong acid. Within several
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months, the acid will corrode the tablets. When the white wax is scraped, the characters stay on the tablets. What Xiao Ren [humble one, lowly one referring to self] do not understand is how the metal was cast. Hey, Xin Ran called out, Are we going to do it or not? Jiaozhu, set your mind at ease, Wu Jingcao said to Zhang Wuji, Although Xin Xiongdis raging fire is fierce, it will not damage the Sheng Huo Ling the least bit. Xin Ran, however, was apprehensive, I will make every effort to fan the fire, but if it burns our Cults most precious object, I may take the blame. Wu Jingcao smiled and said, I dont think you have the ability to do so. But even if you do, I will take the blame. Thereupon he used two Sheng Huo Ling tablets to clamp the half section of the Tulong Saber, and then took a new pair of pliers to grip the Sheng Huo Ling tablets and returned the treasured Saber into the furnace. The fire was blazing hotter and higher. After burning continuously for more than an hour, Wu Jingcao, Xin Ran and the Lie Huo Flags Vice Flag Leader seemed to be beaten down by the heat; their faces showed signs of weariness, it looked like they would not be able to hold much longer. Priest Tie Guan signaled Zhou Dian with his eyes, while his left hand made a circle in the air. The two of them rushed forward to take Xin Ran and Lie Huo Flags Vice Flag Leaders place in pumping the bellows. These two mens internal energy was much higher than those two they were replacing; inside the furnace, a white flame rose straight up. Suddenly Wu Jingcao shouted, Gu Xiongdi [brother Gu], do it! The Rui Jin Flags Vice Flag Leader rushed toward the furnace with a naked blade in his hand. A white ray flashed, the blade stabbed Wu Jingcao in the chest. The multitude faces of heroes watching from the side changed, they all cried out in shock. Blood spurted out from Wu Jingcaos naked chest toward the Tulong Saber. As the blood met the fire, blue smoke rose gracefully. Its finished! Wu Jingcao shouted. He retreated several steps and fell sitting down on the ground. There was a deep black big saber in his right hand. The two broken pieces of the Tulong Saber had been fused together into one piece. Now everybody understood. Turned out when a swordsmith failed to forge a saber or a sword, they would drip blood on the blade. There was an old legend about a certain husband and wife, Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, who had to jump into the furnace before an extremely sharp weapon could be forged. With his action, Wu Jingcao might have followed a master artisanship custom handed down from the ancient times. Zhang Wuji rushed toward Wu Jingcao; he looked carefully at the wound, and saw that the saber only entered the flesh shallowly, the injury was not life threatening. Immediately he applied cut wound medicine and wrapped up the wound, while saying, Wu Xiong, why did you do this? Its not important whether this Saber can be fixed or not. Why did Wu Xiong have to suffer such pain? Whats the big deal about this superficial wound that it has caused Jiaozhu anxiety? Wu Jingcao replied. He stood up and raised the Tulong Saber to take a closer look. Upon seeing that the broken part was mended flawlessly with only a faint trace of blood on it, he could not help but feel very proud. Zhang Wuji examined the two Sheng Huo Ling tablets, which were used inside the furnace and as expected, he did not see the slightest sign of damage. Receiving the Tulong Saber, he chopped it
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on two spears, which were snatched from Yuan troops earlier. With a light Swish! sound, the two spears were cut smoothly, as if they were made of mud, cut by ordinary iron. The crowd of heroes applauded loudly. Excellent Saber! Excellent Saber! they praised. Wu Jingcao took the two-piece Yitian Sword in his hands. His mind wandered to the moment when the former Rui Jin Flag Leader, Zhuang Zheng, as well as dozens of his brethrens of the Rui Jin Flag, lost their lives under this Sword. He could not restrain tears from flowing down his eyes. Jiaozhu, he said, This Sword has killed my Zhuang Dage. It has killed not a few of my good brothers. Wu Jingcao hates this Sword to the bone. I cant fix it. I am ready to accept responsibility for this offense. While saying that, his tears poured down like rain. That only shows Wu Xiongs yi qi [loyalty, code of brotherhood], Zhang Wuji said, What offense are you talking about? Taking the two pieces of the Sword, he walked toward Jing Xuan of Emei Pai and said, This Sword originally belonged to your precious Sect. I would like to ask Shitai to pass this on to Miss to Mrs. Song. Jing Xuan did not say anything, but she accepted the two pieces of broken sword. Zhang Wuji held the Tulong Saber in his hand; he thought for a moment and then brought the Saber to Kong Wen. Fangzhang, he said, This Saber was my Yifus. Now that Yifu has entered the three precious [orig. san bao Buddha, Dharma (his teaching) and Sangha (his monastic order)] and joined Shaolin, it is only fit that this Saber should be under Shaolin Pais power. Kong Wen shook both of his hands and said, This Saber has already exchanged hands many times over. Last time it was Zhang Jiaozhu who snatched it away from among the thousand troops and ten thousand horses; everybody can bear witness to it. And then it was Wu Dage from your precious Cult who mended it. In addition, today the heroes from all over the world have agreed to elect Zhang Jiaozhu to preside over the honorable position. Therefore, it is a question of ability and virtue, of origin and relationship, of prestige and position, this Saber should be under Zhang Jiaozhus control. This is perfectly justified. The crowd of heroes echoed in chorus; they said, This is the will of the people, Zhang Jiaozhu does not need to decline. Zhang Wuji had no choice but to accept; he thought, If I can command the heroes of the Wulin world with this treasured Saber, we can drive the invaders together and complete the big current task. He heard somebody started to recite, followed by the multitude of heroes, The most revered in the Wulin world, tresured Saber slaying the dragon, ruling everything under the heavens, no one dares to disobey! The next line was Yitian [relying on Heaven] does not appear, who can match its sharpness? but since everybody had seen the Yitian Sword was broken and was not going to be mended, nobody recited these last two sentences. The Rui Jin Flag of the Ming Cult harbored a deep hatred toward the Yitian Sword. Today, seeing the Tulong Saber was restored to its original form while the two pieces of Yitian Sword stayed broken, they all expressed their delight. Everybody had been busy for half a day; their stomachs were growling. The Ming Cults Five Element Flags and half of the Shaolin Temple monks were dispatched to guard all vital points. The
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rest of the people followed the monks to enjoy vegetarian dishes inside the Temple. As the sky turned dark, Zhang Wuji leaped onto a tall tree to scout the enemys movements at the bottom of the mountain. He noticed a cluster of encampments to the west, where smoke was rising up everywhere; it looked like they were cooking their dinner on the fire pits dug on the ground. Zhang Wuji leaped down the tree and said to Wei Yixiao, Wei Xiong, as soon as it is dark enough, go down and spy around the enemys camp. Find out whether they are going to attack tonight or not. Wei Yixiao received the order and left. Jiaozhu, Yang Xiao said, After being defeated at the front of the mountain today, I think the Tatars will not attack again tonight. What we must guard against is their sneak attack from the back of the mountain. Thats right, Zhang Wuji said, I am asking Yang Zuo Shi and Fan You Shi to stay and take charge in here, while I am going to the other side of the mountain to look around. I am coming with you, Zhao Min said. The two of them went to the peak where Xie Xun was held captive; they looked far toward the back of the mountain, but did not see anything astir. Zhang Wuji ran his fingers gently on the three broken pine trees, and then he looked at the dark mouth of the dungeon, while in his mind he replayed the fierce fight earlier that day. He shivered at the thought of extremely dangerous situation he was in. Suddenly he remembered something, "Yifu told me to look at the rock wall of the dungeon. I almost forgot." "Min Mei," he said, "Stay up here and stand watch; I am going down to take a look." Jumping down into the hole, he took a torch [orig. huo zhe (lit. fire folded document) folded paper used as torch] and lit a fire. By this time, the water inside the dungeon had receded, but the wall and the ground were still wet. He saw on all sides, the wall was full of pictures. The pictures were apparently engraved on the rock wall using a sharp rock. The lines were simple, yet graceful and rather vivid. On the eastern wall, the drawing depicted three women. One was lying on the ground; one was kneeling next to her as if she was tending to the woman on the ground. The third woman's right hand was at the kneeling woman's bosom. Next to the picture were two characters 'qu yao' [fetching the medicine]. On the south side, there was a picture of a big ship. One woman was throwing another woman into the ship. The caption said 'fang zhu' [banish]. Cold sweats broke out on Zhang Wuji's forehead. "Turn out it really happened this way," he thought, "When Min Mei was attending to my Biaomei [younger female cousin], Zhiruo stole the 'shi xiang ruan jin san' from her pocket to be mixed in our food and drink. And then she threw Min Mei into the Persian ship and forced them to leave immediately. But why didn't she simply kill Min Mei? Hmm, perhaps if she left Min Mei's body behind, she would not be able to cover up her track, plus she could not shift the blame to her. That being the case, then Biaomei was also killed under her ruthless hands." Just below the picture, a bit to the left, was another picture of two men. One was sleeping, the other, with a head full of long hair, was inclining his head to listen. Zhang Wuji was startled, "Turn out when Zhiruo was performing this bloody atrocities that cry out to Heaven, Yifu heard
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everything. The Senior's self-control was indeed very strong; he did not reveal anything on the island. Ah, right. At that time Yifu and I were already drugged by the 'shi xiang ruan jin san'; our internal strength were gone. Our lives were in Zhiruo's hands. No wonder at that time Yifu adamantly said that it must be Min mei's doing, and that he was very indignant toward her. He knew I was naive and muddle-headed; if he told me the secret, I would inadvertently divulge it through my speech or my demeanor." He saw the pictures were splattered with blood, a reminder of the bloody battle between Xie Xun and Cheng Kun during the day, making the pictures more forlorn and terrifying. Looking at the third picture on the western wall, he saw Xie Xun was sitting, and Zhou Zhiruo was attacking him from the back. There was a crowd of beggars of the Beggar Clan lurking outside the room. This scene was exactly the same as was depicted in the tableau sponsored by Zhao Min during the 'Tour of the Imperial City' at Dadu. When he was about to look at the fourth picture, the torch in his hand suddenly went out. "Min Mei," he called out, "Could you come down and let me use your fire?" Zhao Min lighted her torch and jumped down. As she saw the drawings, she understood immediately. The fourth picture depicted Xie Xun was being taken by several men. There was a woman peering from behind a tree in a distant. The stroke of these drawing was excellent; however, other than Xie Xuns own face, the other peoples faces were indistinct, Zhang Wuji could not tell who the woman was. He pondered about it for a moment and then he understood, When Yifu became blind, I have not even been born yet. He recognizes Min Mei, Zhiruo, Biaomei, and me by our voices, but actually he does not know what we look like. Naturally he could not draw our faces. Pointing to the young woman, he asked, Was it you, or Miss Zhou? It was me, Zhao Min replied, When Cheng Kun snatched Xie Daxia away from the Beggar Clan, he had someone else to take Xie Daxia to be imprisoned in the Shaolin Temple. He himself went around leaving the Ming Cults mark along the way, leading you on a wild goose chase around a big circle. I did try to seize Xie Daxia by force several times, but I failed every time. In the end I had to stop you from being the bridegroom. I am truly sorry. At that time, Zhang Wujis heart was filled with extreme remorse. He stared blankly at Zhao Min, looking at her wan and sallow countenance, and her thin cheeks; knowing that in the last several months she had endured suffering beyond any normal person can bear. Overwhelmed by compassion, he reached out to embrace her, and said in a trembling voice, Min Mei, I I have wronged you. As soon as he embraced her, the fire went out and the dungeon turned into a pitchblack cave. He continued, If not because of your intelligence and quick-thinking, the muddle-headed Zhang Wuji would have killed you; wouldnt that be terrible? Zhao Min laughed and said, Do you have a heart to kill me? You insisted that I was the murderer, yet when you saw me, why didnt you kill me? Zhang Wuji was silent with a blank expression on his face. After a moment, he sighed and said, Min Mei, my feelings toward you have made me lose control over my own actions. Supposing you did kill my Biaomei, I still do not know what I should do. Now that the truth is being gradually revealed, even though I feel sorry for Zhiruo, I must say that deep in my heart I am happy.
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Zhao Min could hear the sincerity in his voice; she leaned on his bosom. For a long time nobody said anything. When she looked up, she saw that the crescent moon was hanging low on the eastern horizon, while all around them nothing was astir. Wuji Gege, Zhao Min said in a tender voice, When we first met at the Green Willow Manor, we fell into the dungeon together. Dont you think our circumstance today is more or less the same as the one we were then? Zhang Wuji snickered. He reached down to grab her left foot and then took her shoe off. Zhao Min laughed. A big man like you bullying a weak girl like me, she said. You, a weak girl? Zhang Wuji replied, You are so crafty that even ten grown men are not your match. Thank you for your praise, Zhang Da Jiaozhu [Big Cult Leader Zhang]! Zhao Min laughed, Little girl does not dare to accept. Speaking to this point, both of them broke out in laughter. The exchange between them was exactly what they were saying when they were trapped in the Green Willow Manors dungeon together a few years ago. Only, the first time they said that, the words were filled with hostility, while this evening, the words were full of unbounded tender love. Zhang Wuji smiled and said, Arent you afraid I might scratch the bottom of your foot again? Zhao Min laughed and said, No, I am not! Zhang Wuji grabbed her foot again, but suddenly they heard faint shouts from the direction of northwest. Leaning their heads to listen, they heard clashing gusts of wind; obviously, there were people fighting in the distance. Lets go take a look! they said to each other. Taking Zhao Mins hand, Zhang Wuji leaped up from the dungeon. Following the direction of the noise, they saw three shadows speeding away to the west. Their feet were exceptionally swift; they were definitely first class martial art masters. Zhang Wuji held out his arm to grab Zhao Mins waist, and then unleashing his qing gong he dashed on a chase. From the distant he noticed that the one in the front was running away, while the other two in the back were pursuing vigorously. Zhang Wuji picked up his speed trying to close the distance. Under the moonlight he saw that the pursuers were two old men. They were none other than Lu Zhangke and He Biweng. He saw He Biweng wave his left hand, throwing a crane-beak pen forward toward the one in the front. The one in the front swept a sword backward to parry. Bang! the crane-beak pen was thrown to the sky. Because of this slight delay, Lu Zhangke was able to leap nearby that person, and immediately thrust his deer-antler staff forward. That person leaned sideways to evade and counterattacked with a palm. The moon shone onto that persons face. Her face was pale, her loose long hair fluttered in the wind. Turned out she was Zhou Zhiruo. Zhang Wuji was startled. Hastily he took Zhao Min and hid behind a tree. He Biweng caught the crane-beak pen as it fell from the sky. He circled toward Zhou Zhiruos left and launched a converging attack together with Lu Zhangke.
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Clenching her teeth, Zhou Zhiruo said, Why do you, two old ghosts, painstakingly chase me? Lu Zhangke replied, Today we have seen it with our own eyes; Zhang Wuji of the Ming Cult managed to seize the Tulong Saber and Yitian Sword, but the secret martial art manual inside the Saber and the Sword was already gone. It must be in Mrs. Songs possession. Zhang Wuji was shocked. Turned out when I was snatching the blades and saving others, these two old chaps were close by. But why couldnt I know their presence? He heard Zhou Zhiruo say, There is indeed a secret martial art manual, but I destroyed it as soon as I finished training. With a cold laugh Lu Zhangke said, Did you say finished training? That easy, huh? These Tulong Saber and Yitian Sword were known as the most treasured in Wulin world; how can the secret hidden inside them be that superficial? Although Mrs. Songs martial art skill stands out above the others, I dont think you have reached the pinnacle yet. Otherwise, with one wave of your hand you would have killed us, two brothers. Why would you run away? If I said I have destroyed it then I have destroyed it, Zhou Zhiruo said, Who has so much spare time to chat with you? I am taking my leave now! Hold it! Lu Zhangke and He Biweng shouted together. They raised their hands at the same time and attacked Zhou Zhiruo from left and right. Zhou Zhiruo brandished her sword; it looked like a silver snake dancing wildly under the moonlight. The Xuan Ming Elders parried her attacks with a staff and a pair of pens. Zhang Wuji had seen Zhou Zhiruos whip technique. This time he saw that her sword emits a mysterious ray, moving in and out in defense and offense in the midst of two martial art masters converging attack. Her stances irregularly varied between fake and real; it seemed like her movements were full of tricks. After fighting for more than several dozens stances, Zhou Zhiruos sword moves were growing even stranger. At least seven of the ten stances were swift and fierce offensive strikes. Zhang Wuji knew that she wanted to get away from the enemies, but her internal energy would actually deplete faster by fighting like this. If she were a bit careless, she would face a mortal danger. Zhang Wuji was deeply concerned. He stepped out from behind the tree and quietly walked several steps closer. Suddenly Zhou Zhiruo let out a shout and swiftly stabbed Lu Zhangke three times. Lu Zhangke stepped sideways to evade. Right this moment, He Biweng threw his pair of pens toward her back with a full force. The pens clashing with each other midair and changed course; one flew towards the back of her head, the other flew towards the back of her waist. Zhou Zhiruo heard the wind of the weapons behind her back and ducked; but she did not expect the pens would collide in midair and change their courses. As she ducked, one pen struck her forehead. Needless to say, she could not avoid the crane-beak pen threatening her waist. Hastily Zhang Wuji leaped to catch the crane-beak pen, while sweeping his palm horizontally toward He Biweng. In her shock, Zhou Zhiruo was at a loss for a split second, and Lu Zhangkes palm came floating lightly toward her lower abdomen. It was not a small matter, as it was the xuan ming shen zhang [black/mysterious divine palm]. Zhou Zhiruo stopped breathing and fainted at once.
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Zhang Wuji was greatly shocked; throwing the crane-beak pen in his hand, he reached backward to catch Zhou Zhiruo, and then leaped more than a zhang backwards. Xuan Ming Er Lao! he roared, Dont you have any face? Lu Zhangke laughed out loud and said, I was wondering who dares to come and meddle with our business; turns out it is Zhang Da Jiaozhu [great cult leader]. Where is our Junzhu Niangniang [princess]? Where did you take her after kidnapping her? Zhao Min stepped out from behind the tree; taking Zhou Zhiruo from Zhang Wujis arms, she softly laughed and said, Mr. Lu, you are head over heels longing after me; arent you afraid Father might be angry with you? Little witch, Lu Zhangke angrily said, You sowed dissension between us, brothers. We have severed any relationship with your father early on. Why would Ruyang Prince being angry or not concern me? Seeing how Lu Zhangku struck a vicious blow to injure Zhou Zhiruo, and then spoke rudely to Zhao Min, Zhang Wuji also recalled how these two men had caused him countless sufferings with their xuan ming shen zhangwhen he was a child; his old hatred was rekindled. In that moment, his blood was boiling inside his chest. Min Mei, back off, he said, Just looking at these two old chaps is making me angry. I must fight them well today. Seeing that Zhang Wuji was barehanded, the two elders laid down their weapons and waited with focused attention. On guard! Zhang Wuji shouted and launched the lan qiao wei [seizing the birds tail] stance; his palms struck out together. This stance was part of the Taiji Fist technique, the movement was very slow, but the power behind it was from his Jiu Yang Shen Gong. Although Taiji Fist is common for the later generations, not too many Wulin people were even aware of its existence at the time right after Zhang Sanfeng developed it. Lu Zhangke had never seen this kind of soft, seemingly powerless palm technique; naturally, he did not know what kind of trick was hidden in this palm attack. He was extremely afraid of Zhang Wuji, hence he did not dare to meet his palm and leaned sideways to evade. Zhang Wuji turned around and with bai she tu yan [white snake spitting words] his left palm struck He Biweng, while his right palm shook in and out randomly. He Biweng pointed his left hand index finger to the center of Zhang Wujis palm, his right palm swept diagonally down toward Zhang Wujis lower abdomen. Zhang Wuji had fought the Xuan Ming Elders several times; he knew these two men were not his match. Compared to Du E and the other, the three monks whom he encountered in his most recent three battles, these two were a level below in terms of their depth in martial art skills. So if he wanted to defeat these two, he should have more than enough to spare. However, these twos skill was, after all, not superficial. Therefore, Zhang Wuji did not dare to be reckless. He launched Taiji Fist to its fullest potential; creating circle after circle, with Jiu Yang Shen Gong struck out from sometimes straight, sometime slanting circles. The Xuanming Elders gradually felt the yang energy burning fiercely; while the yin and cold energy of their own Xuan Ming Shen Zhang was frequently forced back by the opponent. After fighting for more than a hundred stances, by chance Zhang Wuji turned around and saw two
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dark shadows shiver on the ground. The moon had cast its shadow on Zhao Min and Zhou Zhiruo. His heart skipped a beat. Zhao Min appeared to be shaking uncontrollably while she was fighting to keep Zhou Zhiruo in her arms. Not good! Zhang Wuji was secretly alarmed, After taking Old Lus xuan ming shen zhang, I am afraid Zhou Zhiruo cannot withstand it. The energy cultivation she trained was yin and cold in nature. Now that she received Xuan Ming Shen Zhang which is the worlds coldest and most poisonous energy, cold on top of cold, apparently even Min Mei is not able to endure it. Thereupon he increased his effort to press Lu Zhangke. Lu Zhangke noticed the change in Zhang Wujis fist technique; he guessed Zhang Wujis intentions correctly. Leaping sideways to evade, he called out, Shidi, surround him; that woman surnamed Zhou is having a cold-poison attack. Dont let him help her. Certainly, He Biweng replied. Leaping out of the circle, he picked up his pair of crane-beak pens and with the tong tian che di [going through the sky and penetrating the earth], his pens smashed in from top and bottom. Zhang Wuji smiled slightly and said, With or without weapons, its all the same! With a shout his palm struck; the gust of wind generated was so strong that He Biweng was gasping for breath. Lu Zhangke reached back for his deer-antler staff and swept it toward Zhang Wujis waist. Zhang Wuji successively changed his fist techniques; now he launched the thirty-six style (or form) long zhua qin na shou [dragon claw grab and capture or grappling technique] he learned from Shaolin Divine Monk Kong Xing, the fu qin shi [zither playing form], gu se shi [drum beating form], bu feng shi [wind grasping form], and bao can shi [destruction carrying form], all with very strong offensive power. This Dragon Claw skill is very well trained, Lu Zhangke called out, Later on it will be very useful to dig a hole in the ground; no mistake about it. Shige, He Biweng replied, Why do we need a hole in the ground? Lu Zhangke laughed, That Miss Zhou is going to die; of course we need a hole to bury her! As he spoke, his attention was slightly divided; Zhang Wuji flew in and kicked his left leg. Lu Zhangke staggered. He quickly braced himself and brandished his deer-antler staff, creating a defense so tight that even the wind and the rain would not be able to penetrate. Zhang Wuji turned his head to see Zhao Min and Zhou Zhiruo; he saw these two women were shaking even more violently. Min Mei, he asked, How do you feel? Very bad! Zhao Min replied, I feel very cold! Zhang Wuji was shocked. He thought for a moment and then understood. When Zhou Zhiruo was hit by the Xuan Ming Shen Zhang, as fierce as the yin and cold energy was, it only attacked her, one person. But now even Zhao Min was feeling cold. He thought it must be because of Zhao Mins good intention that she transmitted her own energy to help Zhou Zhiruo resisting the cold. However, these two womens strengths differed considerably; Zhou Zhiruos internal energy was also very strange, so strange that instead of helping her, Zhao Mins own energy was depleted. Zhang Wuji moved his fists furiously, hoping that he would force these two Elders as quickly as possible. But the two Elders kept their distance; they moved to his front and to his back, but did not
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dare to fight him directly, as their intention was only to prolong the battle. Zhang Wuji was getting impatient. Min Mei, he called out, Lay Miss Zhou on the ground, and do not hold her. I I cant, Zhao Min replied. What? Zhang Wuji was puzzled. She her back is stuck to my palm, Zhao Min said. Her teeth chattered and her body swayed as if she was going to fall down any minute. Zhang Wuji was even more shocked. Zhang Jiaozhu, he heard Lu Zhangke say, This Miss Zhou is very cruel; she is passing on the cold poison in her body into Junzhu Niangniang that Junzhu Niangniang is almost dead. What do you say we make an agreement? What agreement? Zhang Wuji asked. Lu Zhangke said, We stop fighting. We get the two books from Miss Zhou, you get to save Junzhu Niangniang. Humph, Zhang Wuji snorted. He thought, These Xuan Ming Elders martial art is already this good; if they also train Zhiruos sinister martial art and then they do much evil, nobody will be able to control them. While still thinking, he turned his head to look at Zhao Min again and saw that a shade of greenish blue had already appeared on her jade-like beautiful white cheeks, while her face showed an extreme pain. Zhang Wuji took two steps backward and grabbed her right palm with his left hand. Immediately he transferred his Jiu Yang Shen Qi in steady stream via his palm. Attack together from the front! Lu Zhangke called out. With a staff and a pair of pens, like a flurry of torrential rain the Xuan Ming Elders charged together. Zhang Wuji was using most of his energy to save Zhao and Zhou, two women; he was unable to move his body, he only had one palm with which to block the enemys attack, so in an instant he found himself in a very precarious situation. Rip, He Biwengs crane-beak pen cut a long slit on the pants on his left leg; blood immediately dripped out of his leg. At first, Zhao Min was almost frozen stiff by the cold yin chi from Zhou Zhiruos body; she felt as if her blood was slowly coagulating. As soon as the Jiu Yang Shen Qi flushed in, gradually her body warmed up. But as Zhang Wuji used his other palm to fight Xuan Ming Elders, he was straining just to make ends meet; consequently, his transfer of Jiu Yang Zhen Qi toward Zhao Min weakened. Zhao Min started to feel cold again. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Lu Zhangke struck three times with his deer-antler staff, with the tip of the antler aiming toward Zhang Wujis eyes. Zhang Wuji raised his palm to parry, deflecting the head of the staff away. He Biweng rolled on the ground. The pen in his left hand launched the cong xin suo yu [lit. whatever you like or do as you please] toward Zhang Wujis waist. Zhang Wuji was unable to evade; he had no choice but to use the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi trying to neutralize the pens strength. But He Biwengs pen carried a tremendous force and Zhang Wuji did
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not have the confidence that he would be able to neutralize the incoming force. Suddenly a loud Dang! was heard; his waist shook, but he did not feel any pain. Turned out by chance He Biwengs pen hit the Tulong Saber hanging on his waist. Zhang Wuji did not normally fight his opponent using any weapon. Even battling Du E, three monks, he only used Sheng Huo Ling tablets, which were not real weapons. He had never used a sword or a saber, and thus although the Tulong Saber was hanging on his waist, he had not thought of using it to fight the enemy. This pen strike by He Biweng awakened him; with a loud shout his left leg kicked, forcing He Biweng to withdraw three steps back. He pulled the Saber out right when the deer-antler staff was stabbing again. Zhang Wuji swept his Tulong Saber. With a light swishing noise the antler from the staff fell down. Lu Zhangke was stunned. Aiyo! he cried out. He Biwengs pair of pens rolled in. Zhang Wuji swept the treasured Saber again. Swish, swish! Two crane-beak pens broke into four pieces. Zhang Wuji turned the Saber around, creating a circle of black light. The Xuan Ming Elders did not dare to get close anymore; finally Zhang Wuji was able to transmit his Jiu Yang Zhen Qi into Zhao Mins body. With this infusion of full-strength energy, the critical condition of the cold Xuan Ming poison attack on Zhou Zhiruo has finally passed. However, when two different types of energy, yin and yang, intersect inside the body, especially if they were of different strength level, the strong would subdue the weak. After the cold Xuan Ming poison was repelled, Jiu Yang Zhen Qi also offset the internal Jiu Yin energy, which Zhou Zhiruo trained for. After Zhou Zhiruo acquired the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing [Nine Yin Manual] hidden inside the Yitian Sword, she only trained surreptitiously in the night because she was afraid Xie Xun and Zhang Wuji might find out. But time was running out. Since she was unable to build a strong foundation by training the manual step-by-step, her internal energy cultivation was not too deep. Actually, she only trained the lower and easier-to-train sinister martial art from the Manual. When she was hit by the Xuan Ming Shen Zhang, she was thinking of transmitting the cold yin chi to Zhao Min. When Zhang Wuji interfered, she only felt her entire body was enveloped with a warm and cozy feeling. As she felt the incoming energy grow, she wanted to take her body out of Zhao Mins palm; unexpectedly, as she struggled, she felt as if a whiff of very strong sucking force was holding her so that she was not able to escape. Before, she was sucking Zhao Mins palm with her back; now, her back was stuck on Zhao Mins palm. It was because of the difference in internal energy strengths. Zhou Zhiruo could not help but feel utterly shocked. As Zhang Wuji was driving the cold poison out, he felt his Jiu Yang Zhen Qi was flowing out, while from Zhao Mins palm continuously came an opposing cold chi. He thought the cold poison of Xuan Ming Shen Zhang had not been completely neutralized, so he kept increasing his power. He did not know that with each part of Jiu Yang Zhen Qi he sent out, he neutralized one part of the Jiu Yin Zhen Qi Zhou Zhiruo had painstakingly cultivated. Zhou Zhirou was groaning inwardly, but she must not say anything, since she knew that as soon as she opened her mouth, blood would immediately spurt out like crazy, her chi would be drained and she would die. Zhao Min felt warm and comfortable; she laughed and said, Wuji Gege, I am all right now. You can focus your attention to fight the Xuan Ming Elders! Very well! Zhang Wuji replied, and withdrew his internal energy.
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Zhou Zhiruo felt as if she had just received pardon; she quickly pulled away from Zhao Mins palm. She realized that although the cold poison of Xuan Ming Shen Zhang had been completely repelled, her own Jiu Yin internal energy had also suffered a heavy damage. As soon as Zhang Wuji brandished the Tulong Saber to attack the enemy, she stretched out her five fingers to strike the crown of Zhao Mins head. Aiyo! Zhao Min cried out loudly. She felt a severe pain on the top of her head, and thought that she was going to die this time. But she heard crack, crack noise instead, as Zhou Zhiruo was groaning in pain and hurriedly retreated. Zhang Wuji was shocked; hastily he turned his head and asked, What is it? Zhao Min reached up to touch her forehead and was so scared that she felt her soul had left her and flown to the heavens that she was unable to say anything. Zhang Wuji only knew that she was hit by the Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhua; he was also scared out of his wits. With his right hand he brandished to Saber to block the two elders, with his left hand he felt the top of her head. He felt the stickiness of blood, but luckily did not find any broken bone. He felt as if a large boulder burdening his heart had just fallen down. Its all right, he said, consolingly, Your wound is only skin deep. While in his heart he mused, Strange, very strange! He did not know that when Zhou Zhiruo attacked, the Jiu Yang Zhen Qi he sent out earlier had not completely left Zhao Mins body. Moreover, Zhou Zhiruos own internal energy had suffered substantial damage. When she attacked, not only she failed to harm the opponent, her own fingers experienced quite a shock. As Zhang Wujis attention was diverted, the Xuan Ming Elders attack came by, but this time Zhang Wuji had the worlds sharpest weapon in his hand. Aware of the outstanding character of this weapon, he did not want to take advantage over the opponent, so he handed the precious saber over to Zhao Min instead. Quickly he circulated his breathing one round and focused his attention. Then, retracting his left hand, he thrust out his palm using the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi to divert He Biwengs incoming palm. This pull and push was the most profound technique of the seventh level of Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi; backed by concentrated power of the Jiu Yang Shen Gong. This technique required the most amount of internal energy and could not have the slightest degree of negligence in its execution. If he failed, he would suffer fire deviation. For this reason he did not dare to use it earlier even though when faced with a desperate situation, because his mind was still occupied by trying to repel the cold poison from Zhao and Zhou, two women. The Xuan Ming Elders were first class martial art masters; if he had used the fifth or the sixth level of Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi, he might not be able to deal with them. As He Biwengs right palm struck by, whoosh! it changed course to strike Lu Zhangkes shoulder. Lu Zhangke was startled and angrily said, Shidi, what are you doing? Although He Biwengs martial art skill was high, his natural disposition was rather slow; he had to think for quite a while before he could understand anything. This time, things happened so quickly that he himself was baffled. In his shock, he was unable to give Lu Zhangke any explanation. He only knew that Zhang Wuji had played a trick on him. He thought that if he increased his effort in attacking the enemy, he might appease his Shixiong; therefore, sending out his strength to his right leg, he kicked Zhang Wuji, hard.
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Zhang Wujis left hand whisked this kick, hooked He Biwengs leg and directed it toward Lu Zhangkes lower abdomen. Lu Zhangke was shocked and angered. Are you insane? he roared. Thats right! Zhao Min called out, Mr. He, quickly capture this rebellious, lecherous, greedy and kinky Shixiong of yours, my Father will certainly reward you heavily. Zhang Wuji secretly laughed. This driving-a-wedge-between-them idea is really marvelous, he mused. Originally, he wanted to use Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi to divert He Biwengs attack toward Lu Zhangke, and redirect Lu Zhangkes strike toward He Biweng. But as he listened to Zhao Min, he only diverted He Biwengs fists and legs, but used Taiji Fist to deal with Lu Zhangke. Mr. He, dont worry, he called out, With our combined effort, we will certainly be able to butcher this pervert deer [Lu of Lu Zhangke means deer]. The Ruyang Prince has already bestowed to you bestowed to you In that instant, he could not think of an appropriate government position for him. Mr. He, Zhao Min called out, The official letter of your appointment to a high official position is here. While saying that she took a bundle of paper from her bosom and waved it up, reading, Hmm, it is Da Yuan Hu Guo Yang Wei Da Jiang Jun [the Great Yuans Protector of the Country, Great General with Rising Power]. Hurry up, you must try harder! Zhang Wuji struck with his right palm, forcing Lu Zhangke to lean to the left; right at this moment, he diverted He Biwengs left palm from attacking Zhang Wujis left to Lu Zhangke right, so that Lu Zhangke was attacked from left and right. Lu Zhangke and He Biweng had been together for several decades; their love to each other was like blood brothers. At first Lu Zhangke did not believe that He Biweng would betray him, but at this moment he had seen it with his own eyes how He Biweng successively attacked him for five stances; all aimed at his vital points, all with full-powered punches or kicks, apparently with the desire to take his life, without the least bit of friendship. His resentment had reached its peak. He roared, You are after riches and honor, and do not have any regard about yi qi? I I am ... He Biweng hurriedly said. Thats right, Zhao Min cut him off, You have no choice because you are going to be the Da Yuan Hu Guo Yang Wei Da Jiang Jun; therefore, you cannot say anything about offending your Shixiong. Zhang Wuji put his entire strength in his right hand and focused his entire attention to lead He Biwengs palm strike toward Lu Zhangke. Bang! Lu Zhangkes shoulder was squarely hit. In his anger Lu Zhangke slapped backward, striking He Biwengs left side of his jaw that several of his teeth fell down. He Biweng was already old; he only had several teeth left inside his mouth. Naturally, he cherished these remaining few teeth on his left cheek. Unable to restrain his anger, he shouted, Shige, you really cant tell the good from the bad. I did not hit you on purpose. Lu Zhangke was also angry. Who started the fight? he said. Although his knowledge was vast, he did not know that in this world there existed the seventh level of Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi with such a formidable power. He thought that based on the level of martial art skill He Biweng and he possessed, Zhang Wuji might be able to defeat them or even kill them, but never in his wildest dream would he expect Zhang Wuji to use such technique as borrowing strength to fight strength, reversing his partners palm force to strike him. Therefore, he had never suspected he had fallen
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into Zhang Wujis trick. Venting up his frustration, He Biweng cursed, Little bastard, you have played trick on me! Thats right! Zhao Min called out, You dont need to call him Shige, just call him Little bastard. As Zhang Wujis left palm was pressing Lu Zhangkes palm power, his right hand diverted He Biwengs palm to hit Lu Zhangkes right cheek that his cheek was swollen immediately. Noticing that Lu Zhangke was fuming; his eyes were red and his palm attacked He Biweng like crazy, Zhang Wuji knew his plan worked. Mr. He, he shouted, Ill leave this pervert deer into your hands. His left foot kicked, he flew out of and took Zhao Min to leave. He saw the Xuan Ming Elders were still intensely fighting you punch me, I kick you each other. Mr. He, Zhao Min called out, After you arrest your Shige, you may borrow the secret martial art manual from the Tulong Saber for a month. Quickly set up a great merit; dont miss this good opportunity. Lu Zhangke was getting angrier; he attacked He Biweng without showing any mercy. These two men were of the same school; there was not much difference in their martial skill level [orig. ban jin ba liang half a pound is eight ounces]. It was hard to say when this kind of fierce battle would end. Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min returned to the Shaolin Temple. Examining the top of Zhao Mins head, Zhang Wuji saw that the injury was superficial. Suddenly he remembered something. Min Mei, he said, Luckily you bring that bundle of paper; otherwise, Lu Zhangke would not believe. With a chuckle, Zhao Min took two bundles of thin papers from her bosom. She waved it in front of Zhang Wujis face and said with a laugh, Can you guess what this is? Zhang Wuji smiled and said, If you tell me to guess, I will never guess correctly in my lifetime. So, why would I want to take the trouble? Zhao Min placed the two bundles of paper in his hand. Zhang Wuji took a candle to examine the paper. He found out that it was not paper, but thin sheets of silk, as thin as cicadas wings. The sheets were densely populated with tiny characters, with each character as small as the head of a fly. The first bundle began with this line of four characters, wu mu yi shu [Wumu Legacy; lit. the book (or letter) left behind by Wumu]. It explained the key in deployment of troops in a war, battle formation, and other fine points of military strategy. Looking at the second bundle, he saw it started with these four characters, Jiu Yin Zhen Jing [Nine Yin Manual; lit. nine yin (negative/feminine/moon) true/real scripture]. Inside were all kinds of mystical and strange martial arts. Flipping toward the end of the bundle, he found Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhua [Nine Yin White Bone Claw] and Cui Xin Zhang [heart destroying palm] among other things. Zhang Wujis heart turned cold. You did you take all this from Miss Zhou? he asked. Zhao Min laughed. When she was immobile, why cant I take advantage of her [orig. shun shou qian yang lead away a goat in passing]? she said, This kind of malicious martial art, I dont want to learn, but I do want to destroy it, since left in her hands it might be used to harm others. Zhang Wuji browsed through the Jiu Yin Zhen Jing. A few pages later, he realized that the lesson inside was very profound and difficult to decipher in a short while. He also knew that the martial art
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skill toward the end of the book was not malicious, he said, The martial art in this manual is actually very deep. If trained properly, I believe ten, twenty years later, the result will not be a small matter. But if it is trained rashly, the result will be superficial. Not only it will harm others, but will inflict self injury as well. After pausing for a moment, he continued, That Jiejie wearing yellow gowns martial art is obviously of the same school, yet her movements were upright without any sign of maliciousness, very pure and honorable. It seems that her skill also came from this Nine Yin Manual. She said something like Behind the Mount Zhong Nan, the Tomb of the Living Dead, the Divine Eagle and Gallant Knights vanished from the Jianghu, what do these four lines mean? Zhao Min asked. Zhang Wuji shook his head. When we see Tai Shifu in the future, we will ask the Senior. Perhaps he could shed some light on this affair. They chatted for some time. After making sure that there was no change in troop activity at the bottom of the mountain, they went their separate ways to take a rest. End of Chapter 39.
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Chapter 40 Didnt Know This Zhang Fellow was The Mr. Zhang
Zhou Zhiruo drew out her sword and pointed it toward Zhang Wuji's chest. I am going to take your life today, she shouted sternly, Yin Lis ghost is entangling me anyway. I will eventually get killed. Id rather die together with you. While saying that, she raised her sword high, ready to stab it down into Zhang Wujis chest.
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Zhang Wuji woke up at daybreak the next morning, and immediately jumped up a tall tree to scout the enemy movement. The enemy camp was bustling with activity; it seemed that they were going to launch an attack. Min Mei! Zhang Wuji called. Mmm what is it? Zhao Min replied. Zhang Wuji hesitated before saying, Nothing, I just love to call your name. Actually, he wanted to consult Zhao Min on how to repel the Yuan army, knowing full well that she was very resourceful; certainly she had some brilliant ideas. But then he thought, She was a princess of the imperial court; she betrayed her father and brother to follow me. I think it is just too much to ask her to help me killing her fellow Mongolians. Hence, he stopped himself when the words were just on the tip of his tongue. Zhao Min noticed the change in his countenance; she knew what he was going to say. She sighed and said, Wuji Gege, you are able to empathize with my painful predicament; I dont have to say anything. Zhang Wuji went back to his room with a troubled mind of not knowing what to do. Absentmindedly he took the two bundles of book Zhao Min brought last night. He read several pages of the Nine Yin Manual; he also took a glance on the Wumu Legacy. Again, after reading several pages, he came across a title bing kun niu tou shan five small characters [troops trapped on the Ox-head Hill]. His heart was moved. He read on and found that in this section, Yue Fei recounted his experience when his outnumbered troops were surrounded by the Jin army; how he escaped from the entrapment, how he deployed special force soldiers, how he launched a converging attack and seized an overwhelming victory, all kinds of plan explained in great details. Zhang Wuji slapped the table, The Heaven helps me! he exclaimed. Slapping the book down, he started to think. The situation of this Shaoshi Peak was entirely different to the Niutou Hill where Yue Fei was trapped in the past; however, if he used the same tactics, there was no reason why he could not win by a surprise move. His admiration grew as he pondered deeper; he thought that Yue Wumu was a Heaven-sent genius. Faced with such danger, an ordinary man would not think of such strategy. He also thought that troops deployment was just like martial arts; if there wasnt any expert giving guidance, no matter how smart or how dull, one would not think of such plan. Dipping his finger into the tea cup, he drew the Temple map on the table. Even though he was aware of the dangerous situation they were in, who can say that they would not be lucky and prevail against the enemy? Their side was few, the enemy was many; they would not be able to score victory by marching out in a neat formation and engage the enemy in an open battle. Once his mind was set, he went to the Da Xiong Bao Dian [Precious Hall of Great Heroes] and asked Abbot Kong Wen to summon the heroes. In a short moment everybody had arrived. Zhang Wuji stood up and said, Presently, Tatar cavalry has gathered at the base of the mountain. Presumably, they will carry out a large scale attack soon. Although we have scored a small victory yesterday and have dampened their spirit, we will be hard pressed to withstand them if the Tatars pay no regards to their own lives and throng up the mountain. Zaixia [lit. under, the humble one] has no talent; it was by the heroes graciousness that I am elected to hold this temporary position as the commander in chief. Today we are united against a common enemy. I am asking everybody to obey my command.
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The multitude of heroes replied in one voice, Please issue the order, we will follow, no one will dare to disobey. Very well! Zhang Wuji said, Wu Qishi [Flag Leader Wu], receive my order! Rui Jins Flag Leader, Wu Jingcao stepped forward, bowed and said, Subordinate is ready to receive the order. While he was thinking in his heart, Jiaozhu issues his first order to me. It is truly a great honor. No matter what kind of danger I will have to face, I will risk my life in doing it. Zhang Wuji said, I assign you to lead your Flag brethren to uphold the martial law. Whichever hero or warrior does not obey my order, the Rui Jin Flags lances and hatchets will be thrown into his body. This law applies both to seniors and elders of our own Cult, and other Wulin masters and seniors. No exception. Accept the order! with a loud voice Wu Jingcao complied. He took a small white flag from his bosom and held it tight with both hands. Both in terms of name and martial art skill, Wu Jingcao was not considered a first class Jianghu warrior, so previously, nobody regarded him too highly. But since the Five-Element Flags demonstrated their invincible might the other day, the multitude of heroes all knew that wherever this small white flag in his hand landed, it will immediately followed by the 500 feathered arrows, 500 javelins, and 500 short hatchets. Even if your skill is as high as the heavens, you will become mincemeat instantly. Therefore, seeing him unfold the white flag, everybodys hearts shivered. The reason behind this order was because when Zhang Wuji browsed through the Wumu Legacy, the first chapter started with, The way to the successful training of troops starts with strict discipline. He knew these Jianghu warriors were proud people; each one was used to do what one thought right. Although individually they possessed strong martial art skills, fighting together, they were no different than a motley crowd. Without someone giving order to organize and restrain, forcing them to follow orders, there was no way they could resist the Mongolian elite troops. Therefore, his first order was to assign the Rui Jin Flag as the law enforcers. Pointing his finger to the tall wall in front of the hall, Zhang Wuji said, Gentlemen, Heroes, whoever excels in qing gong and able to jump over that wall, please show your skill. Among the crowd of heroes, there were not a few whose face appeared dissatisfied; they thought, What is this immaterial talk about telling us to show off our jumping ability? Some senior masters felt that he was showing contempt toward others; they were not pleased at all. Zhang Songxi stepped out from among the crowd and said, I can. And then he leaped over the wall and lightly landed on the other side of the wall. Wudang Pais ti yun zong [cloud stairs] qing gong enjoyed quite a reputation throughout the world. For someone with Zhang Songxis ability, leaping this wall was as easy as blowing off dust. However, he was not showing off at all, it was only an honest demonstration because he was following order. Thereupon Yu Lianzhou, Yin Liting, Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Wei Yixiao, Yin Yewang and the other experts followed suit one by one. Like butterflies flying over flowers the heroes jumped over the wall one after another. Some were showing off their qing gong by performing all kinds of flowery styles midair. After more than four hundred people had leaped, it looked like nobody else would try. This wall was indeed not low; without a good qing gong it was not easy to leap over it. The multitude of heroes did not train the same martial art skill. Oftentimes they trained themselves well in fists and kicks or weaponry, so their qing gong was ordinary. There were quite a number of
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Jianghu characters who made their names this way; naturally, they were not willing to show off their shortcomings. Noticing that among these four hundred people there were about eighty to ninety Shaolin monks, Zhang Wuji thought, Shaolin Pai truly lives up to its reputation as the number one school in Wulin. Just in qing gong alone, they have many more masters than any other schools. Thereupon he issued his next order, Yu Er Bo, Zhang Si Bo, Yin Liu Shu, the three Uncles are to lead these heroes excel in qing gong to bluff the enemy. You are to pretend to be escapees from the Temple, make the enemy troops to pursue you, and when you get to the back of the mountain ... And he detailed the next steps. Wudang Pais Yu, Zhang and Yin, three heroes accepted the orders. Zhang Wuji made further assignments: who would set up ambush, who would cut the enemys rear flank, who would engage them frontally, who would make flank attack, and so on; all in detailed arrangement. Yang Xiao and the others noticed how he planned this ingenious tactic and deployed troops formation to engage the enemy; everything was so clear and orderly as if it was all premeditated. They were all utterly impressed; nobody knew that he had used the military tactic legacy of Yue Wumu. Only, he modified it slightly because of different terrain and different troops. Finished assigning tasks, Zhang Wuji finally said, I am asking Kong Wen Fangzhang and Kong Zhi Shen Seng to lead gentlemen and ladies of the Emei Pai to take care of the injured and the dead. Since Zhou Zhiruo was not present, Emei Pai had no one to give leadership. Zhang Wuji was aware Emei Pai had deep resentment against him, so he felt it was inappropriate for him to give them direction. For this reason he asked Kong Wen and Kong Zhi, two divine monks; both men of good moral standing and reputation to act as their leaders. Presumably, Emei Pai people would not refuse to be under their leaderships. Sure enough, hearing his order, male and female disciples of Emei Pai silently accepted it; no one open his or her mouth in dissent. In a loud and clear voice Zhang Wuji said, Today, the warriors of the Central Plains are united to fight the Tatar invasion. Masters in charge of bells and drums of the Shaolin Pai, please beat the drums and ring the bells. The multitude of heroes responded with an earth-shattering cheers; they unsheathed their weapons in high spirit. The Lie Huo Flag had transported the firewood amassed in the Temple out from its storehouses and piled it up in front of the Temple. They lighted it up and very soon flames and thick smoke rose up to the sky. The Hou Tu Flag had spread silt on top of various halls in the Temple, where the Lie Huo Flag then stacked firewood on it. This way, when they lighted the firewood, the fire would not spread to the building below. Yet from a distant, the several hundred buildings in the Temple complex appeared to be burning. From the base of the mountain, the Yuan army heard the bells and drums first, which sounded like emergency alarm; then the saw the raging fire up the mountain. Not good! they said to each other, The man zi [insulting term for south Chinese/southern barbarian] set the Temple on fire; they must be running away. Leading more than 150 warriors excelled in qing gong, Yu Lianzhou rushed down the mountain from the left side of Shaoshi Peak. Before they even reached the waist of the mountain, Yuan troops had already made loud ruckus and lined up in formation to pursue. The crowd of warriors scattered in all direction, making it hard for the Yuan army to shoot them with arrows. Zhang Songxi led the second group. Yin Liting led the third group. Each of them carried a large bundle on his back. The bundles contained either wooden planks or bundles of clothes. In the eyes
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of the Yuan troops, it appeared that they were abandoning the Temple, escaping with difficulty carrying valuables; but the bundles were actually shields against the Mongolians arrows. Because of the heavy smoke, the Yuan troops could not see clearly how many people were escaping. Thereupon they divided their forces into two groups; ten thousand soldiers pursued the escapees immediately, while the other ten thousand stayed in their original defensive position. Yang Zuo Shi, Zhang Wuji turned toward Yang Xiao, The Tatar General is quite knowledgeable of military tactic; he did not order the entire army to pursue. This might give us trouble. Yes, Yang Xiao replied, They do give us reason to be concerned. They heard bugles sound from the bottom of the mountain. Two thousand strong Yuan cavalry divided itself into two groups and advanced to the top of the mountain from left and right. The mountain roads were rugged, but Mongolian ponies were able to gallop fast, as if they were flying. With their long spears and iron armors, the troops appearance was very impressive. When the vanguard of the Yuan cavalry arrived at the pavilion halfway up the mountain, Zhang Wuji gave his signal. From either side of the road, Lie Huo Flag people closing in, crouching among the tall grass. As the two-thousand strong cavalry advanced about another hundred zhangs, Xin Ran let out a whistle; his troops immediately sprayed oil toward the enemy, followed by balls of fire, burning both horses and their riders. The horses neighed in fear and pain; most of them rolled down the mountain, creating a great chaos. The Yuan troops discipline was very strict. As the front group was being defeated, the rear group did not budge. Under the command of their general, three thousand soldiers got down from their horses and marched forward to attack. Again the Lie Huo Flag shot their fire, burning several hundred troops. But with extreme force of will, the remaining troops were still marching on. Tang Yang, the Flag Leader of the Hong Shui Flag waved a black flag; poisonous water spurted out. Next, the Hou Tu Flag also shot poisonous sand, throwing the Yuan army into total disorder. Several hundred troops managed to advance toward the mountain peak. These soldiers were completely wiped out by the Rui Jin Flag and Ju Mu Flag. From the bottom of the mountain suddenly came the sound of beating drums. Five thousand troops marched forward with large shields lined up in front of their bodies, creating a slowly advancing wall. This way, the fire, poisonous water and poisonous sand lost their effectiveness. Even gigantic logs rolled down by the Ju Mu Flag only managed to create a few gaps, which were quickly closed again. Seeing this desperate situation, Abbot Kong Wen said, Zhang Jiaozhu, please have everybody retreat quickly. We must preserve the vitality of the Wulin world of the Central Plains. Although we are defeated today, we will stage a comeback in the future. In the midst of this anxiety, suddenly they heard rousing sound of metal drums from the foot of the mountain, followed by a rocket shot up to the sky. Battle cries rose up from all directions. Yang Xiao was delighted. Jiaozhu, he said, Our reinforcement arrives! From the top of the mountain looking down, they could not see the situation at the foot of the mountain; but they saw the dust rose and they heard the shouts of the people and the neigh of the horses. Obviously, the incoming troops were numerous.
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Zhang Wuji loudly called out, The reinforcement has arrived; everybody, charge! From the top of the mountain, the multitude of heroes charged downward with weapons in their hands. Zhang Wuji cried out again, Gentlemen Heroes, kill officers first before killing the soldiers. The crowd of heroes echoed his cry, Kill officers first before killing the soldiers! The Mongolian armed force was organized into teams. Every ten soldiers formed a ten-man unit. Every ten-man units formed a hundred-man unit. Likewise, they formed thousand-man unit and subsequently ten-thousand-man unit, following a layered chain of command. When they go to battle, it was just like the mind giving order to the arm, the arm giving order to the hand, the hand giving order to the fingers. If the two forces were battling against each other arrayed in formation, Zhang Wujis order to kill the officers first would be difficult to follow; but at this moment the Yuan army was scattered on the hillside. Although the Yuan army could be considered elite troops, the martial art skill of their officers, after all, was inferior to the heroes and warriors of the Central Plains. Soon several qian fu zhang [leader of a thousand-man unit] and bai fu zhang [leader of a hundred-man unit] were killed. The Mongolian troops were thrown into confusion. Charging down the mountain, Zhang Wuji and the others saw fluttering flags at the base of the mountain. The one on the south carried a Xu character, while the one on the north had a Chang character. So they know that Xu Da and Chang Yuchun had arrived. Xu and Chang, two men were originally stationed around the Huai Si River. This time they were just moving their troops to Henan when Budai Heshang [cloth sack monk] Shuo Bude arrived with the call for help. As soon as they learned about their Cult Leader was besieged by the enemy at the Shaoshi Peak, they deployed their troops night and day. By that time, around the Henan and Hubei, the Ming Cult army had fought the Yuan army for several years; with both sides occupying overlapping regions. Since they were not too far away and left as soon as they received the news, they managed to arrive in less than two days. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun had been in command over the Ming Cult army for a long time; moreover, their troops were large, so they were able to drive the Yuan army to the west in no time. The other force of ten-thousand Yuan soldiers was pursuing the heroes who pretended to escape from the Temple toward the western valley. Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting led several hundred warriors with outstanding qing gong fighting and retreating into the valley. The Yuan armys wan fu zhang [leader of ten-thousand-man unit] saw that the three sides of the valley were all steep cliffs; the valley looked dangerous. However, seeing the number of the enemy was small, he thought that even if the enemy prepared an ambush there, they should be able to deal with it. Thereupon he signaled with his hand to order his troops to pursue closely into the valley. As Yu Lianzhou and the others arrived at the bottom of the cliff, they climbed on several dozens long ropes, which were prepared in advance. As the wan fu zhang realized they had fallen into the enemys trap, he quickly ordered his men to withdraw. To his shock, however, at the mouth of the valley they were driven back by volleys of fire, poisonous sand, arrows, and poisonous water; while the Ju Mu Flag dropped logs in abundance to seal up the entrance of the valley. Meanwhile, the second defeated army was also driven to the valley. As they saw there was no way out, they ran all over the mountain and valley, scattered to all direction. Zhang Wuji and Xu Da arrived in close succession. What a pity! they cried; if they had planned it properly in advance, the second ten thousand strong troops would also be driven into the valley and destroyed completely. Zhang Wuji did not anticipate the Yuan army would divide themselves into two groups, he also did
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not expect the reinforcement would arrive amazingly quickly. After all, commanding troops in the battlefield was not the same as being a Cult Leader. Although the Wumu Legacy contained marvelous military strategy, in the end, it was not easy to reconcile between the theory and practice. If Xu Da and Chang Yuchun did not arrive on time, the Shaolin Temple would inadvertently meet its doom. The first ten-thousand strong Yuan army, which was trapped inside the valley, would also be eventually rescued by their allies. Xu Da immediately ordered his troops to move dirt and rocks to seal the mouth of the valley. He also sent his archers to climb up the cliff. Occupying the higher position their arrows shot down like rain into the Yuan army below. The Yuan troops were surrounded by the valley walls, they were powerless to retaliate and could only hide underneath the mountain rocks. Not too long afterwards, Chang Yuchuns troops arrived. He was extremely delighted to see Zhang Wuji after a long period of separation. Remove the dirt and the rocks, Chang Yuchun yelled, We are going in to wipe out the Tatars. Xu Da laughed and said, There are no food and no water in the valley. Give them seven, eight days; the Tatars will die of thirst and starvation. Why must we, brothers, painstakingly fight with them? Chang Yuchun also laughed, I always prefer to kill them with my own hands. Although Chang Yuchun was older than Xu Da, he usually submitted to Xu Das intelligence; also, he noticed that Zhang Wuji did not contradict Xu Da, so he did not press on. Xu and Chang, two men were battlefield-trained; their orders were appropriate and to the point. Zhang Wuji realized his battle experience was inferior to these two, therefore, he asked Xu and Chang to be in charge in pursuing and killing the runaway Yuan soldiers. That evening, joyous noise shook the Shaoshi Peak, as the Ming Cult rebel army [orig. yi jun righteous army, or militia] and the heroes from all schools and sects celebrate their victory. After several days in a row always eating vegetarian dishes in the Shaolin Temple, they grew tired of the food. Tonight, wine and meat were overflowing; everybody could eat to their hearts content. During the banquet, Zhang Wuji asked Chang Yuchun about his health; he wanted to know if Chang Yuchun diligently took the medicine he prescribed to nurse Chang Yuchuns health. Chang Yuchun laughed aloud and said, Jiaozhu, dont worry. Lao Chang [the Ol Chang] is as healthy as an ox, on one meal I can eat three catties of meat and six big bowls of rice. During the battle, lack of sleep for three days and three nights will not harm me a bit. His implication was that he did not need any medication. However, Zhang Wuji remembered what Hu Qingniu had told him; therefore, he earnestly implored him to take the medicine for his health. Chang Yuchun only gave him a noncommittal answer, because in his heart he greatly disapproved Zhang Wujis advice. Xu Da poured a cup full of wine to toast Zhang Wuji. Congratulations, Jiaozhu, he said, Please accept this toast! Zhang Wuji received the cup and drank the wine. Xu Da said, Subordinate has always admired Jiaozhus courage and wisdom in dealing with others, admired your peerless martial art skill. To my surprise, your military tactic is also marvelous. This is the great fortune of our Cult to the benefit of common people everywhere. Zhang Wuji laughed out loud and said, Xu Dage, no need to flatter me. Our great victory today was first, due to the amazingly speedy arrival of Xu Dage and Chang Dage; and second, due to the
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Yue Wumus Legacy. Xiao Di [little brother] truly cannot take even a half part of credit. What is the Yue Wumus Legacy? Xu Da wondered, I beg for Jiaozhus explanation. Zhang Wuji took a bundle of yellowish thin paper from his bosom. It was the Wumu Legacy, which was concealed inside the Tulong Saber. He turned the page to the Troops Trapped on the Oxhead Mountain section and handed it over to Xu Da. Xu Da received the book with both hands and read attentively for a moment. He could not help but be stunned and impressed and the same time. Wumus ability in managing the troops was truly divine, truly unachievable by the later generation, he sighed, If Yue Wumu was still alive today, leading the warriors of the Central Plains, we would not worry about driving the Tatars back to the northern desert. While saying that, he respectfully returned the book But Zhang Wuji did not want to receive it. He said, The most revered in the Wulin world, treasured Saber slaughtering the dragon; ruling everything under the heavens, no one dares to disobey. The real meaning of these sixteen characters, only today did I finally understand. The so-called the most revered in the Wulin world is not the Saber itself, but it is the Legacy concealed inside the Saber. When this military strategy is used to face the enemy, fighting a battle will result in victory, attacking will result in subduing the enemy. Ultimately, ruling everything under the heavens, no one dared to disobey. Otherwise, how can one rule everything under the heavens with just a single treasured saber? Xu Dage, I am passing this military strategy book to you. I hope you will use the notes Yue Wumu left behind to take our country [orig. he shan river and mountain] back and set up a new emperor [orig. huang long yellow dragon]. Xu Da was taken aback. What kind of virtue or ability does Subordinate have? he hastily said, How can I be worthy to accept such a generous gift from Jiaozhu? Xu Dage, Zhang Wuji replied, Please do not decline. I am giving this book on military strategy to you on behalf of the common people. Xu Da held the book with trembling hands. Zhang Wuji continued, There were two more lines in the saying circulating within the Wulin world: Yitian [relying on Heaven] does not appear, who can match its sharpness? Presently, the Yitian Sword is broken into two; but someday someone will mend it. Hidden inside the Sword was a very fierce secret martial art manual. I also know the meaning of these last two lines. The Military Manual is to be used to drive the Tatars away. Somebody will seize the power. If it happens that the new ruler is abusing his newfound power, that he is simply replacing one tyrant with another, so that the common people are oppressed with great suffering, then there will come a day when a hero, wielding the Yitian Sword, will severe the head of that tyrant. Although by commanding millions of warriors the tyrant is able to overturn the world, he might not necessarily able to withstand one strike of the Yitian Sword. Xu Dage, I want you to remember what I said today. Xu Das back was streaming with cold sweats; he did not dare to decline anymore. Subordinate will cautiously observe Jiaozhus instructions today, he said. With full respect he placed the Wumu Legacy on the table, kneeled down and kowtowed to it four times before respectfully thanking Zhang Wuji again for bestowing the book to him. Hereafter, Xu Da did indeed command his troops with a divine skill; consecutively defeated the Yuan army, until finally he held the commander-in-chief position in the expedition to the north, driving away the Mongolians beyond the Great Wall. His prestige shook the northern desert, establishing meritorious achievement of his generation. Henceforth the Ming Cult was admired by
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the heroes of the Central Plains. Everywhere Zhang Wuji issued his order, nobody dared to disobey. For the last several hundred years the Ming Cult was held in contempt by the common people; they were considered demonic and heretical. After this heaven-turning-and-earth-shaking huge change, the Ming Cult became the leader of the heroes and warriors of the Central Plains, became the driving force behind the resurgences great mission. Later on, Zhu Yuanzhang turned double-minded and repeatedly schemed to ascend the throne. Even so, the Ming Cult people were the ones helping him to take back the country [here, the word is jiang shan river and mountain]; therefore, he could not help but choose the character Ming [bright] as his dynasty name. From the first year of Ming Dynastys Emperor Hongwu [reign name of Zhu Yuanzhang] to the seventeenth year of Emperor Chongzhen [the last emperor of Ming Dynasty], 277 years of ruling the land under the heavens [i.e.China], it was because of the Ming Cult. [Translators note: Jin Yong original text says the first year of Hongwu was wu shen, the forty-fifth year of the 60-year cycle. History of China (J.A.G. Roberts) says Zhu Yuanzhang declared his new dynasty in January of the year 1368. The last year of Chongzhen was jia shen the twenty-first year of the 60-year cycle, or 1644. Roberts did say that Chongzhen committed suicide in 1644; however, 1368 + 277 = 1645. The same book also says that Chongzhen reigned from 1628 to 1645 (seventeen years). One possible explanation I can think of is that according to Chinese calendar, January of 1368 was still considered the previous year.] That evening, the multitude of heroes ate and drank until dawn; it was not until they were drunk did they go to their rooms to rest. Toward the afternoon, one by one they took their leave from Kong Wen and Kong Zhi. Zhang Wuji saw that the Emei disciples were like sheep without a shepherd, his heart was sorrowful. He also saw Song Qingshu was still lying on the stretcher; it was unclear whether he was still alive or had already died. Thereupon he went near them and said to Jing Hui, Let me examine Song Dages injury. Jing Hui coldly said, The cat weeps for the dead mouse. You dont need to shed crocodile tears. Zhou Dian happened to be nearby; he could not restrain himself from cursing, For the sake of old friendship with your Zhang Men [Sect Leader], our Jiaozhu is willing to treat this surnamed Songs injury. Actually, everybody has the right to kill this kind of renegade and betrayer-of-father disciple. What is a wicked nun like you prattling about? Jing Hui was about to retort; but then she saw Zhou Dians rogue looking ugly countenance, she was afraid he might be persistently unreasonable. If a fight broke, she would unavoidably be at a disadvantage; therefore, suppressing her anger she laughed coldly and said, From generation to generation, our Emei Pais Zhang Men has always be clear-as-ice-and-clean-as-jade virgin. If Zhou Zhang Men did not maintain her moral integrity and chastity, how can she be our schools Zhang Men? Humph, if this kind of traitor Song Qingshu stayed with our Sect, he might smear Zhou Zhang Mens reputation. Li Shizhi [martial nephew], Long Shizhi, please return this fellow to Wudang Pai! The two Emei disciples carrying Song Qingshu complied. Lifting up the stretcher, they brought it to Yu Lianzhou and set it down in front of him before promptly returning to their group. Everybody was stunned. Wh what? Yu Lianzhou asked, He is not your Zhang Mens husband? Humph, Jing Hui hatefully said, How could our Zhang Men even look at a man like that? She was unbearably angry to that kid Zhang Wuji for breaking faith and running away from their wedding; humiliating our Sect in front of the heroes from all over the world. It was then that she deceived this kid to come and pretend to be her husband. Who would have thought humph,
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humph, if we had only known, why should our Zhang Men endure this notoriety? Presently, she she Zhang Wuji had been listening from the side with a dull expression on his face; he could not restrain himself from stepping forward and asking, You said Mrs. Song she she is not really Mrs. Song? Jing Hui turned her head and hatefully said, I am not talking to you. Right this moment, Song Qingshu, who was still lying on the stretcher, stirred and moaned, Is is Zhang Wuji killed? On your dream! Jing Hui sneered, Death is at your door, you are still thinking about pretty face. Seeing Jing Hui was emotional and her speech was incoherent, in low voice Yin Liting asked another female disciple of Emei, Bei Jinyi, Bei Shimei [martial (younger) sister), what had actually happened? Bei Jinyi was a good friend of Ji Xiaofu. As Yin Liting asked her, she hesitated for a long time before saying, Jing Hui Shijie [martial (older) sister), Yin Liu Xia is not an outsider. Let Xiao Mei [little sister referring to self] explain to him, alright? What outsider or not outsider? Jing Hui replied, He is not an outsider, we must explain it to him. He is an outsider, we must explain it to him even more. Our Zhou Zhang Men is clean and pure; she has nothing to do with this crafty villain surnamed Song. All of you have seen the shou gong sha [lit. gecko/house lizard sand, chastity mark?] on Zhang Mens arm with your own eyes. We must make this fact known to the Wulin people all over the world, so that our Emei Pais hundred years of uprightness will not be blemished Yin Liting thought, This Jing Hui Shitais mind is jumbled; her speech is somewhat confusing. Thereupon he said to Bei Jinyi, Bei Shimei, since that is the case, could you elaborate more? How did my Song Shizhi get involved with your precious Pai? What relationship did he have with your precious Pais Zhang Men? Someday Xiao Xiong [lit. little/humble elder brother] must report to our Shifu. This matter concerns both of our Sects; I think it will be better not to damage the friendship between the two parties. Bei Jinyi sighed and said, Speaking about both behavior and martial art skill, this Song Shao Xia [young hero] could actually be considered a rare talent within the Wulin world. Only because of one silly youthful lust, he has fallen into such sin. Apparently our Zhang Men promised him that as soon as Zhang Wuji is killed to wash away the humiliation she experienced in her wedding day, she would marry him. Thereupon he agreed to join our Sect and asked our Zhang Men for advice in the marvelous martial art. During the Heroes Assembly the day before yesterday, Zhang Men suddenly declared herself as Mrs. Song; by saying that she was the wife of this Song Shao Xia. At that time, all our Sects disciples were utterly astonished. That same day our Zhang Mens prestige shook the crowd of heroes by subduing all Sects Zhou Dian interrupted, It was because our Jiaozhu was yielding to her intentionally; what a loud horn you are blowing! Bei Jinyi ignored him, she continued, Although our Sects disciples were very happy, when evening came, we still asked her where the Mrs. Song, three characters [Song Fu Ren] came from. Zhang Men exposed her right arm and sternly said, Everybody, come and see! All of us saw with our own eyes the scarlet shou gong sha on her arm, so we know that she has kept her
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chastity. Zhang Men said, It was expedient that I call myself Mrs Song for the time being. I need to make that kid Zhang Wuji angry, to disturb his mind so that I may seize victory over him. This kids martial art is simply too remarkable, I definitely cannot defeat him. For the sake of our Sects reputation, why should I care about my own? She said that with determination and in loud voice as if she wanted everybody to hear it clearly. She also said, The disciples of this Sect, male or female, unless they are chu jia xiu dao [those who leave home (to become Buddhist monks or nuns), and those who practice Daoism], are never forbidden from getting married. However, since our founder Guo Zu Shis [lit. ancestor master], all highest and deepest martial art skills are imparted only to virgins who keep themselves pure. Each time a female disciple bows down to enter our school, Shifu will always plant shou gong sha on our arms. Every year, on Guo Zu Shi birthday, Xian Shi [departed master] would perform inspection. That year Ji Shijie it was Speaking to this point, she stammered and then stopped altogether. Yin Liting and the others understood clearly, however, that Bei Jinyi was going to say that when Ji Xiaofu was violated by Yang Xiao, her shou gong sha disappeared and that was how her disgrace was discovered by Miejue Shitai. Yin Liting and Yang Buhui were happily married, yet as he remembered Ji Xiaofu this time, he could not help from feeling deep sorrow in his heart. Involuntarily he cast a sidelong glance toward Yang Xiao and saw that Yang Xiaos eyes were brimming with tears as he turned his head away. Yin Liu Xia, Bei Jinyi said, Our Zhang Men deliberately wanted to anger the Ming Cults Zhang Wuji by taking advantage of this Song Shao Xias endless infatuation toward our Zhang Men, in the end, it gave birth to many problems. I wish for Song Shao Xias recovery, also for Yin Liu Xia to talk to Zhang Zhenren and Song Da Xia, so as to avoid further hostility between your precious Sect and ours. Yin Liting nodded. So thats how it is. My Shizhi was disobedient and he defied his superior, his death will not be regretted. He truly did bring shame to our humble Sect. I only wish he would die cleanly sooner. Yin Liting was softhearted by nature, but recalling Song Qingshus grave offense by murdering Mo Shenggu, he was really repulsed by him. While they were still talking, suddenly from a distant came a shrill scream; it sounded like Zhou Zhiruos voice, full of shock and fear, as if she had met some extremely dangerous misfortune. Everybody was horrified; especially since it was in the middle of the day, the sun was shining brightly, with people everywhere all around them. Yet this scream was so hair rising, as if the person screaming suddenly saw an evil spirit appear before her very eyes. Almost like on cue, everybody turned their heads to the direction of the noise. Zhang Wuji, Jing Hui, Bei Jinyi and the others rushed forward. Zhang Wuji was afraid Zhou Zhiruo might meet a powerful enemy, so he ran full speed ahead. After several jumps, he had already entered the forest. He saw a dark green shadow running wildly towards him, it was none other than Zhou Zhiruo. Quickly Zhang Wuji met her and asked, Zhiruo, what is it? Zhou Zhiruo cried out with a face full of terror, Ghost, ghost! Theres a ghost chasing me! She threw herself to Zhang Wujis chest, while trembling uncontrollably. Seeing her so frightened as if her soul was leaving her, Zhang Wuji patted her shoulder gently. Dont be afraid, dont be afraid; there is no ghost, he said consolingly, What did you see? He noticed that her clothes were tattered from running through the thick briar and her face was full of bloodstains. Half of the sleeve on her left arm was torn, exposing a snow-white, lotus-root colored arm. Sure enough, there was a red dot, as red as a coral or a red jade, the shou gong sha.
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Zhang Wuji was proficient in medicine. He knew that once this shou gong sha was implanted under the skin, it would stay forever, unless the woman marries or loses her chastity. When listening to Jing Hui and Bei Jinyi previously, he was still half-believing and half-doubting. Now as he saw it with his own eyes, not even half a suspicion remained in his heart. In that moment, myriads of thoughts filled his mind. So her marriage with Song Qingshu was a fake. Why did she deceive me? Why did she deliberately want to anger me? Was it truly because of that Number One Martial Artist of the Present Age title? Was it because she wanted to test my heart, whether I still have feelings toward her? Just as quick, he remembered, Zhang Wuji, oh, Zhang Wuji, Miss Zhou is the enemy who murdered your Biaomei. Whether she is a virgin or already married to someone else, what do you have to do with it? Yet seeing how terrified Zhou Zhiruo was, he did not have a heart to push her away. Zhou Zhiruo buried her face in Zhang Wujis chest. She was aware of Zhang Wujis broad and muscular body and smelled his masculine breath; gradually her fear subsided. Wuji Gege, she said, Is it you? It is I, Zhang Wuji replied, What did you see? Why were you terrified like that? Zhou Zhiruo was suddenly enveloped by fear again. Wah! she broke into crying again; she sobbed uncontrollably on Zhang Wujis shoulder with hot tears streaming down her cheeks. By this time, Yang Xiao, Wei Yixiao, Jing Hui, Yin Liting and the others arrived one after another. Seeing this scene, they signaled each other with their eyes and withdrew quietly. Ming Cult, Wudang Pai and Emei Pai people were all still hoping in their hearts that Zhou Zhiruo will be reconciled with Zhang Wuji and they will become husband and wife. Admittedly, it was difficult for all these people to forget Zhao Mins offense in the past. In addition, Zhao Min was a Mongolian woman; if Zhang Wuji took her as his wife, they were afraid it would hinder their great mission. After crying for a while, Zhou Zhiruo suddenly said, Wuji Gege, is there somebody chasing me? No, Zhang Wuji replied, Who is chasing you? Is it the Xuanming Elders? No! Not them! Zhou Zhiruo said, Have you looked clearly? Are you sure nobody no, it was not a human Are you sure nothing, whatever it is, pursuing me? Zhang Wuji smiled and said, The sun is shining brightly, I can see everything clearly. His voice turned gentle; Zhiruo, he said, You have spent too much energy these past few days; you must be really tired. Perhaps you hallucinated and thought you saw something. Cant be! Cant possibly be! Zhou Zhiruo insisted, I saw it three times; three consecutive times. Her voice trembled; obviously she was terrified. What is it that you saw three consecutive times? Zhang Wuji asked. With one hand on his shoulder, Zhou Zhiruo tried to stand up on her trembling feet. And then, mustering all her courage and strength she turned around to look back. Just an instant she quickly turned her eyes toward Zhang Wuji again and seeing his gentle and soft expression, full of concern, her heart ached; suddenly she felt weary and dropped down on the ground. Wuji Gege, she said, I I have deceived you. I was the one who took Yitian Sword and Tulong Saber, I was the one who killed killed Yin Miss Yin I was the one who sealed Xie Da Xias acupoint. I I did not marry Song Qingshu. In my heart I always have only only you alone.
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Zhang Wuji sighed. Actually, I have already known everything. But but why did you do it? Crying, Zhou Zhiruo said, You dont know what my Shifu told me on the Wan An Temple Pagoda. She told me the secret of the Yitian Sword and the Tulong Saber. She wanted me to obtain the treasured Sword and Saber at all costs, to brighten the name of Emei Pai. She made me swear a heavy oath to pretend that I like you, but she would not allow me to fall in love with you Zhang Wuji gently stroked her arm, remembering how he had witnessed Miejue Shitai struck Ji Xiaofu dead with her palm, how in the great desert Miejue Shitai swore to destroy the Ming Cult, how he saw her massacre the Cult disciples under the Rui Jin Flag with Yitian Sword in her hand. Afterwards, soaring down from the Wan An Temple Pagoda, she preferred death to being help by him. It all showed how deep her hatred toward the Ming Cult was. Since Zhou Zhiruo was appointed her successor and had received her last words, all kinds of malicious and cruel acts she did must be because of her Shifus instructions. By his nature, Zhang Wuji had always been very easy to forgive other peoples offense. He had never held any grudge against anybody. Moreover, he remembered her kindness when they were little on the boat floating along the Hanshui River, how she helped him eat and took a good care of him. Also, during the fierce battle on the Brightness Peak, when he was fighting He Taichong, husband and wife, and the two tall and short elders of Huashan Pai, perhaps he would have been dead right then and there if she did not give him directions from the side. On top of that, he remembered that although she was malicious, cruel and crafty, all her actions were caused by her deep feelings toward him. This moment, as her delicate and frail body was leaning against his bosom, Zhang Wuji could not help from having a tender feeling toward her. Zhiruo, he called in a soft voice, What did you actually see, which made you that scared? Suddenly Zhou Zhiruo jumped up and said, I am not going to say. It must be one of those restless spirit came back to entangle me. I have done too much evil. I deserve this revenge. I have explained to you everything, I I wont live long Covering her face, she scurried down the mountain. Zhang Wuji felt as if his mind was enveloped in fog. What restless ghost entangled her? Was it the Beggar Clans people seeking revenge on her and dressed up as a ghost to frighten her? Slowly he turned around and walked back to the Temple. He saw Zhou Zhiruo go toward the Emei Pai crowd. Bei Jinyi took a coat and wrapped it around her shoulder. Zhou Zhiruo said something in low voice and the Emei Pai disciples bowed together. By this time, most of the multitude of heroes had left the mountain, Kong Wen and Kong Zhi, two monks were busy sending them off. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao and the others congregated around Zhang Wuji. Wed better take our leave too, Zhang Wuji said. He saw Zhou Zhiruo walk toward Kong Wen and speak in a low voice. Kong Wens countenance changed; he looked startled. Then Kong Wen shook his head. Whatever it was, it looked like Kong Wen had just refused her request. Zhou Zhiruo talked some more, and then suddenly she kneeled down in front of him. Clasping her palms together, she mumbled something that looked like she was praying. Kong Wen looked somber, his mouth muttered praises to Buddha. Jiaozhu, Zhou Dian said, You must quickly stop her, dont let her do it. Dont let her do what? Zhang Wuji asked.
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Zhou Dian replied, Miss Zhou is going to leave home [orig. chu jia] to become a monk. She she is going to enter the gate of emptiness. It will be bad for you. Yang Xiao snickered and said, Even if Miss Zhou is going to leave home, she will become a nun, not a monk. Why would she take a Shaolin Pai monk to be her master? Zhou Dian slapped his forehead loudly. Right, right! he said, I was muddleheaded. But what is Miss Zhou asking Kong Wen Dashi to do? One is Shaolin Pai Zhang Men, the other is Emei Pai Zhang Men, they are equal, nobody needs to kneel down in front of the other. They saw Zhou Zhiruo standing up; her face showed she was somewhat comforted. Zhang Wuji sighed and said, We dont need to meddle into someone elses business. Turning his head, he said, Min Mei, let us leave. Who would have thought that as he turned his head, he did not see Zhao Min. For the last several days, Zhao Min had never left his side; she always shadowed Zhang Wuji. Zhang Wuji was slightly stunned. Where is Miss Zhao? he asked, while in his heart he silently cursed, Bad! I am sure Min Mei saw me when Zhiruo leaned against my chest. Could it be that she thinks I cannot forget my old flame and considers me as hopeless? Hastily he ordered everybody to look for her. Xin Ran, the Flag Leader of Lie Huo Flag said, Reporting to Jiaozhu: subordinate saw Miss Zhao walking down the mountain! Zhang Wuji was grieved. Min Mei has abandoned everything to follow me, he mused, She has gone through I dont know how many adversities. How can I give up on her? Thereupon, he turned to Yang Xiao and said, Yang Xiong, I am asking you to take care of our business here. I am going to leave first. He bid his farewell to Kong Wen and Kong Zhi, also to Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi, Yin Liting and the others. Last of all, he said to Zhou Zhiruo, Zhiruo, take a good care of yourself. Well meet again some day soon. Zhou Zhiruo hung her head low; she did not reply, only nodded slightly. Beads of silver tears fell down from her face to the dusty ground. Unleashing his qing gong, Zhang Wuji dashed down the mountain. For the next several lis, the mountain path was full with the heroes returning home from Shaolin Temple. He was not willing to greet the heroes one by one, so he simply flew past them from the side, yet along the way he did not see any trace of Zhao Min at all. In one breath he had pursued for more than thirty lis. The sky was turning dark, the people walking along the road was thinning. Suddenly he remembered, Min Mei is best in planning and scheming. If she has a mind to avoid me, then most likely she will avoid the main road. Otherwise, with my speed, I should have caught up with her long ago. Could it be that she is still hiding around the Shaoshi Peak, waiting for me to leave before she comes out and walk away? Burning with anxiety and he forgetting his own hunger and thirst, he ran back around the hills and valleys. Oftentimes he leaped up a tall tree, a hill peak or steep slope, looking to all directions. The empty mountain was quiet, the only noise came from the crows flying home for the night. Circling around toward the back of the Shaoshi Peak, he still did not see Zhao Min. Whatever happens, he mused, I will always be faithful to you. Even if I have to go to the end of the earth or the corner of the ocean, I will find you. Once he made this decision, his mind calmed down. Looking toward the northeast he saw two large locust trees grew side by side, towering high from a crevasse on the side of the mountain.
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Leaping up the tree, he found a large branch extended horizontally and lied down on this branch. After toiling for the whole day and facing many unforeseen incidents, he fell asleep not too long after he lied down. Toward the middle of the night, in his sleep he suddenly heard gentle footsteps from several dozens zhangs away, which made him wake up with a start. By this time, the round bright moon had already slanting toward the western sky. Under the moonlight, he saw on the hillside, there was a shadow floating speedily to the south. That persons figure was slender with a slim waist; obviously, the shadow belonged to a woman. In his great delight, he nearly called Min Mei; but he immediately realized something was not right. The womans figure was taller than Zhao Min, her qing gong was entirely different from Zhao Mins, although her speed was inferior to Zhou Zhiruos, her steps were lighter and livelier. His curiosity was piqued. This woman wanders alone in the deep of the night, I wonder what is it she is doing? he mused. At first he thought that he did not have any business to meddle with whatever this woman was doing, but then he thought, Who knows? Perhaps I will find Min Meis whereabouts from this woman. If she has nothing to do with Min Mei, then I will slip out quietly, no harm done. I must not let any clue off easily. Thereupon he got up from the tree branch and quietly slipped down. Afraid that the woman might detect his presence, he did not dare to get too close. Besides, by stalking a young girl - a total stranger for that matter - in the middle of the night, it might be difficult for him to avoid frivolous suspicions from others. He noticed that the woman was wearing black clothes, and she indeed was heading toward the Shaolin Temple. Although she has nothing to do with Min Mei, she must be doing some clandestine activity related to the Wulin world, he thought, If her intention is not beneficial to Shaolin, I must interfere. He halted his steps to listen, and did not hear any other people nearby, so he knew that this woman did not have anybody supporting her. Walking for about the time needed to eat a bowl of rice, that woman had never turned her head around. Zhang Wuji had a vague feeling that this woman looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before. Is she Miss Wu Qingying? Or one of the Emei Pai female disciples? Several lis later, Shaolin Temple was already in sight. The woman turned toward the side of the hill, approaching the Temple from the side. Suddenly she slowed down her steps and moved surreptitiously among the trees and the mountain rocks. It was obvious that she was afraid someone might see her. Suddenly he heard clear ringing noise coming from the main hall of the Shaolin Temple, followed by the sound of chanting of several hundred Buddhist monks. Zhang Wuji was greatly puzzled, Shaolin monks are still chanting sutra deep into the night, and there are hundreds of them. Is there an important ceremony going on? he mused. The woman in front of him proceeded even more stealthily. Several dozens zhangs more, she would have reached the side of the main hall. Suddenly there were light footsteps. The woman quickly ducked among the thick patch of grass. Four Shaolin monks with sabers and Buddhist staffs were patrolling around the Temple. The woman waited for the four monks to pass before standing up, and leaped toward the shutter by the main hall. Her leap was as light as flying cotton wool; her qing gong was truly top-notch among the Wulin characters. Zhang Wuji noticed that she did not carry any weapon, plus she was alone; hence he believed it was unlikely that she came to Shaolin Temple to create trouble. He wanted to know who the woman was, whether she was a
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friend or a foe; therefore, crouching behind her, he crept toward the northwest corner of the main hall. He realized that he was in a very awkward situation. Someone of his position snooping around the Temple in the middle of the night, if he was detected by a Shaolin monk, although the other party might feign ignorance, he will not be able to avoid losing a great deal of face. And thus he was twice more careful; each step he took and each movement was as nimble as a cat stalking a mouse. By this time, the chanting inside the hall was getting louder. Peeking from a crack on the window, he saw hundreds of monks arranged in neat rows, all sitting on round meditation mats, all wearing yellow Buddhist robes, draped in scarlet and gold kasayas. Some of them were holding ceremonial articles in their hands; the rest of them clasped their palms together with heads hung low, loudly chanting the sutras. It sounded like they were offering prayers to send departing souls crossing into the netherworld. Zhang Wuji understood immediately. In the Great Hero Assembly this time, there were not a few people lost their lives. During the Yuan army attack up the mountain, even more people from both sides perished. Therefore, the Temple monks are holding this ceremony tonight so that the dead will be reborn happily. He saw that Reverend Kong Wen was standing in front of the sacrificial table. There was a young woman standing on his right. As soon as Zhang Wuji saw her, he was slightly stunned, since that young woman was none other than Zhou Zhiruo. Although he could only see her from the side, he could tell that her expression definitely showed grieve and distress; her pretty eyebrows were deeply wrinkled, as if she was harboring a deep sorrow. That must be it, Zhang Wuji thought, The reason Zhiruo kneeled down in front of Kong Wen Dashi this afternoon must be to ask him to hold this Buddhist ceremony. I suppose she is repenting from her conduct and deeds. The innocents who lose their lives under her claw and her sword are simply too many. Focusing his eyes, he tried to read the memorial tablets arranged on the sacrificial table. To his great surprise, one of the tablets read nu xia Yin Li zhi ling wei, seven characters [the memorial tablet of Heroine Yin Li]. Zhang Wuji felt a stab of pain in his heart, remembering how during her short and miserable life his cousin had always passionately devoted to him; he could not help from shedding some tears. Amidst the ringing of chime stones and the tapping of wooden fish, Zhou Zhiruo gracefully kneeled down and bowed to the ground, while her lips were moving in quiet prayer. ZhangWuji raised up his shen gong [divine strength] trying to listen to what she said. This was what he heard, Miss Yin your spirit in Heaven rest in peace do not come to harass me Zhang Wuji tightened his grip on the wall while disquieting thoughts filled his mind. Biaomei lost her life under her sword, no doubt it was a cruel fate; but the torment inside Zhiruos heart, the pain she is suffering, might not necessarily be lighter than Biaomeis. Suddenly from the ocean of thoughts in his mind a song surged up, the song he heard on the Brightness Peak, sung by the Ming Cult people, What joy is in life, what pain in death? I pity the mankind, with their many sufferings! I pity the mankind, with their many sufferings! Zhou Zhiruo stood up slowly with her body slightly facing the east. Suddenly her countenance greatly changed, while she called out, You you you have come again! Her voice was shrill, suppressing all other noises in the main hall. Zhang Wuji followed the direction of her eyes and saw the paper pasted on the window was
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somehow torn, and the hole revealed a young womans face. The face was full of scars. Zhang Wuji was so shocked that he shivered and could not stop from crying out. Although that young womans face was full of scars and the bumps of the former days were gone, he was very sure the face belonged to his dead cousin, Yin Li! He wanted to rush forward and call her, but his legs did not obey their masters bidding; it was as if his feet were planted on the ground. As the face appeared suddenly on the window, there was a loud crash in the main hall as Zhou Zhiruo fainted and fell to the floor. Zhang Wuji no longer cared whatever Shaolin Pai might think of him; he called out loudly, Zhuer, Zhuer! [spider kid] is that you? But no one answered him. After calming himself down, he flew to the back of the hall to pursue, but all he saw was the moon hanging low on the horizon, casting its cold shadow on the trees; the young woman in black was nowhere to be seen. Normally he did not believe in deities and demons, but faced with these kinds of images and scenes, he could not restrain cold sweats from wetting his body and hairs from rising on the back of his neck. Bracing himself, he said to himself, It is she, it is she! No wonder her back looked so familiar, turns out it is Zhuer. Did her ghost know that the eminent Shaolin monks are offering prayers to help her crossover to the netherworld, so she came here to receive the prayers? Could it be that because she died an unjust death her spirit did not find peace? As the Shaolin monks heard some noise, several people came over to investigate. As they saw Zhang Wuji, they could not help but be startled. A senior monk stepped forward, saluted him and said, We did not know Zhang Jiaozhu came to visit this late at night, otherwise we would have welcomed you properly. Please accept our apology. I do not dare, Zhang Wuji replied, cupping his fists to return the propriety. Stepping aside, he entered the main hall. He saw Zhou Zhiruos eyes were shut tight; her face was without any sign of blood. Apparently, she had not regained her consciousness. Walking toward her, he put forth his strength to massage her and knead [orig. tui na a form of Chinese manual therapy] her back for some time. Zhou Zhiruo slowly awakened. As she saw Zhang Wuji and realized she was in his embrace, Zhou Zhiruo hugged him and called out, Ghost, there is a ghost! Zhang Wuji said, This is indeed strange, but you dont need to be afraid. There are so many eminent monks in here. I am sure they will be able to solve this mystery. Zhou Zhiruo had always been a dignified and staid woman. This time she was scared out of her wits, and right now she was embracing him in public; hearing him say these words, her face blushed and she busily pried herself away from him. She stood up, but could not stop herself from shivering. Quickly she grabbed his hand and even if she had to die, she would not dare to let him go. Zhang Wuji exchanged some propriety with Kong Wen; he mentioned that someone was spying on them outside the window just now. Neither Kong Wen nor any of the monks had seen it, but the fact remained that it was a new torn on the paper, and the hole was still there. Wuji Ge Zhang Jiaozhu, Zhou Zhiruo said, That was what I saw earlier. Zhang Wuji nodded. You you Zhou Zhiruos voice was trembling, Who did you say she was?
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She is Miss Yin, my Biaomei Yin Li, Zhang Wuji replied. Zhou Zhiruo cried out in fear and fainted again. This time Zhang Wuji pulled her hand that she did not fall to the floor. She was unconscious for a moment but quickly recovered. Zhang Wuji said, I did see Biaomei, but she is a human, not a ghost! She is not a ghost? Zhou Zhiruo was still trembling. Zhang Wuji said, I followed her all the way to Shaolin Temple. She walked like a human, not like a ghost. He had said that to comfort Zhou Zhiruo, but deep in his heart, he was unsure. So you saw her walking like a human and not like a ghost? Zhou Zhiruo asked. Zhang Wuji then recounted how he saw that black-dressed young woman and followed her all the way to Shaolin Temple; also how he saw her hiding outside the long window and spying inside the main hall. Every action and every movement was of a young woman who was adept in martial arts, not at all peculiar in any way. Fangzhang, he asked Kong Wen, I [orig. zaixia the humble one] have one thing I am not sure I understand, I beg Fangzhangs advice. When someone dies, will he really become a ghost? Kong Wen pondered about it deeply for half a day before answering, The matter of the netherworld is difficult to assert. Zhang Wuji said, That being the case, why did Fangzhang hold a ceremony to cross the departing soul to the netherworld?" Shanzai, zhanzai! Kong Wen said, The departing soul need not be helped to cross over. In the matter of live and death, virtue has its reward, evil has its retribution. The way of Buddha seeks to help living people achieving peace; the ones need help to cross over are the living ones. Zhang Wuji understood immediately. Cupping his fists he said, Many thanks for the direction. I have stirred up trouble and caused disturbance this late at night. I only wish for Fangzhangs forgiveness. Kong Wen smiled and said, Jiaozhu is our humble Sects great benefactor. You have saved us several times, enabling Shaolin Pai to avoid disaster; why be overly courteous? Immediately Zhang Wuji took his leave from the crowd of monks. To Zhou Zhiruo he said, Let us leave! Zhou Zhiruo seemed reluctant, she was afraid to leave the security of the Buddhist hall. Zhang Wuji did not feel comfortable to urge her strongly; he simply cupped his fists again and said, In that case, we will say goodbye here. Finished speaking, he turned around toward the hall gate. Watching his back, suddenly Zhou Zhiruo called out, Wuji Gege, will you see me again? I let me go with you. She jumped to catch up with him, and then side-by-side they walked out the Temple gate. After they were far away from the Shaolin Temple, Zhou Zhiruo leaned on Zhang Wujis side and held on to his hand. Zhang Wuji knew she was still afraid. With her soft and smooth palm in his hand, and catching a whiff of fragrance coming from her body, it was not possible for his heart to
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remain unmoved. The two of them walked silently for quite some time. Zhou Zhiruo slowly heaved a deep sigh and said, Wuji Gege, when you and I met for the first time at Hanshui River that day, I was saved by Zhang Zhenren. If only I knew that I would suffer so much pain in the later days, my death in Hanshui River that day would be a lot cleaner. Zhang Wuji did not answer; in his heart he remembered the song the Ming Cult people, and without realizing it, he was humming softly, What joy is in life, what pain in death? I pity the mankind, with their many sufferings! Listening to the lyrics of this song, Zhou Zhiruos hand, which held his slightly trembled. In a low voice she said, Zhang Zhenren brought me to Emei Pai. He had my well-being in his mind. But if he, Senior, took me under his wings on the Wudang Mountain, letting me be a disciple of Wudang, everything today would be entirely different. Ay, it is not that En Shi [benevolent master] was not good to me, but but she forced me to make that evil oath, wanted me to abhor the Ming Cult, wanted me to hate you and harm you, while in my heart in all honesty Zhang Wuji was rather touched to hear the sincerity in her voice; he understood she indeed have many difficulties, all sorts of vicious matters, mostly because she honored Miejue Shitais last words. Seeing that she was also very scared, his compassion to her grew one layer deeper. The night breeze blew gently on the mountain road, transmitting faint fragrance of wild flowers around them. It was early summer, the night was clear. With a beautiful girl pouring out her heart so close to him, Zhang Wuji could not stop his heart from beating faster. Moreover, when he helped her driving out the poison on that little island, they were flesh-and-skin close. She had shown him kindness in the past, and she was engaged to him once. All of these had made his heart confused and he was at a loss. Wuji Gege, Zhou Zhiruo continued, In Haozhou that day, when you were just about to get married to me, why did as soon as Miss Zhao bid you, you immediately come with her? Do you really love her with all your heart? I was just about to tell you what happened that day, Zhang Wuji replied, Why dont we stop and sit for a while? He pointed to a big rock by the side of the road. No, Zhou Zhiruo said, At this moment, my heart is in turmoil, I wont be able to listen to you. Let us walk quietly for a moment longer before talking about that. Zhang Wuji nodded. He followed her wander around, seemingly aimlessly. Zhou Zhiruo led him through a small path and walked for four, five lis before she finally said, All right, you can tell me. She walked toward a large mountain rock in front of a clump of bushes. The two of them sat side by side. Thereupon Zhang Wuji told her how Zhao Min had in her hand a bunch of Xie Xuns golden hair, which leave him no choice but to walk away, and everything else that happened afterwards. Zhou Zhiruo listened from start to finish, and then for half a day she did not say anything. Zhiruo, do you blame me? Zhang Wuji asked. Choking, Zhou Zhiruo said, I have done so many wrong things, I can only blame myself, why would I blame you?
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Zhang Wuji gently stroked her shoulder and said in a tender voice, In this world, mistakes arise out of circumstances. Things are difficult to anticipate. You must not be excessively heartbroken. Wuji Gege, Zhou Zhiruo raised her head to look at him, I have something I want to ask you, I want you to answer me sincerely, you must not have the slightest degree of concealment. All right, Zhang Wuji said, I will not conceal anything from you. Zhou Zhiruo said, I know on this world there are four women who love you with all their hearts. One has gone away to Persia, Xiao Zhao. One is Miss Zhao, the other is she She was going to say Miss Yin, but she did not have the courage to utter that name out of her mouth. After pausing for a moment, she continued, If all four of us all alive and well, and right now we are by your side, which one of us do you really love? Zhang Wuji felt a burst of confusion rising in his heart. This mm this he stuttered. Even since that day, when he was on the boat floating aimlessly on the ocean with Zhou Zhiruo, Zhao Min, Yin Li and Xiao Zhao, certainly more than once he had thought about this matter. Each of these four women loves me very much, what should I do? No matter which one I marry, I will deeply hurt the other threes hearts. But in the end, in the deepest part of my heart, which one do I really love? Since it had always been difficult for him to decide, he told himself to just evade the question altogether. Sometimes he thought, The Tatars are not driven out yet, our country [orig. he shan river and mountain] is not being recovered yet, the barbarians [orig. xiong nu a general term for nomadic people] are not destroyed yet; how can I build a family? In the end, what reason do I have for having sons and daughters? Another times he thought, I am the Jiaozhu of the Ming Cult. Anything I say, goes. I am responsible for the prosperity and decline of not only our Cult, but the Wulin world as sell. I am confident that in all my life, I had done nothing to be ashamed of. Yet, if I let myself indulged in female charms, not only I will invite the ridicule of the heroes of the world, I will also spoil our Cults reputation. Yet another time he thought, Just before she died, my Mama earnestly exhorted me that beautiful women are most capable of deceiving people, warned me to be extremely careful all of my life. How can I not heed Mamas last words to me? Actually, arguing every way he liked, in the end he was no more than deceiving himself. Deciding which young woman he loved most would not necessarily hinder the great undertaking of recovering his country. It would not in any way affect Ming Cults reputation. He only thought that this one was very nice, that one was also good, and thus he did not dare to think about them too much. His martial art skill might be strong, but his natural disposition was actually indecisive; all things considered, he preferred to let nature take its own course. When forced to make decision, he would rather sacrifice his own desire than disagree with other peoples wishes. Take the Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi, for example. He trained it because of Xiao Zhaos encouragement. By right, he had held the authority to become the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult; yet he needed Yin Tianzheng, Yin Yewang and the others to push him before he agreed to them. His engagement with Zhou Zhiruo was because he was honoring Xie Xuns request. He did not bow to the Heaven and the Earth with Zhou Zhiruo because Zhao Min compelled him. That day, if Jin Hua Popo and Yin Li did not use force, but persuaded him nicely to come with them to the Lingshe Island, he would most likely go with them.
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Every once in a while, though, he could not help but think, If I can spend the rest of my life with these four women, living together harmoniously, wont I have a happy and carefree live? After all, it was the end of the Yuan Dynasty; whether it was a scholar, a merchant, a Jianghu warrior or an outlaw, it was not uncommon for a man to have three wives and four concubines. On the contrary it was extremely rare for a man to have only one wife. It was just that the Ming Cult originated from Persia, where the followers were encouraged to live a frugal and hard-working life, so that taking a concubine in addition to a single wife was unusual. Zhang Wuji was a mild-natured man. He had this idea that no matter which girl he married, it was to his greatest good fortune. Supposing he took more than one wife, he felt he would be unfair to the other. Consequently, as this thought keep flashing in and out of his head, he always tried to suppress it. Whenever he remembered it, he would immediately rebuke himself, One must always be content with whatever one has; yet I always indulge in this kind of thought. Wont that mean I am a despicable man? Shame on me! Later on, Xiao Zhao went to Persia, Yin Li died, and supposedly, Zhao Min was the one who murdered her. Logically speaking, the only option left for him was to marry Zhou Zhiruo. However, through some unexpected mishaps, some bizarre twists and turns, the truth was gradually being revealed. Zhou Zhiruo and Zhao Min switched places as the good and the evil. He felt so fortunate for not marrying Zhou Zhiruo and thus cast his blunder in stone. In addition, the fact that Zhao Min broke her relationship with her father and brother was publicly known; therefore, he should not have any difficulty in making up his mind, should he? Against all his thoughts and expectations, Zhao Min suddenly disappeared without telling him anything; and right now Zhou Zhiruo was forcing him into a corner with her question. Seeing him hesitate without answering, Zhou Zhiruo said, My question is hypothetical, of course. Xiao Zhao has become the Persian Ming Cults virgin Cult Leader, I have have killed Miss Yin. Out of these four women, Miss Zhao is your only choice. I just want to know, supposing that all four of us are alive and well, we are all by your side, then what would you do? Zhiruo, Zhang Wuji finally said, This matter has been burdening my heart for too long. Obviously, it was very difficult for me to make up my mind, until today I know now who my true love is. Who is it? Zhou Zhiruo asked, Is it is it Miss Zhao? Thats right, Zhang Wuji replied, Today, when I looked for her and could not find her, I wish I was dead. If I henceforth cannot see her again, I do not wish to live longer. When Xiao Zhao left me, I was extremely heart-broken. When my Biaomei died, I was even more grieved. You you came back like this, I was not only pained, but feeling deep regret as well. But, Zhiruo, I wont lie to you, if for the rest of my life I cannot see Miss Zhao anymore, Id rather die. This is my deepest feeling, which I have never made known to anybody else. At first, all four women: Yin Li, Zhou Zhiruo, Xiao Zhao and Zhao Min were equal in Zhang Wujis eyes. But as Zhao Min walked away from him today, he suddenly realized Zhao Mins true place in his heart; she was not on the same position as the other three women. As Zhou Zhiruo heard him say so, she quietly said, That day at Dadu, I saw you go to that small wine shop to meet her, I knew exactly where your heart really was. It was just wishful thinking in my heart; if you and I get married perhaps perhaps I can pull you back to love me. In all honesty really I know that is of course impossible. Zhang Wuji said apologetically, Zhiruo, toward you, I have always had respect. Toward Yin Jia Biaomei [younger female cousin of Yin family], my heart will always be grateful. Toward Xiao Zhao, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for her. But toward Miss Zhao, actually actually I have
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an engraved-in-my-heart-carved-in-my-bones kind of love. Engraved-in-my-heart-carved-in-my-bones kind of love, engraved-in-my-heart-carved-in-my-bones kind of love, Zhou Zhiruo muttered. After pausing a moment, she said in low voice, Wuji Gege my love to you is also engraved-in-my-heart-carved-in-my-bones kind of love. Dont you dont you know it? Zhang Wuji was extremely touched; grabbing her hand, he said in a tender voice, Zhiruo, I know. What I do not know is how am I going to repay you for your great love in my lifetime. I I really have wronged you. You have not wronged me; you have always treated me very well, do you think I do not know it? Zhou Zhiruo said. Let me ask you this: Supposing Miss Zhao this time left you and not came back, you would not see her again forever; supposing she was killed by a wicked man, supposing she had a change of heart toward you, then you what would you do? Zhang Wujis heart had been grieving for too long. As he heard her say those words, he could not bear it anymore. His dam broke and with a choking voice he said, I I dont know! Whatever happens; to the heavens above or to the earth below, I must find her. Zhou Zhiruo sighed and said, She wont have a change of heart toward you. If you really want to find her; nothing could be easier. Zhang Wuji was both surprised and delighted. Where is she? he stood up and said, Zhiruo, tell me, quick! Zhou Zhiruos pair of beautiful eyes stared at Zhang Wuji intently; seeing his face was wild with joy, she said softly, You have never shown this kind of emotion toward me. If you want to find Miss Zhao, you must agree to do something for me. Otherwise, you can forget of finding her, ever. What do you want me to do? Zhang Wuji asked. I have not thought about it yet, Zhou Zhiruo said, Later, when I think of it, I will let you know. I can promise you that this matter will not violate the way of chivalry; it will not hinder the great undertaking of recovering our country, and will not damage your name as well as the Ming Cults reputation. Only, it wont necessarily be easy to do. Zhang Wujis expression went blank. He thought, Min Mei has also asked me to do three things for her; she has also said that it wont violate the way of chivalry and so on, but so far, I have done only two things for her, and those two things were really not easy to manage. Why does Zhiruo have to copy her? Whether you want to do it or not, it is entirely up to you, Zhou Zhiruo said, But a real man is as good as his word. If you agree, you simply cannot shrink back at the last moment. Zhang Wuji hesitantly said, You said that this matter will not violate the way of chivalry; it will not hinder the great undertaking of recovering our country, and will not damage my name as well as the Ming Cults reputation? Thats right! Zhou Zhiruo replied. Very well, Zhang Wuji said, If it indeed will not violate the way of chivalry and will not damage the great undertaking of recovering our country, then I give you my promise now.
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Lets strike our palms to seal the deal, Zhou Zhiruo said. Extending her arm, she was ready to strike his palm. Zhang Wuji understood that as soon as he struck her palm, he would place himself under extremely heavy shackles. Outwardly, this Miss Zhou was gentle, soft, and polite; but her mind was shrewd, her actions cruel. She was not the least bit inferior to Zhao Min. Therefore, as he raised his palm, he did not immediately strike her palm. Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said, As soon as you give me your word, I am going to tell you, and you will meet your beloved very soon. Zhang Wujis chest boiled up. He no longer had any regard for anything else and struck Zhou Zhiruos palm three times. Zhou Zhiruo laughed and said, Look whos here. She reached down to pull and open up the bushes behind her. There it was, behind the clump of leaves sat a young woman whose face appeared smiling yet she was not exactly smiling, and who was she if not Zhao Min? Surprised and delighted, Zhang Wuji loudly called out, Min Mei! Ah! suddenly, from several zhangs behind him, he heard a female voice exclaimed, as if that woman could not restrain from being shocked when she saw Zhao Min appeared in the flesh. The voice was actually very soft, but Zhang Wuji was able to hear her clearly. Zhang Wuji was staring blankly for a moment, loss in countless thoughts going through his mind. Slowly he reached out to pull Zhao Min up. When their palms met, he felt Zhao Mins palm was rather stiff. Immediately he realized that when she left without telling anybody during the day, and then he looked for her everywhere without finding her, she was actually captured by Zhou Zhiruo. Her acupoint was sealed and she was hidden in here. Zhou Zhiruo then intentionally led him and said all those words in this place so that Zhao Min could hear him. If he could not bear to see Zhou Zhiruo sad and spoke thoughtless flattery to her, if his words were full of feeling to her, even acting passionately toward her, then he would fall into her scheme. If that happened, Zhao Min would have left without any question. As he thought about this, he could not help but groan secretly, Shame on me! while his back was wet with cold sweats. Checking Zhao Mins pulse, he found out that her chi and blood were flowing normally, so she did not sustain any injury. Under the moonlight he saw her forehead and the corner of her eyes bore a happy expression; she looked so cute and flirtatious. He believed she heard everything he had just talked with Zhou Zhiruo. Although her body could not move and her mouth could not say anything, her ears could hear very well how he revealed the contents of his heart, that unexpectedly he loved her with engraved-in-his-heart-carved-in-his-bones kind of love. Zhao Min could hear the earnestness in his voice and she was ecstatic beyond her own control. Zhou Zhiruo bent her waist and whispered something in Zhang Wujis ear. Zhang Wuji also replied in low voice. Suddenly Zhou Zhiruo shouted angrily, Zhang Wuji, you really have no regard of me! Look carefully, after Miss Zhao is poisoned, do you think she can live? Zhang Wuji was shocked. She she is poisoned? he asked, Did you poison her? Stooping down to examine Zhao Min, he had just opened Zhao Mins left eye when he felt his back go numb as the acupoint on his back was sealed. Aiyo! Zhang Wuji cried out. His body swayed.
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Zhou Zhiruos movements were as swift as the wind. With her delicate fingers full of strength, she quickly sealed five major acupoints on his left shoulder, the side of his lower back, and the center of his back. Zhang Wuji fell backwards. He saw a dark green flash as Zhou Zhiruo drew out her sword and pointed it toward his chest. You cannot run, you cannot hide, she shouted sternly, I am going to take your life today. Yin Lis ghost is entangling me anyway. I will eventually get killed. Id rather die together with you. While saying that, she raised her sword high, ready to stab it down into Zhang Wujis chest. Suddenly a female voice shouted from behind her, Hold on! Zhou Zhiruo, Yin Li has not died yet! Turning her head around, Zhou Zhiruo saw a woman dressed in black dash from among the thick underbrush, with fingers extended to pierce her. Zhou Zhiruo leaned sideways to evade. The woman turned around. The moon shone its light on the side of her pretty face, albeit full of faint scars. Zhang Wuji saw her clearly; she was none other than his cousin Yin Li, only the bumps on her face had faded. Although her face was crisscrossed with scars, the scars could not cover her beauty. She vaguely looked like the delicate and pretty young girl standing by Jin Hua Popo he met in the Butterfly Valley many years ago. Zhou Zhiruo withdrew two steps backward, her left palm in front of her chest, the sword in her right hand was still pointing toward Zhang Wujis chest. You move one step forward, my sword will kill him first, she barked. Yin Li did not dare to move, she anxiously said, You have you not done enough wickedness already? Are you a ghost or a human? Zhou Zhiruo asked. Naturally I am a human, Yin Li replied. Zhuer! suddenly Zhang Wuji cried out, sprang up and embraced Yin Li. Zhuer he called out again, You I miss you so much that it hurts! Yin Li shrieked as she was taken by surprise; she was unable to move because Zhang Wujis arms were wound around her. Zhou Zhiruo giggled and said, If we did not do this, you wont want to come out. Turning around, she unsealed Zhao Mins acupoints and massaged her veins and muscles. Zhao Min had been under Zhou Zhiruos control for most of the day and was left alone after being thrown in here; she was seething with anger. Luckily, afterward she heard Zhang Wuji pouring out his heart, which turned her anger into joy. However, Yin Lis sudden appearance had increased the countless loads she already bore in her mind. The old hatred had just gone away, new anxiety arose. Yin Li angrily said, What are you flattering and sweet talking to me for? Both Miss Zhao and Miss Zhou are here, watch your manners. Humph, Zhao Min sneered, So he only needs to watch his manners when Miss Zhou and I are here?
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Zhang Wuji said, I was overjoyed beyond words when I saw you arise from the dead. Biaomei, you how are you? Yin Li pulled his hand and held his face toward the moon. After staring at him for half a day, suddenly she reached out to grab his left ear and twisted it forcefully. Aiyo! Zhang Wuji cried out in pain, Why did you do that? You are one ugly freak deserving to be cut in thousand pieces! Yin Li said, You you buried me alive under the ground, you made me suffer countless pain. While saying that, she punched his chest three times, Bang! Bang! Bang! Zhang Wuji did not dare to protect himself with the Jiu Yang Shen Gong. He endured her three punches with a smile, saying, Zhuer, I really thought you were you were dead. I cried myself to exhaustion several times. You are not dead. That is wonderful. Laotianye [lit. old master of the sky Heaven, God] truly has eyes. Laotianye has eyes alright, but you, this ugly freak, do not have eyes, Yin Li angrily retorted, You did not even know whether someone died or was still alive. I just cant believe it. You hated my swollen ugly face; you simply buried me without waiting for my breathing to stop. You dont have any conscience. You are a heartless and short-lived little rascal! As she constantly spitting up curses, her expression, voice and attitude were just like the Yin Li he knew. Zhang Wuji chuckled. Scratching his head, he said, Your scolding is right on target. You are totally right. I was such a muddle-head; I saw your face was full of blood and you were not breathing, you heart was not beating. I thought you were beyond help Yin Li leaped forward to twist his right ear. Zhang Wuji chuckled and moved aside to evade. He bowed and cupped his fists. Good Zhuer, please forgive me! I wont forgive you! Yin Li said, That day I woke up somehow, and felt cold all around me. Turned out I was surrounded by stones. If you wanted to bury me alive, why did you put twigs and stones on me? Why didnt you pile up dirt on me so that I could not breathe and died for real? Thank the Heaven and thank the Earth that I only piled up twigs and stones on your body, Zhang Wuji said. He could not restrain from casting a sidelong glance toward Zhou Zhiruo. Yin Li was angry. This woman is completely wicked; I forbid you to look at her, she said. Why? Zhang Wuji asked. She is the murderer who killed me, Yin Li replied, Why do you still care about her? But you are not dead, Zhao Min interrupted, How can she be your murderer? I have died once, Yin Li said, That makes her the murderer! Good Zhuer, Zhang Wuji tried to persuade her, You have escaped danger and returned to live. We are all very happy. Why dont you sit nicely over here and tell us how did you cheat death and escaped alive? Yin Li said, What do you mean we? Let me ask you this: when you said we, who is we?
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Zhang Wuji said with a laugh, There are only four people in here. Naturally we refers to Miss Zhou, Miss Zhao and me. Humph! with a cold laugh Yin Li said, I am not dead. Granted that you might be somewhat happy, but what about Miss Zhou and Miss Zhao? Are they also happy? Miss Yin, Zhou Zhiruo said, I was so evil in those days; I have harmed you. But later, not only I deeply regretted my actions but also I have never had peace in my sleep. Otherwise, when I suddenly saw you in the woods, I would not be frightened like this. Now that I see you alive and well, my burden has been lifted off. The Heaven above is my witness that my joy is unbounded. Yin Li leaned her head sideways and thought for a moment. She nodded and said, That makes sense. Actually, I was going to settle the score with you, but since you have apologized, Ill let it go. Zhou Zhiruo kneeled down and sobbed, I I truly have committed the gravest offense toward you. Yin Li had always been hot-tempered; but seeing Zhou Zhiruo sincerely admit her guilt, her heart melted. She quickly helped her up and said, Zhou Jiejie, let bygone be bygone, let us forget it. After all, I am not dead. Holding Zhou Zhiruos hand, she took her to sit on her side. Brushing her stray hair aside, Yin Li said, You crisscrossed my face with the swords, it was also not entirely without any benefit. My face was originally bumpy, after the sword cut, the poisonous blood was drained away, the bumps slowly subsided. Zhou Zhiruo was overwhelmed with regret; she did not know what to say. Zhang Wuji said, Afterwards, Yifu, Zhiruo and I lived on that island for a long time. Zhuer, after you came out of the grave, why didnt you see us? I was not willing to see you, Yin Li angrily said, You and Miss Zhou kept whispering sweet nothings to one another; how can I not be angry listening to those crap? Humph! Hereafter my love to you will be doubled or tripled! We are husband and wife, two people one body; how can I mistreat you? In the last several sentences, she was mimicking Zhang Wujis manner of speech. And then, she continued with Zhou Zhiruos voice, What if I wrong you or offend you, will you hit me, scold me, kill me? Since I was little, I had never had a father and a mother to instruct me. It would be difficult not to mess up sometimes. She coughed once and changed her voice to a throaty male voice, Zhiruo, you are my beloved wife. Even if you make any mistake, I wont blame you or scold you. Pointing her finger toward the moon on the western horizon, she said, The moon in the sky is our witness. Turned out when Zhang Wuji and Zhou Zhiruo were pouring their hearts to each other that night, Yin Li had heard everything. As she now repeated their words one by one, Zhou Zhiruos entire face reddened, while Zhang Wuji looked bashful and restless. He stole a glance toward Zhao Min and saw that her face was deathly pale; thus he reached out to hold her hand. To his surprise, Zhao Min turned her palm around and pricked his arm with her two long fingernails. Zhang Wuji winced from the pain, but did not dare to make any noise; he did not even dare to move. Yin Li reached into her bosom and took out a wooden strip. She shoved it in front of Zhang Wujis face. Look clearly. What is this? she asked. Zhang Wuji looked closer and saw a line of characters engraved on the wooden strip; it read The
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Tomb of my Beloved Wife, ZhuEr Yin Li. Zhang Wuji Sincerely Stated. It was exactly the grave marker he erected in front of Yin Lis grave. Yin Li bitterly said, As I crawled out of the grave, I saw this wooden strip, and I was confused. What is this? Where is that heartless and short-lived little rascal Zhang Wuji? I thought about it a hundred times without figuring out what happened, until later on I eavesdropped the two of you calling Wuji Gege this and Wuji Gege that. It suddenly dawned on me that Zhang Wuji is Zeng Aniu, and Zheng Aniu is Zhang Wuji. You, the heartless scoundrel, you have deceived me really bad! She raised the wooden strip and smashed it with all her might onto Zhang Wujis head. Bang! the wooden strip broke, wooden shards flew out in all directions. Zhao Min was angry. Why do you keep hitting people? she said. Yin Li laughed aloud and said, I love to hit him, what does it have to do with you? Your heart hurts, doesnt it? Zhao Min blushed and said, He is yielding to you. You do not know good from bad. Yin Li laughed. Why did you say I do not know good from bad? she asked, Dons you worry, I will not fight with you over this freak. I have given my heart to only one person, one who bit the back of my hand in the Butterfly Valley, Zhang Wuji. About this freak, I dont care if he is called Zeng Aniu or Zhang Wuji, I dont like him the least bit. Turning toward Zhang Wuji, she said in a gentle voice, Aniu Gege, you have always treated me very well, I am very grateful to you. But since a long time ago, I have given my heart to that heartless, ferocious little Zhang Wuji. You are not him, no, you are not him Zhang Wuji was confounded. I am definitely Zhang Wuji, he said, Why what Yin Li looked at him with a tender expression for a long, long time. Her eyes changed irregularly. Finally, she shook her head and said, Aniu Gege, you dont understand. In the western region desert, you and I have gone through live and death situation together. On that small island, you were extremely good to me. You are a good man. But I have already told you, I have given my heart to that Zhang Wuji for a long time. I am going to find him. Tell me, do you think if I find him, he would still beat me, scold me or bite me? Without waiting for Zhang Wuji to answer, she turned around and slowly walked away. Suddenly Zhang Wuji understood. Turned out the one she truly loved was the Zhang Wuji who lived in her memory, the Zhang Wuji she met in the Butterfly Valley, the one who beat her and bite her, the obstinate Zhang Wuji who refused to follow her; not the real Zhang Wuji, the grown up Zhang Wuji who was extremely tolerant and always treated people with kindness. One third part of his heart was wounded, one third of it was reluctant to let her go, yet the other third part was relieved. He followed her with his gaze until her shadow disappeared into the darkness. He knew that for the rest of her life, Yin Li would always remember the very strong teenage boy of the Butterfly Valley, and that she would always want to find him. He realized that she would never find the one she was looking for, but then again, he could say that she had already found him, because that boy had always lived in her heart. Isnt it true that oftentimes, the real person, the actual matter, is not as good as the one inside ones memory? Zhou Zhiruo sighed and said, Its all my fault. I harmed her so bad that she turns crazy. Yet Zhang Wuji thought, She might be a little confused, and that was because of me. But
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compared to a clear-minded person, she is not necessarily less happy. Zhao Min, however, had another matter in her mind. Yin Li had gone, but what about Zhou Zhiruo? Yin Li had not died, Xie Xun had been found, safe and well, the martial art manual concealed inside the Yitian Sword, as well as the military strategy manual inside the Tulong Saber, along with the Saber itself, had been recovered and returned to Zhang Wuji. In short, it appeared that Zhou Zhiruos offenses and mistakes had not turned to the worst. While it was true that Song Qingshu had killed Mo Shenggu because of her, but it was Song Qingshus own crime; Zhou Zhiruo actually did not have any foreknowledge of the matter, also, she certainly did not instigate the incident. Zhang Wuji had had an engagement with her before, and he was not the kind of man who would abandon trust and uprightness. Zhou Zhiruo stood up. Lets go! she said. Where? Zhao Min asked. Zhou Zhiruo replied, When I was at the Shaolin Temple just now, I saw monk Peng Yingyu came in a hurry to look for him, she gestured toward Zhang Wuji. Apparently, there is some important matter within the Ming Cult. Zhang Wujis heart turned cold. I must not neglect important Cult business for the sake of my feelings toward women, he mused, and then hastily said, Let us quickly find out what happened. They set off at once, and after walking quickly for a short while, they arrived at the Ming Cults encampments. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Peng Yingyu, and the others were just about to dispatch their subordinates to look for their Cult Leader. Everybody expressed their delight and relief to see him come back, but when they saw Zhou and Zhao, two women returning with him, their faces all showed surprised looks. Zhang Wuji noticed that everybody looked dejected, immediately he knew something was amiss. Peng Dashi, he asked, Were you looking for me? Before Peng Yingyu even answered, Zhou Zhiruo dragged Zhao Min away by the hand while saying, Let us go and sit over there. Zhao Min understood Zhou Zhiruo was trying to avoid any suspicion; she was not willing to listen to the Ming Cult discussing their internal affairs. Thereupon Zhao Min accompanied her going out the room. Yang Xiao, Fan Yao and the others were even more amazed. They all thought, In Jiaozhus wedding day in Haozhou that day, these two young ladies fought ferociously one against the other; but now they look as close as sisters. I wonder how Jiaozhu reconciled them. He is indeed able to achieve the impossible. The Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi skill truly deserves other peoples admiration. Peng Yingyu waited until Zhou and Zhao, two women left before saying, Reporting to Jiaozhu: We suffered a major defeat in Haozhou; Han Shantong, Han Xiong has fallen. Aiyo! Zhang Wuji cried. He was deeply grieved. Peng Yingyu continued, Presently, the military affair around the Huai Si River is under Zhu Yuanzhang Xiongdis control. As soon as Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, two brothers learned about the news, they deployed their troops to render their assistance. Han Liner Xiongdi is also coming with them. The situation is urgent; we did not wait for Jiaozhus order. Thats how it should be done, Zhang Wuji replied.
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While they were in the middle of discussing military situation, Yin Yewang rushed in and said, Reporting to Jiaozhu: The Beggar Clan is sending their people to inform us that Chen Youliang, that traitors whereabouts has been discovered. Where is he? Zhang Wuji asked. Yin Yewang said, Unexpectedly, that traitor mingles in the midst of our Cult as a subordinate of Xu Shouhui Xiongdi. I heard he has won Xu Shouhui Xiongdis favor and trust. Zhang Wuji pondered for a moment and said, If thats the case, it is inappropriate for us to act rashly. Jiujiu [maternal uncle], I must bother you to send someone to warn Xu Xiong: this traitor Chen Youliang is extremely treacherous and crafty. By letting him staying by his side, Xu Xiong is just waiting for a great disaster to happen; he must by all means not let Chen Youliang stay close to him. Yin Yewang complied, but then he continued, It would be better to eliminate him completely with a blade. Please assign me to handle him! Zhang Wuji was still contemplating the proposal when a Ming Cult disciple came in to deliver an urgent letter from Xu Shouhui. Yang Xiao knitted his brows and exclaimed, Terrible! Its terrible! He has beaten us by taking the initiative. Zhang Wuji unsealed the letter and read. Turned out it was a long report Xu Shouhui submitted to his superior. In it he explained how Chen Youliang admitted his offense to the Cult Leader, how he understood that he had committed a serious crime, how he deeply regretted his sins and wanted to repent. Right now he sincerely wanted to join the Ming Cult and was determined to completely turn from his wicked ways. He was asking the Cult Leader to give him an opportunity to tread the new way. Zhang Wuji handed the letter over to Yang Xiao, Yin Yewang and the others so that they could read it themselves. Yin Yewang said, Xu Xiongdi has fallen under this mans spell; he will certainly suffer misfortune in the future. Yang Xiao sighed and said, This traitor Chen Youliang is extremely wicked, but if we kill him at this moment, the public is bound to find out. It would appear that we are only settling a long-standing grudge without giving any consideration to other peoples qualities. We will inevitably turn the hearts of the worlds heroes cold. What Yang Zuo Shi said is correct, Zhang Wuji said, Peng Dashi, you are a good friend of Xu Xiong. Why dont you advise him to be careful and rise up his guard against Chen Youliang? He must not let the authority over the troops to fall into his hand. Peng Yingyu gave him his consent. Unfortunately, Xu Shouhui dismissed Peng Yingyus advice. Chen Youliang had won his full confidence and in the end he lost his life under Chen Youliangs hands. Afterwards, Chen Youliang seized control of Ming Cults western rebel army. He declared himself Han Wang [King of Han], and fought for control over the land under the heavens [i.e. China] against the eastern Ming Cult rebel army. They fought great battles as far as Lake Poyang, until finally his troops were defeated and he lost his life in battle. During the dozens of years fierce civil war, the heroes and warriors of the Ming Cult suffered very heavy casualties. That very evening, Zhang Wuji had a discussion with Yang Xiao, Peng Yingyu and the others.
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They agreed to dispatch Ming Cult disciples to various army units to coordinate their movements. By the time they finished their meeting, it was already very late at night. Early next morning, Zhao Min said, Zhou Jiejie left last night. She said she did not wait to take her leave from you. Zhang Wuji was depressed for half a day. Then he remembered that the number of days he had been separated from Zhang Sanfeng was simply too great and he missed him. Therefore, taking Zhao Min and Song Qingshu along, he decided to come to Mount Wudang with Yu Lianzhou and the others. The distance between Shaoshi Peak and Mount Wudang was not too far; in just a few days they have reached the mountain. Zhang Wuji accompanied Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting as they entered the inside hall to pay their respects to Zhang Sanfeng, also to see Song Yuanqiao and Yu Daiyan. When Song Yuanqiao learned that his son was outside, his face paled; with a sword in his hand, he stormed outside. Zhang Wuji and the others were in quandary; they felt they must persuade him, yet they realized it was not their place to interfere. Left with no other choice, they went to the main hall in his wake. Zhang Sanfeng also followed them out. Where is that disobedient, rebelling animal? Song Yuanqiao roared. His glance caught Song Qingshu, who was still lying down on the stretcher. Song Qingshus head was covered in plain wrap cloth, even his eyes were covered. The sword in Song Yuanqiaos hand was aimed straight at Song Qingshus body, but Song Yuanqiaos hand went weak and the sword did not continue piercing down. In that instant, he remembered the love between a father and his son, the loyalty among disciples of the same school; all sorts of feeling welled up in his heart. Turning the sword around, he stabbed it into his own lower abdomen. Zhang Wuji hastily reached out to snatch the sword away, while urging, Da Shibo [first martial (older) uncle], you must not do this. Let us leave it to Tai Shifu [grandmaster] to handle this matter properly. Zhang Sanfeng sighed and said, That our Wudang School has produced this kind of unfilial disciple, Yuanqiao, it is not the misfortune of you, one man, alone. It is better for us all not to have this kind of unfilial son! His right hand waved and Bang! it landed on Song Qingshus chest. Song Qingshus internal organs shattered and he stopped breathing instantly. Song Yuanqiao kneeled down and sobbed, Shifu, disciple was negligent in teaching disciple, resulting in Qi Dis [seventh (younger) brother] life lost in that animals hands. How can disciple be worthy of you, Senior, and Qi Di? Zhang Sanfeng reached down to help him up, saying, You do have some part in this transgression. Lianzhou will take over the Zhang Men disciple position from you starting today. You may devote your attention to study and refine the Taiji Fist technique. The day-to-day affair of Zhang Men, you do not need to manage anymore. Song Yuanqiao bowed to thank him and receive the order. Yu Lianzhou tried to decline, but Zhang Sanfeng firmly refused to dismiss him, thereupon he had to accept the order. Witnessing how Zhang Sanfeng executed Song Qingshu, removed Song Yuanqiao from his position, and thus managing his school with a firm hand, there was not anyone present who did not shiver with astonishment.
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Zhang Sanfeng asked about the Great Assembly of Heroes and the rebel armys fight against the Yuan, he was very warm toward Zhang Wuji. Zhao Min kneeled and kowtowed in front of Zhang Sanfeng, asking forgiveness of her previous rudeness and offenses. Zhang Sanfeng laughed and said that he had never kept it in his heart. While it was true that Yu Daiyans lifelong disability, Zhang Cuishans lost of life, were related to her subordinate, Ah Da, Ah Er, and the others, Zhao Min had not even been born yet at that time, so when all is said and done, he could not put the blame on her. When Zhang Sanfeng heard that she willingly forsook her father and brother to follow Zhang Wuji, he said, Very good! Very good! A woman like you is hard to come by! After several days of good visit with Zhang Sanfeng and the others at the Wudang Mountain, Zhang Wuji proceeded toward Haozhou accompanied by Zhao Min. Along the way he repeatedly heard reports of their Cults victories. He also heard that the rebel army had swarmed various places; Zhang Shicheng at Gusu and Fang Guozhen at Taizhou, for instance. Although they were not affiliated with the Ming Cult, they were friendly forces who fought the Yuan together. Zhang Wujis heart was overjoyed; he continued riding with Zhao Min toward the east, envisioning that the days until countrys [orig. he shan] recovery were close. He only hoped that henceforth peace and security would reign over the world, the common people would enjoy a good and prosperous life. If that happened, then the hovering between live and dead, the undergoing of many sufferings in the past several years would not be in vain. Zhang Wuji was not willing to create too much disturbance, hence, along the way he avoided meeting the Ming Cult rebel armys officers and generals. He simply observed them in secret and was pleased to find the rebel armys troops were following strict discipline; they did not harass the common people and everywhere he heard praises to Marshal Zhu Yuanzhang and Senior General Xu Da. One day he arrived at the outskirts of Haozhou. Zhu Yuanzhang had heard about his arrival and sent Tang He and Deng Yu, two generals to lead troops waiting to welcome him and take him to the guesthouse. Tang He reported, Marshal Zhu, along with Senior General Xu Da and General Chang are in the middle of urgent military intelligence meeting. They cannot contain their delight as they learned about Jiaozhus arrival; only they are being bound by military affairs and are not able to welcome Jiaozhu personally. For this disrespectful offense, they are asking Jiaozhus forgiveness. Zhang Wuji laughed and said, We are all brothers, why bother with all these empty talks about welcoming and sending off? Military intelligence matter is more important. That evening, a large banquet was prepared in the guesthouse. Tang He and Deng Yu, two generals acted as hosts. After three rounds of wine, Zhu Yuanzhang, accompanied by his senior generals, hurriedly rushed in and bowed to the ground in front of the banquet table. Zhang Wuji hastily helped him up. Zhu Yuanzhang personally poured some wine and respectfully presented three cups of wine to Zhang Wuji. Zhang Wuji took the cups and dried them up in one gulp. Zhu Yuanzhang also presented some wine to honor Zhao Min, and Zhao Min drank it. During the banquet, they talked about the military situation in various fronts. When talking about their achievements in besieging towns and seizing territories, Zhu Yuanzhang looked rather proud of himself. Zhang Wuji heaped him with praises. While they were still taking, suddenly the Senior General Liao Yongzhong entered the reception hall in big strides. After paying his respects to their Cult Leader, he whispered in Zhu Yuanzhangs ear, He is captured!
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Very good! Zhu Yuanzhang replied. Suddenly, from outside the door someone was shouting loudly, Injustice! Injustice! Zhang Wuji recognized the voice crying injustice was Han Liners. Is that Han Xiongdi? he was astonished, What happened? Zhu Yuanzhang said, Reporting to Jiaozhu: This traitor Han Liner is conspiring with the Tatars, he is scheming to topple our Cult by responding from the inside to their attack from outside. Zhang Wuji was even more shocked, Han Xiongdi is a very loyal and upright person, how can this happen? Take him in quickly, let me ask him personally His words were not finished when he suddenly felt dizzy; the sky became fuzzy and the earth blackened as he lost consciousness. When he came around, he felt his limbs were bound with rough and heavy ropes. Looking around him, all he could see was darkness. His shock was not exactly mild. Fortunately, he felt a soft body leaning against his chest. Turned out Zhao Min and he were bound together, only Zhao Min had not regained consciousness yet. Upon thinking it over, Zhang Wuji realized that Zhu Yuanzhang was behind all this. Most likely he expected the Ming Cult to be successful in the future; then logically and rightfully, Zhang Wuji should become the new emperor. Therefore, he put an extremely strong drug in Zhang Wujis wine with the intention of killing him secretly later. Zhang Wuji circulated his chi around once, and did not find anything unusual in his chest and abdomen; his strength was still intact. He sneered inwardly and thought, So they think they can bind me with this rope? I dont think its that easy. Right now Min Mei has not awakened yet; theres no hurry in leaving. As soon as it is dawn, I am going to expose his traitorous scheme in front of our Cults people. Thereupon he rested quietly to regain his strength. About two hours later, he suddenly heard some people enter the room next door. As he listened to them talking, he recognized the voices of Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, three people. He heard that Zhu Yuanzhang was saying, This man betrays our Cult, surrenders to the Yuan Dynasty. The evidence is conclusive; there is no doubt about it. It pained me just to think about it. Brothers, what do you think we must do? Without waiting for Xu Da and Chang Yuchun to answer, he continued, This mans ears and eyes are numerous; he has trusted comrades everywhere in the army. Wed better not to mention his name. Xu Da was heard replying, Zhu Dage [big brother Zhu], to succeed in an important matter, we must not concern ourselves with trivial matters; we must cut the grass and pull the roots, do not leave any potential problem in the future. But this little thief has always been our superior, Zhu Yuanzhang said, We must not forget kindness and violate justice. This is our basic principle. Chang Yuchun said, If Dage is afraid that by killing him the army would revolt, there is no harm in us making our move quietly, so that Dages reputation will not be implicated. Zhu Yuanzhang was quiet for a moment before saying, Since Xu and Chang, two brothers have already said so, we will deal with him as such, then. Only, this little thief has sown quite some kindness to the people of our Cult, also, two brothers were usually on good terms with him; we
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must keep this matter from leaking out. Ay, the thought of killing him today is truly unbearable for me. Xu and Chang both said, We cannot give friends and personal relations more consideration than the great undertaking of recovering the nation. As the three men finished talking, they went out the room. Zhang Wuji sucked a mouthful of cold air. Immediately he exerted his shen gong [divine power/strength] to break the rope binding his body. Carrying Zhao Min in his arms, he quietly climbed over the wall and went out. Leaning against the wall, he could not stop all sorts of feelings from bubbling up in his heart. That traitor Zhu Yuanzhang forgets kindness and violates justice, I am fine with it. But Xu Dage and Chang Dage have special friendship with me, yet for the sake of riches and honor they are unexpectedly able to betray me. The three of them bear heavy responsibility within the rebel army. If I strike them dead with my palm, I am afraid the armys unity would disintegrate. I, Zhang Wuji, have never coveted name or position. Xu Dage, Chang Dage, you are looking down on me too much. After thinking deeply for half a day, he quietly took Zhao Min to leave the area. When he was safe outside the city, he wrote a letter, appointing Yang Xiao as the new Cult Leader, but he did not write even a single character about what had happened in Haozhou. It never occurred to Zhang Wuji that when Xu Da and Chang Yuchun talked about the little thief, they were actually referring to Han Liner. They did not even know that Zhang Wuji was in Haozhou. Everything was secretly arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang. He wanted to make Zhang Wuji downhearted so that Zhang Wuji would retire voluntarily. First, Zhu Yuanzhang was dreadful of Zhang Wujis divine bravery. Second, Zhang Wuji was their Cults Jiaozhu who was highly esteemed by everybody in their Cult. Lets say he wanted to kill him; not only Zhu Yuanzhang did not have the courage to do so, even if he did succeed in killing him, but if there was the slightest chance of his plot being exposed, the consequences would be too detrimental for him. Zhu Yuanzhang understood very well that Zhang Wuji placed the important matter of recovering the country above all else, moreover, he loved Xu Da and Chang Yuchun like brothers. As soon as Zhang Wuji heard their discussion, he would quietly go away. As expected, everything happened according to Zhu Yuanzhangs anticipation. Although Zhang Wujis martial art skill was unequalled in the present age, in term of scheming and resourcefulness, he was too far below Zhu Yuanzhang. In the end, he had fallen into the treacherous scheme of the most ambitious and ruthless character of their generation. Although Zhang Wuji had never wanted to be an emperor, he would feel saddened for the rest of his life whenever Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, which he thought were without kindness and loyalty, came into his mind. As for the accusation that Han Liner was colluding with the Tatars and betraying his country, it was actually Zhu Yuanzhang who planted false evidence against him. It was because after Han Shantongs death, the army appointed Han Liner as their commander; consequently, Zhu, Xu, Chang, and the other generals became his subordinates. Zhu Yuanzhang forged a letter from Han Liner to the enemy as if it was Han Liners own hadwriting; with a large sum of money, he also bribed Han Liners trusted aide to leak the secret to Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. Xu and Chang, two men, believed without any reservation. As a result, they insisted on Han Liners elimination. Zhu Yuanzhang pretended to uphold righteousness and
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benevolence by refusing to allow the execution. It was not until Xu Da and Chang Yuchun urged him repeatedly that he reluctantly agreed. He held Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min in the adjacent room, knowing that with his martial art skill, for Zhang Wuji to break the rope binding his body was as easy as lifting his finger. He was only afraid that as soon as Zhang Wuji was free, he would find him to exact revenge. Therefore, as soon as he finished talking with Xu and Chang, two men, he immediately went into hiding. Soon after Zhang Wuji left, he ordered Liao Yongzhong to throw Han Liner into the river and let him sank into the bottom. This way, he killed two birds with one stone. His plan was truly flawless. Later, Yang Xiao became the Cult Leader of the Ming Cult; but by this time Zhu Yuanzhang had grown wings, the troops under his command numbered in millions. Yang Xiao was aging and less ambitious than before, he lost any desire to fight over the throne with him. After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he opposed the Ming Cut by issuing an order to strictly prohibit its movement and massacred the brethrens who had once rendered great merit to him. Chang Yuchun died early because of sickness. Xu Da eventually was not able to escape disaster. When Zhang Wuji finished writing the letter to Yang Xiao, Zhao Min saw he did not immediately put down the writing brush in his hand; he had quite an unhappy expression on his face. Zhao Min interrupted his thoughts by saying, Wuji Gege, once you agreed to do three things for me. The first thing was to let me look at the Tulong Saber; the second thing was not to marry Zhou Jiejie back at Haozhou, so the first two matters are already accomplished. I still have the third request to you, you must not fail to keep your own word. Zhang Wuji was startled. You you he stammered, What kind of strange demonic witchcraft do you want me to do this time ? Zhao Min smiled sweetly and said, My eyebrows are too thin. I want you to thicken it with your brush. This matter certainly does not violate the Wulins way of chivalry, does it? Zhang Wuji raised his brush up; he laughed and said, From now on I am going to draw your eyebrows every day. Suddenly from outside the window came a soft giggle and someone said, Wuji Gege, you also promised to do something for me. It was Zhou Zhiruos voice. Zhang Wuji was so engrossed in writing the letter that he did not know when she arrived outside the window. The shutters slowly opened and Zhou Zhiruos beautiful face appeared. Under the candlelight, she looked smiling, yet she was not exactly smiling. Zhang Wuji was startled again. You what do you want me to do? he asked. Zhou Zhiruo smiled and said, I havent thought about it now, but when you and Zhao Jia Meizi [little sister of Zhao family] are ready to bow to the Heaven and the Earth to get married, I am sure I will think of something by then. Zhang Wuji turned to look at Zhao Min, and then he turned again to look at Zhou Zhiruo. In that instant, a myriad of thoughts raced around in his mind. He was unsure if he should be happy or if he should be worried. His hand trembled and the brush fell on the table ... THE END

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Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saberi

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 31 Saber and Sword Lost, People Perish

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 32 Ignorant Grievance, Vain Anxiety, Conceited Desire

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 33 Long Flute, Short Zither, Flowing Yellow Clothes

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 34 The Bride Tore the Red Dress Barehanded

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 35 Casualties of the Lion-slaying Assembly

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 36 The Three Withered Pine-trees Sprouting Green Leaves

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 37 No Hero Under the Heavens Able to Withstand

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 38 A Gentleman is Vulnerable to Deceit

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Chapter 39 The Hidden Military Strategy Manual

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber

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