novelFeather Coat (2)
| ← Ch.09 | Ch.11 → |
Hua Tiegan saw that Di Yun's sabre techniques were extremely mediocre and could not even compare to third class fighters in the martial world. He decided that he would kill him now to save himself the trouble later. At once he intensified his attacks as he said: "Niece Shui, you love him dearly, don't you? Have you forgotten about your cousin surnamed Wang?" Shua! Shua! Shua! He cut Di Yun three times on the right shoulder. Fortunately, he had the protection of the dark silkworm vest else his entire arm would have been cut off.
Shui Sheng shouted: "Uncle Hua, don't fight!"
Di Yun scolded: "What are you shouting for? If I can't fight him, then he can kill me." In extreme anger he raised his sabre and slashed randomly. Suddenly, he passed the blood sabre from his right hand to his left hand, then flipped his hand over to attack.
Hua Tiegan did not expect that this little monk would actually be capable of such a technique. This attack came as an unexpected coincidence; Hua Tiegan turned his head to evade the blow, but with a loud slap, he was hit hard on the neck. This attack was so powerful that it shook and numbed half his body. Di Yun was startled and thought: "This is the "Slap-in-the-face Stance" that the old beggar taught me!" He realized this technique worked and executed the "Piercing Shoulder Stance" and "Releasing Sword Stance" in succession.
Hua Tiegan exclaimed: "Liancheng Swordplay! Liancheng Swordplay!"
Di Yun was startled by his words. That day when he fought the eight disciples of Wan Zhenshan in Jingzhou, he executed these three stances and Wan Zhenshan also called it "Liancheng Swordplay". At that time he said Wan Zhenshan was speaking nonsense, but Hua Tiegan is a renowned figure in the Central Plains and is experienced and knowledgeable, yet he also said it was Liancheng Swordplay. Could it be that the three stances that the old beggar taught him was really the Liancheng Swordplay?"
He brandished the sabre like a sword and executed the same three stances numerous times. But how could the martial arts of Hua Tiegan be compared to the likes of Wan Zhenshan's disciples? Besides the element of surprise that came with the first stance, the stances were no longer of any use against him. By the time Di Yun executed the "Releasing Sword Stance" for the fourth time in an attempt to swipe away the ghost sabre, Hua Tiegan was fully prepared for the attack, and with a flying kick he hit Di Yun on the wrist. At once Di Yun lost his grip on the blood sabre. Hua Tiegan continued with a "Push the Boat with the Current" and attacked Di Yun with both weapons.
The sabre and sword both stabbed into his chest, but the edge and tip of both weapons were obstructed by the dark silkworm vest and could not pierce through. Shui Sheng grabbed a rock and camped on the side for an opportunity. When she saw that Di Yun was in danger she threw the rock at the back of Hua Tiegan's head. Last time when Hua Tiegan failed to pierce through Di Yun with his short spear he already felt strange and could not figure out why. He thought that he must have had a bronze or steel medal placed on his bosom that coincidentally blocked the spear head. However, this time both the sabre and sword pierced his chest and it was definitely not a coincidence. He was dumbfounded for a moment and Di Yun took the opportunity to strike back with his palm while Shui Sheng attacked from behind.
Hua Tiegan shouted: "There's a ghost! There's a ghost!" He started to get goose bumps as he thought: "Could it be that the spirits of Eldest Brother Lu and Brother Liu have come back to reprimand me for eating their bodies?" He began sweat coldly and retreated several steps back.
Di Yun and Shui Sheng retreated to the cave at once and shifted several pieces of large rocks to cover up the entrance. The two of them had already stuffed the entrance quite tightly before, now with the addition of more rocks the entrance was completely sealed.
The two of them had just escaped from the brink of death and their hearts were beating at an alarming rate. They heard Hua Tiegan shout: "Come out turtle bastard! You think you can hide in that cave forever? Can you catch birds from inside the cave? Haha! Haha!' Although he laughed heartily, he was actually very scared and did not dare to dig up Shui Dai's corpse and eat it.
Di Yun and Shui Sheng made eye contact and both had the same thought: "He's right, what are we going to eat in here? But if we come out we will be killed at once, what can we do?"
If Hua Tiegan really wanted to pursue them, he could have easily gone in the cave. Di Yun had lost his blood sabre and would have no way of defending. However, as he could not pierce through Di Yun's body he thought there was some otherworldly spirit causing mischief. He was trembling so hard that he did not dare approach.
Di Yun and Shui Sheng guarded the cave entrance for a while. They saw that Hua Tiegan did not attack and felt more relieved. Di Yun inspected the wound on his left arm and saw that it was bleeding. Shui Sheng ripped off a piece of her lapel and bandaged the wound for him. Di Yun had long parted with the ragged and oversized monk garment he used to wear; he covered up his chest so Shui Sheng would not have to see his bare skin. As he pulled his shirt close together a little booklet fell from his bosom. It was the "Blood Sabre Sutra" that he got from Bao Xiang.
He had just had an intense battle with Hua Tiegan. Although the fight did not last long and he did not exert much strength, he was still extremely nervous. After resting for a while, he felt extremely exhausted. He recalled the day when he encountered the Blood Sabre Sutra, how he practiced its cultivation methods by following the diagrams of the male in the booklet, and how it invigorated him. He thought that Hua Tiegan would not let the matter drop; although he would most certainly die if they were to fight, he would at least want to land a few heavy palms on his opponent, but how could he do so if he was so tired? So he flipped to a random page in the booklet and saw a diagram of a man standing upside down, his hands in an extremely awkward position. At once he followed the position of the diagram and stood on his head.
Shui Sheng saw him in such a weird posture and thought that he was going crazy again. She thought that outside was a powerful enemy but inside was a lunatic, what could she do? She could not refrain herself from crying.
Di Yun practiced for about an hour and felt his entire body was warm as if he was next to a fire, he felt an indescribable comfort. He turned to the next page and saw a diagram of a man who stood on his left hand; his body was straight while his legs were hooked against his neck. This position was originally extremely difficult, but after Di Yun completed the Heavenly Glow, he found that he had complete flexibility in his four limbs. At once he followed the position on the diagram, his internal followed the red and green pathways labeled on the diagram and channelled through various acupoints in his body.
This Blood Sabre Sutra consisted of the secrets of both internal and external techniques of the Blood Sabre Clan. The diagram in every page would take an ordinary person a year or so to learn. However, Di Yun had his Ren and Du meridians interlinked and had the matchless internal techniques of the Heavenly Glow as a foundation, even if the martial arts were harder he would still be able to learn it. It did not take him very long to get through each diagram, and he continued to follow the positions page by page. The more he practiced, the more exuberant he felt.
Shui Sheng watched as he practiced martial arts according to the manual. She was frightened when she saw how strange his positions were, and found it both funny and ridiculous. At the same time, she was astonished as she thought: "Could there actually be such a martial art under heaven?" She moved forward two steps and took a look at the Blood Sabre Sutra. When she saw that every page had a diagram of a naked man in various positions, her face flushed red. Her heart pounded as she thought: "If the little vicious monk keeps practising, will he take off his clothes too?"
Fortunately, this never happened.
Di Yun continued practising. He turned another page and saw a diagram of a man holding a curved sabre in an offensive position. Di Yun was shocked and blurted out, "Blood Sabre Art!" At once he picked up a twig and practiced according to the diagrams.
This Blood Sabre Art was truly a strange phenomenon. In every stance the sabre was brandished in an unimaginable way. Di Yun only learned three stances before he understood. It turns out that every stance was a result of various strange positions from both front and back. There were diagrams of the man turning upside-down, horizontally, extending his leg to his neck, or flipping over his hand to grab his ear. At once Di Yun picked four stances and practiced them until he was completely familiar. He thought: "I will continue practicing without rest. If I finish practicing these 20 or 30 stances, in four or five days I will be able to have a rematch with the one surnamed Hua. Alas, it is unfortunate that I did not learn these stances sooner."
However, Hua Tiegan would not even give him half a day's rest. Di Yun was focused on practicing the sabre arts when Hua Tiegan shouted from outside the cave, "Little monk, do you think your father-in-law's heart and liver taste any good? It really tastes great!"
Shui Sheng was startled by his words. She pushed aside the rocks and saw Hua Tiegan digging her father's grave with the ghost head sabre. He had not yet completely uncovered the body but it would only be a matter of time. Shui Sheng shouted: "Uncle Hua, you... do you not care about your sworn brotherhood?" She rushed outside.
Hua Tiegan had intended to lure her outside. The plan was to first knock her out and then deal with Di Yun, lest the two of them join forces in battle. Hua Tiegan's movements were quick as lightning; in an instant, he had seized her wrist with his left hand. Shui Sheng cried, "Ayo!" and countered with her left hand. Hua Tiegan evaded to the side and with one finger he sealed her acupoint by the waist and she fell unconscious.
Di Yun still holding the twig in hand rushed out. Hua Tiegan laughed: "Little monk must be tired of living, trying to fight me with a little twig. Very well, since you are a vicious monk from the Blood Sabre Clan, I will send you to your death with your clan's very own weapon." As he said this he drew the blood sabre from his waist and dropped the ghost sabre on the ground. In an instant, he rushed forward and attacked Di Yun three times. This blood sabre was thin as a sheet of paper but made intense slashing sounds. Hua Tiegan thought inwardly, "This sabre is remarkable!"
Di Yun saw that the blood sabre was remarkably fast and began to tremble. He clenched his teeth and thought, "We will die together then!" and brandished the twig with his right hand and attacked from behind. With a loud clap, the twig hit Hua Tiegan firmly on the back of his neck. This stance was incredibly strange, if he had a sharp weapon instead of a branch, Hua Tiegan would have been beheaded already.
In truth, the martial arts between Hua Tiegan and the Blood Sabre Elder were just about on par. Even the Blood Sabre Elder who had practiced the blood sabre techniques thoroughly would not be able to kill him in a single stance, much less Di Yun. However, Hua Tiegan greatly underestimated his enemy and treated his opponent as someone who had no foundation of external techniques. He intended to defeat his opponent with ease; when he raised his sabre to slash downward, Di Yun counterattacked with the twig that was as fierce as the wind in a rainstorm. He brandished his weapon disorderly and occasionally he would be able to execute a stance of the Blood Sabre Art and would be able to hit him from behind. Hua Tiegan turned around and shouted: "There is a ghost! There is a ghost!" He turned around to look and he was so scared that his arms and legs became so numb and weak that he dropped the blood sabre and ran into the distance.
After Hua Tiegan ate the corpses of his sworn brothers, he felt a sense of guilt and always hallucinated that the spirits of Liu Chengfeng and Lu Tianshu were coming back to haunt him. When the blood sabre could not pierce through Di Yun he thought that it must be otherworldly spirits supporting his enemy. At that time it was obvious that Di Yun was fighting in front of him and Shui Sheng had her acupoint sealed and was unconscious, yet he was still hit from the back of his body and neck several times. How would there be another person besides the three of them? When he turned around to look, no matter what he saw he would not have been scared. But he actually saw nothing at all and was completely spooked out of his mind, how could he dare to stay any longer?
Although Di Yun hit Hua Tiegan twice from behind, the latter ran away without actually sustaining any injuries, which was much beyond anyone's expectations.
Di Yun picked up the blood sabre and saw Shui Sheng lying on the ground. He asked, "Did he seal your acupoint?"
Shui Sheng replied, "Yes."
Di Yun said: "I do not know how to unseal your acupoint. I can't help you."
Shui Sheng said: "You just have to find the spot on my waist and leg..." She wanted to tell him where her acupoint was sealed so he could release it, but when she mentioned her legs she thought of him being a "little vicious monk", who although did not violate him recently, was nonetheless improper in the past.
Di Yun saw the fear in her eyes and thought: "Hua Tiegan is already gone, what are you afraid of?" Then he realized that she was afraid of him, and a surge of anger rushed to his heart. He yelled: "You are afraid I'll violate you, you think I will... I will... hmph! From now on, I will never look at you again." He was so angry he started kicking the snow as he walked away. He picked up the Blood Sabre Sutra from inside the cave and walked away without looking at Shui Sheng.
Shui Sheng felt embarrassed and thought: "Could it be that I am actually too suspicious and misunderstood his intentions?"
She lied on the floor for over two hours. A bald eagle descended from the air and began pecking at her face. She screamed in alarm when suddenly, she saw a red flash, the blood sabre flew across the air and sliced the bald eagle in half and dropped beside her.
Although Di Yun resented her suspicions, he was worried that Hua Tiegan would return and harm her. Hence he did not go very far away and kept a watch on her while practicing the blood sabre techniques. When he tossed the blood sabre across the air, it sliced the bald eagle in half and flew another hundred feet or so before landing on the ground. He had completed the blood sabre stance of "Shooting Star in Heaven".
Shui Sheng shouted: "Di Dage, Di Dage, it is my fault. I am sorry one hundred times." Di Yun pretended not to hear it and ignored her. Shui Sheng continued: "Di Dage, please forgive me. I lost my daddy and I feel lonely. My thoughts are inconsiderate. Please don't be mad at me anymore, okay?" Di Yun continued to ignore her, although a lot of his anger had dissipated.
It was not until the second day when Shui Sheng's acupoint released itself. She knew that Di Yun would not say a word to her, yet he still remained close by her side for the entire night. She felt really grateful in her heart. When she could move again, she immediately roasted the bald eagle and gave half of it to Di Yun. Di Yun waited until she got close before he closed his eyes and repeated his words inwardly, "I will never look at you again."
Shui Sheng placed the roasted eagle on the ground and began to walk away. Di Yun waited for her to walk some distance before opening his eyes again. All of a sudden, he heard her scream "Ah!" followed by another "Ayo!" and collapsed on the ground. Di Yun immediately got up and rushed beside her.
Shui Sheng smiled sweetly as she got up and said: "I deceived you. You said you would never look at me again, yet aren't you looking at me right now? You do not have to keep your promise anymore."
Di Yun glared at her and thought: "All the women in this world are sly and crafty. Besides Brother Ding's Lady Ling, any women are capable of deception. From now on, I will no longer fall for your tricks."
Shui Sheng laughed delicately and said: "Di Dage, you rushed forward to save me, thank you!"
Di Yun gave her a sideways glance then turned around and walked away.
Hua Tiegan was so scared of ghosts that he did not dare to cause any more trouble. He could do no more than eat tree bark and grass roots in such bitter hardship. Sometimes he would throw rocks and would be lucky to hit one or two snow geese. Di Yun practised one or two stances of the Blood Sabre Art every day, both his internal energy and external arts grew with each passing day.
Winter passed and spring came. The temperature gradually grew warmer and the accumulation of snow in the valley did not thicken. Eventually, the snow started to melt to water.
In these days, Di Yun had fully practiced all of the various external fist and feet and sabre arts in the Blood Sabre Sutra. At this point he possessed both orthodox and unorthodox martial arts. Although he was still lacking experience, and he did not yet completely grasp the essence of both the unorthodox and unorthodox arts, in terms of martial arts, he had already surpassed Ding Dian. However, he only practiced the profound internal arts of the Heavenly Glow, but in terms of external arts, he had no one to give him pointers; besides the Blood Sabre Art, his fist and feet arts were extremely shallow. However, he was nimble and understood the fundamentals of fist arts, he would not be inferior to any second class fighter.
Whenever Shui Sheng spoke, Di Yun would ignore her in fear of falling for her tricks. He pretended to be mute and did not answer her even once. Apart from being together during meal times, Di Yun distanced himself as far away as he could and practiced his martial arts. After he leaves the valley, there were three desires he had to fulfill: first, he would look for his teacher in Xiangxi; second, he would return to Jingzhou and bury his Brother Ding together with Lady Ling; third, revenge!
He saw as the snow gradually melted into a creek of water constantly flowing out of the valley. The pile of snow blocking the entrance became less and less each day. He did not know how many days it was before the Dragon Boat Festival, he only knew that it would not be long before he could get out of here.
One afternoon, he picked up two roasted eagles from Shui Sheng. As he was about to turn and leave, Shui Sheng called out: "Di Dage, after a few more days, we will be able to go outside?"
Di Yun nodded in agreement.
Shui Sheng continued: "Thanks for taking care of me all these days. If not for you, I would have died by the hands of the evil Hua Tiegan."
Di Yun shook his head and replied, "It's no big deal, " then turned around and walked away. Then he heard the sounds of sobbing from behind. He turned around and saw Shui Sheng leaning against a rock; her back was twitching as if she was about to cry. Di Yun was perplexed: "We will be able to leave soon, she should be happy. What is there to cry about? The thoughts of a woman are really strange, I will never understand."
In truth, even Shui Sheng did not know why she cried. She only felt unworthy and broken-hearted, she could not restrain herself from crying.
That night, Di Yun practiced a bit of martial arts before he slept on the large rock just like any other night. This large rock was not distanced too far away from the cave so he could guard against Hua Tiegan from either eating the corpse or violating Shui Sheng. However in these past many days Hua Tiegan never appeared. Di Yun presumed that all was well and no longer remained vigilant, he went into a deep sleep.
Amidst his dreams, he suddenly heard the sounds of footsteps approaching. At this point his internal energy was incredibly profound and his senses were improved, much different from the past. As the sounds of footsteps got closer, he awoke at once. He listened closely and heard the sounds of numerous people, at least 50 or 60, rushing towards the valley.
Di Yun was startled."How can anyone get in the valley?" He did not know that the valley was a lot colder than the outside world because it was covered by peaks. In truth, the snow had already completely melted outside, but it would still take another month for the snow inside the valley to melt. Di Yun thought: "These people must be from the Central Plains. Now that the Blood Sabre Elder is dead, any desire for vengeance has been fulfilled. Sigh, Lady Shui's cousin will come to pick her up, that would be great. However, they believe that I am a vicious monk from the Blood Sabre Clan, there is no way I can explain myself. It's best if I don't see them at all. I will let them take Lady Shui first, then I will get out at a later time."
He made his way to the side of the cave and hid behind a rock. The sounds of footsteps approached closer. In an instant there was a brightness before his eyes, the group had passed through the depression. There were about 50 people or so and each of them held a torch on one hand and a weapon on the other. There was one person at the front of the pack who did not hold a torch. Instead, he held a sword and a sabre—it was Hua Tiegan.
Di Yun watched as he approached with the group. He was astonished and soon realized, "These people came from Hubei and Sichuan. Hua Tiegan is their leader, naturally he would join them. I wonder what he is saying?" He watched as the group entered the cave and at once he climbed several dozen feet closer and hid in a pile of snow. He was still some distance away from the group, but his internal energy had advanced by leaps and bounds and he could clearly hear what they were saying.
He heard a coarse voice say: "So it turns out that it was Brother Hua who killed the blood sabre monk. That is truly venerable. Brother Hua has done us all a great service. From now on he will naturally be the leader of the Central Plains, we will be ready to risk our lives for you upon your command!"
Another said: "Alas, Hero Lu, Taoist Liu, and Hero Shui has perished in such a violent way. It is truly depressing."
Another said: "The old vicious monk is dead, but the little vicious monk has not been executed. We will search at once. We must cut the weeds and eliminate the roots to prevent future misfortunes. Hero Hua, what do you say?"
Hua Tiegan answered: "Correct, Brother Zhang speaks true words. This little vicious monk has demonic martial arts and is definitely not inferior to the older monk. He must have hid himself somewhere when he saw that we were entering the valley. My brothers, do not be afraid of trouble. We must kill this little vicious monk at any cost so that he doesn't talk rubbish and spread rumors tarnish the reputations of the three Heroes Lu, Liu, and Shui, and Heroine Shui."
Di Yun was alarmed."The one surnamed Hua speaks rubbish, he is incredibly vicious. Fortunately I did not reveal myself, else if they all attack me at once, how can I defend?"
All of a sudden, a feminine voice was heard saying: "He... he is not a little vicious monk. He is an honourable and upright gentleman. Hua Tiegan is the villain!" It was Shui Sheng.
As Di Yun heard these words, he felt comfort in his heart. It was the first time he heard her call him an "honourable and upright gentleman". In these days, even though Shui Sheng was no longer suspicious of him, but for her to call him a gentleman in front of all these people was beyond all expectations. Then tears began to from his eyes as he thought inwardly, "She called me a gentleman... she called me a gentleman!"
When Shui Sheng said these words, people in the group looked at each other in perplexity. Nobody dared to speak out. Di Yun looked afar and the illumination of the torch revealed expressions of contempt. Some were sneering as if they were taking joy in such a calamity.
After a long while, an old man spoke out: "Niece Shui, I have been friends with your father for many years. I cannot help but reprimand you... this little vicious monk was responsible for your father's death."
Shui Sheng said, "No... no..."
"Your father was not killed by the little monk? Then who killed him?"
"He... he..." she was at a loss for words.
"Hero Hua said that during an intense battle that day, your father was completely exhausted; the little monk killed your father by cracking his head with a twig. Am I right?"
"Right, but... but..."
"But what?"
"It was my daddy himself who... who asked to be killed!"
As she said this, many people from the group began to laugh. The laughter was so loud that it even caused the snow on top of the branches to rustle and fall. Amongst the laughs some voices were heard saying, "He asked for his own death, haha! Haha! Your lies are very comical."
"So it turns out that Hero Shui was tired of living; stuck his head out and asked his future son-in-law to crack it open!"
"Who is his 'future' son-in-law? After Hero Shui passed away, that little monk already had an affair with the lady! Haha!"
"There is actually such a shameless woman in the world who would rather have a wild man than her own father. However, to tell her tramp to kill her own father is pretty horrifying."
"I have only heard of the phrase 'consensual adultery causes the death of the husband', but today it is much different; there is actually a case of 'consensual adultery causes the death of the father'!"
The group had first heard the words of Hua Tiegan and had the impression that Shui Sheng and Di Yun had a secret affair. When she defended her 'lover', they gave her more and more harsh words. However, in terms of words in the realm, what is really too filthy to be said?
Shui Sheng's face flushed red and she yelled: "What... what are you guys talking about? Have you no shame?"
The group continued to laugh. One said: "So it turns out that we're the ones who have no shame, that is really funny!"
"Alright, alright. Lady Shui, it is we who are shameless. But what about you and the little monk making love inside the cave without a care to avenge your own father, how is that for being shameless?"
Another straightforward fellow reprimanded: "Damn it! Your daddy I have travelled from Hubei all the way down here without rest, only to save a whóre like you? You are a shameless little b?tch. Your daddy I should chop your head off!"
Another urged: "That's not good. Brother Zhao, don't act rashly!"
An old voice said: "Everybody please restrain yourselves. Lady Shui is still young and inexperienced. Hero Shui has unfortunately passed away, now she is lonely with no one to care for her. You do not need to feel sad for her. From now on she will be taken care of and instructed by Hero Hua. He will lead her to a path of righteousness. Everybody please do not speak out so harshly anymore, the events that took place in this valley must not spread into the realm. Hero Shui was a renowned and honourable fellow during his life, else why would we all spare no effort to save her daughter? Let us show Hero Shui some respect and not mention this incident anymore. Let us capture the little monk and cut open his heart and liver and offer it as a sacrifice to Hero Shui."
The one who spoke was a very well-respected man with great dignity. The majority agreed with his words and said, "Right, right. Old Hero Zhang speaks true words. We will find this little monk and dismember his body into ten thousand pieces!"
Amidst the noisy clamours and hoots of the group, Shui Sheng began to cry.
Suddenly, a voice was heard from the distance, calling out, "Biaomei! Biaomei, where are you?"
Shui Sheng heard this voice and knew that it was her cousin Wang Xiaofeng. However, she had suffered injustice and was humiliated greatly, if her cousin were to hear of this, how would he react? She could not help but cry and run back inside the cave.
Someone said: "If the infatuated Wang Xiaofeng realizes the truth, he will go crazy!"
The old man surnamed Zhang replied: "Everybody, please do not panic and listen to me. The young man of the Wang family loves Lady Shui deeply. The snow had not even melted yet and he went into the valley two days before we did. However, the road was difficult and he must have been stuck in some remote place, such is more haste resulting in less speed. In fact, he even fell behind our group. This person is really unfortunate. Everybody should do a good deed and not speak to him about the scandal between Lady Shui and the little monk."
An honourable person from the group added, "That is correct! Lady Shui took a misstep in life, she deserves a second chance to start anew. Besides, she had no other choice. In an ordinary situation, how would the daughter of a renowned hero affiliate herself with the monk of an evil sect?"
Another said: "Wang Xiaofeng is such a good fellow, but now he is forced to wear a green hat! It is really unfortunate for him! Haha!"
"One is willing to fight while the other is willing to suffer. Brother Qian, you have left your lonely wife at home for quite some time now. It might be the case that the hat on your head is turning a lush green color?"
"Damn it! Only your wife is lonely!"
"That is right, my wife is lonely. But your wife has a partner now in a romantic relationship, she is not lonely in the least bit..." He did not even finish speaking when he was hit hard on the shoulder by a fist. The group burst into laughter.
Then the sound of Wang Xiaofeng was heard shouting, "Biaomei! Biaomei!" and became more and more distant. He was separated from the rest of the group and did not know where they were.
Shui Sheng rushed out of the cave and shouted: "Biaoge! Biaoge! I am over here! I am over here!"
Wang Xiaofeng shouted again, "Biaomei! Where are you?"
Shui Sheng yelled: "I am over here!"
A shadow was seen approaching from the northeast corner. This person ran while calling out, "Biaomei!" and suddenly he slipped and fell on the wet ground. Shui Sheng let out an "ah" and was deeply concerned. She rushed forward to welcome him. It turns out that when Wang Xiaofeng heard Shui Sheng's voice, he was so delighted that he paid no attention to the hole in the ground and fell in the depression. He got up as fast as he could and ran forward again. Shui Sheng also ran forward to meet him.
The two ran up to each other and laughed joyously. Then they embraced each other.
When Di Yun saw the affectionate and joyous circumstances of their union, he felt a slightly sour in his heart and did not know why. He still could not forget his martial sister Qi Fang, but after all he spent over half a year together with Shui Sheng; even though it could not be said that he felt an intimate relationship with her, for them to part ways after being together for so long, he could not help but feel reluctant to let go. He thought: "It is best that she leaves with her cousin. Hopefully she will be free of disasters and calamities, marry her cousin, and live the rest of her life happily ever after."
All of a sudden, he heard Wang Xiaofeng let go and cry, he thought it must be that he figured out the news of Shui Dai's death. After a while, he saw Wang Xiaofeng holding Shui Sheng's hand walking towards him.
Wang Xiaofeng sobbed: "Uncle has run into misfortune. I... I was brought up by him since I was small. He treated me like his very own son."
Shui Sheng listened to her speak of his father in such a way and could not help but cry as well.
Wang Xiaofeng said: "Biamoei, from now on I will never leave you again. Don't be sad, I will take care of you for the rest of your life."
Shui Sheng had always adored and admired her cousin greatly since she was young, now upon hearing him say these words, her face blushed red and felt a sense of sweetness in her heart.
The two of them gradually walked closer to the cave. Then Shui Sheng stopped abruptly and said, "Biaoge, we should leave at once. I don't want to see anyone else."
Wang Xiaofeng was curious and asked, "Why? So many people have risked hardships and perils to come and save you. They have waited outside the valley for over half a year and could be said to be honourable and loyal. Should we not go and express our gratitude?"
Shui Sheng lowered her head and said: "I have already thanked them."
Wang Xiaofeng said: "The group travelled here all the way from Hubei for you. We should come and go together, is that not right? Besides, Uncle's remains have to be taken back home. Even if you wish to bury him here, you should still seek the permission of various elders. And what about Uncle Liu, Uncle Hua, and Uncle Lu?"
Shui Sheng said: "We should leave first. I will explain to you later. Uncle Hua is an evil person, don't listen to his nonsense!"
Wang Xiaofeng had never disobeyed her in the past and saw her grace and charm despite the darkness of the situation. When he heard her sweet and tender voice he was completely fascinated and agreed to her commands to leave first.
All of a sudden someone from near the cave shouted: "Nephew Wang, come over here!" It was the voice of Hua Tiegan.
Wang Xiaofeng replied, "Yes, Uncle Hua!"
Shui Sheng stomped her foot and interrupted urgently, "Will you not listen to what I say?"
Wang Xiaofeng thought: "Uncle Hua is the sworn brother of my teacher. How can I refuse the commands of an honourable elder? There are so many friends who have come to rescue Biaomei without fear of being laboured or vexed. If we just leave after the task is done without saying anything to the others, no matter what such an action could not be justified. My reputation will be tarnished, how can I ever step foot in the realm again? Biaomei is just throwing a little girl's temper tantrum. I will just apologize and make it up to her later." At once he let go of her hand and walked towards the cave.
Shui Sheng knew that Hua Tiegan was going to speak poorly of her, but she thought: "I am innocent with a clear conscience, no matter what he says, what can he do to implicate me?" At once she followed Wang Xiaofeng, her face colorless.
The two walked in front of the cave. Hua Tiegan said: "Nephew Wang, I'm glad you're here. I have killed the vicious blood sabre monk, but there is still a little monk hiding somewhere, we have to capture and kill him at any cost. This little monk is responsible for killing your teacher."
Wang Xiaofeng shouted in alarm. At once he unsheathed his sword and turned his head to look at Shui Sheng. Under the light of the fire he saw that her face was wan and sallow with tears coming out from her eyes. Wang Xiaofeng felt tenderness and saw her slowly shake her head and asked, "What is it?"
Shui Sheng replied: "Daddy was not... not killed by that person."
When the rest of the group heard her utter these words, they were extremely angry and all thought: "We thought you would become a good person from now on. For the sake of Hero Shui we did not expose your scandal with the little perverted monk. But now you are siding with the little monk, this matter certainly cannot be forgiven. You don't even dare to call him a 'little monk', you only call him 'that person', truly shameless and despicable!"
Wang Xiaofeng saw that the various people in the group scowled and revealed expressions of hate and he felt really strange. He thought the reason that his cousin did not want to meet with the rest of the group must have something to do with their hate, there must be an ulterior motive. He asked: "Biaomei, we should listen to Uncle Hua's orders and capture the little monk. We will cut him into ten thousand pieces and honour him as a sacrifice to my uncle. Any other matter can be discussed at a later time."
Shui Sheng said: "He... he is not a little monk."
Wang Xiaofeng was startled. He saw that the people in the group appeared to despise her greatly and his heart shivered with cold. He had the distinct feeling that something wasn't right. However, he was unwilling to pursue the matter further. He put his sword back in its sheath and declared: "To the various elders here today, I thank you for your efforts. This matter has now been put to rest. I surnamed Wang would like to once again express my gratitude for your good kindness and virtue." As he said this he clasped his hands together in greeting.
The group replied: "Correct, the most important task now is to capture the little monk. We can't let him escape the valley!" At once everyone rushed outside the cave entrance.
Someone accidentally left their torch behind in the cave. The fire fluttered against the wind in the valley. It illuminated the faces of the Twin Knights of Bell Sword, the two looked at each other intensely. They had thousands of words they wanted to say but did not know where to begin.
Di Yun thought: "The two of them must have many words they want to say to each other. I should take my leave now."
He was about to leave when he heard the sounds of footsteps, two people were fast approaching. One said: "I will search over here, you will search over there! We will circle the area and meet up again."
The other person said, "Good idea. This place is filled with uncoordinated footprints. It could be the case that the little perverted monk is hiding nearby."
The first speaker lowered his voice and grinned: "Hey, Old Song, this Lady Shui is as pretty as a flower. That little perverted monk must have been blessed with good fortune over this half year, hehe."
Another person laughed out loud and said: "Right, ah, it is not surprising that the one surnamed Wang is willing to wear a green headband." The two of them laughed in conversation and then moved separate ways to search for Di Yun.
Di Yun listened closely from the side and felt really sorry for Wang Xiaofeng and Shui Sheng. He thought: "Hua Tiegan is really evil to an extreme. He fabricated such a shameless rumour and tarnished the reputation of Lady Shui. What good does that do for him?" He did not know that Hua Tiegan was afraid that Shui Sheng would tell everyone of his evil deeds, so he made the first move and ruined her reputation, thereafter even if she were to reveal the truth, nobody would believe her words.
Di Yun raised his head to look inside the cave, he saw Shui Sheng retreat two steps. Her face was deathly pale and she shivered and said: "Biaoge, you must not believe these rumours."
Wang Xiaofeng did not answer, his face twitched slightly. Obviously, what the two people said earlier felt like a poisonous snake biting away at his heart. In this past half-year, outside the valley, every day and every night he had one thought in mind: "Biaomei has fallen into the hands of two perverted monks, how can she protect her chastity? But as long as she is alive and well, I will thank the heaven and earth." However, after all a person's desires can never be satisfied. Now that she is alive and well, he also wished that she would have preserved her integrity. When he heard the two folks say such things, he thought: "I Wang Xiaofeng can be considered a gentleman. If the people in the realm hear of these things, how can I prevent their ridicule?" But when he saw Shui Sheng's pitiful expression, his heart softened and he sighed deeply. He shook his head and said: "Biaomei, let's go now."
Shui Sheng asked: "Do you believe their words or not?"
Wang Xiaofeng replied: "What people want to say is their business, how much can I care?"
Shui Sheng bit her lips and declared: "So, does that mean you actually believe it?"
Wang Xiaofeng lowered his head dimly. After a while, he answered: "Alright, I don't believe it then."
Shui Sheng said: "In your heart you have already believed their side of the story." She paused for a moment and continued, "You should never see me again. Just pretend that I died inside the valley."
Wang Xiaofeng said: "It does not have to be like this."
Shui Sheng grieved deeply in her heart, her tears rushed down her eyes. She did not care even if everyone else in the world slandered or mistreated her, but now even her very own cousin treats her as a cheap whóre. She wanted to leave the valley and run away from all these people. She wanted to go to a place where no one knew who she was and never see any of these people again. She thought: "It turns out that in this world, the only one who believes me is that person..."
She rushed outward as far away as she could, but when she neared the exit she could not help but look back at the cave. That was the place where she felt the safest over this half-year. Every night she would sleep in that cave peacefully. She was a neat and tidy person and her fingers were clever, she weaved various mattresses with tree barks and bird feathers and sat on it as a cushion. At this point she had to leave, she had to part with the various items that had stayed with her for all this time, and could not help but feel reluctant. When she saw the feather coat that she weaved for Di Yun, she recalled the events of that day when Di Yun threw it at her. Thereafter she used it as a blanket to resist the cold. At this point she was moved and thought: "Everyone here thinks he is a perverted monk and wants to do him harm. If they find him, how can he handle all these people by himself?" At once she came to a halt and fixed her gaze at the feather coat. She was hesitant and wasn't sure what to do."If they actually want to kill him, should I help him or not?"
Wang Xiaofeng saw the feather coat placed on top of her mattress. This coat was large and wide, it was evidently made for a man. He could not help but become suspicious and asked: "What... what is this?"
Shui Sheng replied, "I made it."
Wang Xiaofeng repeated, "You made it?"
Shui Sheng wanted to answer "It is not mine, " but knew it was inappropriate and did not answer.
Wang Xiaofeng questioned: "It is a man's clothing?" His voice became more harsh and rough. Shui Sheng only nodded in reply.
Wang Xiaofeng asked: "You weaved this for him?" Shui Sheng nodded again.
Wang Xiaofeng picked up the feather coat and looked at it attentively. After a moment, he spoke coldly, "This is very well made."
Shui Sheng corrected: "Biaoge, don't misunderstand. We did not..." But she saw that his eyes were filled with hatred and indignance, she did not dare to speak further.
Wang Xiaofeng pulled out the mattress and asked: "His clothes were placed on your mattress..."
Shui Sheng's heart felt ice cold. She felt that her normally gentle and understanding cousin now became a vulgar and detestable character. She did not want to explain herself further and thought: "If you want to be suspicious, if you want to misunderstand, then that is up to you."
Di Yun watched from the outside the cave. He saw that she was misunderstood and his face was filled with extreme desolation. He thought: "I am a lowly peasant, even if I have been wronged in the past it's nothing worth mentioning. But she is a respected and honourable lady, how can she suffer such injustice?" When he thought up to this point, he felt morally inclined to help out. He saw that outside the cave were several dozen experts searching around, everybody wanted to kill him. However, he could not overcome his dissonance and at once he stepped leapt in front of the cave and said: "Young Hero Wang, you have misunderstood her completely."
When Wang Xiaofeng and Shui Sheng saw him abruptly appear in front of the cave, they were both startled. At this point Di Yun had grew his hair back and no longer had the appearance of a little monk. Wang Xiaofeng had to look closely to recognize him. At once he drew his sword, pushed Shui Sheng aside and aimed it at his chest. His eyes were filled with fiery hatred and his long sword relentlessly pushed forward. He only wished to cut this person into ten thousand pieces.
Di Yun said: "I am not here to fight you, I only wish to speak. Lady Shui is clear as ice and clean as jade. If you wish to take her as your wife that would be your good fortune. Do not let your imagination run wild, don't listen to the fabrications of these villains."
Shui Sheng would never have guessed that Di Yun would suddenly step forward so bravely. And the only reason why he did so was to prove her innocence. She was both grateful and worried, and hurriedly said: "You... you should leave. There are many people here who want to kill you, it's much too dangerous."
Di Yun replied: "I know, but I have to explain to Hero Wang at any cost. I cannot let you suffer injustice. Hero Wang, Lady Shui is really a good lady, you... you must not wrong her." Di Yun was clumsy with words; even in normal times he would find it difficult to say something clearly, much less something so subtle and disturbing, he stammered seven or eight times in succession and only made Wang Xiaofeng even more suspicious.
Shui Sheng urged: "You... you must leave now! Thank you for your kindness. I can only repay you in my next life, go now! There are so many people here... they want to kill you..."
Wang Xiaofeng heard Shui Sheng's words and saw that her face was filled with worry and concern. He became extremely jealous and yelled: "I will kill you!" He brandished his sword to pierce Di Yun's chest.
Although this stance was executed remarkably, how could it be compared with Di Yun at this point? He had simultaneously completed the ultimate arts of the Heavenly Glow and the Blood Sabre Clan, when he saw Wang Xiaofeng approach, he evaded the attack with ease. He said: "I will not fight with you. I am asking you to marry Lady Shui, you should not be suspicious. She... she is a good lady."
As he spoke, Wang Xiaofeng had already stroke out five times with his sword. Di Yun dodged all of these attacks without the slightest difficulty. He was perplexed and thought: "This person's martial arts used to be formidable, but after not seeing him for over half a year, how come his swordplay is so pathetic?"
Wang Xiaofeng urgently pressed on with his attack. However, every stance was dodged by his opponent with incredible ease. He became even more enraged and violent and executed his stances even faster.
Di Yun said: "Hero Wang, if you promise not to suspect Lady Shui anymore I will take my leave. All of your friends want to kill me, I can't stay here for very long." Wang Xiaofeng increased the pace of his attacks; Di Yun had remarkable internal energy but his lightness martial arts was average. Although internal energy is the foundation and lightness martial arts is inessential, he further did not receive any pointers from anyone, so he found it increasingly difficult to handle the speed of his opponent's attacks. At once he extended his fingers and with a gentle crack he flicked the sword away with his finger.
Wang Xiaofeng felt an excruciating pain on the web of his finger and his sword fell on the ground. He urgently bent over to pick it up. Di Yun extended his palm to Wang Xiaofeng's shoulder and pushed slightly. Although there was not much energy behind this push, surprisingly, his opponent could not even withstand it and was sent flying backwards with a somersault before falling on the ground. With a loud crash, he bumped against the cave wall. Shui Sheng saw his pitiful state and immediately went over to assist.
Di Yun was shocked at what happened. He did not want to push Wang Xiaofeng, he only wanted to prevent him from picking up the sword and continue the battle. He did not expect that his opponent would fall so greatly, it was definitely beyond his expectations. He walked forward two steps and wanted to help him up and said: "Sorry, I really... I really did not mean to do that."
Shui Sheng helped Wang Xiaofeng up by the right arm and said: "Biaoge, are you alright?" Wang Xiaofeng felt jealousy and resentment in his heart that he could not restrain. He believed that Shui Sheng was partial towards Di Yun and that after the two of them joined hands to defeat him, she came forward to ridicule him. At once he moved his left palm horizontally and slapped Shui Sheng hard on the face, yelling, "Go away!" Shui Sheng was completely startled that her cousin would actually hit her like this. It had never happened before. She extended her hands to feel her face and was expressionless.
Wang Xiaofeng followed through with another smack on her left cheek. Under extreme urgency, Shui Sheng pounced herself against Di Yun's shoulders, knowing that at this point he was the only one who had the power to protect her.
Di Yun extended his left arm to embrace her, then he turned to face Wang Xiaofeng and said: "Why... why did you hit her?"
Then he heard the sounds of several people approaching who said: "There is some ruckus in the cave, quickly go and take a look! Could it be that the little perverted monk is hiding inside?"
Shui Sheng backed away two steps and said to Di Yun: "You should go... I... I thank you for your good kindness."
Di Yun glanced at Wang Xiaofeng then glanced back at Shui Sheng and said: "I will leave now!" and turned around to leave.
Wang Xiaofeng shouted: "The little perverted monk is here! The little perverted monk is here! Seal the exit, don't let him escape!"
Shui Sheng urged: "Biaoge, are you not victimizing him?"
Wang Xiaofeng continued shouting: "Seal the exit! Seal the exit!"
Seven or eight people outside the cave heard Wang Xiaofeng's shouts and at once headed towards the entrance. Di Yun increased his pace when someone shouted: "Where do you think you're going?" At once this person brandished his sabre to strike his head. Di Yun extended his hand and pushed against his opponent's chest. The person fell at once. He collided with three or four people and they all fell in succession. Amidst the chaos of shouts reverberating around the valley, Di Yun quickened his pace to leave.
When the rest of the group heard the ruckus, they came from all directions, but Di Yun had ran away a long time ago. At least ten people pursued him in great haste. Di Yun was frightened and hid himself behind some bushes. He knew that in the darkness of the night, it would be impossible for anyone to discover him. The group thought that he had escaped from the valley and pursued vigorously.
After a while, Di Yun saw that Wang Xiaofeng and Shui Sheng left as well. Wang Xiaofeng was in front while Shui Sheng followed behind, the distanced themselves over a dozen feet. Their figures were soon obstructed by the hillside as they moved farther and farther away.
Just a moment ago the cave was filled with chaos and disturbances, but now it was completely quiet and at peace.
The various heroes of the Central Plains had left. Hua Tiegan had left. Shui Sheng had left. All that remained was Di Yun. Even the bald eagles that spiralled across the skies were nowhere to be seen.
It was truly lonely and isolated. The only thing left was the melting snow gently flowing out of the valley...
| ← Ch. 09 | Ch. 11 → |