Gradually, the morning sun rose above the horizon, casting a golden shine on the boat while reflecting in the river below, creating glistening reflections in the shapes of thousands of snakes. A small boat in the distance hoisted its sail and traveled toward them head-on. Catching the easterly wind, full force, with the cyan sail, the small boat moved swiftly up the stream. The giant picture of a white foot was painted in the middle of the cyan sail. And after the small boat had come closer so that everyone could take a good glimpse at the picture, they all concluded that it was obviously the picture of a female"s foot, judging from the fine shape and delicacy it had presented.

"Why would someone paint a foot on the sail? How bizarre?" the Huashan apprentices muttered among themselves.

"This boat most likely belongs to the Bear Duo of the Northern Desert," Branch Fairy announced. "Oops, Madam Yue, Miss Yue, you girls had better watch out! It couldn"t have been any clearer – those guys on that boat are fond of eating girl"s feet!"

Yue Lingshan spat at him in disgust, yet a slight panic had already started swelling inside her.

Minutes later, the small boat was well within sight, and the pa.s.sengers on the big boat soon noticed the faint singing coming out of the small boat"s cabin. The sound was gentle and soft, and the lyric was peculiar – no one could understand a word of it, while the tonality was so utterly intimate that it didn"t sound like singing but rather moaning or groaning. And then, it changed, now more like the sound of a love ritual, ardent and lascivious to the extreme. The many young apprentices of the Huashan School all blushed with embarra.s.sment as Madam Yue grunted in disgust, "What kind of monster is this?"

Suddenly, a girl"s sweet voice floated out from inside the small boat, "Is Young Mister Linghu of the Huashan Sword School aboard your boat?"

"Chong, pay no attention to her!" Madam Yue whispered.

"We"d really like to have a good look at Young Mister Linghu if that"s alright," the girl asked again, her voice so charming and agreeable as though it had carried some kind of magical power that could sway one"s heart.

While the words still echoed in everyone"s ears, a girl had leapt out from the small boat"s cabin and stood on the bow of the boat, smiling. She was dressed in a blue skirt with white flower patterns. Outside the skirt, an embroidered ap.r.o.n with many colorful and shining decorations hung from her chest all the way to her knees, looking splendid in green and gold. The girl appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years of age. Her skin had a slightly yellowish tone, and her two eyes were much larger than average, the pupils pitch black. The pair of large gold earrings dangling from her ears was at least the size of a wine cup. The two ends of a multicolored waistband around her waist shot forward from the force of the wind, but she was actually standing there barefooted. Even though the girl had shown great charm, but after hearing her voice before actually seeing her look, it was only natural to think that the charming of her voice far exceeds the charming of her looks. The girl smiled at the pa.s.sengers on the big boat. By the way she dressed, one can easily tell that she was a minority girl. [1]

The boat carrying members of the Huashan School was traveling downstream, and it seemed as if it would have collided with the small boat when the small boat suddenly turned around in a swift maneuver. And after lowering the sail, the small boat now started traveling downstream side by side with the big boat.

Yue Buqun suddenly remembered something. "Miss, are you a subordinate of Chief Blue from the Five-Sylph Sect in Yunnan?"[2] he asked.

"You do have some insights. But you"ve only gotten half of it right. I am from the Five-Sylph Sect, indeed. But I am not a subordinate of Chief Blue," the girl giggled and then replied in a soft tone.

Taking a few steps forward until he was at the bow of the boat, Yue Buqun cupped his hands in greeting.

"My name is Yue Buqun. Miss, would you be kind enough to inform me your respectable surname and enlighten me with your purpose in a detoured visit and the advice you will favor me today?"

"I am a Miao[3] girl. I don"t understand all your fancy talking there. What did you say?" The girl grinned.

"Miss, what"s your family name?" Yue Buqun asked again.

"You already know my family name. Why do you still ask me?" The girl chortled.

"I asked because I don"t really know your family name," Yue Buqun explained.

"You are a grown up man. See, you"ve even got long goatees. Obviously you know my family name. Why make a scene and deny it?" The girl let out a big grin.

These words sounded quite disrespectful. But she kept smiling a most innocent grin on her face; her voice did not carry any trace of hostility.

"Miss, you must be joking with me," Yue Buqun replied.

"Now Head Master Yue, what"s your family name?" the girl asked with a bright smile.

"Miss, you already know that my family name is Yue. Why ask while you know the answer?" Yue Buqun said uncomfortably.

Madam Yue had enough of the kind of frivolous dialogue. "Don"t pay attention to her," she whispered to her husband.

Yue Buqun put his left hand behind his back and shook it a few times, signaling Madam Yue to stay put.

"Why is Mr. Yue shaking his hand behind his back?" Root Fairy became excited. "Oh, I see. Madam Yue told him to not pay attention to that girl, but after seeing how pretty and coquettish the girl is, he just wouldn"t listen to his wife and would rest at nothing but to pay a lot of attention to her."

"Did you say that I am pretty and coque…something? Thanks a lot!" the girl said, chuckling. "Your Han girls are certainly prettier than us Miao girls." Apparently she didn"t know that the word "coquettish" was actually a derogatory term, and was very pleased to hear others praising about her beauty. Then she turned to Yue Buqun. "You already know my family name. Why do you ask while you know the answer then?"

"Hey, what"s gonna happen when Mr. Yue doesn"t listen to his wife?" Branch Fairy muttered.

"It"s not gonna be good! Mark my word!" Flower Fairy concluded with an evil grin.

"Isn"t Mr. Yue"s nick name the "Gentleman Sword"?" Trunk Fairy joined in. "So he is no gentleman after all. He already knew what her name is, and still asks for it, again and again, trying to make conversation. I think he just wants to keep talking with the girl."

Yue Buqun was greatly embarra.s.sed by the remarks from the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies. These six brothers never watched their mouths; Heaven knew what more garbage might come out from their holes. And what impression would that leave the many apprentices when they hear this? But knowing what kind of people the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies were, he simply couldn"t take it seriously. So he cupped his hands and spoke again.

"Will you please pa.s.s along my greetings to Chief Blue. Yue Buqun of the Huashan Sword School wishes Elder Blue good health."

That apparently shocked the girl. She opened her eyes even wider and rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Why…why are you calling me "Elder Blue"? Am I that old already?" she asked.

"Miss, you…you are the Chief Blue of the…Five-Sylph Sect?" It was Yue Buqun"s turn to be completely shocked this time. He had known that the Five-Sylph Sect was a very sinister and vicious sect, and had always been referred to as the "Five-Venom Sect" among fellow marital people behind the back. When the sect was founded about a hundred years ago, it actually was named the "Five-Venom Sect," and the founder of the sect and the key members of the sect were all Miao minorities. Later when several Han members joined the sect, they were able to convey to the Miao members that "Five-Venom" was not such an elegant name and changed it to "Five-Sylph," instead. The "Five-Sylph Sect" specialized in using miasma, parasite, and venomous pests, and shared great fame with the "Hundred-Toxic Faction" – one leads the northern region and the other tops the southern region in their knowledge of poison. Among the many members of the Five-Sylph Sect, most were Miao minorities, and lacked the skills in scheming shown by their counterparts in the Hundred-Toxic Faction, but the way they use their poison were so eerie and creepy that they were simply unimaginable. The rumor in the Martial World said that when the Hundred-Toxic Faction had wanted to poison someone, even though it was impossible to guard against the attacks, after some careful investigation and deduction, one could still understand how the poison worked; on the other hand, when someone was poisoned by the Five-Sylph Sect, even if the executor explained it in details, it would still be totally unbelievable and unimaginable. The uniqueness and the eeriness simply could not be reasoned using normal logic.

"I am Blue Phoenix. Didn"t you know that already?" the girl explained with a grin. "I told you that I am from the Five-Sylph Sect but not a subordinate of Chief Blue. Now other than Blue Phoenix, herself, who else would not be a subordinate of Blue Phoenix within the entire Five-Sylph Sect?" At that word, the girl broke into loud giggles.

The Peach Valley"s Six Fairies also broke out into loud laughter. "Mr. Yue is so slow. She pretty much told him, yet he keeps nagging away."

The only thing Yue Buqun had known about the Five-Sylph Sect Chief was the last name Blue. Now after hearing what the girl had just said, he realized that the chief"s full name was Blue Phoenix. And the girl"s colorful and pattern-rich dress did make her look like a phoenix. At the time it was tradition for Han families to keep a girl"s maiden name secret. The maiden name would only be revealed the day when the prospect in-laws family proposed an engagement with gifts and performed the "Maiden Name Revelation" ceremony. Even though martial families in the Martial World didn"t quite stick to that tradition to the letter, they still wouldn"t just give it out randomly. But this Miao girl revealed her maiden name out right so easily in front of a large crowd on the river, without showing any trace of bashfulness. Though her demeanor was natural and graceful, at the mentioning of her own name, the tone of her voice became even softer and sweeter.

"So it is Chief Blue, herself, who has come personally. It is certainly my lack of manners to have not greeted your gracious presence appropriately. May I ask what Chief Blue has to teach me about?" Yue Buqun cupped his hands together again to salute.

"I am completely illiterate. What can I teach you? Unless you mean you can teach me. See, the way you dressed does look like that of a schoolteacher. So you are thinking about teaching me to read, aren"t you? I am too thickheaded. You Han people are all too cunning. I doubt I"d be able to learn all that," Blue Phoenix replied with a grin.

"Is she just acting dumb, or has she really no idea about standard polite greetings? Judging from the expression on her face, she doesn"t seem to be putting on an act," Yue Buqun thought to himself. So he simply asked, "Chief Blue, why are you here?"

"Is Linghu Chong your apprentice brother or your apprentice?" Blue Phoenix asked.

"He is my apprentice," Yue Buqun answered.

"Hmm, is it alright if I take a good look at him?" Blue Phoenix requested.

"But he is in poor health and a state of delirium at the moment, and would be unsuitable of coming out to pay his respects." Yue Buqun wasn"t too fond of the idea.

"Pay his respects?" Blue Phoenix uttered in surprise, opening her big round eyes even wider. "I don"t need him to pay me respects. He is not a subordinate of my Five-Sylph Sect. Why would he need to pay me respects? Besides, he is that one…hehe…that one"s good friend. Even if he does want to pay me respects, I don"t deserve it. I heard that he drew his own blood to feed Old Man"s daughter in order to save her life. Such kind of pa.s.sionate and affectionate man is the kind we Miao girls admire the most. That"s why I"ve gotten to take a look at him."

"Well…well…!" Yue Buqun hesitated.

"I know he is badly wounded and have lost a lot of blood. You don"t have to call him out. I"ll come over myself," Blue Phoenix suggested.

"We dare not request your gracious presence," Yue Buqun said hurriedly.

"Whatever!" Blue Phoenix chortled, and with a gentle leap, she landed on the big boat carrying the Huashan school members.

Yue Buqun noticed the grace and ease she had displayed from the leap, yet nothing suggested that she had any extraordinary Kung Fu skills. Taking two steps back, he blocked the entrance to the cabin, feeling deeply troubled. He knew that the Five-Sylph Sect would make a very tough adversary, and when fighting with such unorthodox sects it would take a lot more than true Kung Fu skills to win the battle. That was the reason why he had been very polite toward Blue Phoenix from the very beginning. The two members of the Hundred-Toxic Faction had mentioned the previous night that someone had asked them to shadow the Huashan School. Birds of a feather flock together. Most likely it was the Five-Sylph Sect that had asked them to do so. Why would the Five-Sylph Sect be hard on the Huashan School? The Five-Sylph Sect was a large faction in the Martial World. When the chief of the sect came personally, logically he shouldn"t have blocked the way, but to let a person with all kinds of eerie poisons all over her body into the cabin was the last thing Yue Buqun would want. Figuring that Linghu Chong coming out to meet Chief Blue probably would be the best solution for now, he held his position steadily and shouted out.

"Chong! Chief Blue wants to see you. Come out, hurry!"

"Yes, Master!" Linghu Chong answered feebly. But since he had just lost a lot of blood recently, after hearing the calling from his Master, he couldn"t even sit up and had to give up trying after failing a few pathetic attempts.

"I heard that he was seriously wounded. How could he come out?" Blue Phoenix objected. "It"s very windy on the river. We don"t want him to catch a cold on top of everything he is already suffering from, do we? I"ll go inside to visit him."

Blue Phoenix started walking toward the entrance of the cabin. Only after a few steps, she was already within four feet from Yue Buqun and the strong scent of fragrance filled Yue Buqun"s nostrils immediately. Turning slightly sideways, hesitantly, Yue Buqun spared enough room for Blue Phoenix to get through and watched cautiously as she entered the cabin.

The Peach Valley"s Six Fairies occupied the majority of the outer cabin, five of them sitting down cross-legged while Fruit Fairy lying on the bed.

"You must be the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies? I am the chief of the Five-Sylph Sect, and you are the Six Fairies of the Peach Valley. Sylphs are fairies, too. We are one of the same kind!" Blue Phoenix grinned joyously.

"Not likely! We are real and you are fake!" Root Fairy challenged mockingly.

"Even if you were real, we have six fairies, one more than what you have," Trunk Fairy added.

"It wouldn"t be that hard to turn that around, you know," Blue Phoenix beamed.

"How are you going to having one more than us? Are you changing the name of your sect to Seven-Sylph Sect?" Leaf Fairy asked curiously.

"We only have five sylphs, not seven. But we can reduce the six fairies to only four fairies, then naturally we would have one more than you guys, wouldn"t we?" A nasty grin flashed across Blue Phoenix"s face as she spoke.

"Reduce the six fairies to only four fairies? Are you saying that you are killing two of us?" Flower Fairy bellowed in fury.

"Kill or not, that"s all up to us, isn"t it? But I heard that you are friends of Linghu Chong, I guess we can let that pa.s.s. But you"ll have to stop boasting yourself and claim that you have one more fairy than my Five-Sylph Sect," Blue Phoenix let out a triumphant smile.

"We love boasting ourselves. What"cha gonna do?" Trunk Fairy snapped.

All of a sudden, Root Fairy, Trunk Fairy, Leaf Fairy and Flower Fairy all leapt to their feet and each grabbed onto one of her limbs, but before they were able to lift her up, all four of them cried out and all let go of her simultaneously as though following an inaudible command, each holding out his palm and gazing at it in horror. Even Yue Buqun felt cold p.r.i.c.ks all over his back when he took a quick glimpse of what the Fairies now had in their palms – two large emerald centipedes and two large spiders that had colorful stripes all over their bodies. The bodies of all four venomous pests were covered in long hairs, so disgusting that even a glance at them could make one sick. But the four venomous pests only moved slightly, and neither took a bite at the four Fairies. If they had bitten with their poisonous fangs, then the damage would have already been done, and they wouldn"t have appeared as frightening. Just because they were now all alerted and provoked, and any slight movement could have prompt them to bite down with the poisonous fangs, the Peach Valley"s Four Fairies dare not move an inch, and all froze right on the spot.

Blue Phoenix swung her arm conveniently, and the four venomous pests vanished all of a sudden. She must have put them away with the swing, but no one could tell where on her body did she store them. She paid no more attention to the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies and walked further into the cabin. Having been frightened completely out of their wits, the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies dared not speak another word.

Linghu Chong and the bunch of male apprentices of the Huashan School occupied the middle cabin. By then, Madam Yue and the many female apprentices had returned to the back cabin, and the clapboard between the middle cabin and the back cabin had been closed. After casting a casual glance at the many apprentices in the cabin, Blue Phoenix walked next to Linghu Chong"s bed and called out gently.

"Young Mister Linghu! Young Mister Linghu!"

The gentleness and the affection carried in her voice seemed to have reached the extreme. As the sweet sound echoed in everyone"s ears, each felt a soul-stirring sensation surging through his entire body, and almost couldn"t help but answer, as if she had been calling him, not Linghu Chong. After these two calls, over half of the male apprentices found themselves red in the face and their bodies quivering slightly.

"Who…who are you?" Linghu Chong opened his eyes slowly and asked in a barely audible voice.

"I am a friend of your good friend, so I am your friend, too," Blue Phoenix answered tenderly.

Linghu Chong acknowledged with a slight groan and then closed his eyes.

"Young Mister Linghu, I know you"ve lost a great amount of blood. But don"t worry, you won"t die," Blue Phoenix said. But in his daze, Linghu Chong didn"t reply.

Reaching under Linghu Chong"s quilt, Blue Phoenix pulled his hand out and started checking his pulse, but soon her eyebrows knitted into a straight line. Suddenly, she stuck her head out of the window, gave a whistle, and then jabbered out many words, which neither one inside the cabin could comprehend.

A short while later, four Miao girls entered the cabin. All of them were about eighteen years of age, and all dressed in blue skirts in white flower patterns, with an embroidered waistband around each waist. Each of them held in her hand an eight-inch long square box made of bamboo strips.

Yue Buqun frowned slightly, thinking that whatever the things in the Five-Sylph Sect members" hands were, they could not have been anything good. Just Blue Phoenix, by herself, already had many centipedes and spiders hidden on her. Now, when these four Miao girls carried these boxes into the cabin openly, all h.e.l.l would probably break loose. But since they showed no sign of enmity, it would be inappropriate of him to stop them.

Walking over by Blue Phoenix"s side, the four Miao girls whispered something to her, and after getting a nod back, they opened the boxes. People in the cabin found their curiosity growing rapidly, all were eager to find out what kind of queer things might be stored in the boxes, except Yue Buqun, who was the only one who had seen the hairy venomous insects in Peach Valley"s Four Fairies" palms, and only wished that he would never have to get a glimpse of the things inside the boxes. But suddenly, the strangest thing happened.

The four Miao girls rolled their sleeves high, exposing the snow-white arms, and then they also rolled their trouser legs high, until they were above their knees. [4] The many male apprentices of the Huashan School were stupefied as they gaped at the unusual sight, their hearts pounding madly.

"Oh, no!" Yue Buqun thought aloud. "These girls from this heretical sect want to perform some kind of evil enchantment and use l.u.s.t to tempt my apprentices. Just the voice of that Blue Phoenix, alone, was already utterly lascivious, if she performed any kind of black art on top of that, having not enough self-control, the many apprentices would undoubtedly fall for it." He couldn"t help clutching the handle of his sword, determined to put a stop to it if these members of the Five-Sylph Sect were to undress themselves and perform any witchcraft.

After the four Miao girls rolled up their sleeves and trouser legs, Blue Phoenix also rolled her trouser legs up unhurriedly. Yue Buqun winked at the many apprentices, signaling them to retreat out of the cabin, so as not to be perplexed by the evil enchantment, but only Lau Denuo and Shi Daizi followed his command. Among the rest apprentices, some walked a few steps hesitantly toward the outside before returning to the original spot, and some others simply froze there, lost in trance.

Yue Buqun gathered his inner energy around his lower abdomen and loaded his "Divine Art of Violet Twilight." Soon, a shade of violet color flashed across his face. He knew that the Five-Venom Sect had been entrenched in the southern region for over two hundred years, and their notoriety did not come by accident. Undoubtedly, they knew certain vicious and venomous sorcery. And when the chief, herself, was performing the sorcery, it was no trivial matter. If he didn"t guard his mind with the divine art, any slight oversight might have caused him to fall for her tricks. Seeing with his own eyes how these Miao girls exposed themselves in public, with no regard to dignity and having no sense of shame, Yue Buqun became more and more worried. To die of poison was one thing, but what he feared the most was to lose his clear conscience under the evil spell and bring shame to himself in the presence of everyone. If that ever happened, the reputation of the Huashan Sword School and the Gentleman Sword would have been completely ruined beyond redemption. He watched on as the four Miao girls each took something out of the box, something that wriggled back and forth in their hands. Just as he had expected, these had to be some kind of venomous worms. The four Miao girls placed these venomous worms on their exposed arms and legs, and as soon as the worms were set loose, they clung tightly to the skins.

Fixing his eyes on the worms, Yue Buqun soon realized that those weren"t venomous worms, but rather blood-sucking leeches that were quite common in creeks or lakes of the countryside, except that these leeches were twice the size of a regular one. One after another, the Miao girls took out more and more leeches from the boxes. Blue Phoenix also took outs some leeches from one of the bamboo boxes, and placed them on her own arms and legs. In only a few moments, the five girls" arms and legs were completely covered by leeches; there were at least over two hundred of them in total. All the onlookers were dumbstruck, and neither had a clue as to what kind of strange scheme these five were up to.

Madam Yue had been in the back cabin, but after hearing the many cries of surprise uttered by the male apprentices in the middle cabin, she couldn"t help pulling the clapboard open and taking a glimpse, herself, and as soon as her eyes met the bizarre scene, she also let out a cry of surprise.

"Don"t be afraid. They won"t bite you," Blue Phoenix comforted her with a smile. "Are you…are you Mr. Yue"s woman? I heard that you have outstanding sword skills. Is that true?" she asked.

Madam Yue squeezed out a smile, but didn"t answer. When Blue Phoenix had first asked if she were Mr. Yue"s woman, it sounded very crude. And then, when she asked about whether Madam Yue"s swords skills were truly outstanding, Madam Yue hesitated. If it had been someone else who had asked the same question, even if that person were hostile, she would have answered humbly. This Blue Phoenix evidently knew very little about conventions of Han Chinese; if Madam Yue had answered that yes, she did have outstanding sword skills, it would sound very arrogant; if she had answered that no, she didn"t have outstanding sword skills, perhaps this Blue Phoenix would have believed it, and would look down upon her. With these thoughts in mind, she decided to simply reply with silence. Blue Phoenix didn"t ask any further and simply stood there quietly.

In the meantime, Yue Buqun found himself on full alert. If the five Miao girls had any unusual action, he was ready to strike. To catch bandits first capture the ringleader. He would have taken Blue Phoenix down before anything else. By then, n.o.body in the cabin spoke another word; the only sounds were the heavy breathing from the many male apprentices of the Huashan School.

After a long while, the bodies of the many leeches on the five Miao girls" arms and legs started to puff up and soon turned into a faint reddish color. Yue Buqun knew that as soon as a leech touched the skin of a person or an animal, it would make a tight grip using its sucker disk, and then start sucking blood, not letting go until it was completely full. When the leech was sucking blood from someone, the person would, at most, feel only a slight itch or numbness. When farmers worked in the paddy fields, they would often have leeches clinging to their legs, sucking blood out of them without their notice.

"Why are these witches using leeches to suck their own blood?" he muttered to himself. "Perhaps in order to perform their enchantment, the Five-Sylph Sect members must use their own blood. It seems that the time when these leeches have sucked enough blood will be the time they execute their enchantment."

Blue Phoenix gently lifted up the quilt covering Linghu Chong"s body. Pulling a leech that was about nine tenth full off her arm, she placed it on Linghu Chong"s neck next to an artery.

"Hey, what are you doing?" afraid that she might harm Linghu Chong in anyway, Madam Yue yelled hurriedly. Unsheathing her long sword, she leapt into the middle cabin.

"No hurry! Let"s wait!" Yue Buqun shook his head.

Clutching her long sword tightly, Madam Yue gazed fixedly at Blue Phoenix and Linghu Chong. As soon as the leech was placed on Linghu Chong"s neck, it bit onto his artery and started sucking again. Blue Phoenix took out a small china bottle from her chest pocket and unplugged the lid. Using the pointed fingernail of the little finger on her right hand, she picked a little bit of the white powdery substance from the bottle and then sprinkled some onto the leech"s body. The other four Miao girls unb.u.t.toned Linghu Chong"s robe and also rolled his sleeves and trouser legs up, then they started taking the many leeches off themselves and planting them next to the many arteries on Linghu Chong"s chest, stomach, arms and legs. Within a short moment, the over two hundred leeches had all been transferred onto Linghu Chong"s body. Blue Phoenix kept on picking more of the white powder and sprinkling a little bit of it on each and every of the leeches. Then, something very strange happened.

While clinging to the five Miao girls, the more those leeches sucked, the more they puffed up, but now, they all started shrinking little by little. Yue Buqun suddenly understood. Feeling much relaxed, he exhaled a long breath.

"Turned out that they are just using the leeches as the medium to transfer their blood into Chong"s arteries," he thought loud. "I wonder what are these white powders made of. How can they have made leeches give out blood? How miraculous!"

Having figured it out, he gradually relaxed the grip on the sword handle. Madam Yue also returned her sword to its sheath gently as a smile crept onto her once tightened face.

Even though the cabin was still swept with silence, it was far from the tension-filled atmosphere just a minute ago, when fierce battle could have been triggered at any moment. And furthermore, even the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies were utterly amazed by what they saw, their jaws dropping and their mouths wide open. Since all six mouths were wide open and could not close because of the dropped jaws, naturally, neither of them could make any remark about it nor argue about it. This had to be a very rare occurrence.

After another short while, a light clatter broke the silence as one of the leeches, which had spilled out all the blood in its stomach, fell onto the cabin floor, wriggled a few times, and then dropped dead. One of the Miao girls picked it up and threw it into the river through the cabin window. Soon, more and more leeches fell dead and were thrown into the river one after another. Within thirty minutes, all leeches had been thrown out of the window, and the once toast tan face of Linghu Chong now showed a slight redness of skin. The blood those over two hundred leeches had sucked and transferred into Linghu Chong"s body amounted to about a bowl"s worth. Even though it would not have made up for all the blood Linghu Chong had lost, it was enough to turn the corner for him.

Yue Buqun and Madam Yue exchanged a glance at each other, both thinking, "Being the Chief of a good-sized sect, this Miao girl didn"t even hesitate to transfer her own blood into Chong"s body. Since she had never met Chong before, she couldn"t have fallen in love with him. She mentioned that she was a friend of Chong"s good friend. When did Chong make friends with such an important and influential person?"

Blue Phoenix also noticed the improvement in Linghu Chong"s complexion. After checking his pulses again and feeling that his pulses had become stronger, she was very pleased.

"Young Mister Linghu, how do you feel?" she asked in a gentle voice.

Although Linghu Chong didn"t quite understand everything, he, at least, had figured out that the girl was healing him, and also felt much improvement in spirit. "Thank you, Miss. I…I feel much better," he replied.

"Do I look very old? Am I too old already?" Blue Phoenix asked.

"Who said that you are old? Of course you are not! If it"s alright with you, I"ll make bold to call you a younger sister," Linghu Chong replied.

Blue Phoenix was overjoyed; her face split into a big smile as if a beautiful spring flower had just blossomed, which made it more delicate and charming.

"You are wonderful! No wonder! No wonder the one who didn"t care about any other man in this world cares about you so much. That"s why…alas…," she said with a smile.
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"If you really think I am that wonderful, why don"t you call me "big brother Linghu"?" Linghu Chong grinned.

"Big brother Linghu," Blue Phoenix called out, as a slight blush shot up her face.

"My good sister! My wonderful sister!" Linghu Chong called out with a big smile.

Linghu Chong had always been the unconventional type, and never bothered about small matters, very different from Yue Buqun, who always posed as a "Gentleman." As soon as he regained consciousness, he had already known that Blue Phoenix liked to hear others calling her young and beautiful. When she had asked him frankly, even though she was older than him, he still called her a "younger sister," thinking that since she spared no effort at healing him, it would be totally justifiable for him to give some compliments to repay her kindness. Not surprisingly, Blue Phoenix"s face lit up at these words.

But Yue Buqun and Madam Yue couldn"t help frowning, both thinking, "Chong is so frivolous, and there is really no cure for that. Didn"t Ping One-Finger say that he only has one hundred days left for this life? Now it"s even less than one hundred days. It wouldn"t be exaggerating to say that one of his feet has already stepped into the coffin, yet only moments after he regained consciousness, he was already teasing such a lascivious woman with nonsense."

"Big brother, do you want to eat something? Why don"t I get you some pastries?" Blue Phoenix asked, smiling brightly.

"I don"t feel like eating pastries. But some wine would be great," Linghu Chong answered.

"That"s easy! We have the "Five Jewels Nectar Wine" that we made ourselves. You can give that a try."

Blue Phoenix jabbered out some words in the Miao dialect, and two of the Miao girls returned to the small boat, soon returning with eight bottles of wine. After uncorking one of the bottles, they poured the wine into a bowl, and instantly, the sweet scent of wine and blossom filled the entire cabin.

"My good sister, there"s something about your wine. The sweet scent of blossom is too strong. It completely overwhelmed the flavor of the wine itself. I guess this must have been the wine for women," Linghu Chong said.

"The scent of blossom has to be very strong, otherwise, the wine will have this fishy smell of venomous snakes," Blue Phoenix answered with a grin.

"The wine will have the fishy smell of venomous snakes?" Amazed, Linghu Chong asked.

"Certainly! This wine of mine is named the "Five Jewels Nectar Wine," then of course we need to use the "Five Jewels"."

"What are the "Five Jewels"?"

"The "Five Jewels" are five different kinds of treasures in our sect. Have a look."

Setting up two empty bowls, Blue Phoenix turned the bottle upside down and poured the rest of the wine into the bowls. Clattering sounds rose as a few small objects fell into the bowl, and at the sight of them, several Huashan apprentices screeched in terror.

Blue Phoenix took the bowl of wine in front of Linghu Chong. The wine had a very light color, almost as clear as water from a natural spring in the mountains. Soaked in the wine were five tiny venomous pests: a green snake, a centipede, a spider, a scorpion, and a small toad.

This sight also gave Linghu Chong a good scare. "Why do you put…put these venomous pests in your wine?" he asked.

"These are the Five Jewels. Don"t call them venomous pests," Blue Phoenix let out a disgruntled snort. But soon she asked, "Big brother Linghu, are you brave enough to drink this?"

"Well, I am a bit afraid of these…Five Jewels." Linghu Chong confessed with a wry smile.

Raising the bowl of wine high, Blue Phoenix drank a big gulp of it. "We Miao people have this custom. When we invite a friend to drink wine and eat meat with us, if the friend refuses to drink or eat, then we don"t treat him as a friend no more."

Taking the bowl from Blue Phoenix, Linghu Chong drank the entire bowl of wine in big gulps, swallowing the five venomous pests together with the wine down his throat. Although he had plenty of s.p.u.n.k, he dared not to chew on them.

Blue Phoenix was overjoyed. Embracing Linghu Chong"s neck into her arms, she gave two kisses on his left cheek, leaving two red marks on his face from the lipsticks on her lips.

"That"s my good brother!" She beamed.

Linghu Chong also let out a smile, and then his heart skipped a beat when he suddenly noticed the stern look on his Master"s face from a glance with the corner of his eyes.

"Darn! That was audacious, running wild right in front of my Master and Master-Wife. Undoubtedly Master will give me a good scolding after this, and perhaps little apprentice sister will despise me even more," he muttered to himself.

Blue Phoenix opened another bottle and refilled the bowl with wine, pouring the five venomous pests into the bowl as well. Handing the bowl in front of Yue Buqun, she said with a grin, "Mr. Yue, have some wine! My treat!"

Yue Buqun had already felt sick just from looking at the many venomous pests soaked in the wine. When he smelled the vague, indescribable fishiness covered by the strong scent of blossoms, he was seized with a sudden urge to vomit. Extending his left hand out, he pushed toward Blue Phoenix"s hand that was holding the wine bowl, but unexpectedly, Blue Phoenix didn"t draw her hands back. Seeing that his finger almost touched the back of her hand, Yue Buqun jerked his hand back.

"How come the Apprentice is even braver than the Master?" Blue Phoenix grinned. "Friends of the Huashan School, which one of you would like to drink up this bowl of wine? It will be of great benefit to you if you drink this."

She held the bowl high with a hand. But there was only complete silence on the entire boat. There was no response.

Blue Phoenix heaved a long sigh. "I guess other than Linghu Chong, the Huashan School has not another true hero."

"I"ll drink it!" a man suddenly shouted out. It was Lin Pingzhi, who stepped forward and reached out for the wine bowl.

Blue Phoenix expanded her eyebrows with a smile. "Well, turned out…."

"Little Lin," Yue Buqun suddenly yelled out. "If you eat those dirty things, even if you survive the poison, don"t expect me to ever talk to you again."

"Go ahead, drink it up!" Blue Phoenix handed the bowl in front of Lin Pingzhi.

"I…I am not drinking it," Lin Pingzhi replied haltingly. Then hearing the loud laughter from Blue Phoenix, he went scarlet in the face. "It"s not…it"s not because I am afraid of death that I am not drinking the wine," he mumbled.

"I know! You are only afraid that this pretty girl will stop seeing you. You are not a coward. You are an affectionate lover. Hha! Hha!" Blue Phoenix laughed out loud. Walking next to Linghu Chong, she said, "Big brother, I"ll see you around."

She set down the bowl on the table and then waved. Getting the command, the four Miao girls collected the rest six bottles of wine, followed her out of the cabin, and then leapt back onto the small boat. Once again, sweet and intimate singing rose and floated above the water. Following the flow of the tide, the small boat soon gained speed and went further and further. The sounds of the singing also fainted gradually and eventually died away.

"Throw all those bowls and bottles in the river," Yue Buqun ordered with a frown.

"Yes, Master!" Lin Pingzhi answered and walked next to the table. Just when his fingers barely touched the wine bottle, a strong fishy odor suddenly shot up his nostrils. His body gave a sudden shake, and he almost lost his footing and had to grab onto the side of the table for support.

"The wine bottles are poisonous," Yue Buqun realized at once and yelled out loudly. He swung his sleeve toward the table. The force from the swing sent all the bowls and bottles on the table flying through the window and falling into the river. Suddenly, he felt a strong feel of nausea coming from his chest, and only after gathering a good amount of inner energy, were he able to hold it back. Then he heard a loud cry, as Lin Pingzhi burst out vomiting. Only seconds later, cries after cries rose as more and more people joined Lin Pingzhi and started throwing up wildly, even the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies and the sailors at the stern of the boat were no exceptions. After fighting the urge forcefully for half a day, Yue Buqun could no longer endure the sickness and also started vomiting, himself. The many people kept vomiting back and forth. Even after they have spat out all the food inside their stomachs, the retching feeling did not go away, and they started vomiting up gastric juice, instead. And then after there was no more gastric juice left for them to spit out, the itching at their throats and the retching feeling inside their stomachs still remained. Everyone felt as though it would have been much better if they had something inside their stomach, so they have something to spit out, compared to vomiting again and again with an empty stomach. Among the dozens of people aboard the boat, Linghu Chong was the only one who didn"t throw up.

"Linghu Chong, that witch regards you with special respect. She must have fed you the antidote," Fruit Fairy said.

"I didn"t take an antidote. Could that bowl of poisonous wine have been the antidote?" Linghu Chong muttered.

"That has got to be it. That witch saw that you are a handsome lad and fell for you," Root Fairy concluded.

"Nah! I don"t think it was because he"s a handsome lad. It was because he praised that witch, saying that she was young and beautiful and all that," Branch Fairy disagreed.

"Well, he still had to be brave enough to drink up the poisonous wine, and swallow those five venomous bugs, hadn"t he?" Flower Fairy added.

"He is not throwing up. But how do you know that it wasn"t because he is even more seriously poisoned than the rest of us with those five venomous bugs inside his stomach?" Leaf Fairy speculated.

"Oh, no, that"s terrible!" Branch Fairy cried out. "When Linghu Chong drank the poisonous wine, we didn"t stop him, or even say anything about it. If he dies from the poison, what are we gonna do when Ping One-Finger finds out about it?"

"Ping One-Finger said he was going to die soon, anyway. What"s the big deal if he dies a few days earlier?" Root Fairy shrugged it off.

"It"s no big deal for Linghu Chong, but it will be a big deal for us," Flower Fairy exclaimed.

"Don"t worry! We"ll just take it on the lam. That Ping One-Finger is a fatty with short legs. I am sure he won"t be able to keep up with us," Fruit Fairy comforted him.

Even while vomiting left and right, the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies didn"t want to give up arguing.

Noticing that the sailor operating the rudder also kept vomiting non-stop and the boat had been shaking back and forth dangerously, Yue Buqun leapt to the back of the boat and steered the boat toward the south bank. He had resourceful of inner energy. After circulating his inner energy a few times, the retching feeling in his chest gradually decreased. Slowly the boat pulled over by the bank. Yue Buqun jumped to the bow of the boat and threw the iron anchor down the river. The iron anchor was well over two hundred pounds, and would have taken two sailors to carry it. Seeing that Yue Buqun, who looked just like a gentle and feeble scholar, was able to not only pick the iron anchor up with just one hand, but also throw it dozens of feet away without sparing much effort, the boatmen were left breathless. But that didn"t last very long, because they soon had to return to their miserable vomiting routine. Everybody went ash.o.r.e one after another. Kneeling by the river, they drank a stomach full of water and then spit them out. After several cycles, the vomiting finally stopped.

The section of the bank where they had parked the boat was a desolate and out-of-the-way spot, but several miles east from where they were, rolls of houses and buildings glowed in the sunshine from the distance – it appeared to be a town.

"There is still residual poison on the boat; we can"t use the boat any more. Let"s go to that town first and then we"ll figure something out," Yue Buqun suggested.

With Trunk Fairy carrying Linghu Chong on his back and Branch Fairy carrying Fruit Fairy on his back, the group walked toward the town in the distance. After they entered town, in the van of everybody else, Trunk Fairy and Branch Fairy walked into a restaurant. Setting Linghu Chong and Fruit Fairy down onto two benches, they shouted immediately.

"Waiter! Waiter! Bring us some wine, some dish, and some rice!"

In a casual glance, Linghu Chong suddenly noticed somebody, and his heart skipped a beat. A short Taoist Priest sat up straight in the middle of the dining hall – it was none other than the Head Master of Qingcheng, Yu Canghai.

The Head Master of Qingcheng apparently was in the middle of a tight encirclement. He sat by a small table, on top of which lay a wine kettle, a pair of chopsticks, three plates of light snacks, and a shiny long sword showing its naked blade.

Seven benches surrounded the small table, a person sitting on each of them. Among the seven people, some were men and some were women, but all faces looked vicious and cruel. Each of the benches also had weapons on top of it. The seven of them simply gazed at Yu Canghai, neither of them making any sound.

The Head Master of Qingcheng appeared to be well composed. When he raised his wine cup fir a sip with his left hand, the sleeves didn"t show the slightest sign of quiver.

"This short priest must be very frightened in his heart," Root Fairy commented.

"Of course he is. It"s seven against one. He doesn"t have a chance to win," Branch Fairy added.

"If he isn"t afraid, why is he holding the wine cup with his left hand, not his right hand? Certainly he wants to spare his right hand, in case he has to grab on to his sword real quickly," Trunk Fairy said.

At that comment, Yu Canghai let out a disgruntled snort, and then handed the wine cup from his left hand to his right hand.

"He heard second brother"s words, but didn"t even dare to look at second brother. I"d say he is afraid, indeed. I am not saying that he is afraid of second brother. He is afraid that if he gets distracted, the seven enemies would attack all at once, and he would end up being chopped into eight pieces," Flower Fairy speculated.

"This short priest is already so small, if he gets chopped into eight pieces, isn"t he going to be even smaller?" Leaf Fairy chortled.

Although Linghu Chong bore a grudge against Yu Canghai, seeing that Yu was surrounded by tough enemies, he didn"t want to take advantage of Yu"s situation.

"Six Fairy Brothers, this Priest is the Head Master of Qingcheng," he said.

"Head Master of Qingcheng? Big deal! Is he a friend of yours?" Root Fairy asked.

"I dare not make friends with his high social position. He is not my friend," Linghu Chong answered.

"Great! If he is not your friend, then we"ve gotten a good show going here!" Trunk Fairy grinned.

"Bring me some wine! Hurry up! I want to enjoy my wine while watching how the short priest will be chopped into nine pieces," Flower Fairy shouted, smacking the table in front of him loudly.

"Why nine pieces?" Leaf Fairy asked.

"Look at that mendicant monk over there. He is wielding two Tiger-Head Machetes, that"s why he"ll produce one more piece," Flower Fairy explained.

"That"s not likely. Some of these people use a Wolf-Fanged Hammer and some others use a Golden Cane. How are they going to chop?" Leaf Fairy argued.

"Let"s be quiet," Linghu Chong urged. "We are not helping either side. Let"s not distract Master Yu, the Head Master of the Qingcheng Sword School."

The Peach Valley"s Six Fairies stopped talking, and all stared at Yu Canghai with fixed eyes and big grins on their faces.

One by one, Linghu Chong surveyed at the seven people who surrounded Yu Canghai. The first one was a mendicant monk, his long hair well reaching his shoulder. A shining copper hoop on his head bound the long hair together, and a pair of crescent shaped Tiger-Head Machetes sat on the side of his table. Sitting at the next bench was a woman in her fifties. Her hair had patches of grey, and her face was covered by some kind of a grim complexion. She had a two-feet long short knife lying by her side. Next to her were a monk and a Taoist priest. A red frock, as red as blood, draped over the monk"s shoulder, and an alms-bowl and a cymbal lay silently by his side. Both the alms-bowl and the cymbal were made of fine steel. The steel cymbal had very sharp edges – obviously it was a formidable weapon. The Taoist priest had a tall build. An octagonal Wolf-Fanged Hammer, which appeared to be very heavy, sat on his bench next to him. On the bench to the right of the Taoist priest sat a middle-aged beggar with his legs stretched out, and two green snakes coiled around his head and his shoulders. Both of the snakes had triangular shaped heads; their long tongues shot in and out viciously. The last two were a man and a woman. The man had a blind left eye while the woman had a blind right eye. Each had a cane leaning against his or her bench. The bodies of the two canes were extra thick and shined with a glistening golden color. If they were truly made of gold, the weight would have been extraordinary. Both the man and the woman were in their forties, and looked just like any down-hearted wanderers in the Martial World, yet they carried with them such expensive canes, making an unspeakably eerie scene.

The mendicant monk fixed his eyes at Yu Canghai with ferocious stares, and slowly he reached out with both hands and grabbed onto the handles of the two machetes. The beggar took off the snake around his neck and then coiled it on his right arm, aiming the head of the snake at Yu Canghai. The other monk picked up his steel cymbal, the Taoist priest lifted his Wolf-Fanged Hammer, and the middle-aged woman also placed the short knife in her grip. Obviously, they were ready to launch a synchronized attack.

"Winning by numbers, isn"t that the old trick of you heretical, evil demons? Bring it on! Yu Canghai is not afraid of you." Yu Canghai let out a hollow laugh.

"Yu Canghai, we don"t want to kill you," the one-eyed man suddenly spoke.

"That"s right. As long as you behave yourself and hand over the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script," we"ll let you leave with no troubles," the one-eyed woman exclaimed.

Yue Buqun, Linghu Chong, Lin Pingzhi, and Yue Lingshan were all taken by big surprise when they heard the woman mentioning the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script," neither had expected that the reason these seven people had surrounded Yu Canghai was actually for the sake of the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script." They exchanged a few stares among themselves; all had the same thought in their minds: "Could this "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script" really be in Yu Canghai"s hands?"

"Why wasting time with this dwarf? Let"s whack him first and then search his body," the middle-aged woman said in a chilling tone.

"Maybe he hid it in a secret spot. If we can"t find it on him after we whack him, wouldn"t that be too bad?" the one-eyed woman said.

"If we can"t find it, we can"t find it. It"s not going to be any worse." The middle-aged woman curled her lips. She spoke in such an indistinct manner, turned out that more than half of her teeth were already gone.

"Yu Canghai, if you listen to my advice, you"d better give it up. This sword art ma.n.u.script is not yours to start with, anyway. You"ve already had it for so many days. I am sure you"ve read it so many times that you probably have memorized everything. Why still hold on to it so tight? What good does it do for you?" the one-eyed woman persuaded.

But Yu Canghai did not say a word, only gathering his inner energy around his lower stomach, absorbed in the pre-battle preparation.

Right at that moment, sounds of laughter floated in from outside as a man with all smiles walked in the door. The man was dressed in a long pongee robe. The top of his head was already half bald, but the beard under his chin did not have a sprinkle of grey. His clothes looking costly and luxurious, his face glowing with health, the man looked like a merchant prince. Holding an emerald snuff bottle in his left hand and a one-foot long folding fan in his right hand, the chubby man had an affable expression on his face.

After spotting the many people upon entering the restaurant, he was taken by surprise, and his smiles shrank back a little, but only seconds later, he was all smiles, once again.

"How fortunate! How fortunate! I had not expected that all the heroes of the present time have gathered here today. I must consider myself very fortunate, indeed!" he cupped his hands in greeting, his face beaming. "Now, which good breeze has brought the Master Yu of the Qingcheng Sword School here to the Henan Province?" he said to Yu Canghai. "I"ve long heard that the "Pine-Wind Sword Art" of the Qingcheng Sword School is a unique and superb Kung Fu style of the Martial World. It looks like we are finally going to have the chance to broaden our horizons today."

But Yu Canghai still focused on loading his inner energy and paid no attention to him.

Turning toward the one-eyed man and the one-eyed woman, the man cupped his hands with a big grin. "I have not seen the "Tung Cypress Whiz Duo" wandering about the Martial World for a good while. Looks like you"ve made a good fortune in the last few years."

"You flatter us. It"s nothing compare to what Mr. You makes," the one-eyed man answered with a slight smile.

The man uttered three laughs at those words. "I"ve only gotten a facade. Whatever I earn with one hand, I spend with the other. Just from my nickname, people can tell that I only look good on the surface, but very hollow inside."

"What is your nickname?" Branch Fairy couldn"t help but ask.

The man cast a glance toward Branch Fairy and soon found six strange looking fellows all staring at him curiously, but he had no clue as to who these six were and where they had come from.

"I have a very ugly nickname called "Slippery and Hard to Grip"," he chortled as he spoke. "People say that I love to make friends, and for the sake of friendship, I never stint money and have no problem spending them. Hence, although I make good money, they don"t stay in my hands long, because I don"t have a good grip of them."

"Doesn"t this friend You Xun, here, have another nickname?" the one-eyed man cut in.

"Really? How come I"ve never heard of it?" You Xun grinned.

"Loach Soaked in Oil, Slippery and Hard to Grip!" a cold voice suddenly spoke. The voice sounded indistinct, then, of course, it was the voice of the woman, who had lost over half of her teeth.

"Holy cow!" Flower Fairy yelled out. "A loach, itself, is extremely slippery, already. Now when it"s soaked in oil, who can ever get a good grip onto that?"

"That"s only because friends in the Martial World were flattering me, praising about my Qing-Gong skills, saying that I am as quick as a loach. But it is really embarra.s.sing. This little Kung Fu of mine is really not worth mentioning. Madam Zhang, you are looking extremely good these days!" You Xun beamed at the woman and then bowed down deeply.

"What a glib tongue you have there. Stay away from me," the old woman Madam Zhang turned the whites of eye up and yelled.

The man named You Xun must have had a very good temper. Hearing those harsh words, he didn"t show a slight sign of annoyance, and turned to the beggar, instead.

"Double-Dragon Divine Beggar, brother Yan! The two green dragons of yours are looking even more vigorous and nimble now."

The beggar"s name was Yan Sanxing, and his nickname was actually "Double-Snake Ruthless Beggar," but You Xun changed it into "Double-Dragon Divine Beggar" on the fly. Even though the Yan Sanxing was a very vicious and ruthless man, he couldn"t help but smile at those words.

You Xun also knew the longhaired mendicant monk Chou Songnian, monk Xi Bao, and Taoist Priest Yu Ling, and also said some praising words to each of them. While laughing and joking, he had eased up the tense atmosphere at swords" points in the short amount of time.

"Hey, Loach Soaked in Oil! Why didn"t you say anything about us, praising the six brothers of us for our excellent Kung Fu and outstanding skills?" Leaf Fairy suddenly yelled out.

"That"s…that"s of course something I"d praise about…," You Xun replied with a smile. But before he even had a chance to finish his sentence, all of a sudden, his two wrists and two ankles were already in the grips of Root Fairy, Trunk Fairy, Branch Fairy, and Leaf Fairy the four fairies, who immediately lifted him off the ground without pulling hard.

"What wonderful Kung Fu! What brilliant skills! Such superb techniques are so rare through out the ages!" You Xun praised hurriedly.

"Why are our Kung Fu skills so rare through out the ages?" Root Fairy and Branch Fairy asked at the same time.

"My nick name is "Slippery and Hard to Grip." Frankly speaking, no one could have gotten a tight grip on me. But as soon as the four of you reached out with your hands, you caught me with such ease, and I became neither slippery, nor hard to grip. The Kung Fu skills you have demonstrated with are so exceptional that through out the ages, no one had every seen or hear about Kung Fu skills this great. When I wander about the world after today, I simply have to publicize the six great Kung Fu masters" names wherever I go, so that everyone in the Martial World would know that there are such extraordinary heroes in this world." You Xun explained.

The six Fairies were overjoyed. Wasting not another second, they immediately set him down to the ground.

"Slippery and Hard to Grip! You certainly deserve the reputation. See, didn"t you just get out of the grip once again?" Madam Zhang said coldly.

"That"s only because the six great Kung Fu masters had exceptional Kung Fu skills. I admire them so very much!" You Xun answered. "But I am so ignorant. I don"t even know what the names of the six senior masters are. May I ask what your respectful names are?"

"We are six brothers called "The Peach Valley"s Six Fairies"," Root Fairy explained. "I am Root Fairy. He is Trunk Fairy." Soon, he had introduced the names of all six of them.

"That"s wonderful! Wonderful! The name "Fairy" is so appropriate to go with the Kung Fu skills of the six of you. Only people with such magical and exceptional Kung Fu skills, which have risen above this world and attained sainthood, are qualified to use the name "Fairy"." You Xun applauded.

The Peach Valley"s Six Fairies felt great rejoicing. "You are very smart and have very good insight. You are awesome!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Are you going to hand out the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script" or not?" Glaring at Yu Canghai, Madam Zhang yelled. But Yu Canghai ignored her yet again.

"Oh, I see. So your dispute is over the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script." But from what I heard, the sword art ma.n.u.script isn"t in Master Yu"s possession," You Xun said.

"Are you saying that you know who has it?" Madam Zhang asked.

"This person is very, very famous. If I speak his name out, I am afraid it will scare the wits out of you," You Xun exclaimed.

"Speak up!" the mendicant monk Chou Songnian yelled at him. "If you don"t know the answer, then begone, and stop being a hindrance!"

"This great master must have had a bit too much of roasted pork or roasted lamp, and the extra internal heat is fuming the hot temper. My Kung Fu skills are very ordinary, but I certainly have very quick access to information. Whenever there are secret messages floating around the Martial World, it wouldn"t be easy for them to get pa.s.s my eyes and ears without my noticing," You Xun replied, still beaming.

The Tung Cypress Whiz Duo, Madam Zhang, and the rest of the group all knew that You Xun was speaking the truth. This You Xun loved poking his nose into other people"s affairs, and would spare no effort at making his way into every nook and corners for information. There weren"t really much that he wouldn"t know about in the Martial World. So they asked in unison, "Don"t keep us guessing! Who on earth has the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script"?"

"Well, you all know my nick name – "Slippery and Hard to Grip." Whatever I earn with one hand, I spend with the other. To be frank with you, I have been completely broke for quite some days. But you, on the other hand, are all loaded moneybags. Now, it wasn"t easy for me to obtain this important information, and it looks like this is going to be a great opportunity for me. The old saying said it well: a sharp blade should be presented to a true man, and beautiful rouge should be given to a pretty woman. So important information, of course, should be sold to moneybags. I am not keeping you guessing. I am just waiting for the right offer."

"Fine. Let"s kill Yu Canghai first, and worry about forcing the secret out of this loach later. Attack!" Madam Zhang shouted. As soon as the word "attack" was spoken, sounds of weapons rapidly colliding with each other echoed. The seven attackers had all left their benches and each exchanged a few moves with Yu Canghai. The attack stopped just as abruptly as how it had started. Within seconds, the seven attackers had retreated back to their original positions, still encircling Yu Canghai in the middle. Blood gushed out from the cuts on monk Xi Bao and monk Chou Songnian"s thighs. Yu Canghai had handed the sword to his left hand; the part of his robe near the right shoulder had been torn into pieces – the result of a heavy strike from one of the attackers.

"Again!" Madam Zhang shouted out, and the seven of them lunged forward all at once. Some more rapid clanking sounds exploded before the seven retreated back, once again, leaving Yu Canghai in the middle.

This time Madam Zhang took a hit on her face. A long cut dragged from the middle of her left eyebrow all the way down to her lower jaw. Yu Canghai also took a chop on his left arm. No longer able to wield the sword with his left hand, he handed the sword back to his right hand.

"Master Yu, we are both members of the Taoist Order. Why don"t you listen to my advice and surrender?" Priest Yu Ling raised his Wolf-Fanged Hammer and urged.

Yu Canghai let out an angry snort and cursed indistinctly.

Madam Zhang didn"t even bother to wipe the blood off her face. Raising her short knife and aiming it at Yu Canghai, she shouted, "Once…."

Before she was able to spit out the word "again," a voice suddenly shouted out loudly, "Hold it!" A man rushed into the circle of attackers in quick strides and stopped right next to Yu Canghai.

"Seven against one, isn"t that a bit unfair? Besides, didn"t Mr. You clearly say that the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script" was not in Yu Canghai"s possession?" he said. It was Lin Pingzhi.

Ever since he caught Yu Canghai in his eyes, Lin Pingzhi never let Yu out of his sight for a single second. After watching Yu getting injured in both arms, he knew that another round of attack from Madam Zhang and the rest attackers would have chopped Yu Canghai into shreds. His hatred toward Yu Canghai was even deeper than the ocean. He had long vowed to kill this monster, one day, with his own hands, and would never have allowed Yu Canghai to die from other people"s hands. That was why he immediately stepped forward and stopped the next round of attack.

"Who the h.e.l.l are you? Do you want to die with him?" Madam Zhang snapped.

"No, I don"t want to die with him. I just thought this is a bit unjust, and wanted to speak out in fairness to him. Why don"t we stop fighting?" Lin Pingzhi answered.

"Let"s just whack him, too," Chou Songnian suggested.

"Who are you, you bold and reckless brat? Do you always take on other people"s trouble?" Priest Yu Ling snubbed.

"I am Lin Pingzhi of the Huashan Sword School…. ," Lin Pingzhi answered.

"You are from the Huashan Sword School? Where is Young Mister Linghu?" the Tung Cypress Whiz Duo, the Double-Snake Ruthless Beggar, Madam Zhang, and the rest of the group all shouted in unison.

"I am Linghu Chong," Linghu Chong cupped his hands in greeting. "I am only a boorish youngster; I certainly do not deserve the t.i.tle of a "Young Mister." Are you acquainted with a friend of mine?"

Along the journey, many prominent masters with exceptional talents or eccentric behaviors had all showed great respects and made up to him, and all of them had claimed that it had been for the sake of a friend of his. All the while, Linghu Chong still had no clue as to when he had made such an infinitely resourceful friend. When he heard the seven asking about him, he had figured that it must have had something to do with this mystic friend, again. And sure enough, the group of seven all turned toward him and saluted respectfully.

"As soon as the seven of us received the message, we hurried over here, traveling days and nights, so we could have the honor to meet you. It"s wonderful that we get to pay you a formal visit right here," Priest Yu Ling said.

Yu Canghai had been injured very badly. Finding out that the one who had stood up for him and helped him out of the predicament was actually Lin Pingzhi he was taken aback greatly. But it didn"t take him long to figure out Lin Pingzhi"s true intension. Seeing that the seven attackers were all in the middle of a conversation with Linghu Chong, he quickly made up his mind. He wasn"t injured in his legs; so all of a sudden, he leapt backward and dashed into the back room of the small restaurant. Before anyone had any time to react, he had fled from the backdoor, speedily. Yan Sanxing and Chou Songnian both cried in surprise, but it was already too late to chase after him.

You Xun walked in front of Linghu Chong, beaming brightly. "When I came from the east," he said, "I heard many fellow martial friends mentioning about Young Mister Linghu"s great name. In my heart, I"ve been looking up to you for a long, long time. Then, when I heard that the dozens of chiefs and leaders from various sects, clans, caves, and islands would be meeting Young Mister Linghu on top of the Five-Tyrant Ridge, I immediately hurried over to join in the fun. I certainly didn"t expect that I"d be so lucky to have met Young Mister ahead of everyone else. Don"t worry! You can set your heart at a rest now. This time people are bringing at least a hundred different types of catholicon to the Five-Tyrant Ridge. The little injury of yours will be cured in no time. In no time! Hha! Wonderful! Wonderful!" He took Linghu Chong"s hands into his own and swayed gently as he spoke, looking utterly intimate.

"What dozens of chiefs and leaders from various sects, clans, caves, and islands? What one hundred types of catholicon are you talking about? I am at a complete loss," astounded, Linghu Chong asked hurriedly.

"Don"t let unnecessary worry trouble you, Young Mister Linghu. Even if my guts were as large as the Heavens, I would still dare not to talk recklessly about the reason behind. Young Mister, you can just rest a.s.sured, hha. I certainly dare not to talk nonsense. Even if you don"t take offense, when the words get out and get into other people"s ears, how many heads do I have? Even if I were ten times more slippery, sooner or later, somebody would have pulled my head off all the same."

"If you truly dare not talk nonsense, why have you brought this thing up again and again?" Madam Zhang snubbed with a gloomy face. "Whatever is happening on the Five-Tyrant Ridge, Young Mister Linghu will see with his own eyes in just a short while. There is no need for you to be long-tongued here. Now, let me ask you one more time. Who on earth has that "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script" at this very moment?"

You Xun pretended that he didn"t hear the words from Madam Zhang. Turning toward the Yue Buqun couple, he grinned.

"Ever since I walked in the door and saw the two of you, I"ve been muttering to myself: This mister and this madam both looked so dignified and elegant, showing a very distinguished demeanor. Which two eminent masters could the two of you have been? Since you are together with Young Mister Linghu, I guess you must be the Head Master of the Huashan Sword School, the world-renowned "Gentleman Sword," Mr. Yue and Madam Yue."

"You flatter me," Yue Buqun replied with a slight smile.

"The common saying says: Have eyes but fail to see mount Taishan; entertain angel unawares. Today, I am really having eyes but fail to see mount Huashan," You Xun continued. "Recently, Mr. Yue blinded fifteen formidable foes with a simple swing of his sword. That feat shook the entire Martial World. I simply couldn"t help but prostrate myself before you in admiration. What brilliant sword skills! Brilliant, indeed!"

He said these words so sincerely as though he had witnessed everything with his own eyes. Yue Buqun gave a suppressed snort as a gloomy look quickly flashed across his face.

"And Madam Yue, Heroine Ning…," You Xun went on, but was suddenly cut shot by Madam Zhang.

"Are you ever gonna stop rambling? Speak up, who has the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script"?" Madam Zhang barked. She had heard the names of Yue Buqun and Madam Yue, yet didn"t show a slight sign of concern.

"Give me one hundred taels of silver, and I"ll tell you." You Xun stretched his hand out, his face split into a wide grin.

"You must have never seen money in your past life. It always has to do with money. Money this and money that!" Madam Zhang croaked.

The one-eyed man took a silver ingot out from his chest pocket and tossed it at You Xun. "This has got to cover it. Now, speak up!" he demanded.

Catching the silver ingot into his grip, You Xun weight it in his hand. "Many thanks! Come, let"s go to the outside and I"ll tell you."

"Why go to the outside? You can tell us right here, so we can all hear about it," the one-eyed man replied.

"Yeah! That"s right! Why do you have to be so sneaky?" all the audiences agreed in unison.

"No way! No way!" You Xun shook his head back and forth. "I asked for one hundred taels of silver. That"s one hundred taels of silver per person, not that this piece of important news is only worth one hundred taels. How can I have sold it for so cheap? That"s just outrageous!"

The one-eyed man gave a wave with his right hand, and at that signal, Chou Songnian, Madam Zhang, Yan Sanxing, Monk Xi Bo, and the rest of the group immediately stepped forward, circling You Xun in the middle the same way they had surrounded Yu Canghai a few minutes ago.

"His nickname is Slippery and Hard to Grip. We shall not fight him with bare hands. Let"s use our weapons," Madam Zhang exclaimed grimly.

Priest Yu Ling picked up his octagonal shaped Wolf-Fanged Hammer and waved it. "Swoosh!" The hammer made a circle in the air.

"Let"s see if his head is any slippery against my hammer."

The sharp and pointy wolf-fangs on the hammer glinted with reflection. Taking a good glimpse of the hammer, and then taking a good look at the shining and puffy head of You Xun, everybody came to the same conclusion – You Xun"s head did not seem to have a very promising prospect.

"Young Mister Linghu, only a few moments ago, a young friend from your respectful school helped Master Yu out of the tight spot with just a few words. Now when I am in deep trouble, why haven"t you said anything to help, as though you didn"t see anything or hear anything?" You Xun asked.

"If you don"t speak out the whereabouts of the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script," I am afraid I"ll have to wade in and won"t be so easy on you," Linghu Chong replied. At that word, a dull and depressing sensation rose from his stomach, and he couldn"t help but cast a side glance at Yue Lingshan, thinking, "Even you are wronging me for appropriating Little Lin"s sword art ma.n.u.script."

"Excellent! Excellent! Young Mister Linghu, please go ahead!" Madam Zhang and the rest of the group cheered all together.

You Xun heaved a deep sigh. "Fine, I"ll speak it out. Go on, return to your seats. Why are you still surrounding me?"

"We"d better be extra cautious when dealing with the Slippery and Hard to Grip," Madam Zhang spat out.

"Alas, why did I bring trouble to myself? Why didn"t I just wait on the Five-Tyrant Ridge to join the fun, and would rather come here to court death?" You Xun heaved another sigh.

"Are you gonna speak it out or not?" Madam Zhang snapped.

"I will! I will! Why not!" You Xun answered. "Hey! Chief Dongfang! When did your Excellence decide to show your gracious presence, here?" He said the last two sentences very loud and clear, and as he spoke, he fixed his eyes toward the west end of the street outside the restaurant with such a bewildered star.

Astounded, everyone peered down the street following his gaze, and soon spotted a man strolling closer and closer along the long street, a vegetable basket hanging on his left arm. This man was a marketplace monger; how could he have been the Chief Dongfang with resounding fame – Dong Fang Invincible? By the time everybody remembered to turn back at You Xun, he had vanished from sight. By then, everyone finally realized that all had just been terribly fooled. Madam Zhang, Chou Songnian, and Priest Yu Ling all started pouring out streams of abuses, knowing well that with his outstanding Qing-Gong skills and crafty mind, there would be no way to catch him back once he had run off.

"I see! Turned out it is You Xun who has the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script." I didn"t expect that at all!" Linghu Chong said loudly.

"Really? Is it really in You Xun"s hands?" everyone asked in shock.

"Of course it"s in his hands. What else? Otherwise, why would he never speak out the whereabouts of the sword art ma.n.u.script, and try so hard to run away?" Linghu Chong elaborated. He spoke these words in a very loud voice, and after spitting out the last few words, he had almost used up all his strength.

"Young Mister Linghu, why have you shifted the blame on me?" You Xun"s voice suddenly rose from outside the door, loud and clear. And only seconds later, he had already walked back in.

Madam Zhang and the rest of the group were filled with joy. Wasting no time, they quickly surrounded You Xun in a circle, once again.

"You just fell for Young Mister Linghu"s stratagem!" Priest Yu Ling said, a big grin blossoming on his face.

"Alas, do I have any choice? If this piece of news had gotten out into the Martial World, saying that You Xun were the one who had the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script," do you think I"d have another day of peace in the rest of my life? I wonder how many people would be after me and give me trouble. Even if I had three heads and six arms,[5] I"d still be no match for that kind of trouble. Young Mister Linghu, you are good! Just a few words of yours are powerful enough to capture the Slippery and Hard to Grip." You Xun pulled a long face.

Letting out a wry smile, Linghu Chong thought aloud, "It"s not that I am good. It"s only that I had been wronged just like that, before."

He couldn"t help but cast a glance at Yue Lingshan, and Yue Lingshan just happened to be casting a glance at him, as well. When their eyes clapped, both blushed, and turned their heads away quickly.

"Brother You, when you left a moment ago, were you hiding the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script" somewhere else so we won"t be able to find it?" Madam Zhang mocked.

"That"s too bitter!" You Xun protested. "Madam Zhang, if you speak like this, you are going to cost me my old life. Please think about it, all of you. If I have had the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script," I undoubtedly should be using a sword, and my sword skills should have been outstanding. Then, why firstly, I don"t even have a sword with me; secondly, I don"t fight with a sword; and thirdly, my Kung Fu skills are extremely ordinary?"

When everyone pondered over his words, all had to agree that he did sound reasonable.

"Well, maybe you never had time to study the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script" after you obtained it. Maybe you tried to learn it but failed miserably. You don"t have a sword with you. Maybe somebody stole it," Root Fairy speculated.

"Isn"t that folding fan in your hand a short sword? When you pointed it that way just a moment ago, didn"t you use a move from the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script"?" Trunk Fairy exclaimed.

"That"s right! Look at him. His fan is pointing at an angle right this moment. That"s the fifty-ninth move of the Evil-Resisting Sword Art, "Pointing At Crafty and Evil." Whoever he points his sword to, whom he will kill." Branch Fairy also joined in.

At the time, the folding fan in You Xun"s hand happened to be pointing toward Chou Songnian. The impetuous monk let out a thunderous roar and swung his two machetes at You Xun at once.

"Hey! Hey! He is only joking! Don"t take him seriously!" You Xun shouted hastily, dodging to the side.

Four clanking sounds echoed as Chou Songnian chopped twice with each of his machetes and You Xun blocked all of them with his folding fan. Apparently, his folding fan was made of steel. Although You Xun looked like a lord in clover, chubby with light skin tones, his movement was surprisingly agile. And only a gentle prod with his folding fan had sent the Tiger-Head Machetes swaying several feet away. One could well perceive that his Kung Fu skills had to be superior to the longhaired mendicant monk. It was only because he was in the middle of a tight encirclement that he dared not to launch his counter attack.

"This move is the thirty-second move, "Hard-sh.e.l.led Turtle Breaking Wind." Hmm, this move blocked a chop. It is the twenty-fifth move, called "Soft-sh.e.l.led Turtle Turning Over"," Flower Fairy shouted along.

"Mr. You, if the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script" is really not in your possession, then who has it?" Linghu Chong asked.

"Yeah! Speak up! Who has it?" Madam Zhang, Priest Yu Ling and the rest people all asked anxiously.

"The only reason I am keeping this to myself is to be able to make a few thousand taels of silver," You Xun squeezed out a grin. "But since you are so stingy and have made up your mind to save money, fine, I"ll tell you. But don"t say that I didn"t warn you. Once you hear about it, you"ll only be able to itch in your heart and there"s absolutely nothing you can do about it. If it were somebody else who had laid his hands on the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script," at least you"d still have some hope. But it is so unfortunate that it had to be this one who has it in his possession, there"s…there"s…well, well…"

Everybody held his breath and listened on anxiously for You Xun to tell the name of the person, who had the sword art ma.n.u.script in his possession. Suddenly, sounds of hoof beats mixed up with sounds of horse-drawn wagons broke out on the street and came closer and closer. You Xun seized the opportunity and stopped telling. Turning his head sideways, he listened, and then asked, "Err, who"s that?"

"Speak it out! Who has the sword art ma.n.u.script?" Priest Yu Ling pressed on.

"There"s no need to be impatient. Of course I"ll tell you," You Xun replied.

The sounds of hoof beats and wagons stopped abruptly outside the small restaurant. "Is Young Mister Linghu here? Our faction has prepared horses and wagons to greet your gracious presence," an aged voice announced.

Linghu Chong was anxious to find out the whereabouts of the "Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script," thus, prove his innocence and remove the suspicions from Master, Master-Wife, fellow apprentices and little apprentice sister. Therefore, he didn"t reply to the call from the outside and urged You Xun again, "There are other people coming. Hurry up, tell us!"

"I beg your pardon, Young Mister. Just because other people are coming, it wouldn"t be a good idea to tell now," You Xun replied.

Sound of more hoof beats rose from the distance, and soon another seven or eight riders arrived and stopped right in front of the restaurant.

"Chief Huang, are you here to greet Young Mister Linghu?" a gallant voice asked.

"Yes, I am. What have brought Chieftain Sima here today?" the old man replied.

The man with the gallant voice snorted, and soon heavy footsteps echoed as a giant man entered the restaurant in big strides.

"Which of you is Young Mister Linghu? I am Sima Big. I"ve come to greet Young Master and bring him to Five-Tyrant Ridge to meet the many heroes," he announced loudly.

Having no alternatives, Linghu Chong cupped his hands in greeting. "I am Linghu Chong. I certainly do not deserve such gracious amenity from Chieftain Sima."

"Because I"ve always been big and tall since I was only a kid, my parents named me Sima Big. Young Mister Linghu, you can call me Sima Big, or just Biggy. Don"t call me Chieftain. I don"t deserve it in front of you," Chieftain Sima exclaimed.

"You flatter me," Linghu Chong replied. Pointing at Yue Buqun and Madam Yue, he introduced, "These are my Master and my Master-Wife."

"h.e.l.lo there!" Sima Big cupped his hands and greeted. Turning back toward Linghu Chong, he said, "Young Mister, I apologize for not having greeted you earlier. Will you please pardon me?"

Yue Buqun had held the Head Master post of the Huashan Sword School for over twenty years and had always been well respected by people in the Martial World. But people like this Sima Big, Madam Zhang, Chou Songnian, Priest Yu Ling, or the rest of the bunch, who showed great respect to Linghu Chong, all had very little concern about the Head Master of the Huashan Sword School. Even if they did show him a little bit of respect, occasionally, it was all for the sake of Linghu Chong, and they didn"t even try to hide that. To Yue Buqun, this was even worse than cursing him to his face, and he was exasperated. But Yue Buqun was a very civilized man, and didn"t show any of his irritation on his face.

By then, the chief named Huang had also entered the room. He was well over eighty years of age. The bush of completely grey beard under his chin almost reached his chest, but he looked hale and hearty. Bowing slightly toward Linghu Chong, he said, "Young Mister Linghu, the many brothers in our faction make our living right around this region. We"ve failed terribly to put up a good reception for you. Even death cannot atone our offense."

"Could this have been him?" Yue Buqun felt a big shock in his heart. He had known for a long time that there was a faction named "Heavenly River Faction" around the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and the chief, Huang Boliu, was a very senior master in the Martial World. But the faction lacked strict rules and regulations, and among the many members, the good and bad were intermingled. It was simply unavoidable to have members violate laws and commit crimes. Therefore, the reputation of the "Heavenly River Faction" was not that great. However, the many hands provided great strength, and the faction did not lack first cla.s.s fighters. It was a very large faction in the region of four provinces. Could this old man in front of him have been the "Silver-Bearded Dragon," Huang Boliu, who commanded over ten thousand faction members? If this were him, indeed, then why had he shown such great respect toward Linghu Chong, a young lad who was only at the beginning of his career?

The doubts and suspicions that boggled Yue Buqun"s mind didn"t last very long, when the Double-Snake Ruthless Beggar Yan Sanxing spoke to the old man.

"Hi, Silver-Bearded Old Dragon, you are the local bully. Aren"t you going to welcome us, the bunch of visitors?"

The grey-bearded old man was indeed the "Silver-Bearded Dragon" Huang Boliu. "We"ll have to thank Young Mister Linghu," he said, smiling. "If it weren"t for his sake, how could I ever have so many masters and heroes spare their gracious presence. Now that you are all here, you are all n.o.ble guests of the "Heavenly River Faction." Of course we welcome you. Our faction has prepared a big feast on top of the Five-Tyrant Ridge. May I ask Young Mister Linghu and the rest of the friends here to set out and head over there?"

The small restaurant had become so crowded by now. Linghu Chong knew that You Xun would never speak out the secret in such a completely packed and noisy place. Luckily, after this incident with You Xun, the suspicions Master, Master-Wife, and all the fellow apprentices had should have been greatly diminished. He was sure that the whole thing would, one day, come to obvious. Having that in mind, he was no longer in an urgent rush to clear himself of the blame.

"Master, should we go or not? Will you please direct us," turning to Yue Buqun, he asked.

Yue Buqun thought to himself, "It"s apparent that among the bunch of people gathering on top of the Five-Tyrant Ridge, there isn"t going to be a single one from the orthodox schools. How can I mix myself up with them? It almost seems that these people are tempting Chong to join them using courtesy and respect. The incident with Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan Sword School had set a good example. If one becomes close with evil people, then he cannot escape the fate of being utterly discredited, himself. But under the current circ.u.mstance, how could I say no?"

"Mr. Yue, the Five-Tyrant Ridge is bustling with people and activities at the moment! Many chiefs of different caves and islands haven"t made an appearance in the Martial World for ten, twenty, or even thirty years. Everyone came for the sake of Young Mister Linghu, and it is you, Mr. Yue, who have shaped him into such a wonderful young hero of both civil and military ability. You have brought great glory to yourself for accomplishing such a great feat. Of course you"d want to go to the Five-Tyrant Ridge. If Mr. Yue doesn"t go, wouldn"t that disappoint a lot of people?"

Before Yue Buqun even had a chance to answer, half supporting and half carrying, Sima Big and Huang Boliu had ushered Linghu Chong out of the restaurant door and into one of the horse-drawn wagons. Chou Songnian, Yan Sanxing, the Tung Cypress Whiz Duo, the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies, and the rest of the bunch also rushed out of the door in a hubbub.

Yue Buqun and Madam Yue stared at each other and both squeezed a wry smile. "These people only wanted to make sure that Chong would go there. Whether we are going or not, they didn"t care at all," they thought aloud.

"Dad! Why don"t we go and have a look? Let"s find out what kind of tricks these weird people are playing with big apprentice brother," Yue Lingshan proposed, her curiosity growing by the minute. For a while, she remembered the human-flesh-eating Black Bear and White Bear, and her heart hammered frantically. Figuring that if they were able to set her free for big apprentice brother"s sake, then logically, they shouldn"t be coming back to chew on her fingers, she relaxed a little. But she still made up her mind that after they arrived at the Five-Tyrant Ridge, she would make sure to keep a close distance with her father.

Yue Buqun nodded his approval and then walked out of the door. After the miserable vomiting experience, he didn"t eat or drink anything, and now when he walked about, it almost felt as if he was slightly disoriented and could not stand in a solid stance. A quick check with his inner energy confirmed that the inner energy he was able to gather was not as pure as it used to be, and Yue Buqun couldn"t help feeling stunned.

"The poison from Blue Phoenix of the Five-Sylph Sect is truly powerful," he muttered to himself.

The group with Huang Boliu and the group with Sima Big both came with many horses, so they were able to spare some horses for Yue Buqun, Madam Yue, Madam Zhang, Chou Songnian, the Peach Valley"s Six Fairies, and the rest of the bunch to ride. Some male apprentices of the Huashan Sword School didn"t have any horse left for ride, and had to walk together with members of the "Heavenly River Faction" and subordinates of the Chieftain Sima Big of the Long-Whale Island. Everything ready and set, they set out toward the Five-Tyrant Ridge.

.......

[1] Han is the main nationality in China and account for 92% of the entire Chinese population. In the ancient time, minorities were always looked down upon somewhat because Han people considered themselves better civilized and educated.

[2] Yunnan is a province in the Southwest China that borders Vietnam and Burma.

[3] Miao is one of the minority nationalities in China.

[4] In ancient China, it was very inappropriate for females to expose their arms or legs to anyone, except their husbands.

[5] In Chinese myths, there was a G.o.d (with the appearance of a boy) named Ne Zha who could turn into a creature with three heads and six arms when he got into battles, and thus triple the fighting power.