The Smiling, Proud Wanderer 32 Chapter Seventeen: In Love Part 2

Linghu Chong stepped closer. Fang-Sheng reached out with his right hand and then gripped Linghu Chong's wrist. As soon as he placed his fingers on the "DYuan" and the "Jing-Qu" acupoints on Linghu Chong's wrist, he felt a stream of peculiar inner energy inside Linghu Chong's body, which gave his fingers a violent jolt and made them slip off the acupoints. Fang-Sheng felt a shock in his heart. He was one of the few top fighters among the highest generation of Shaolin monks. It was simply unimaginably queer that the inner energy inside the young man was powerful enough to jolt away his fingers. How could he have known that there were inner energy streams from the Peach Valley's Six Fairies and Monk No Commandment inside Linghu Chong's body? Although he had top notch Kung Fu, himself, when caught off guard, he still could not stand the combined force from those seven elite fighters. He couldn't help but utter a light cry of surprise. Fixed his stare on Linghu Chong's eyes, he spoke slowly.

"Young hero, you are not from the Huashan School."

"I am really an apprentice of the Huashan School. I was the first apprentice my master Mr. Yue ever took in," Linghu Chong replied.

"Then why did you learn the heretical Kung Fu from heterodoxy people afterwards?" Fang-Sheng requested.

"Uncle-Master, this chap is without a doubt using heterodoxy Kung Fu. There's no point denying it. Didn't we see a woman follow behind him just now? Where is she hiding now? I bet she is no good egg, acting so clandestine and all!" Yi Guozi cut in.

"You are a member of a renowned school. How can you be so out of manners?" hearing Yi Guozi insulting the granny, Linghu Chong yelled angrily. "Granny just doesn't want to see you so as not to get angry over you."

"You tell her to come out. Whether she is good or evil, my Uncle-Master can tell with his sharp eyes," Yi Guozi dared him.

"Our dispute started because you were disrespectful to my granny. Haven't you spoken enough nonsense?" Linghu Chong rebuffed.

"Young hero Linghu," Jue-Yue joined in, "earlier when I looked by the hill, I could see that the woman following behind you walked in very nimble steps, and didn't seem to be an aged woman."

"Granny is a member of the Martial World. It's only natural that she had nimble steps. What's so odd about that?" Linghu Chong disagreed.

"Jue-Yue, we are members of the Buddha's order. How can we insist on seeing the elder, female member of other people?" Fang-Sheng reproved. Turning toward Linghu Chong, he said, "Young hero Linghu, there are many doubtful points in this matter that I could not figure out. You are indeed severely wounded. But your internal wounds are completely out of the ordinary. It could not have been my Nephew-Apprentice Yi who had caused the injuries. It is fate that has brought us here together today. I wish you a speedy recovery. Farewell for now. Your internal injury is very serious. I have two pills here that you can take. But I am afraid they won't cure…." Fang-Sheng reached into his chest pocket.

Linghu Chong felt his admiration soar in his heart. "An accomplished monk from Shaolin shows extraordinary bearings indeed," he thought to himself. Bowing toward Fang-Sheng, he said, "It is so fortunate that I can meet Great Master…."

Before he had a chance to finish his words, suddenly a loud ring echoed and Yi Guozi had unsheathed his sword.

"Here she is!" Yi shouted excitedly and then dived into the bush where the granny had been hiding, sword first.

"Nephew-Apprentice Yi, don't be rude!" Fang-Sheng shouted.

With a loud whoosh, Yi Guozi had flown back out from the bush and after gliding tens of feet in the air. Smack, he dropped to the ground like a log, facing upwards. His arms and legs twitched a few times and then he became still.

Fang-Sheng and the rest of the people were astounded. A hole had appeared on Yi's forehead, from which blood gushed out. He still held a tight grip of the long sword in his hand, but he had already stopped breathing.

Xin Guoliang, Huang Guobo, and Jue-Yue roared in unison. Each gripping his weapon tightly they made at the bush in fury. Fang-Sheng extended his arms to his sides, and as the loose sleeves of the monk's robe spread open, a powerful yet soft stream of energy force blocked the three men like an invisible wall.

"May I ask which friend from the Dark-Wood Cliff has come here?" turning toward the bush Fang-Sheng asked gravely, his voice loud and clear. But only silence followed, complete silence, which swept all over the hundreds of shrubs and bushes.

"Our school never had any imbroglio with the Dark-Wood Cliff. Why have you slain Nephew-Apprentice Yi with such murderous scheme?" he asked again, but still, no one responded from within the bushes.

"The Dark-Wood Cliff? The Dark-Wood Cliff is where the Demon's Cult is headquartered. Could…could this granny have been a senior member of the Demon's Cult?" Linghu Chong was thunderstruck.

"I've had the chance to make acquaintance with Chief Dongfang once many years ago. Friend, now that you have committed the murder, we must settle the discord once for all. Why don't you show yourself?" Fang-Sheng urged.

"Chief Dongfang? Is he talking about the chief of the Demon's Cult, Dongfang Invincible? That man was known as the number one fighter in the entire world. Then…then this granny really is a member of the Demon's Cult." Linghu Chong felt another shock shooting up his spine.

But the granny stayed behind the bushes and would not respond.

"Friend, if you insist on not showing yourself, please excuse the old monk's discourtesy then!" Fang-Sheng exclaimed as he retracted his arms slightly, and immediately, energy soared inside his two sleeves, inflating them like two large balloons. He pushed his arms forward and the powerful force shot out from his palms. A loud crack exploded in the air as the dozens of scrubs all broke from the middle and small branches and leaves swirled in the midair. Right at that moment, a shadow leapt out from the remains of the bushes.

Even though Linghu Chong really wanted to take a look at the granny's appearance, he still remembered the promised he had made and quickly turned his back to it. He could hear the roaring and bellowing from Xin Guoliang and Jue-Yue, together with the sounds of weapons clas.h.i.+ng with each other, so dense and so speedy that it sounded as though the raindrops from a thunderstorm bouncing off the window. Apparently the granny had already engaged in the right with Fang-Sheng and his group.

It was about 10 o'clock in the morning, and the sun hung in a corner of the sky, casting rays of suns.h.i.+ne down from an angle. Although Linghu Chong found himself tormented by anxiety and curiosity, in order to keep his promise, he dared not turn his head around to glance at the fight, and only looked down at the ground where dark shadows cast by the five fighters fluttered wildly. Fang-Sheng and his three Nephew-Apprentices had surrounded the granny. Fang-Sheng was not holding any weapon in his hands; Jue-Yue was using a Buddhist's Spade; Huang Guobo used a knife; Xin Guoliang wielded a long sword. The granny had a pair of very short weapons in her hands. They looked like daggers, yet also a.s.sembled the shapes of Emei Stings. The weapons were short and thin, and almost looked as though they were transparent. Looking only based on the shadow from the sun Linghu Chong could not make out what kind of weapons they were. The granny and Fang-Sheng both fought quietly, whereas Xin Guoliang and the rest two all bellowed at the top of their lungs, which seemed to have made their attacks more menacing.

"Can't we talk this over? This is outrageous, four guys attacking an elderly granny at the same time!" Linghu Chong protested.

"An elderly granny? Hha, this chap must be daydreaming. She…" Huang Guobo scoffed when Fang-Sheng suddenly shouted to him, "Huang…watch out!"

Huang suddenly uttered a painful cry. Evidently he had just taken a hard hit.

Linghu Chong was almost struck dumb with amazement. "This granny's Kung Fu must have been terrific!" he thought. "Earlier when Great Master Fang-Sheng broke those scrubs with shear energy force, he showed astonis.h.i.+ng inner strength. But this granny is still able to get the upper hand one against four!"

Suddenly, Jue-Yue also cried loudly in pain. The Buddhist's Spade flew out of his grip, over Linghu Chong's head, and then fell to the ground dozens of feet away. By then, there were only three fluttering shadows on the ground. Both Huang Guobo and Jue-Yue had collapsed, and it was only Fang-Sheng and Xin Guoliang still left in the fight against the granny.

"What a sin! What a sin! You are too ruthless, killing my three Nephew-Apprentices one after another. I can no longer hold my hands. You give me no choice but to do everything in my power to contend with you," Fang-Sheng exclaimed.

Loud clapping sounds followed. It appears that Great Master had wielded his weapon, which seems to have fallen under the category of a wooden club or staff. Linghu Chong only felt the turbulence of energy behind his back became swifter and fiercer, which compelled him to take steps forward again and again.

An accomplished Shaolin Monk was certainly no trivial matter. As soon as Great Master Fang-Sheng began using his weapon, the situation of the fight changed immediately. Linghu Chong could vaguely hear the granny gasping heavily as though she had used up her inner strength.

"Throw down your weapons! I won't make this difficult for you. I only want you to come with me to the Shaolin Temple, so I can tell the abbot apprentice brother what happened and then awaits his judgment," Great Master Fang-Sheng said.

The granny did not respond, instead, she suddenly launched a series of quick attacks toward Xin Guoliang, who had a hard time fending them off and retreated from the fight, letting Great Master Fang-Sheng to take it over. After taking a short moment to collect himself, Xin Guoliang rejoined the fight, waving his long sword fiercely. After a few more minutes, the clanking sounds from the weapons clas.h.i.+ng against each other gradually slowed down while the turbulence created by the inner energy streams turned louder and louder.

"Your inner strength is no match for me. If I were you, I would have thrown down the weapons and then go to the Shaolin Temple with me. Forcing yourself to go on with the fight would only result in severe internal injury," Great Master Fang-Sheng persuaded.

The granny only replied with an angry snort. But suddenly she shrieked and Linghu Chong felt some kind of watery substance splas.h.i.+ng onto the back of his neck. He wiped it with his hand and then looked at the hand, which was now in a color of dark red. What had splashed onto the back of his neck turned out to be blood.

"What a sin! What a sin! With your new wound, you won't be able to hold out much longer. You should know that I have been holding back all along," Great Master Fang-Sheng spoke again.

"This woman is an evil demon. Uncle-Master, please eradicate the evil and avenge the three apprentice brothers. How can we who any mercy to an evil monster?" Xin Guoliang snarled.

Linghu Chong could hear the heavy panting and the staggering footsteps of the granny, and it sounded as if she could be collapsing any minute. "The granny asked me to be her escort so I can protect her. How could I just stand by the side when she is in great danger?" he thought to himself. With an echoing ring, he had unsheathed his long sword.

"Great Master Fang-Sheng, senior master Xin, please stop the fight, or else I'll have no choice but to offend you," Linghu Chong exclaimed loudly.

"We'll just eradicate this evil along with the other evil then," Xin Guoliang bellowed as he thrust his sword toward Linghu Chong's back.

Afraid that he might cast a glance at the granny, Linghu Chong dared not to turn around and simply dodged to the side.

"Watch out!" the granny shouted as Xin Guoliang also adjusted the angle of the thrust and still pushed his long sword toward Linghu Chong's back.

Suddenly Xin Guoliang screeched loudly as his body flew over Linghu Chong's left shoulder with an angle. Then a loud thump followed when his body hit the ground. His limbs twitched a few times before he finally stopped moving. Somehow the granny had managed to hit him with a lethal blow. Only seconds later, there was another loud thump. The granny had been hit with a palm strike from Great Master Fang-Sheng, which sent her flying in the air and then falling into the bushes.

"Granny, Granny! Are you alright?" Linghu Chong yelled in astonishment, then he heard the granny groaning in an undertone.

Feeling somewhat relieved that the granny was still alive, Linghu Chong turned slightly and then shot a thrust at Fang-Sheng. The positioning of the thrust was extremely clever and Fang-Sheng was forced to leap back. Linghu Chong immediately followed with another thrust, which Fang-Sheng managed to block with his weapon. By the time Linghu Chong withdrew his long sword, he had already turn completely around and was now standing in front of Great Master Fang-Sheng face to face. Now he finally saw the weapon Great Master was using: a three-foot long worn staff.

"Who would have expected his weapon to be simply a short staff?" Linghu Chong was taken aback. "This Shaolin monk's inner strength is too overwhelming. If I don't subdue him with my sword arts, the granny would die for sure." At that thought, he quickly thrust up once, down once, and then up another twice, all using techniques taught by Feng Qingyang.

"You…you…." Great Master Fang-Sheng croaked, his face turning completely white.

Linghu Chong dared not to slow down in anyway, knowing too well what consequences that would have brought. He did not have any internal strength, so any slack would give his opponent the opportunity to overwhelm him with resourceful inner energy. Then undoubtedly he would be killed instantly and the granny would for sure be taken to the Shaolin Temple as a prisoner and later executed. He cleared his mind completely, and then poured out techniques after techniques from the profound "Dugu Nine Swords" at will. The "Dugu Nine Swords" sword art was the utmost fine and ingenious sword art. Although Linghu Chong had lost all his inner strength and had not fully understood all the subtleties of this sword art, his sword attacks forced Great Master Fang-Sheng to back up step after step. Soon, Linghu Chong felt the energy streams soaring inside his chest once again and his arms aching and limp; his sword moves also grew weaker and weaker.

"Drop your sword," Fang-Sheng suddenly shouted out as his struck his left palm toward Linghu Chong's solar plexus.

By then, Linghu Chong was already done up. He thrust his sword out, but only half way through with the thrust, his arm dropped down from exhaustion, which also lowered the sword. Grinding his teeth, Linghu Chong pushed the thrust forward anyway, but this slight delay had slowed his thrust quite a bit, and Great Master Fang-Sheng had already placed his left palm on Linghu Chong's soar plexus, holding his inner strength back, asking, "Dugu Nine Swords! Where…?"

But right at that split of a second, Linghu Chong's sword also pierced into Fang-Sheng's pit of stomach. Ever since he met the Shaolin monk, Linghu Chong had held him in the highest regard. As soon as he felt the sword tip touching Fang-Sheng's skin, he pulled hastily with all his strength and withdrew his sword. Having used too much strength at the pull, he lost his balance and fell to the ground, blood gus.h.i.+ng out from his mouth.

"Brilliant sword arts!" Great Master Fang-Sheng pressed his hand onto the wound on his chest and praised brightly. "If young hero had not shown mercy with your sword, my life would have perished right in front of my own eyes."

He did not mention a word about the fact that he had shown great mercy by holding back the power from his palm strike and began coughing wildly after speaking these words. Although Linghu Chong worked his best to withdraw the sword, the tip of the sword still cut into Fang-Sheng's chest, leaving a wound over an inch deep, injuring Fang-Sheng seriously.

"I am…am terribly…sorry that I…I have offended you, Great Master," Linghu Chong gasped.

"I certainly had not thought that senior master Feng Qingyang of Huashan had found a disciple for his brilliant sword arts. I had once received great graciousness from senior master Feng many years ago. Today's matter, I…I can not decide for myself," Great Master Fang-Sheng speak softly. Reaching into his rope slowly, he took out a small paper bag and then unwrapped it, showing two pills in the size of two longans inside. "These are healing panaceas of the Shaolin Temple. You can take one," he said. After a slight hesitation, he said, "Give the other one to that woman."

"My injuries are incurable; why waste a perfectly good pill? Great Master, I think you should take the other pill yourself," Linghu Chong replied.

"I have no need of it."

Great Master Fang-Sheng shook his head and then set the two pills down in front of Linghu Chong. Turning his head around, he looked at the four corpses on the ground one by one, his face now looking mournful and grieved. Putting his palms together, he began reciting some Buddhist scriptures in a gentle voice, and gradually, a look of harmony started to blossom on his face, and eventually, his face appeared so peaceful as though it was glowing with a divine halo, looking "infinitely merciful."

Feeling awfully lightheaded, Linghu Chong knew that he could not hold out much longer, so he picked up the two pills and took one down his throat.

When Great Master Fang-Sheng finally finished reciting the scriptures, he turned to Linghu Chong again.

"The disciple of senior master Feng's Dugu Nine Swords can not have been a follower of evil. Young hero, you have great chivalry deep in your heart. Reasonably speaking, you should not die an untimely death. But the internal injury you are suffering is extremely peculiar and cannot be cured with medicine or acupuncture. The only way for you to stay alive would have to be studying advanced internal Qi-Gong, yourself. If you listen to an old Buddhist monk, I suggest you come to the Shaolin Temple together with me, and then I'll entreat the Head Master apprentice brother to teach you the utmost supreme internal energy techniques of our Shaolin School. I am sure, then, your internal injuries can be cured."

After some more coughs, he continued, "Only the few who possess the right Karma can study this set of Qi-Gong techniques. I, for example, do not have such fortune. The Head Master of the Shaolin School, my senior apprentice brother, is especially large-minded. He might find you the one with the right Karma to teach this supreme Kung Fu to."

"Great Master, many thanks for your kindness. After I've escorted Granny to a safe place, if I were lucky to be still alive, I would pay a visit to the Shaolin Temple and pay my respects to Great Master and the Head Master Abbot," Linghu Chong replied respectfully.

"You…you call her Granny?" A look of surprise spread over Fang-Sheng's face as he muttered. "Young hero, you are an apprentice of a reputable and orthodox school. You should not a.s.sociate with evil. My suggestion is for your own good. It will be wise to reconsider."

"A true man always keeps his words. How can I break my promise to others," Linghu Chong exclaimed.

"Very well! I look forward to seeing young hero again in the Shaolin Temple." Great Master Fang-Sheng sighed. Casting a quick glance at the four corpses on the ground, he murmured, "Four abandoned vessels,[3] burial or no burial, what difference does it show. When a soul leaves the mortal world, death ends it all." Turning on his heels, he strolled away.

"Granny, are you…are you alright?" Linghu Chong asked while sitting on the ground, unable to move. He gasped wildly, his entire body aching.

Rustling sounds rose from behind his back as the granny came out of the bushes.

"I won't die!" she replied. "You'd better go with that old monk. He said he could cure your internal injuries. The internal Qi-Gong techniques of the Shaolin School are absolutely matchless in the world. Why are you still here?"

"I promised to escort Granny, then of course I'll escort all the way," Linghu Chong answered.

"You've been wounded badly. How can you escort me?"

"Aren't you wounded as well? We'll see!" Linghu Chong grinned.

"I am an evil, heterodox monster, and you are an apprentice of a reputable, orthodox school. If you a.s.sociate with me, aren't I ruining the clean name of an apprentice of a reputable school?"

"I never had any clean name to start with. What do I care how others think of me? Granny, you have been so kind to me. Linghu Chong is not one who doesn't know what's right and what's wrong. You have been severely wounded. If I leave you just like that, how can I ever see my own face in a mirror?"

"So you are saying that if I had not incurred any wounds, you would have left me just like that, aren't you?" the granny snapped.

Linghu Chong was slightly taken aback, but he smiled.

"If Granny you don't dislike me, a young and ignorant lad, and would prefer to have me around as company, then Linghu Chong is willing to stay by your side and be your chat partner. But I am afraid that I have always been a crude one who commits all kinds of outrages at will, and maybe only a few days into it, Granny would not want to talk to me any more."

The granny let out a snort but did not answer. Extending his arm backward, Linghu Chong handed the pill given by Great Master Fang-Sheng toward the granny.

"That Shaolin monk is truly remarkable. Granny, you killed four apprentices from his school, but he would rather spare the healing panacea for you instead of taking it himself. When he fought with you earlier, he probably held back some," he said.

"Humph! If he did hold back, how come he still wounded me? People like that pose as members of the reputable and orthodox school, hypocritically pretending to be the good guys. I despise them," the granny replied angrily.

"Granny, why don't you take this pill? After I took one, I did feel much better around my chest and my stomach," Linghu Chong suggested.

The granny acknowledged, but did not take the pill.

"Granny…," Linghu Chong spoke again but was cut off by the granny abruptly.

"We are the only two here. Why do you keep calling 'Granny,' 'Granny?' Can't you give it a rest?"

"Sure. That'll be fine. Why aren't you taking the pill?" Linghu Chong grinned.

"Since you think the healing pill of the Shaolin School is great, and the healing pill I gave you is no good, why didn't you take this pill from the old monk together with the one you took earlier?" the granny mocked.

"What? When did I ever say that your healing pill is no good? You are really wronging me. Besides, the Shaolin School's healing pill is great, and that's why I want you to take it, so you can gather up some strength sooner for the journey."

"I see, so you think it's too boring to be my company, don't you? Go ahead! Leave! n.o.body is stopping you," the granny snapped again.

"Why is the granny so grumpy all of a sudden, always at odds with me? Oh, I got it. She is suffering from severe wounds and is not feeling well, then naturally her temper went high. I can't really blame her," Linghu Chong thought to himself. Grinning brightly, he said, "But I am too exhausted to even move half a step. Even if I wanted to go, I couldn't. Besides…besides…hha…."

"Besides what? Hha what?" the granny asked in an annoyed tone.

'Hha is hha. Besides, even if I could go, I wouldn't have wanted to go, unless you'll go together with me," Linghu Chong beamed.

At first, he had always maintained good manners when talking with the granny, but when she started to throw a fit and became unreasonable, he also became unbridled. But to his surprise, the granny did not get angry and suddenly fell into a silence, lost in thought.

"Granny…," Linghu Chong called out.

"You are calling me Granny again! Have you never called others 'Granny' before? Don't you get tired of calling that?" the granny reproved.

"From now on, I won't call you granny any more. How should I call you then?" Linghu Chong asked with a smile.

The granny did not answer him right away. Only after a few moments, she finally said, "We are the only two here. Why bother? As soon as you open your mouth, I'll know that you are talking to me. Could you have been talking to anybody else?"

"Sometimes I like to talk to myself. I hope you don't misunderstand," Linghu Chong smirked.

"Always talking so roguishly, no wonder your little apprentice sister doesn't want you." The granny snorted.

These words struck Linghu Chong right on the spot in his heart where it hurt the most. His heart sinking horribly, he couldn't help but think, "Little apprentice sister dislikes me and likes apprentice brother Lin. Maybe that really is because I am always roguish in doing things and saying things. That's why she was unwilling to commit her life to my care. That's right. Apprentice brother Lin always toes the line and acts like a perfect gentleman, almost an exact duplicate of Master. If I were a girl, I would have liked him and not the always ill-behaved prodigal, let alone little apprentice sister. Alas, Linghu Chong! Linghu Chong! You always get drunk and run wild, pay no attention to school rules and regulations. You are beyond redemption. I made friends with the evil rapist Tian Boguang; I slept inside the brothel in the town of Hengyang. Little apprentice sister must have felt awful!"

"Why? Did I touch a sour spot? You are angry now, aren't you?" didn't hear a reply from Linghu Chong, the granny asked.

"No, I am not angry. You said it right. I always talk roguishly and doing things roguishly. No wonder little apprentice sister dislikes me, and Master, Master-Wife also dislike me." Linghu Chong answered, his voice gloomy.

"Don't be depressed. Your Master, Master-Wife, and your little apprentice sister dislike you doesn't mean that there's…there's no one else who likes you," the granny comforted him, her voice so soft and gentle, filled with consolation.

Linghu Chong was utterly grateful. A feeling of warmth was.h.i.+ng over him; he felt something choking in his throat.

"Granny, you are so kind to me, so even if n.o.body else in this world likes me, that…that would be all right."

"You surely have a honey mouth, always speaking pleasant things. No wonder even people like Blue Phoenix of the Five-Sylph Sect was full of praises when talking about you. Very well, you can't walk, and I can't walk either. We'll just have to spend the night over there under that cliff. I wonder whether we'll die today."

"If we survive today, I wonder whether we'll die tomorrow. If we survive tomorrow, I wonder whether we'll die the day after." Linghu Chong grinned.

"Drop it! You crawl over there slowly and I'll be right after you."

"But if you don't take this pill from the old monk, I am afraid I don't even have enough strength to crawl one step," Linghu Chong whined.

"You are talking nonsense again. If I don't take that pill, why are you the one having no strength to crawl?" the granny asked.

"This is definitely not nonsense. If you don't take the pill, your injury won't recover soon, and for sure you would not be in a mood to play the zither. Then I'd be all worried to death and where do you expect me to find strength to crawl over? I won't even have any strength to just lie here, much less crawling over," Linghu Chong explained.

"Even lying here requires your strength?" The granny chuckled.

"That's of course. This is a slope here. If I don't use my strength to hold myself still, I would have rolled all the way down it and fallen into the mountain gully down below. Then either I'll smash myself to pieces or drown."

"Even when you are so severely injured, not knowing whether you can make it till tomorrow, you are still in such a merrily mood to joke about. People as cheeky as this had to be rare in this world." The granny sighed.

Linghu Chong threw the pill back behind his back gently. "Will you just take it, please?" he pleaded

"Anyone who poses as a member of the reputable and orthodox schools can not be an good egg. If I take this pill of the Shaolin School, it will only dirty my mouth," the granny let out an irritated snort.

"Ouch!" Linghu Chong suddenly cried as he leaned his upper body to the left and then rolled toward the mountain gully down the slope.

"Look out!" astounded, the granny shouted.

Linghu Chong kept on rolling. The slop was not very steep, but very long. It took Linghu Chong a good while to finally roll to the edge of the gully. Spreading his arms and legs widely Linghu Chong stopped himself from rolling any further.

"Hey? h.e.l.lo? Are you all right?" the granny shouted.

The sharp rocks along the slope gave Linghu Chong's face and arms quite some cuts and bruises, but he kept his silence in spite of the fierce pain.

"Fine! I'll take the old monk's stinking pill. Get…get back up here," the granny shouted again.

"You've said it. You can't go back to your words," Linghu Chong replied.

At the moment there was already quite a distance between the two. Linghu Chong didn't have any inner strength, so his voice couldn't reach very far. The granny only vaguely heard some indistinct sounds, but couldn't make out what he had said.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"I…I…," Linghu Chong wanted to answer, but had to gasp for air.

"Hurry, come up here! I promise I'll take the pill," the granny shouted.

Linghu Chong tottered back onto his feet and tired to climb up the slope, but to roll down the slope was way much easier than climbing back up it again. Only after two steps, his leg suddenly gave out under him, and after some staggering, thump, he really fell into the mountain gully.

Seeing how Linghu Chong fell into the mountain gully from high above with a good view, the granny was stunned. Giving it no thought, she also rolled downward along the slope. When she finally rolled by Linghu Chong's side, she reached out and grabbed onto his left ankle with her left hand. After taking in a few deep breaths, she clutched his back robe and then pulled a dripping-wet Linghu Chong out of the water.

By then Linghu Chong had swallowed many gulps of water and golden sparkles danced in front of his eyes. He shook his head slightly trying to pull himself together when suddenly he noticed the two inverted images reflected in the water: a young girl clutching his back robe tightly in her hand. Feeling very muddleheaded, he then heard the girl uttering a painful cry from behind his back, spilling a mouthful of warm blood onto the back of his neck. The girl bent over his back as though she had been paralyzed. Feeling the girl's soft body leaning on his back and her long hair brus.h.i.+ng against his face, Linghu Chong found himself at a loss, as though all his emotions had been emptied out of his heart. He took another look at the reflection in the water. Half of the girl's face could be seen from the reflection in the water. Her eyes were shut tight, and her long eyelashes swayed in the breeze. Even though he could not see very clearly from the reflection in the water, he could still tell that she was a gorgeous-looking girl seventeen or eighteen years of age.

"Who is this girl? Why did a young girl suddenly come out of nowhere to rescue me?" he was deeply amazed. The reflection in the water and the feeling on his back were both telling him that the girl had fainted. Linghu Chong wanted to turn around and prop the girl up, but his entire body felt weak, and he didn't even have enough strength to raise a finger. It felt as though he was in the middle of a dream. He gave another look at the graceful appearance in the reflection of the water and could not decide if he had arrived at a wonderland. All he could think was, "Am I dead already? Am I in heaven?"

A long while pa.s.sed when the girl on his back finally came around.

"Were you just trying to scare me, or did you really…really want to kill yourself?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

As soon as Linghu Chong heard her voice, he almost jumped out of his skin. The voice he had just heard was completely identical to the voice of the granny. Shocked beyond description, he muttered, trembling, "You…you…you…."

"What? I just won't take the old monk's stinking pill. Go ahead, commit suicide and show me," the girl snapped.

"Granny, so you are a…a pretty, little…little girl!" Linghu Chong muttered.

"How did you know?" the girl screeched. "You…you promise-breaker! Have you peeped?"

As soon as she looked down and then saw a clear reflection in the mountain gully of herself leaning on Linghu Chong's back, her face turned completely scarlet, and she hurriedly struggled to stand up. But right after she straightened her back, her knees became weak and she fell right onto Linghu Chong's bosom. After a few frantic try to prop herself backup, which almost made her faint once more, she had to lay still.

Linghu Chong's heart was filled with puzzlement. "Why did you disguise as an elderly granny to fool me? Pretend to be a senior master, and caused me…caused me…" he asked eagerly.

"Caused you what?" the girl asked.

The girl's cheek was only about a foot from Linghu Chong's eyes. Her skin was so white as though it was made out of crystal, and dimly showing a shade of flush beneath the skin.

"Caused me to call you granny this and granny that all the way. Humph, shame on you! You aren't even old enough to be my younger sister, yet you want to be my granny! If you want to be a granny, better wait at least another eighty years!"

"When did I ever say that I was a granny?" the girl chuckled. "It was you who wanted to call me granny. Didn't I get mad at you because you kept calling me 'Granny' just now? Told you to not call me that, but you just wouldn't listen. Am I right?"

Linghu Chong had to agree inwardly that these words were very true. But having been hoodwinked for so long and having acted like a complete fool on his part, he couldn't just let it go easily.

"You deceived me on purpose when you disallowed me from looking at your face. If I had looked at you face to face, would I have called you a granny? It even goes all the way back to the city of Luo Yang. Even back then you intentionally tricked me, colluding with Elder Bamboo-Green that old goat and asking him to call you auntie. He was already so old, and since you were his auntie, how can I not call you a granny?"

"Elder Bamboo-Green's Master calls my dad Uncle-Master, then what should Elder Bamboo-Green address me as?" The girl grinned.

Linghu Chong was taken by surprise. "Are you really Elder Bamboo-Green's auntie?" he asked hesitantly.

"That bloke Elder Bamboo-Green is not someone extraordinary. Why would I want to pretend to be his auntie? What's so great about been an auntie?"

"Well! I am so stupid. I should have already known." Linghu Chong heaved a sigh.

"Have already known what?" the girl asked, giggling.

"Your voice is so pleasant. How can there be any eighty-year old granny in this world with such a tender and melodious voice?"

"My voice is so coa.r.s.e and hoa.r.s.e, like the croaks of a crow. No wonder you thought I was an old granny," the girl said, beaming.

"Your voice is like the croaks of a crow? Wow, the world has really changed. So croaks of crows nowadays actually sound more pleasant than the singing of the orioles."

The girl knew that Linghu Chong was praising her. A quick flush shot across her cheeks as her heart thumped with joy.

"Alright, alright! Grandpa Linghu! Senior master Linghu! You've called me Granny for so long, now I'll call you back. Will that even it up for you? Are you happy now?" the granny reconciled.

"If you are Granny, and I am Grandpa, then we are the Grandpa and Granny. Aren't we…?" Linghu Chong said in a big grin.

He had always been the unrestrained and uninhibited type, having no scruples when he talked. He was just about to say "aren't we a couple then" when he suddenly noticed the knitted eyebrows and the angry look on the girl's face, so he shut up abruptly.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?" the girl growled.

"I said that if we are the Grandpa and Granny, aren't we…aren't we both senior masters of the Martial World?" Linghu Chong answered.

The girl knew very well that he had just gone out of his way to change his wording, but decided to not pursue the case, afraid that he might spill out even more coa.r.s.e terms. Learning on Linghu Chong's bosom and sensing the strong scent of a male in her nose, she had already felt great distractions in her heart. She really wanted to stand up, but her limbs simply would not comply. With a blushed face, she demanded, "Hey, give me a pus.h.!.+"

"Give you a push for what?" Linghu Chong asked.

"The way…the way we are…is very inappropriate," the girl said.

"It's appropriate for Grandpa and Granny," Linghu Chong grinned.

"If you keep talking rubbish, I'll kill you!" the girl yelled in a stern voice.

Linghu Chong felt a chill on his back as he remembered how she had made dozens of men cutting out their own eyes and then banished them to the Twine-Dragon Island in the East Sea, and he dared not making any more jokes. Then he remembered, "Even in such a young age, she was able to kill four apprentices of the Shaolin School with simply a raise of her hand. Such excellent Kung Fu skills combined with such ruthless conducts, it is so hard to believe that these traits all belonged to this delicately pretty girl right in front of my eyes."

"You are getting angry again, aren't you? You are a man, how come you are so intolerant?" receiving no answer from Linghu Chong, the girl spoke again.

"I am not angry. I am feeling afraid, afraid that you'll kill me," Linghu Chong answered.

"If you remain well-behaved from now on, why would I want to kill you?" The girl cackled.

'But I was born one with a nature of not behaving well, it's not like that I had a choice. I guess I am doomed to die in your hands." Linghu Chong sighed.

"When you were calling me Granny, you showed a lot of respect to me. That was good, very well behaved. Just keep that going and you'll be fine," the girl said with a sn.i.g.g.e.r.

"No way! Once I know that you are a little girl, I can no longer regard you as a granny." Linghu Chong shook his head.

"What…what…?" the girl muttered, but suddenly she seemed to have thought of something; she blushed and shut her mouth.

Linghu Chong bent his neck slightly, and took in a good view of the girl's face. It was a beautiful face, so sweet and charming, still carrying the tender coyness of a young girl, prettier than anything else in the world. In an almost dreamlike state, he felt a slight tickle in his heart, and before he knew it, had already moved his head closer and kissed the girl gently on the cheek.

The girl was shocked, and out of nowhere, she suddenly found some strength inside her that wasn't there a minute ago. Turning her hand over, she slapped Linghu Chong heavily in the face, and immediately after, she sprang up. But the strength disappeared as abruptly as it had come; still in the midair, she found herself just as weak as a second ago, and a faction of a second later, she fell back onto Linghu Chong's bosom once again, only this time she felt even feebler than the last time, and could no longer move a muscle.

"If you…if you do that again, I'll…kill you," afraid that Linghu Chong might take even more liberties with her and feeling utterly apprehensive, she muttered sternly.

"Whether you kill me or not, I have not much time left in this life, anyway, I think I'd rather do it again," Linghu Chong grinned.

"I…I…I…," the girl gasped in great worry, yet found herself at her wit's end.

After working hard to gather some strength, Linghu Chong propped the girl's shoulder slightly and then rolled away to the side.

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"Whatcha gonna do?" he asked with a grin, but right after these words, he coughed violently and spilled out a few mouthful of blood.

Having become enamored all of a sudden and kissed the girl, he regretted immediately. Then after getting hit on the face, even though he was still firm in speech, he knew he shouldn't have done so and dared not to stay close to her any longer.

Linghu Chong rolling away from her all of a sudden took the girl by great surprise. Seeing blood coming out of his mouth once again after he used his strength, she felt regretful secretly, but thin-skinned as she was, she could not bring herself to speak any of it.

"Your…your chest is hurting pretty bad, isn't it?" she finally asked gently.

"It's not my chest that's hurting, it's somewhere else," Linghu Chong replied.

"Where are you hurting then?" the girl asked hurriedly, her voice filled with concern.

"Here!" Linghu Chong stroked his cheek where the girl had slapped him.

"If you want me to apologize to you, alright, I am sorry." The girl smiled.

"It's my fault. Granny, will you please forgive me?" Linghu Chong said.

Hearing him calling her "Granny" again, the girl burst into giggles.

"Where's that stinking pill from the old monk? You never took it, did you?" Linghu Chong asked.

"I didn't have time to pick it up," the girl replied and then pointed at the top of the slope. "It's still up there." She paused for a second and then continued, "I'll listen to you and take it when we get back up there, and not think about the stinking part."

The two of them lay at the bottom of the slope and looked up. If it had been normal days, a simple leap would have gotten them up the slope, but now it looked almost like a ten-thousand-foot perilous peak that could never be reached. After exchanging some stares between each other, both of them sighed at the same time.

"I'll mediate for a while. Don't interrupt me, alright?" the girl finally said.

"Alright!" Linghu Chong answered and then watched the girl leaning against the slope, closing her eyes, holding her thumb, index finger, and middle finger in a unique pose, and froze in a trance. "Even the way she meditate is so different from others. She didn't need to sit up with crossed legs at all."

He tried to calm himself and also take a rest, but the energy streams inside him rolled over and over and he could only struggle in vain. Suddenly a few croaks from a frog broke the stillness, and soon a corpulent frog hopped by him along the bank of the gully. Linghu Chong was delighted. After the much fuss over the last half a day, his stomach had been keen for some food, and now food had just hopped right next to him, how perfect! Wasting no time, he reached for the frog, but his aching and limp arm obviously not cooperating, and he missed the target. With another hop, the frog jumped away from him, croaking loudly as though it was quite pleased with the getaway and jeering at Linghu Chong for his incapability, which Linghu Chong returned with a sigh. But there turned out to be quite a few frogs along the gully, and soon another two frogs hopped by Linghu Chong, who still failed to catch either of them. Suddenly, a thin and delicate hand reached out by his waist and with an easy grip, caught the frog. After meditating for a while, the girl had regained her mobility. Although she still felt feeble and weary, it didn't pose any challenge for her to catch a few frogs.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! We can have a feast of frogs now!" Linghu Chong cheered, which the girl returned with a small grin. She went on catching more frogs, catching a frog with each stretch of her arm. Only a few moments later, she had already caught over twenty frogs.

"That's plenty! Will you please go collect some branches for the fire? I'll clean these frogs," Linghu Chong directed.

The girl went in compliance and soon returned with enough branches. Linghu Chong drew his long sword and began chopping the heads of the frogs off and cleaning out the internal organs.

"The ancients killed the chicken with a cattle knife,[4] and today our Big Hero Linghu kills frogs with the Dugu Nine Swords!" the girl said jokingly, and Linghu Chong broke into a loud laugh.

"If Big Hero Dugu could hear this in the underworld, knowing that his disciple was so unworthy, he had to be enraged to…." he stopped abruptly, thinking that Dugu Seeking-loss had been dead for many years, how could he have been enraged to death again?

"Big Hero Linghu…," the girl spoke again.

"I really don't deserve the name Big Hero. Where do you go find a Big Hero who slaughters frogs?" Linghu Chong shook his hand together with the dead frog in it.

"Well, there was a Dog-Butchering Champion[5] in the ancient times, why can't we have a Frog-Slaughtering Hero today?" the girl chuckled. "This Dugu Nine Swords of yours is marvelous. Even the old monk from the Shaolin School couldn't beat you. He said that the senior master named Feng, who taught you the sword art, is his benefactor. What was that about?"

"The senior master who taught me the sword art is a grandmaster of our Huashan School," Linghu Chong explained.

"This senior master's sword skills must have been almost magical. How come he is so nameless in the Martial World?" the girl asked.

"Well…well…I promised the grandmaster that I'll never let out his story and his whereabouts," Linghu Chong muttered.

"Humph, who cares? Even if you do tell me, what makes you think I'd be interested? Do you know who I am and what kind of backing I have?" the girl challenged.

"I don't know. I don't even know what's your name," Linghu Chong answered, shaking his head.

"You are holding things back from me, so I won't tell you, either!" the girl exclaimed.

"Although I don't know, I've figured most of it out," Linghu Chong replied.

"You figured it out? How did you figure it out?" The girl's face changed color slightly.

"Well, I am not a hundred percent sure yet, but it will be all crystal clear tonight."

"How would it be crystal clear tonight?" the girl couldn't help but ask, feeling even more surprised.

"I'll just look up in the sky and see which star is missing, then I'll know which G.o.ddess has decided to descend to the world. You are as beautiful as an angel, and angels don't come from the secular world."

"Bah!" the girl spit at him, blus.h.i.+ng wildly, yet feeling immense pleasure inward. "You are talking nonsense again," she murmured gently.

By then, she had already lit the fire with the dead twigs and fuzz sticks. Stringing the already cleaned frogs onto a sharp stick, she roasted them above the bonfire. Frog grease dripped into the bonfire and made funny sounds as the wonderful smell of roasted frogs soon filled the air. Staring at the white smoke rising from the bonfire, she spoke gently.

"My name is 'Ying-Ying.' Now that I've told you, I wonder if you'll still remember it as days go by."

"Ying-Ying? That's a pretty name. If I had know that your name was Ying-Ying, I would never have called you Granny," Linghu Chong uttered.

"Why's that?" Ying-Ying asked.

"The name Ying-Ying obviously is the name of a little girl, then of course you can't have been an old granny."

"When I get old and really become an old granny, I wouldn't change my name. I'd still be called Ying-Ying," Ying-Ying smiled.

"You wont' become an old granny. You are so pretty, even when you are eighty years old, you'll still be a very beautiful little girl."

"Wouldn't that make me a monster?" Ying-Ying beamed. She waited for a few seconds and then said with a serious face, "I've told you my name, but you are not allowed to use it to call me."

"Why?"

"You are just not allowed. I don't want you to."

Linghu Chong stuck his tongue out and made a face. "This is not allowed, and that is not allowed. Later whoever becomes your…." he muttered. Then at the sight of Ying-Ying pulling a long face, he quickly stopped, and Ying-Ying grunted heavily.

"Why are you getting angry again? I was saying that later whoever becomes your apprentice has gotten to be suffering some hards.h.i.+p." He had wanted to say "husband" at first, but after sensing trouble ahead, he quickly changed it to "apprentice."

Ying-Ying of course had a very good idea what he had wanted to say at the first place. "You are neither serious nor honest," she exclaimed. "Out of every three sentences of yours, there are at least two of them incoherent. I…I won't force anyone to do anything. If he likes to listen to my words, then he'll listen. If he doesn't, that's his choice."

"I like to listen to your words," Linghu Chong beamed at her. Even this sentence had some teasing elements in it.

Ying-Ying knitted her beautiful eyebrows in a straight line as though she was about to have a fit of anger, but suddenly her face turned scarlet and she turned her head away. For a good while, the both of them just set there, neither one said a word.

Suddenly, they smelled a terrible scent. Something was burning. "Oops!" Ying-Ying cried out when she realized that the burning smell had come from the string of frogs on the stick in her hands. They had been terribly scorched.

"This is all your fault!" she complained.

"You should have said that thanks to my joking with you and making you mad, you were finally able to make such splendid scorched frogs!" Linghu Chong grinned. Pulling a scorched frog off the stick, he tore the frog leg off and then gave it a good chew. "Delicious! Delicious! Only this degree of heating would be just right, adding a little bit of bitter into sweet, and then the sweet taste really comes out when the bitter wears out. This has gotten to be the most delicious food in the world!" he praised.

Amused, Ying-Ying broke into a giggle, and also started eating. Linghu Chong hurried and ate the most burnt frog meat and left the not too badly burnt part for her.

After the two of them finished the roasted frog meat, they lay down to the ground. Bathing in the warm suns.h.i.+ne of the afternoon, both of them were taken over by fatigue and before they knew it, they both closed their eyes and fell asleep.

Since both of them had stayed up through the previous night, and both had injuries, the nap was deep and sound for each of them. In his dream, Linghu Chong found himself practicing sword arts in the waterfall together with Yue Lingshan. But suddenly another man showed up, and it was Lin Pingzhi. Then he had a sword contest with Lin Pingzhi, but he had no strength in his arms, and when he tried hard to use techniques of the Dugu Nine Swords, he just couldn't remember any of it. Again and again, Lin Pingzhi stabbed him in his solar plexus, his stomach, his head, and his shoulders. Then he saw Yue Lingshan bursting into loud laughter. Feeling both shocked and infuriated, he shouted loudly, "Little apprentice sister! Little apprentice sister!" Only after a few cries, he woke up from the dream abruptly. Then he heard a soft voice say, "Did you dream of your little apprentice sister? How was she treating you?"

"Someone wants to kill me. Little apprentice sister not only ignored me, but also…also laughed at me!" Linghu Chong said, his inside writhed with bitterness.

"You have sweat all over your forehead," Ying-Ying sighed and said tenderly.

Raising his arm, Linghu Chong wiped the sweat off with his sleeve. A cold breeze suddenly blew by him and he s.h.i.+vered. Then he noticed the star filled sky. It was at night already.

As soon as Linghu Chong regained his consciousness, he calmed down. Just when he was about to open his mouth and speak, Ying-Ying reached her hand out and covered his mouth.

"Someone is coming," she whispered.

Linghu Chong concentrated his attention and listened carefully. Sure enough, sounds of three men's footsteps rose from a distance.

"There are two more dead bodies," a while later, one of them spoke, and Linghu Chong recognized that to be Zu Qianqiu's voice.

"Ah, this one is a monk of the Shaolin School," another one uttered. It was Old Man who had just discovered Jue-Yue's body.

Ying-Ying slowly withdrew her hand, and then they heard Ji Wus.h.i.+'s voice.

"These three are also laymen apprentices of the Shaolin School. Why have they all died here? Oh, this man is Xin Guoliang. He was an elite fighter of the Shaolin School."

"Who could be so powerful, killing four elite fighters from the Shaolin School all at once?" Zu Qianqiu asked.

"Unless…unless it was someone from the Dark-Wood Cliff? Maybe it was Chief Dongfang, himself?" Old Man murmured haltingly.

"That could well be," Ji Wus.h.i.+ agreed. "We'd better bury these four bodies in a hurry, so people from the Shaolin School wouldn't find it out," he suggested.

"But if it were really someone from the Dark-Wood Cliff who had done this, they wouldn't be afraid of the Shaolin Temple finding out about this. Perhaps they had left these corpses here on purpose to put on a show of force," Zu Qianqiu speculated.

"If they had wanted to put on a show of force, they wouldn't have left these corpses in the middle of nowhere. If we weren't just happen to pa.s.s by here, these corpses would have been eaten by wild animals, and no one would have found out about it. When the Sacred Sun Moon Cult wanted to put on a show of force, most likely they would have hanged these corpses in the middle of the capital city and then marked clearly on the bodies that they are members of the Shaolin School to humiliate the Shaolin School." Ji Wus.h.i.+ said.

"I think you are right! Most likely when people from the Dark-Wood Cliff killed these four, they were in a hurry to pursue more enemies, and didn't have time to bury the bodies," Zu Qianqiu concurred.

Soon, sounds of digging rose as the three began to dig the ground with their weapons, ready to bury the bodies.

"These three men had to be somehow related to Chief Dongfang of the Dark-Wood Cliff, otherwise, they wouldn't have gone through so much trouble," Linghu Chong thought to himself.

Suddenly, Zu Qianqiu uttered a cry of surprise. "What's this? It's a healing pill," he said.

"This is the healing panacea of the Shaolin School. It has the power to return dead to life. I bet that it must have fallen out of a pocket of these Shaolin apprentices," Ji Wus.h.i.+ concluded after sniffing the pill a few times.

"How would you know?" Zu Qianqiu asked.

"Many years ago, I saw one just like this at an old monk from Shaolin," Ji Wus.h.i.+ explained.

"That's just wonderful. Brother Old, since this is a healing panacea, you can let your daughter Not-Dead take this and it will cure her disease," Zu Qianqiu suggested.

"Well, my daughter's fate would only be the second priority. We should hurry to find Young Master Linghu and let him take this pill," Old Man replied, which made Linghu Chong feeling utterly grateful.

"That's the pill Ying-Ying dropped earlier. How can I ask for it back from Old Man, so she could take it?" he thought over.

He turned his head and looked at Ying-Ying. Under the dim moonlight, Ying-Ying grinned at him. She suddenly made a face, looking almost childlike, bearing a most charming smile on her lips. It was so hard to believe that she had just killed four master hands from the Shaolin School not too long ago. Then he heard the sounds of the three filling the grave they just dug up with rocks and soil to cover up the corpses.

"There's a big problem though. Night Owl, help me think here," Old Man muttered.

"What problem?" Ji Wus.h.i.+ asked.

"Right now, Young Master Linghu must be together with…with the Sacred Lady. If I bring the pill over, I'll b.u.mp into the Sacred Lady inevitably. It's all right if the Sacred Lady kills me out of annoyance, but for sure she would have felt very offended and displeased, and that would not be a good thing." Old man murmured.

"So they are referring you as the Sacred Lady, and are just completely fearful of you. Why are you so apt to kill people?" casting a glance at Ying-Ying, Linghu Chong thought to himself.

"Well, I think those three blind men we saw on the road could be very useful then. We'll catch up with those three and ask them to deliver the pill to Young Master Linghu. Since they are blind already, even when they find Young Master Linghu together with the Sacred Lady, it wouldn't end up a fatal disaster," Ji Wus.h.i.+ replied.

"But I suspect that their eyes were cut out because they saw the Sacred Lady together with Young Master Linghu," Zu Qianqiu added.

"That's got to be it!" Old Man struck his own thigh and uttered. "If not, why would three perfectly fine men suddenly went blind? I bet you these four Shaolin apprentices must have had the same kind of misfortune of b.u.mping into the Sacred Lady and Young Master Linghu."

At that word, the trio fell silent, and Linghu Chong finding himself with more doubts and suspicious. Then he heard Zu Qianqiu spoke again after a sigh.

"I just hope Young Master Linghu would have a speedy recovery from his injury, so the Sacred Lady can make a happy loving couple with him soon. As long as they are not married, there is no peace in the Martial World."

Linghu Chong was astounded. He sneaked a peek toward Ying-Ying. Under the dim night-light, he could vaguely make out a scarlet face and a pair of bright eyes, which blazed with irritation. Afraid that Ying-Ying would leap out and hurt the three, he extended his right hand and then held onto her left hand gently. He could feel that Ying-Ying's entire body was shaking wildly, but he could not tell if it was because of rage or shyness.

"Who would have thought the Sacred Lady would get so mad at us for our gathering on top of the Five-Tyrant Ridge," Zu Qianqiu went on. "Alas, a man and a woman finding themselves in a pa.s.sion of love is really the most natural thing, and for someone like Young Master Linghu, an exceptional young hero so unrestrained and benevolent, only a girl as beautiful as the Sacred Lady would be suitable as the counterpart. Why would the Sacred Lady, someone so marvelous, act so bashful like any other vulgar girl? She obviously likes Young Master Linghu very much, yet would not allow anyone to mention that, or to see that together. Wouldn't that have been…been a bit unreasonable?"

"Really? I wonder if these words of his are true or not," Linghu Chong thought.

Suddenly, he felt a strong jerk from Ying-Ying's hand in his palm, trying to break free of his grip. He immediately grabbed even tighter, very afraid that Ying-Ying would kill the three of them instantly out of fury.

"Although the Sacred Lady enjoys exceptional status on the Dark-Wood Cliff, even Chief Dongfang never defied her wish, she is just a young girl after all," Ji Wus.h.i.+ said. "When a young girl falls in love with someone the very first time in her life, even though she likes him so very much in her heart, she would still feel very shy and sensitive about it. This time when we tried to fawn on her, though we had good intention, we still made her very displeased. Too bad that all of us are crude fellows and had no idea about young girls' feelings. There were a few dozen girls and ladies on the Five-Tyrant Ridge, but unfortunately, their dispositions were not that different from any man. The Five-Tyrant Ridge get-together, the brownnosing the Sacred Lady did not like. When this episode gets out, those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds from the orthodox schools are going to laugh their a.s.s off."

"The Sacred Lady has done us great favor, and all of us are grateful to her and only wanted to seek ways to repay her kindness by curing her lover's injury. A true man remembers his grat.i.tude and his grudges; to a benefactor he pays a debt of grat.i.tude, and to an enemy, he seeks his revenge. What's wrong with that? If any b.a.s.t.a.r.d dares to laugh at us, I'll skin him alive," Old Man declared solemnly.

By then, Linghu Chong finally understood. The so many people flattering and fawning on him along his way did so all for the sake of this Sacred Lady named Ying-Ying. And the over one thousand people breaking up a hubbub and leaving in a hurry on top of the Five-Tyrant Ridge was also because the Sacred Lady didn't want any others to know her feelings and became very displeased when this was made widely known in the entire Martial World. Then he thought of something else: If this Sacred Lady, such a young girl, could make so many fellows of the Martial World to fawn on him, she had to be a world-shaking figure in the Demon's Cult. According to Ji Wus.h.i.+, even Dongfang Invincible, the one known as the "Number One in the Martial World" never defied her wishes. Linghu Chong was only a n.o.body in the Martial World, and happened to made her acquaintance by learning the zither from her with a curtain in between at a small alley in the Luoyang city. There was never any feeling of love involved. Could it be that Elder Bamboo-Green had misunderstood it and let the rumor out, which made the Sacred Lady very angry? Then he heard Zu Qianqiu's voice again.

"Old Man said it right. The Sacred Lady granted us great favor and kindness. If there is anything we can do to help to bring them together and make her happy all her life, even if we have to have our body smashed to pieces, we will die with nothing to regret. Being snubbed on the Five-Tyrant Ridge is really nothing. But…but Young Master Linghu is the Head Apprentice of the Huashan School, which is at daggers drawn with the Dark-Wood Cliff. I am afraid that there will probably be many obstacles to overcome before this marriage would work out."

"I've gotten an idea. Why don't we take Yue Buqun, the Head Master of the Huashan School, hostage, and then at knife's point, coerce him into upholding this marriage?" Ji Wus.h.i.+ suggested.

"That's an wonderful idea, Night Owl!" Zu Qianqiu and Old Man cheered together. "There's no time to lose. Let's set off right now for the capture of Yue Buqun," they said.

"But that Mr. Yue is the Head Master of a renown school. He must have great attainments in both the inner energy department and the sword art department. If we fight him, firstly, we don't have a sure win, and secondly, even if we do catch him, I am sure he would rather die than submit. What are we gonna do then?" Ji Wus.h.i.+ asked.

"Then we'll just have to kidnap his wife and daughter to add pressure for him," Old Man replied.

"I agree! But we must do everything in secret, and not let anyone else know about it to make Huashan School lose face. Young Master Linghu would for sure be very displeased if he ever finds out that we have offended his Master," Zu Qianqiu added.

In the next moment, the three began discussing details as to how they could kidnap Madam Yue and Yue Lingshan.

"Hey, you three reckless chaps, get out of here right now and stop bothering me!" Ying-Ying suddenly spoke, her voice loud and clear.

Seeing her opening her mouth and speak all of a sudden, Linghu Chong was stunned. He held her hand with an even tighter grip. Ji Wus.h.i.+, Zu Qianqiu, and Old Man were simply thunderstruck.

"Yes, yes…I…I…I…." Old Man muttered, but after saying the word "I" three times, the terror started to sink in, and he froze.

"Yes, yes, your highness! We were only talking nonsense. The Sacred Lady will not take that seriously. We'll head straight to the Western Regions tomorrow and never return to the Central Plains," Ji Wus.h.i.+ muttered.

"That's three more who have just been banished for life," Linghu Chong thought to himself.

"Who asked you to go to the Western Region? I have something I'd like the three of you handle for me," getting back onto her feet, Ying-Ying said coldly.

"The Sacred Lady speaks the word, and we'll do it with all our heart," the trio replied in unison, each feeling overjoyed.

"I want to kill a person, but could not find him right away. You can spread the word out: whoever kills this man will be guaranteed a handsome reward from me," Ying-Ying instructed.

"We really don't deserve any reward. If the Sacred Lady wants this person dead, even if the three brothers of us have to chase him to the end of the world, we'll find him and kill him. May I ask the Sacred Lady the name of the stupid scoundrel who was so audacious to offend the Sacred Lady?" Zu Qianqiu asked.

"With only the three of you, you would not have enough eyes and ears to trace him. You must spread the word to the entire Martial World immediately," Ying-Ying ordered.

"Yes, yes, your highness," the three replied all together.

"Get on to it, then," Ying-Ying demanded.

"Yes, your highness. Will the Sacred Lady please inform us which daring rascal does she wish to kill?" Zu Qianqiu asked.

"This person' surname is Linghu and his name is Chong. He is an apprentice of the Huashan School." Ying-Ying let out an irritated snort.

These words struck Linghu Chong, Ji Wus.h.i.+, Zu Qianqiu, and Old Man like thunderbolts, and none of them knew what to say. A good while later, Old Man finally managed to mumble a few words out of this mouth, "That…that…."

"What about that? Are you afraid of the Five Mountains Sword Alliance and have not the courage to touch an apprentice of the Huashan School?" Ying-Ying snapped in a stern voice.

"When we serve the Sacred Lady, even the Jade Emperor[6] or the Lord of the Underworld can be subject to our wrath, much less the Five Mountains Sword Alliance. We'll try to capture Linghu…Linghu Chong and bring him to the Sacred Lady's judgment. Old Man, Zu Qianqiu, let's go," Ji Wus.h.i.+ answered.

"Young Master Linghu must have somehow offended the Sacred Lady in their conversations," Old Man thought to himself. "The more intimate a young couple are, the easier they are at odds with each other. Many years ago when Not-Dead's mom and I loved each other so deeply like honey mixed with oil, didn't we also quarrel and fight everyday? Alas, if it weren't because I punched Not-Dead's mom so hard on the stomach when she still had the baby inside her that had messed up the pregnancy, Not-Dead the girl wouldn't have gotten the disease before she was even born. I guess I'll have no choice but to invite Young Master Linghu to see the Sacred Lady and let her deal with him, herself."

Just when Old Man was still in the middle of wild flights of thoughts, Ying-Ying bellowed, "Who asked you to capture him? Every minute this Linghu Chong stays alive will only add more stains my unblemished reputation. The earlier he is killed, the earlier I can vent my resentment."

"Your highness…," Zu Qianqiu stumbled over his words.

"I see. You've developed good friends.h.i.+p with Linghu Chong and simply don't want to handle this for me. That's fine. I'll ask somebody else to spread the word," Ying-Ying said with chill in her tone.

Noticing the graveness in her voice, the three had no choice but to bow in compliance. "Your command is our wish, your highness!" they replied in unison.

But Old Man thought to himself, "Young Master Linghu is a man with kindheartedness and justice. Today I have an order from the Sacred Lady and have no choice but to kill him. But after I do so, I shall commit suicide to accompany him on his way to the underworld." He took the pill out from his chest pocket and then placed it on the ground.

The three of them turned around and set off. Gradually, their receding figures grew more distant and eventually merged into the dark shades of the night.

Linghu Chong cast a sideway look at Ying-Ying, finding her contemplating silently with her head down. "She wants me dead in order to preserve her reputation. How hard could that be?" he thought to himself.

"If you want me dead, you can just take care of it yourself. Why stir up so many people?" Linghu Chong asked as he unsheathed his long sword slowly, turning it and then handed it over, sword handle first.

Taking the long sword, Ying-Ying turned her head slightly and then fixed her stare at Linghu Chong, who straightened his back and burst into a laugh.

"Your end is imminent. Why are you still laughing?" Ying-Ying asked.

"That's exactly why I am laughing – my end is finally coming," Linghu Chong replied.

Raising the long sword, Ying-Ying recoiled her arm in an attacking posture, ready to strike out, but suddenly she turned on her heels and with a strong wave of her arm, threw the long sword in the air. The blade s.h.i.+ned profoundly from the reflection of the dim starlight as it flew across the darkness, and with a clank, fell to the ground in a distance.

"It's all your fault!" Ying-Ying stamped her feet on the ground hysterically. "It's all your fault that so many people are laughing at me, as though that n.o.body…n.o.body will ever want me for the rest…the rest of my life, and I am trying every possible way to make you like me. What…what's so terrific about you? How can I ever see another person without feeling ashamed of myself?"

Linghu Chong let out another laugh.

"And you are still laughing at me? Mocking me?" Ying-Ying yelled heatedly. Suddenly, with a loud cry, she broke down in tears.

Linghu Chong immediately felt sorry as tender affections rising in his heart. He suddenly came to realization. "She has very high status in the Martial World, with the many people always holding her in awe and veneration. Then of course she has a very sensitive pride. Besides, she is a girl, and girls are always born shy. Now when suddenly everybody says that she fell in love with me, it's only natural that she becomes very displeased. She told Old Man and the rest to spread the word only to refute a rumor. She didn't really want me dead. Once everyone hears what she said, of course no one would believe that we are a couple, and the rumor would have no ground."

At that thought, he spoke softly, "It is really my fault, causing damage to your clean name, Miss! I'll be on my way. Goodbye."

"Where are you going?" Ying-Ying wiped the tears off her eyes with her sleeve and asked.

"Anywhere my legs bring me to," Linghu Chong answered.

"But you promised to escort me. How can you just walk away like that?"

"I must have had an inflated opinion of my abilities to say words like that. I've really made a fool out of myself in front of you, Miss. With such outstanding Kung Fu skills you really have no need for any protection. Even one hundred Linghu Chong putting together would be no match for you," Linghu Chong answered with a smile, and as soon as the last word left his mouth, he had already turned on his heels to walk away.

"You can't go!" Ying-Ying yelled hastily.

"Why is that?" Linghu Chong asked.

"Zu Qianqiu and the other two have already set out to spread the word out. It will only take a few days for it to become publicly known. Then everybody will be on your heels trying to kill you. It will be like walking on thorns every step of the way. You wouldn't be able to escape the fatal disaster even if you are perfectly fit, much less when you are so badly injured."

"Linghu Chong dying from Miss's words, that's fine," Linghu Chong grinned indifferently.

He walked over to pick up the long sword on the ground and then shoved it back into its sheath. Feeling pretty sure that he would not be able to climb up the slope, he decided to walk alongside the mountain gully.

"Hey, stop! You!" seeing that Linghu Chong was walking further and further, Ying-Ying ran after him, shouting.

"It will only bring you trouble if Linghu Chong stays with Miss. It will be much better if I leave by myself," Linghu Chong said.

"You…you…," Ying-Ying muttered, biting her lip hard, feeling the distraction growing inside her by the second. Seeing that Linghu Chong simply would not stop walking away, she ran a few steps closer and then uttered, "Linghu Chong, you just want to force me to say it myself, don't you?"

"What? I don't understand?" Linghu Chong asked in surprise.

Ying-Ying bit her lip again and finally said, "I asked Zu Qianqiu and the group to spread the word, because I want you…I want you to stay by my side forever, and never leave me." After these words, she trembled so frantically as though she could collapse any moment.

"You…you want to be with me?" Linghu Chong stood in amazement.

"Yes! After Zu Qianqiu and the other two spread the word out, you can only stay alive if you stay by my side. Who would have thought you didn't care about your life any bit and were not afraid at all. Wouldn't that…wouldn't that have done you for good?"

"So you do care for me very much, but just wouldn't admit any of it in front of those other fellows," Linghu Chong thought to himself as a stream of grat.i.tude washed over him.

He turned around and walked next to her, holding both of her hands into his own. Ying-Ying's hands were icy cold; Linghu Chong could feel that both her palms were covered in cold sweats.

"Your hands are cold." Linghu Chong said gently.

"I am afraid," Ying-Ying answered.

"What are you afraid of?"

"I am afraid this fool right here won't listen to me and would rather risk his life out there. I am afraid that you might not even make it to the end of tomorrow and end up dying under those worthless, rotten lowlifes' murderous hands."

"They are all courageous and straightforward guys who respect you very much. Why do you despise them so much?" Linghu Chong sighed.

"They laugh at me behind my back and they want to kill you. Wouldn't that make them rotten lowlifes?" Ying-Ying argued.

"But it was you who had ordered them to kill me. How can you blame this on them?" Linghu Chong could not hold his grin back. "Moreover, they never laughed at you behind your back? Remember when Ji Wus.h.i.+, Old Man, and Zu Qianqiu mentioned in their conversation, how respectful they were in their tones? What made you think they were laughing at you behind your back?"

"They weren't laughing on their faces, but they were laughing in their guts."

Hearing the girl persist unreasonably, Linghu Chong found it hard to refute, so he said, "All right! If you don't allow me to leave, I'll stay here and be your company. Alas, it probably wouldn't feel that great to be chopped into pieces."

"Wouldn't feel great? You'll feel awful," Ying-Ying replied, feeling wild with joy to hear Linghu Chong agree to stay.

She turned her face to the side when she spoke these words, and illuminated under the dim starlight of the night, the snow-white face seemed to be glowing in a soft radiance. Linghu Chong felt a tickle in his heart.

"This girl in fact is much more beautiful than the little apprentice sister, and she treats me with great care and affection. But…but…why couldn't I forget little apprentice sister even for a single moment?" he thought to himself.

But Ying-Ying had no idea that he was thinking of Yue Lingshan. "Where's the zither I gave you? You lost it, didn't you?" she said.

"That's right! I ran out of money on the way, so I p.a.w.ned the zither in the p.a.w.nshop for some silver," Linghu Chong answered as he took off the pack on his back, opened it, and then took out the short zither.

Ying-Ying could see the tight wrap around the zither in the pack. Knowing that Linghu Chong had always treasured this present from hers, she was very pleased.

"How many lies do you have to make everyday to make yourself happy?" she reproved.

Getting the zither from Linghu Chong, she gave a few plucks to the strings, and then began playing that "Song of Peace and Serenity."

"Have you learned the entire piece yet?' she asked.

"Far from that!" Linghu Chong answered.

Quietly, he listened to the gentler zither sounds, feeling relaxed and joyful. After a while, he noticed that the notes of music were quite different from the ones she had played in the Bamboo-Green Alley in Luoyang. Now they almost sounded like chirps from birds on top of the branches or spurt from mountain strings, with continuous jingles and tinkles, sounding very interesting and pleasant.

"Same melody, but different notes. So this 'Song of Peace and Serenity' can have so many variations," he thought.

Suddenly a loud ring echoed as the shortest string of the zither broke in half. Ying-Ying frowned but continued to play. But only minutes later, another string snapped. Linghu Chong could sense much fidgety carried in the zither play, which were totally contrary to the intention the music was supposed to depict. Before he had any success to think it through, another crack echoed as a third string snapped in half.

"You sit right next to me and keep disturbing me. How can I play the zither well like that?" Pus.h.i.+ng the zither aside, Ying-Ying protested.

"I've been sitting here very quietly since the beginning. When did I ever disturb her?" Linghu Chong thought to himself. But he figured it out right away. "So she could not find peace of mind and she is blaming that on me."

He didn't even try to argue, and simply lay down on the meadow in repose with his eyes closed. Soon his fatigue caught up with him and before he knew it, he had fell asleep.

By the time he woke again, it was already the next day. He looked around and then found Ying-Ying was.h.i.+ng her face on her knees by the mountain gully. He watched on as Ying-Ying began combing her hair after she finished was.h.i.+ng her face. The skin on her arms was so white as though the arms were made out of pure jade, and the beautiful long hair almost touched the ground. The picture was so beautiful that Linghu Chong forgot about everything else and just sat there, watching in a daze.

Ying-Ying looked back over her shoulder and then blushed when she found Linghu Chong gazing at her in a trance.

"Lazy b.u.m! Getting up so late!" she grinned.

"I'll go catch some frogs. Let's see if I've build up enough strength," feeling quite embarra.s.sed to be caught gazing at her, Linghu Chong uttered awkwardly.

"Why don't you stay lying down and rest some more? I'll go catch some," Ying-Ying suggested.

Linghu Chong struggled to get back onto his feet, but all his limbs were sore and limp, and the energy streams inside him seethed the moment he tried to use his strength.

"Either let me die or let me live," Linghu Chong thought to himself, feeling very irritated. "Staying half dead and half alive like this, I am pretty much a good-for-nothing. Even I am disgusted with myself, not mentioning how others would think of me as a complete nuisance."

"Your internal injuries might not be so hard to heal. This is a very secluded area. We have nothing else, anyway. You can just let time take it's course and let the wounds heal slowly. There's no need to be impatient," noticing the displeased expression on Linghu Chong's face, Ying-Ying comforted him.

The valley the gully flow through was located in a remote section of the mountain range. Ever since the night when Ji Wus.h.i.+ and the rest of the group pa.s.sed by, no one else ever showed up. The two of them lived in the valley for almost a fortnight. Ying-Ying's internal wounds had healed early on, and every day she would pick wild fruit and catch wild frogs for food, but Linghu Chong only became thinner and thinner as days go by. She forced him to take the pill left by Great Master Fang-Sheng, and played the zither for him everyday to help him fall asleep, but these did not seem to have an effect on his injuries. Linghu Chong knew that his final day would be coming soon, but having always been open-minded all his life, he did not let that bother him, and kept talking and joking with Ying-Ying every day. Although Ying-Ying had always been arrogant and willful before, at the thought that Linghu Chong could be suddenly gone any moment now, she became even more gentle and soft, docile and obedient, and attended upon Linghu Chong with all her heart. Even at times when she got angry over trifles occasionally, she would immediately regret it and apologize to him.

One day after eating two peaches, Linghu Chong was exhausted already, and soon, he fell asleep. In the ooziness, he heard the sound of somebody sobbing. Opening his eyes slightly, he found Ying-Ying bending over by his side sobbing uncontrollably. Stunned, Linghu Chong was just about to ask the reason for her grief when he stumbled across the answer, "She knows that I am dying. That's why she is so grieved."

"Don't cry! Don't cry! I can live for at least another eighty years. I am not leaving this world in any hurry," reaching out his left hand, he stroked her beautiful hair and said with a forced smile.

"You are getting thinner and thinner every day. I…I…I don't want to live anymore…," Ying-Ying whimpered.

Linghu Chong could feel the utter sincerity and deep sorrow in her voice, and immense grat.i.tude immediately filled his heart. A strong surge of warmth suddenly shot up his throat, and blood immediately gushed out of his mouth. The entire world seemed to have started to swirl around him, and before he knew it, he lost consciousness.

.......

[1] According to Eastern Medicine, it takes hundreds of years to for a ginseng to grow into the shape of a human body, and once it grows into the shape of a human body, its nutrition value becomes extraordinary or even magical.

[2] The Kunlun School is a famous martial arts school headquartered on Mount Kunlun. Mount Kunlun is a large mountain in the Xinjiang Province, a province in the northwest region of China bordering the many countries that used to be members of the former USSR.

[3] In Buddhist theory, the human body is only considered a vessel of the human soul. Once the soul leaves the body, the body becomes worthless.

[4] "Why use a cattle knife to kill the chicken" is a Chinese idiom. It originated from the book The a.n.a.lects of Confucius. According to the book, Confucius traveled to Wu Chang and heard the sound of string instrument and heard the singing. Surprised that his student Zi You had succeeded in transforming the militant temperament of the local people and turned them into music loving people. The great sage said smilingly, "Why use a cattle knife to kill the chicken?" Today this idiom is used to imply that a person of great talent is used for a job of little importance. It's similar to the English idiom "break a b.u.t.terfly on the wheel."

[5] It was recorded in the story Legend of Fan Kuai (yes, this is the same Fan Kuai we talked about in Chapter 14) in The Book of Han (a famous history book written in the Han Dynasty by Ban Gu) that "Kuai, born in the county of Pei, and made a living by butchering dogs."

[6] Jade Emperor is the Supreme Deity of Taoism. He is the ultimate ruler of the entire heaven.