novelTrapped in ice (2)
| ← Ch.009 | Ch.011 → |
Xiao Yu'er sneered:"Does this room have to be the place to store treasures and herbs? When there is nothing stored inside, it could serve as a prison. That Murong wretch is not an idiot, why would she flood that house if it was filled with treasures." The Yellow Ox clapped his hands and said:"Yes, very true. For instance this hand of mine could caress the face of a woman but it could also slap her. The same theory could apply for this room."
The White Sheep sneered:"If there is a man who has lived for almost 50 years can still be tricked by a mere boy, that man must be you! If he wants me to believe his lies, he should come up with some proof! For instance..."
Xiao Yu'er clapped his hands and smiled:"Come here and I will show you something."
He was lying on the ground enjoying the sun, the White Sheep walked over and stood in front of him. All of a sudden the body of Xiao Yu'er slid and his hands and legs attacked the White Sheep. He struck out four fists and kicked at him three times. He performed this series of attacks in one short instant, there was only one person who had studied and created such stances and that man was Li Dazui. This soft of technique looked formidable but is not really useful, why would someone lie on the ground when he is fighting. Unless he was pretending to be ill or injured and wants to launch a sneak attack. Furthermore, there are not too many people who look honest like Li Dazui and have such a vile heart and the tenacity to create such martial arts. If he was not vile, he does not need to pretend to be ill or injured and could not devise such stances. And if he did not look honest, people would not believe him even if he were pretending. So this attack was unique in the realm, it was a trademark of Li Dazui.
The White Sheep was shocked and leapt up; he did not look like a sheep but like a rabbit. If Xiao Yu'er was not too tired now, the White Sheep would be a dead sheep now.
Xiao Yu'er sat down cross-legged and grinned:"Do you believe me now?" The White Sheep was still recovering from the shock, but the Yellow Ox bowed to Xiao Yu're three times and said:"Little exalted uncle, I don't care how old you are even if you were just three days old if you're a brother of Li Dazui you will be my exalted little uncle."
Xiao Yu'er said:"How about the old sheep here?"
The White Sheep's eyes flashed and he lifted his head, saying slowly:"How is old master Li doing in the valley?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"Good people die early, he is still around."
The White Sheep laughed sinisterly:"Everyone in the valley will live at least to be a hundred years. Old master Li will stay there and enjoy the rest he deserves, he won't come out and be troubled again by worldly affairs."
Xiao Yu'er rolled his eyes and laughed:"Normally, he wouldn't."
The White Sheep was startled and said:"How about now?"
Xiao Yu'er said slowly:"Now. Well, not only is he out but brothers Du and Yin and sister Du are also around. If not how would I dare to walk about on my own."
The White Sheep's face turned white and said:"But they...."
Xiao Yu'er said:"They have been trapped in that valley for too long now, and they have all mastered some incredible new martial arts which nobody has seen before. If you were them, would you not do the same thing."
The White Sheep lowered his head and said:"Yes.... do you.... Does young master know where they are now?"
He had lowered his head, but Xiao Yu'er could see that his eyes were still flashing and had a something sinister in them. Xiao Yu'er saw that and just smiled:"They always like to be mysterious, even I do not know where they are now." The White Sheep was relieved to hear that, but Xiao Yu'er continued:"But who knows? They could be standing behind you now." The White Sheep was scared again, but he did not dare to look back.
The Yellow Ox laughed happily:"It would be wonderful if uncle Li would come, we would not have to fear that Murong wretch and her wrath."
Xiao Yu'er casually asked:"Have you let her escape?"
The Yellow Ox sighed:"We are invited by the snake, but we had longed for the treasures of the Murong Manor for a long time."
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"The mere thought of the herbal extracts of the Murong Manor just water your mouth."
The Yellow Ox smiled wryly:"Unfortunately, that Murong wretch is really clever. Somehow she knew that we would attack and had already left before we came."
Xiao Yu'er was shocked and exclaimed:"She ran off?"
The Yellow Ox hatefully said:"Not only that, she took everything valuable with her. She did not even bother to lock the door. She just left a note [Trespassers, die]. Arrogant little b-itch!"
Xiao Yu'er agreed:"The arrogant little b-itch!" He guessed the motive why Murong Jiumei had left. Zhang Qing and Tie Xinlan must think that Xiao Yu'er had escaped and they are eager to find him. Murong Jiumei knows that they have a weak spot for Xiao Yu'er and will obviously not reveal where she hid Xiao Yu'er. She would naturally go along with them so she won't give herself away.
When he thought of this, he cursed:"That b-itch is not only but she is also vicious. It is a good thing that you burnt her manor down. Who started the fire, I have to buy him a drink.... two drinks even."
The Yellow Ox said:"The people who started the fire have already left, but we can..."
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"Yes, we can still drink. We will only stop after drinking a few hundred cups. We can drink while we are on our way. I will take you to see Li Dazui, and when we see someone we like we can even .... well, we will find out what we will do then."
The Yellow Ox clapped his hands and said:"Marvellous!"
Xiao Yu'er asked:"What about you old sheep?"
The White Sheep stuttered:"I.... I...."
Xiao Yu'er said:"If you don't want to go, I am not going to force you. When I see brother Dazui, I will just tell him that you were not too keen on seeing him again."
The White Sheep said loudly:"Who said that? Old ox, did you hear me say that?" He pulled the Yellow Ox and said:"Let's go, why are we still standing here."
And indeed the three of them travelled together, drinking along the way. Xiao Yu'er noticed that he was a talent in drinking liquor too, he could never become intoxicated. He sometimes wondered what happened to all that wine he drank, it did not even affect a bit. And his belly did not grow.
The Yellow Ox and the White Sheep obeyed his every command, Xiao Yu'er never had to worry about eating, drinking and sleeping arrangements. They took care of it for him. While they were travelling, the two of them did not even question where Xiao Yu'er was taking them. These two demons of the 12 Zodiacs were totally obedient to this young boy; nobody would believe this if they did not see it.
On their way they saw a lot of Wulin people, whenever those Wulin people saw them they would turn around or evade them. Some of these people did not recognize whom they met, but they quite taken by the strange looks of the ox and sheep and nobody dare to mess with them.
After entering Yanmen Pass, Xiao Yu'er noticed that some people were following them but kept a noticeable distance. Wherever they went, they would follow. But they all looked respectful and did not speak; it is obvious that they were not here to trouble them.
Xiao Yu'er looked at the ox and the sheep to see if their faces changed. But there was nothing on their faces; Xiao Yu'er did not say anything. After arriving at Jiange, they found an inn and lodged there.
Xiao Yu'er said:"Qu wine and spicy hot chicken, excellent!"
The Yellow Ox agreed and laughed. Normally, if Xiao Yu'er would say something they would immediately bring it over. But today they just sat there. After some time Xiao Yu'er said:"If it is good, why won't you get some for us?" The Yellow Ox laughed:"From today onwards, we won't have to get things personally."
Xiao Yu'er said:"Do you expect me to do it?" The White Sheep said:"We wouldn't dare to trouble young master to do such lowly jobs." Xiao Yu'er said:"But if we don't do it and we don't notify the proprietor who will bring the dishes of food and bottles of wine. It won't drop from the sky."
The Yellow Ox chortled:"Just wait and see."
Xiao Yu'er walked up and down in the room a few times, suddenly someone knocked three times on the door. When they opened the door nobody was there but on the floor there was platter with a plate of spicy hot chicken, a plate of deep-fried pork, a plate with some small cold food, a plate with to fish cooked with tofu and a large bowl of chicken soup and one big bottle of wine, it was fragrant and it was the Qu wine Xiao Yu'er mentioned before.
Xiao Yu'er blinked his eyes and laughed:"The two of you know magic."
The Yellow Ox laughed:"This isn't magic, but really filial sons showing proper respect to their elders." Xiao Yu'er said:"Hmm?" The White Sheep said:"On our way here, did young master see all those people respectfully following us?"
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"I thought you just ignored them." The Yellow Ox said:"Those are our filial sons and grandsons." Xiao Yu'er said:"They are your disciples."
The Yellow Ox laughed:"What useless disciples! We don't even know them" Xiao Yu'er asked:"But why do they follow you?" The Yellow Ox laughed:"Everyone knows in the realm that whenever the 12 Zodiacs appear, they will be after something invaluable. These sons and grandsons are afraid to do something grand. We, 12 Zodiacs, are only interested in the most valuable items and will usually leave the gold and silver alone. And those scavengers can pick some rather valuable assets here and there."
The White Sheep said:"Wherever the 12 Zodiacs go, we are always welcomed by friends of the bandit world. If they receive any news, they will even report it to us."
Xiao Yu'er applauded them and laughed:"No wonder that the 12 Zodiacs are so wealthy and feared, you have eyes and hands everywhere."
The Yellow Ox laughed:"But this time they are barking up the wrong tree, this time they will gain nothing."
The White Sheep laughed too:"But they are bringing food over out of their own free will. So, we don't need to be polite." Their laughter was loud but their voices stayed low.
They travelled very comfortably, no matter what they wanted they just had to say it loudly and it would be presented to them. After passing the pass earlier, Xiao Yu'er did not travel east anymore he changed direction to the southwest. They passed through Mianyang, Longquan, Mount Mei and finally they were near Mount Emei. Xiao Yu'er seemed to know the way and wherever he went he just needed to know the name of the place and then he would know what road to take. The scenery of Sichuan province was different from the prairie. Xiao Yu'er was rather happy here; he loved the spicy food and the fine wine.
When they arrived at Emei, he snuck out when the ox and sheep were not paying attention. He would come back when it was very late in the night, the ox and sheep did not ask him where he went. And he did not tell them anything either. He did the same thing the second day and came back late at night. He did the same thing three days in a row. The two of them were very obedient and did not dare to say a word, it seemed that they feared Li Dazui a lot even after all these years.
The Ten Great Malevolents were not to be trifled with.
On the third day, Xiao Yu'er was wandering about in the market; there were Wulin people in almost all the inns, restaurants and such. All of them sat at their tables drinking and eating silently.
Xiao Yu'er did not know what the names were of these people, or if they were bandits or members of orthodox schools. They could even be famous heroes or unknown characters.
From time to time, Xiao Yu'er would see Taoist priests carrying swords. They carried long and thin swords and looked very conceited, it seemed that they looked down upon everyone. Sometimes they would carefully observe people, it did not seem that they were just taking a stroll in the city. They all looked a bit worried. Xiao Yu'er knew that these Taoist priests must belong to the Emei School. The Emei swordsmanship is renowned for being swift and vicious, the disciples of the school would of course be quite arrogant. Besides, this is their terrain, the foot of Mount Emei. It was only natural that they would feel proud and carefully watch people here; nobody would question their motives here.
Xiao Yu'er bought a fragrant pouch, half a catty of pork tendons, and half a catty of beef before returning to the inn. When he returned he fought the table full of food, the ox and sheep were waiting for him. The food was getting cold but still they waited for the return of Xiao Yu'er. Xiao Yu'er laughed:"The two of you are very attached to this room, you haven't left the room for two days now. It is quite nice outside."
The Yellow Ox said wryly:"We know that it is nice outside, but with our reputation and seeing that is Mount Emei we cannot go out."
Xiao Yu'er asked:"Are those damned Taoists of Mount Emei really that formidable?"
The Yellow Ox sighed:"Let us not talk about that, let me pour you a drink first."
Xiao Yu'er took out what he bought and laughed:"The proprietor of the shop where I bought this has a secret recipe of preparing this beef and tendons. He would soak the meat with wine several decades old and that is why it tastes better than normal dried beef and such. Have some."
The Yellow Ox laughed:"Those so-called sons and grandsons have sent a lot of food over, my exalted uncle did not need to waste your money."
Xiao Yu'er said:"I just wanted to taste something else." The White Sheep said:"In that case, thank you "He helped himself to some beef and praised it. Well, the Yellow Ox had already eaten five pieces.
Xiao Yu'er drank two cups of wine, although he was not drunk he was feeling euphoric and laughed:"It seems that Emei swordsmanship is really quite good, all those Wulin people were very silent and looked very pensive. Sooner or later I would like to see how good it is."
The Yellow Ox laughed:"All those accursed Taoists will run away when they see you."
The White Sheep looked at the pouch, he said:"Do you really want to go up Mount Emei, sir?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"I wanted to go up with the two of you, but since you cannot go I will have to go alone."
The Yellow Ox asked:"When will you depart, sir?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"Tomorrow morning."
The Yellow Ox sighed:"It is a shame that your plans have changed, sir."
Xiao Yu'er frowned and asked:"What change?"
The Yellow Ox laughed at him, his laugh was very strange.
The White Sheep smiled evilly:"You little bastard! Don't you know yet?"
The [sir] was dropped now and he called him a little bastard instead. Xiao Yu'er was shocked, but he got up and slammed his hand very hard on the table, he angrily said:"You old goat! How dare..."
But soon he sat down again, his body felt weak all over. The White Sheep laughed:"Little bastard, do you now know why?"
Xiao Yu'er fell down on the floor and said:"There was poison in the wine."
The Yellow Ox proudly laughed:"We were afraid that we could not trick you, so we drank with you and from the same bottle. The only difference is that we took an antidote before drinking."
Xiao Yu'er asked:"Why did you this?"
The White Sheep said:"Why do you think we went to the Murong Manor? Do you really think those useless herbs of theirs can interest us? The herbal medicines of the Murong family cannot attract the attention of the 12 Zodiacs."
The Yellow Ox said:"To tell you the truth we came for you." The White Sheep said:"In the world you are the only one who knows the location of Yan Nantian's treasure. Old snake had posted a number of spies near the Murong Manor. He alerted us via carrier pigeons and when we arrived that Murong wretch had already left."
The Yellow Ox said:"We looked everywhere for you but we could not find you, in our anger we set fire to the manor." The White Sheep said:"When the manor was burnt down, we saw the stone house. We thought that you might have offended that Murong girl and was locked inside."
The Yellow Ox said:"Offending is quite easily with her strange temper...."
When Xiao Yu'er heard this he sighed and asked:"But why were there only you two?"
The Yellow Ox laughed:"We knew that you were a diabolical, cunning little bastard. If we forced you, you might even think of a few cunning plans to escape or even spout nonsense to confuse us. What is worse would be if you managed to escape us." The White Sheep said:"Our good friend the Yellow Ox deduced that the first place you would go to was the location of the Yan Nantian treasure. So he came up with a good plan to lead you on."
Xiao Yu'er carefully looked at the Yellow Ox and asked:"Was it really you?"
The Yellow Ox said:"Surprised?"
Xiao Yu'er was drugged by them and could not move anymore, he just sighed:"You really cannot judge a man by his looks. A stupid ox can be as cunning as a fox, that is something I never imagined could happen."
The White Sheep chuckled:"Uncountable people in Wulin have been tricked by him. You, little bastard are not the first one. Why all the sighing?"
Xiao Yu'er asked:"But how did you know...."
The Yellow Ox asked:"I know that you travelled together with the daughter of Tie Zhan, so he had to know the Ten Great Malevolents. I just randomly picked a name of them and you took the bait."
Xiao Yu'er smiled wryly:"A luck hit and I must be lucky these days."
The Yellow Ox said:"When you saw that we were that easily tricked by you, you were very proud of yourself, weren't you? Fortunately, you are diabolical little monster that is why our plan worked perfectly. You did not suspect a thing."
Xiao Yu'er sighed:"I was surprised to see you all so obedient and friendly, because the 12 Zodiacs are ruthless thugs. Unfortunately, I was still deceived by you...."
The Yellow Ox laughed:"You think you're very smart, but you still have a lot to learn before you can roam the realm."
The White Sheep said:"The 12 Zodiacs are not fools. If we did not have our motives, we would not play along with you. Even if Li Dazui was here, we would not fear him."
The Yellow Ox said:"Initially we wanted to dispose after we have found the treasure. But you are too slippery, so we had to use other means of incapacitating you."
The White Sheep said:"Since we now know that the treasure is on Mount Emei and we are not far from it, we are not afraid of your little feeble tricks."
The Yellow Ox laughed evilly:"If you will tell us where the treasure is we might even spare your life. You're a smart boy, you will make the right choice, won't you?"
Xiao Yu'er looked at them for some time and then started to laugh very hard. It looked like he was very happy and pleased.
The White Sheep angrily said:"You little bastard, do you really think we have no means to make you talk!"
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"Old bastard, do you really think I have fallen for your trick?"
The Yellow Ox laughed:"What devious plan do you still have? Tell us."
Xiao Yu'er sighed:"Well, I am willing to tell you. But I am afraid when I am just in the middle of my story, you are dead."
The Yellow Ox laughed:"Really?"
Xiao Yu'er grinned:"Not true, there was no poison on the beef you ate earlier. No poison at all."
Before Xiao Yu'er finished his sentence, the Yellow Ox could not laugh anymore. The White Sheep's face changed and he grabbed his Xiao Yu'er's jacket, he said:"You little bastard, what did you say?"
Xiao Yu'er smiled:"I just said I was a fool. I knew I was going treasure hunting tomorrow and I did not want you to follow me, but I could not bear to poison you two. Instead I put the poison on those tendons and beef."
Before Xiao Yu'er had finished, the White Sheep was terrified. He shouted:"Give us...us the antidote!"
Xiao Yu'er grinned:"Yes, of course. I should really give you the antidote. I really should even if you tried to dispose of me. Don't forget, you need me to find the treasure, I don't need you. The effects of immobilizing drugs can wear off, but poison is lethal."
The Yellow Ox suddenly laughed and pulled the White Sheep up, he grinned:"Yes, we are the fools. We don't know anything, you have to tell us that we are poisoned and then we really are poisoned."
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"Of course, don't believe me. But if you would press the spot next to your Rugen acupoint under your fifth rib, you won't find anything wrong. Don't even try to press it."
When Xiao Yu'er said [Don't even try to press it], the ox and the sheep had already pressed that spot. And when they did, their faces became whiter than paper. They looked at each other back and forth and did not move.
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"It is nothing, it just feels a bit numb. You won't die anytime soon, you can always kill me first." He told them to kill him first, but they would never do something like that now. Who would give them the antidote if Xiao Yu'er died? Xiao Yu'er laughed:"If I were you, I would first give me the antidote of the immobilizing drug. And if you would listen carefully to my words and stay obedient....."
The Yellow Ox protested:"But after you have your antidote, how do we know you will give us our antidote."
Xiao Yu'er said:"Yes, you don't need to the antitoxin. I will give you your antidote first."
The White Sheep and the Yellow Ox looked at each other; suddenly they walked over to Xiao Yu'er.
Xiao Yu'er slowly said:"Some types of venom cannot be cured with conventional methods. Besides, apart from the user no one knows what the poison can do. But if you don't believe, try and see if you're lucky."
Both of them stopped walking, their lives were at stake now.
They both thought: [We could always kill him after taking the antidote, making false promises or swearing is what we do best. ]
The two of them knelt down and swore that they would obey Xiao Yu'er no matter what, and then they respectfully fed Xiao Yu'er the antidote to the immobilizing drug. Everything else can wait, but not their lives. After some time, Xiao Yu'er could get up he dusted away the dust on his clothes and laughed:"The drug and antidote of the 12 Zodiacs are very effective." The Yellow Ox laughed:"I think your antitoxin must be very effective too, sir."
Xiao Yu'er asked:"What antitoxin?"
The two of them felt that someone punched them in their stomachs. Xiao Yu'er laughed:"Don't worry, I was just joking." He smiled and took out a small bottle, saying:"The antidote was on me all the time, if you just searched me earlier...(* sigh). Sometimes you must not blindly believe the words of others."
The two of them were furious and could strangle this brat, but first they had to save their own lives. The Yellow Ox grabbed the bottle and immediately poured some of the antitoxin in his mouth.
The White Sheep's face changed and said:"Why do you have take that much?" The Yellow Ox grinned:"I am bigger than you, so I have to take a bit more."
The White Sheep angrily took the bottle and poured the remaining contents down his throat. They both stared at Xiao Yu'er and were thinking: [There is nowhere to run now, you little bastard].
Xiao Yu'er looked back at them and asked:"Does that spot still hurt?"
They both pressed and the numbness was gone.
The White Sheep laughed:"It is very effective." The Yellow Ox laughed sinisterly:"Where do you...."
Xiao Yu'er loudly interrupted him with laughter:"The spot I told you to press was where your blood flows make contact, even a slight pinch pain and numbness can occur. Now your blood flows have moved on, it is natural that the pain is gone."
They were furious and shocked when they heard that.
The White Sheep roared:"You lying little bastard!"
Xiao Yu'er grinned:"Yes, I lied to two old bastards. You have to think here, I did not cook the beef how could I have put poison in it. And if I did, why should I save you."
The Yellow Ox laughed loudly too:"You're clever, but we're not complete idiots either. Although you have taken the antidote of the immobilizing drug you cannot fully use strength for another hour. We can kill you right now."
Xiao Yu'er said:"Really?"
The Yellow Ox laughed evilly:"No, we won't kill you. I just want to cut off your ears, half your nose and chop off one of your hands and legs."
Xiao Yu'er said:"Hmm, I am really afraid."
The Yellow Ox said:"No need to be afraid, we are not Li Dazui. We will just feed your flesh to dogs."
With every word he said, he moved one step forward towards Xiao Yu'er.
Xiao Yu'er did not look at him and just counted softly:"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, ....."
When he reached seven, the huge palm of the Yellow Ox hacked at him but Xiao Yu'er did not move.
Before his palm made contact the Yellow Ox's body swayed and his face changed colour. He suddenly fell down and was foaming at the mouth.
The White Sheep was shocked and said:"What is going on?"
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"The beef was not poisoned but the so-called antidote is poison. He ate most of it, so he noticed the effects sooner than you."
The White Sheep angrily roared and leapt up, but in midair his body dropped like a brick. And when he fell down he bumped his head very hard, a lump was forming.
Xiao Yu'er laughed and clapped his hands:"Now you've turned into a goat."
He was still laughing loudly when someone outside sighed:"It is an utter disgrace that two full grown men can be deceived this easily by a mere boy. How can you face your peers afterwards?"
Xiao Yu'er saw that the window was opened and a man looking a snake slithered in. He looked slimy and smooth; it was the Azure Serpent Lord.
Xiao Yu'er rolled his eyes and laughed:"Long time no see, how are you doing? Take a seat and have a drink." The Azure Serpent Lord smiled evilly:"I created that immobilizing drug, nobody in this world knows the effects better than me. It is futile of you to think you can stall time, even if you managed to speak a hundred words to buy some time it is still not possible for you to use your internal energy."
Xiao Yu'er sighed:"It seems that I cannot escape my fate today. Most unfortunate."
The Azure Serpent Lord replied:"Very true." He looked at the ox and the sheep; they only managed to make some humming noises. Their limbs and muscles have gone stiff and they could not blink their eyes. This poison was more lethal than the venom of the Azure Serpent Lord. When he saw this, his face changed a bit and exclaimed:"The zombie powder of Yin Jiuyou."
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"Excellent deduction! These two good brothers here did not take enough of it. After an hour they will be as stiff as zombies, they won't die but they can't walk about anymore. A sheep and an ox jumping around in the market, that must be a hilarious sight."
When the White Sheep and Yellow Ox hear this, they broke out in a cold sweat and hummed even harder. The Azure Serpent Lord said:"Do you want me to save you?"
The two of them tried to nod very hard, but it just seemed that they just moved their heads slightly.
The Azure Serpent Lord smiled sinisterly:"One treasure divided by three, everyone will only have a small portion. Furthermore, I could remember that you two promised me to leave some secret markings behind so I can follow you. But somehow I could not find those markings. Fortunately, I know you too well and arranged some of my own people amongst those so-called sons and grandsons of yours if not I could not catch up with you."
The White Sheep and The Yellow Ox sweated even harder now, there was fear in their eyes. The Azure Serpent Lord laughed:"Since you always like to pretend to be ghastly, it is only fitting that you will become real zombies."
He stopped laughing and walked over to Xiao Yu'er.
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"If you want to seal my acupoints, I suggest you would be gentle. I can't use my internal strength now so if you use too much strength I might die and then it is all over."
The Azure Serpent Lord laughed sinisterly:"In that case I won't seal your acupoints. I will just tell my [azure silk] to bite you and I promise it won't hart. It will feel like you are being hugged by a woman."
While he was talking, an azure small snake crawled out of his sleeve. The snake was almost the size of a worm, but it was very fast and its' tongue was fiery red, it looked very scary.
Even Xiao Yu'er was a bit startled. The brocade of the Azure Serpent Lord was like a nest full of snakes; in a short while ten odd little azure snakes as thin as worms and as long as chopsticks crawled out. They all crawled up Xiao Yu'er's body, some were around his neck, others crawled around his face, back, in his clothes and even in his boots. They feeling of a dozen cold snakes crawling up and down your body is really disgusting and repulsive.
Xiao Yu'er felt numb all over and did not dare to move.
The Azure Serpent Lord raised his thumb and middle finger and said:"All I have to do is snap my fingers all you instantly be hugged and kissed by these little maidens. Except for you nobody in this world can have the luck of being kissed by these lovely beauties all the same time."
Xiao Yu'er sighed:"If being hugged women really feels like this, no wonder that smart people become Buddhist monks of Taoist priests."
The Azure Serpent Lord smiled evilly:"You haven't even..."
Xiao Yu'er loudly interrupted:"Please stop, I really can't take this."
The Azure Serpent Lord asked:"Are you begging me now?"
Xiao Yu'er smiled wryly:"Where do you want to go, I will lead the way." The Azure Serpent Lord's eyes glittered and he was so happy that he could hardly speak:"The.... Is the treasure really on Mount Emei?"
Xiao Yu'er replied:"Yes, it is." The Azure Serpent Lord swallowed his saliva, he said:"So, tonight I could see the treasure with my own eyes?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"Not only that, you can even take it away." The Azure Serpent Lord leapt up and said:"Let us go now."
Xiao Yu'er said:"What...what about these snakes?"
The Azure Serpent Lord laughed:"I will allow these beauties to keep you company, don't you feel honoured?"
Xiao Yu'er looked wryly and said:"But how can I walk with these beauties on me?"
The Azure Serpent Lord said:"I know I don't have the ability to watch you the entire time. So they will do it for me, if you're obedient they will stay friendly too. But if you move about too much or try to run, they might bite you.... one small bite.... hahahahaha!"
He started to laugh very loudly, his laughter sounded hideous. Xiao Yu'er had no choice but to obey, he would not even cough if it were not allowed. He has never been more obedient than this in his life.
When they left the door, the White Sheep and Yellow Ox were humming very loudly. It sounded like begging, crying or even cursing, anyone with a heart would feel sorry for them. Unfortunately, the Azure Serpent Lord had no heart and Xiao Yu'er was in dire straits himself, he did not have the ability to save himself now let alone others. A waiter smilingly walked over and said:"Young master, what...."
Before he was finished he saw Xiao Yu'er and screamed loudly and then fainted, he thought he saw a ghost.
Xiao Yu'er smiled wryly:"I must look very handsome now, a snake hanging from each ear. Another two snakes around my neck and another two around my wrists. I should give these beauties to Murong Jiumei."
He was muttering to himself and the Azure Serpent Lord did not pay any notice to it.
Xiao Yu'er said:"The map was very detailed, it took my two nights to fully calculate its' position. I did not anticipate that you would end claiming the treasure."
The Azure Serpent Lord asked:"Is the entrance at the front or at the back?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"At the back..." Before he finished, the Azure Serpent Lord had covered his head with a black cotton sack.
The Azure Serpent Lord said coldly:"From now on, you don't need to lead the way. If you're smart you will just follow me and not try to attract someone's attention."
Xiao Yu'er sighed in his heart, but he laughed:"Why should I attract someone's attention? I only have enemies in this world, I don't have friends."
The Azure Serpent Lord shouted:"Silence!" Xiao Yu'er sighed:"Can't I even talk?" He was like a blind and mute man now, he could only follow silently. If the Azure Serpent Lord increased his speed, he had to follow and if he walked slowly Xiao Yu'er had to do the same thing. Xiao Yu'er did not know how long they walked and where they went.
Suddenly, Xiao Yu'er was pulled away into the bushes by the Azure Serpent Lord. Xiao Yu'er thought: [Could he have seen some powerful adversaries?]
The Azure Serpent Lord whispered into his ear:"Don't make a noise or else..."
Xiao Yu'er could no hear voices several ten metres away:"How could Tie Xinlan just disappear like that?"
The voice was very lovely, but Xiao Yu'er was startled when he heard that voice, it was Zhang Qing. Why was she here? Another voice said:"Maybe she noticed us."
That voice was cold and lovely, it belonged to Murong Jiumei. Xiao Yu'er's heart skipped a beat and hoped they would come over, normally he would run away as fast as he could if he saw or heard them. He felt that although they were his enemies but they were also very close to him.
Zhang Qing said:"We followed her here, and she did not even notice us. How could she have detected anything now? She looks all confused and woozy, she must be thinking of that rascal. She would not even detect an entire crowd behind her."
Murong Jiumei said indifferently:"So, why are you afraid that we can't find her?"
Zhang Qing said:"I am just afraid.... afraid..."
Murong Jiumei scoffed:"You're just afraid that you can't find that rascal, right?"
Zhang Qing said:"You're right. I am really afraid that I can't find that rascal and that I can't rip out his heart and see what colour it is."
Murong Jiumei said coldly:"No need to look, it is bound to be black."
The voice slowly died out, they have moved on.
Xiao Yu'er could almost call out, but if he did the snakes would bite him and that will be the end of him.
He could only be patient. From their conversation, Xiao Yu'er understood that they deliberately let Tie Xinlan go, so that they could follow her. It was a simple but good plan, which is very effective. But where is Tie Xinlan now?
Tie Xinlan is not interested in the treasure; she just wants to wait for Xiao Yu'er. She knew that Xiao Yu'er would come to Mount Emei, so she would await him here. But Murong Jiumei knew that Xiao Yu'er was still trapped in the stone icehouse, why would she come here too? Was she interested in the treasure? But that is very unfitting for a cold woman like her. Xiao Yu'er rolled his eyes but he could think of the reason. The Azure Serpent Lord said sternly:"Did you tell others about the location of the treasure?"
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"Do you think I will tell others?"
The Azure Serpent Lord said:"But who else could know about this place except you?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"That Yan Nantian should probably know too."
The Azure Serpent Lord felt relieved and said:"This is the back of Mount Emei, you can lead now."
Xiao Yu'er could see again and the sack was gone, it was night now but it was good to see the stars again after being blind for an entire day.
Mount Emei is famous for its' dangerous cliffs and if you would look down your heart will skip a beat.
This was one of the more desolate and high places of Mount Emei, there were fog everywhere here. Xiao Yu'er wanted to climb as fast as he could and leave the Azure Serpent Lord behind, but with all those snakes on him he would not dare to do so. And with more than ten snakes crawling about, how could he climb fast. After climbing for two hours, both of them were panting heavily. The Azure Serpent Lord panted:"Are we there yet?" Xiao Yu'er said:"Are you complaining now? If it was not for me, you would not find the treasure even if you knew it was in this area."
Suddenly the Azure Serpent Lord laughed:"You're a very clever boy, even more clever than me."
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"You're right about that. Before we find the treasure you might as well flatter up to me. After finding the treasure you can kill me and chop me up in small pieces."
The Azure Serpent Lord said friendly:"Don't worry after finding the treasure I won't kill you. I will treat you nicely...."
All of a sudden he roared:"Come out, you little bastard!"
While he was feeling mighty proud, Xiao Yu'er had disappeared. The Azure Serpent Lord broke out in a cold sweat and shouted:"Come out now, if you don't I will whistle and the snakes will instantly bite you. You can't run, come out now!"
But in the darkness, there was no sign of Xiao Yu'er. The Azure Serpent Lord was jumping up and down, saying:"Those snakes of mine only obey me, without me you can never remove them. Think carefully about that."
Suddenly he heard someone laughing behind him:"I am here, why are you so anxious?"
The Azure Serpent Lord looked for some time and finally saw an entrance to a cave.
Xiao Yu'er crawled inside and laughed:"Crawl inside too, this is the entrance to the treasure."
The Azure Serpent Lord was fuming but now his anger was gone. He crawled in and felt the cold air in the cave, he shivered and sighed:"It is remarkable that Yan Nantian could find somewhere like this to hide his treasure."
Xiao Yu'er said:"Only places like this can safeguard a treasure."
The Azure Serpent Lord laughed happily:"Only with the map of Yan Nantian could one find such a secretive place. Otherwise, no one can find it. Yan Nantian, Yan Nantian. You wasted so many energy and time to find this place but in the end your treasure has been found."
It was a very secret place here and the Azure Serpent Lord was thinking about the treasure he was about to find. He felt very happy and did not feel the cold anymore.
But the cave was very dark, the Azure Serpent Lord took out a paper flint, the flint was small but the fire was very bright.
He laughed happily:"Do you see this flint? To tell you the truth, I have been preparing for this journey for a long time now. I used 300 taels of silver to buy this flint of the hand so the Fire Crow. It can be lit for an entire day and won't go out."
However, the fire did go out. Xiao Yu'er laughed very loud:"Some special flint!"
The Azure Serpent Lord angrily said:"That Fire Crow has a lot of nerves to deceive me!"
Xiao Yu'er said:"You can't blame him, perhaps the fire could not withstand your arrogant breath."
Suddenly Xiao Yu'er stepped on something and tripped. The Azure Serpent Lord made a small cry of surprise too, the flint was lit again and both cried out of shock and stared at the ground. On the ground were three corpses, the three men in expensive brocades and holding sharp swords that shone brightly in the fire. The bodies were all curled up, it seemed that these three men died a horrible death.
Upon touch they felt cold, they were dead for some time now. But their limbs were still flexible, meaning that they could not have been dead for more than two hours.
The Azure Serpent Lord turned over the bodies and looked at the face, the three men looked alike and the hand of the Azure Serpent Lord began to tremble. Xiao Yu'er asked:"Do you recognize them?"
The Azure Serpent Lord said:"The Three Swords of Jinlin, united they stand!"
Xiao Yu'er said:"Hmm, they are famous martial artists."
The Azure Serpent Lord said:"Not only famous, but they are first rate martial arts experts. But if the location of the treasure has not leaked out how come that they came here."
Xiao Yu'er frowned too and said:"That is strange." The Azure Serpent Lord sternly said:"What is strange?"
Xiao Yu'er shrugged and explained friendly:"These three are dead, why worry?"
The Azure Serpent Lord angrily said:"They are dead, but their killer could be around. This killer was able to kill the Three Swords of Jinlin, he must be a terrible opponent."
Xiao Yu'er said:"Who could that be? And who did he find out about this place?"
The Azure Serpent Lord gritted his teeth and said:"How can you now know? You must have told them. Yan Nantian went through all this effort to bury his treasure and there is only one map. And the only map was...."
All of a sudden the flint went out again.
The Azure Serpent Lord now knew someone was responsible for putting out the fire, he took three steps back and leant against a wall, he shouted:"Who is out there!"
In the dark a voice said:"You're right, the killer is still here. And I am the killer."
The voice sounded calm and was slow; there was nothing strange to it. But because the sound sounded too normal, it sounded extra eerie in this cave.
Even someone like the Azure Serpent Lord's face changed and shivered, he said:"Who...who are you?"
The voice said:"Do you really want to know who I am?"
The Azure Serpent Lord gritted his teeth and picked up the flint, in the light he could see a man in a grey robe walking in the cave. His face was greyish; you could not see his eyes, nose. His face looked like a dried up lemon, and looked hideous. Xiao Yu'er knew that this man wore a mask, but even so he felt frightened. But why did he cover his eyes as well, but he could move about like nothing was wrong. Being blindfolded is not very pleasant; Xiao Yu'er experienced that just a while ago. The Azure Serpent Lord broke out in a cold sweat and said:"You're the Grey Bat?"
The man in grey smiled faintly:"Have you taken a good look?"
The Azure Serpent Lord said:"The Owl must...."
Suddenly he stopped talking and stood still, he did not move. It was like he was turned into a statue holding a flint, but he was still sweating heavily.
Xiao Yu'er saw someone walking up to him from his behind; there was nothing strange about this man except for his eyes. His eyes were hideously big and very bright.
The man in grey smiled:"If the Grey Bat is here, the Owl cannot be far away. Remember to watch your rear when you're talking to someone in front of you." With that a palm ended the life of the Azure Serpent Lord.
The Owl looked at Xiao Yu'er and chuckled:"I would like to ask you, how did you find this place?"
His voice really sounded like an owl, no wonders this man's nickname was the Owl.
Xiao Yu'er blinked his eyes and said:"It was you who told us."
The Owl said with surprise:"Me?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"There is only one map to the Yan Nantian's treasure. If you did not tell me how would we find this place? And you needed our help to dispose of the Grey Bat and claim the treasure for your own. Why do you go back on your words? Have you asked the help of others?"
He put his hands on his waist and stared at the Owl, his lie was very convincing.
The Owl was furious and his face had turned red, he angrily shouted:"How dare you make such false accusations! You have a powerful forked tongue like your teacher at a young age, what will become of you when you grow up!" He was of the impression that Xiao Yu'er was the student of the Azure Serpent Lord.
Xiao Yu'er said:"Yes, kill me now! So no one will know about your evil plans!"
The Owl roared:"I will rid the world of this little monster right now."
He raised his hands and his fingers formed claws like an eagle and he aimed at the throat and chest of Xiao Yu'er.
Xiao Yu'er did not move, he was a bit afraid of the snake's bite than those eagle claws. The claws were almost at him when suddenly stood in front of him. It was the Grey Bat, saying:"How can you kill a mere boy?"
The Owl retracted his attack, his face changed and said:"Why do you stop me? Do you believe the lies of this boy?"
The Grey Bat said casually:"I thought it was strange why so many people could find this place, since we have the only map."
The Owl shouted:"We have known each other for 20 years, don't you trust me?"
The Grey Bat said:"Blind people are often deceived by people, we are a bit more paranoid than others."
The Owl stamped his feet and said:"Very well! I think you want to have the treasure for your own, you're just finding an excuse to attack me. People told me that blind people are difficult lot, it is a shame that I did listen..."
The Grey Bat put out the fire with his palm. Xiao Yu'er took three steps back and heard the Owl shout:"You really want to kill me!"
There was a series of fist and palm exchange.
Xiao Yu'er thought: [Owl, you will not survive this fight. ]
The Grey Bat was blind and was accustomed in the dark, although the Owl could see in the dark he was still in a disadvantage.
And then Xiao Yu'er heard a cracking sound, like bones being shattered. He heard the Owl say:"You will...will regret this one day!"
With that his voice died out.
The Grey Bat said calmly:"Little child, where are you?"
Xiao Yu'er covered his breathing and did not move, he knew that after killing the Azure Serpent Lord and the Owl he would be next.
The Grey Bat breathed normally and said friendly:"Little brother, why won't you talk? You exposed his evil plans I would like to thank you."
While he was talking he was walking towards Xiao Yu'er, blind people can sense better than others. Xiao Yu'er had covered his breathing, but the Grey Bat could feel the body warmth coming from Xiao Yu'er. His steps were closer and closer, Xiao Yu'er was sweating heavily.
The Grey Bat said friendly:"Here you are, why aren't you running?"
Xiao Yu'er saw the hand of the Grey Bat reaching out to him, Xiao Yu'er did not move.
The hand of the Grey Bat were almost at his throat and slowly said:"I won't let you suffer, just a gentle press and you will die very peacefully and without pain. Don't blame me, but the treasure cannot be divided into two."
All of a sudden he yelled and took two steps back, he said with a shaky voice:"Your neck.... Your neck..."
His fingers were almost at the throat of Xiao Yu'er and the snake around Xiao Yu'er's neck bit his fingers. And the Grey Bat was blind and could not see the snakes.
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"Great having snakes on your body, isn't it? How can a mere blind fellow like you kill me."
The Grey Bat shouted:"Snake.... Snake...."
He shouted loudly and stared to run, but after taking the tenth step he fell down.
Xiao Yu'er was both happy and shocked. He was happy because his adversaries are dead now, he was shocked to see how lethal those snakes were.
He took a deep breath and muttered:"Grey Bat, if you were not that vicious and wanted to grab my throat you would not be dead now. The snakes that wanted to harm me have saved me now, the world is filled with contradictions."
He sat down now, he was totally exhausted. Only Xiao Yu'er was capable of turning the tables around in such situations.
He found the flint of the Azure Serpent Lord, but he did not dare to move too frantically those snake beauties were deadly. He sighed:"Maggots attached to the bone! How do I get rid of these snakes? I might as well die."
All of a sudden there was some light and a tall man in expensive brocade with a big beard walked this way. He looked very tough and proud. Xiao Yu'er was shocked and the man was also surprised to see Xiao Yu'er surrounded with corpses. He took three steps back and raised his palm in front of his chest, he said sternly:"Who are you?"
Xiao Yu'er rolled his eyes and asked:"Who are you?"
The man in the expensive brocade said proudly:"Don't you even recognize me? How can you roam the realm?"
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"In other words, you must be rather famous."
The man said loudly:"I am the leader of 17 joint guard agencies. Also named the [Power that moves mountains and rivers, copper fists and iron palms shaking China] Zhao Quanhai. You must have heard of this name before!"
Xiao Yu'er smiled:"An impressive and long name, but do you know who I am?"
That Zhao Quanhai scoffed:"Who are you, why should I know who you are?"
Xiao Yu'er sneered:"I am [the Saint of 10, 000 serpents, the sage of 10, 000 swords, the king of kings, undefeated throughout the 63 provinces of China, earthshaking "Yu Wangzi"]. Have you heard of this name?"
He said that long nickname in one go and Zhao Quanhai was really quite shocked by that name and said:"I have never heard of that name before."
Xiao Yu'er said:"Even if you haven't heard of my name, your teacher must have. He must know who I am, most of the older generation in realm al show great respect when they see me."
Zhao Quanhai angrily said:"You little brat, how dare you spout nonsense like that!"
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"Do you think I am very young?"
Zhao Quanhai said:"You're even too young to be my son."
Xiao Yu'er said:"Do you know when you've reached the ultimate level of perfection in martial arts, you will be able to rejuvenate?"
Zhao Quanhai was a bit stunned and looked at Xiao Yu'er; he did not know what to believe.
Xiao Yu'er said:"I have already killed too many today, I really don't want to engage anymore people. You look like a good fellow, I will let you go."
Zhao Quanhai angrily shouted:"I will not be chased away by a few words!"
Xiao Yu'er sneered:"Take a look at the bodies and see if you can recognize them."
Zhao Quanhai bent down to have a look, suddenly he was extremely startled and said:"The Three Swords of Jinlin? The Grey Bat, the Owl? And..... and...?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"Don't you recognize the Azure Serpent Lord of the 12 Zodiacs?"
Zhao Quanhai shivered and asked:"Were they all killed by you?"
Xiao Yu'er said calmly:"That is nothing. I just want to ask you how are your martial arts compared to them?"
Zhao Quanhai was stunned for a while and said valiantly:"I have gone through a lot of troubles to get here. If old master wants me to leave I will, but I cannot leave in peace."
He told Xiao Yu'er he did not want to go, but he had changed the manner of addressing Xiao Yu'er.
Xiao Yu'er smiled:"What do you want?"
Zhao Quanhai said:"Old master, I would like to see your martial arts so I can leave in peace."
He looked crude, but he was quite a careful man. He did not become the leader of the 17 joined guard agencies by pure luck.
Xiao Yu'er remained calm and said:"You would like to see my martial arts, that is very easy. If you can manage to kill all the snakes on me without harming you, I will let you have the treasure."
Zhao Quanhai's eyes glittered and asked:"Really?"
Xiao Yu'er said:"An old master does not lie to young ones." Zhao Quanhai walked over with big steps and looked at the snakes. Xiao Yu'er was pleased, he hoped this man had good martial arts and could kill all those snakes. However, suddenly they were interrupted by a series of sword and sabre clashing. There were people fighting up ahead, normally there would be pauses between the clashing sounds but here the sounds did not stop. The fighters must be very swift wielders of the sabre and the sword.
Zhao Quanhai turned around and his face changed colour, he said:"Another group of people? Very swift swordplay."
Xiao Yu'er blinked his eyes and said:"Don't be afraid, stand behind me. Nobody will be able to harm you."
Zhao Quanhai looked at him for a moment and saw all those snakes on him and felt eerie. He really believed that he had met a senior Wulin dignitary.
He looked at him for another moment and said:"Thank you."
The clanging sounds came closer, a while ago they came from the entrance and now they were near where Xiao Yu'er stood.
A cold and unfriendly voice said:"Snow Sabre, do you really wish to fight to the death?"
The other voice said:"I have long heard that your swordsmanship is very swift, the swiftest of outer regions. Now is a good chance to see it for myself. I don't know how you found out about the treasure, but let us first fight to determine who is stronger and who can survive."
The voice was sharp and high, it was a woman.
Xiao Yu'er asked:"Is this Snow Sabre a woman?"
Zhao Quanhai sighed:"She was one of the three famous and feared Luo Sha*. Her sabre techniques are miraculous, even famous Peng disciples of the famous school with a long history like the Five Tiger Slashing sabre have been defeated by her."
Xiao Yu'er asked:"Who is the other?"
Zhao Quanhai said:"Judging by what the Snow Sabre said, that must be the dignitary of the Changbai Sword school, the [Dragon Sword of the Outer regions], Feng Tianyu. His swordsmanship is unmatched in the outer regions."
Xiao Yu'er sighed deeply:"I am old, I am oblivious to all the famous martial artists of the younger generation."
Zhao Quanhai frowned and said:"The location of the treasure should be a secret, how come so many people know of it. This is very strange."
The fighting came closer and they could see that the sparks lit the dark cave; the flashes of sword and sabre were magnificent. One was a skinny and tall wearing black tight clothes, the other wore white and was very slender and her stances of the willow leaved sabre were very fast.
Zhao Quanhai became a bit uneasy now.
Xiao Yu'er said calmly:"They have good martial arts, but there are too many flaws. If I would attack they will be defeated within ten stances."
The heard a loud clang and then the fighting stopped, and looked at Xiao Yu'er.
The Snow Sabre was a middle-aged woman who still looked very beautiful, her figure was very slender and her eyes were pretty too. She suddenly exclaimed with shock:"Quanhai, you're here too?"
Zhao Quanhai put up an enforced smile and said:"After all these years, you still look the same."
The Snow Sabre smiled sweetly:"Thank you, I never imagined I would see you here..... 11 years now, almost 12 years. Why have you not looked for me? Do you only want fame and fortune, don't you want anything else?"
Zhao Quanhai coughed and said:"I.... I...."
That Feng Tianyu suddenly sneered:"Good, old lovers meeting up with each other again! But I do not fear Liu Ruyu and Zhao Quanhai even if you team up."
The Snow Sabre, Liu Ruyu just ignored him seeing that she has found help, she looked at Xiao Yu'er and said:"Have you brought along your pupil? Why does he look so strange?"
Zhao Quanhai said:"This is old master Yu."
Xiao Yu'er listened with disbelief and repeated:"Old master Yu?"
Zhao Quanhai said loudly:"Old master Yu had just killed the Three Swords of Jinlin, the Grey Bat, the Owl and the Azure Serpent Lord, their bodies are here."
After he said that, both Feng Tianyu and Liu Ruyu were shocked. Feng Tianyu took a few steps back and raised his sword at Xiao Yu'er. He carefully observed Xiao Yu'er and tightened the grip on his sword.
Xiao Yu'er almost burst out in laughter, but stayed calm and serious. He said:"Miss Liu, do you have a map too?"
Liu Ruyu nodded and said:"Hmm." Xiao Yu'er looked at Feng Tianyu and said:"And you?"
Feng Tianyu said coldly:"Without a map I could not have reached this place."
Xiao Yu'er eyes flashed and said:"Up till now, there are six maps. One treasure and six maps, that is very strange."
Feng Tianyu raised his sword and said sternly:"No matter how many people will come, the last standing will be the owner of the treasure."
Xiao Yu'er coldly said:"If you want to die that is fine. But it would be a shame to die before actually seeing the treasure, don't you agree?" Feng Tianyu was taken by this remark and lowered his sword. Zhao Quanhai said:"Old master Yu is right. It is better that we will take a look first. After finding the treasure we can still fight to the death."
Xiao Yu'er laughed:"The leader of the joined guard agencies is more sensible."
He turned around and started to walk, suddenly he turned around and said:"Would you be so kind to see what the Azure Serpent Lord has hidden in his clothes?"
There were three small boxes hidden in his clothes, all of the same shape and size. But there were different labels on each, on the first box there was label: immobilizing drug. On the second label there were the characters: antidote and on the third were the characters: snake grain.
Xiao Yu'er took the boxes and could almost jump in the air with happiness. With the box of snake grain he could lure those snake beauties away. But thought about it for a while and decided to put those boxes away first.
He discovered that with these little snakes he could scare and fool a lot of people and this was a time when he needed to fool and scare others.
| ← Ch. 009 | Ch. 011 → |