The girl gave a sly grin. "My last name is Linghu and my first name is Chong!"

Yilin"s heart thumped. "I asked you politely, why are you making fun of me?" She pulled a long face.

"What makes you think I"m making fun of you?" The girl kept grinning. "Do you think your friend is the only one who is called Linghu Chong?"

Yilin felt deep sorrow in her heart. She sighed and could no longer hold her tears back. "Big brother Linghu was my savior," she said. "His death was my fault, I…I am not worthy to be his friend."

Just then, in the hallway outside, two hunchbacks hurried by. Yilin recognized them as the Hunchback of the North Mu Gaofeng, and Lin Pingzhi. The girl giggled.

"What odds! An old, ugly hunchback, together with a young, ugly hunchback."

Yilin was a bit annoyed at the girl"s remarks. "Girl," she asked, "is it possible for you to find your mother and father by yourself? My head is beginning to hurt, and I"m not feeling very well right now."

The girl grinned. "I know you"re faking a headache. You"re just mad because I used Linghu Chong"s name. My dear sis, your master asked you to take care of me; are you abandoning me already? If some rascals pick on me again, your master"s going to blame you for sure!"

"You are much more capable than I am, and you"re very smart too. Even the renowned Master Yu didn"t know what to do with you. People are all thanking Buddha that you aren"t the one picking on others. Who would dare bully you?" Yilin countered.

The girl burst into laughter. She held Yilin"s hand and said, "Now you"re the one making fun of me. If it weren"t for your Master, that bull-nose would"ve beaten me up. Sis, my name is Qu Feiyan. My grandpa calls me Feifei; you can call me Feifei too."

Yilin felt a little better when the girl said her real name. But she also thought it was strange that the girl knew she was still thinking about Linghu Chong, and used his name to startle her. Maybe the clever and eccentric girl had hidden outside the window and overheard her report to all the masters. "Well," she said, "Miss Qu, let"s go find your mother and father then. Where do you think they might be?"

"I know where they went," Qu Feiyan said. "If you want to look for them, you can go by yourself. I"m not going."

"Why don"t you want to go?" Yilin asked in surprise.

"I am still too young; of course I don"t want to go. But you"re different, you"re so gloomy and depressed right now, maybe you"d prefer to go there early," Qu Feiyan said.

Yilin"s heart thumped. "You mean your mother and father…."

"My parents were murdered by bad guys a long time ago. If you want to look for them, you"ll have to go to the underworld."

Yilin was very vexed. "If your parents have pa.s.sed away already, how can you still make fun of them? I am leaving!"

Qu Feiyan grabbed onto Yilin"s left hand and started to beg, "My dear sis, I don"t have anyone else, I"m always so lonely. n.o.body plays with me. Please, please just stay a little bit longer!"

Yilin was moved by her words. "Well, alright," she sighed, "I"ll stay with you a little longer. But you have to stop saying such nonsense. Also, I am a member of the Buddhist order, so it isn"t appropriate for you to call me sis."

Qu Feiyan laughed. "You think I was just saying silly words, but I think they make perfect sense. Different people have different perspectives. You are older than me, so I call you sis. What"s wrong with that? Sis Yilin! Why don"t you quit being a nun?"

Yilin was startled, and stepped back.

Qu Feiyan let go of her hand. "What"s so great about being a nun?" she asked. "You can"t eat fish, shrimp, chicken or duck, not to mention beef or lamb. Sis, you"re really very pretty. You don"t look so good right now because you shaved your head,[1] once you grow a nice long head of beautiful hair back, you"ll be a real babe!"

Yilin could tell that Qu Feiyan was speaking from her heart, so she smiled. "I am already a member of the Buddhist clergy. We believe in the doctrine of the Four Emptiness; why would I care whether my outer husk is beautiful or ugly?"

Qu Feiyan turned her head toward Yilin and looked at Yilin"s face carefully. It had just stopped raining, and dark clouds started drifting away slowly. Moonlight streamed through the opening at an angle and illuminated Yilin"s face with a pale silver glow, which made her face even more beautiful. Qu Feiyan gave a sigh.

"Sis, you are so beautiful," she said slowly, "no wonder he thinks about you so much."

Yilin"s face became flushed. "What are you talking about?" she exclaimed uncomfortably. "If you keep making fun of me, I am going to leave."

"Fine! I"ll stop," Qu Feiyan said with a smile. "Sis, can you give me some "Heavenly Connecting Glue?" I need to save someone."

"Who are you saving?" Yilin asked in surprise.

"He"s a very important person, but I can"t tell you who he is yet." Qu Feiyan grinned.

"I really should give you the medicine if you need it to save somebody"s life," Yilin said, "but my Master told us that the making of the "Heavenly Connecting Glue" is not easy, and we have been ordered not to use it if the wounded person is unworthy."

"Sis," Qu Feiyan said, "if somebody cursed your master and your Heng-Shan Sword School, would he be worthy or unworthy?"

"If he cursed my master and our Heng-Shan Sword School, of course he would be unworthy, how could he be any good?"

"That"s really very interesting," Qu Feiyan mused slyly. "There"s this guy who once said again and again that he would have really bad luck after seeing nuns, and would lose all his bets. He abused you, your master, and the entire Heng-Shan Sword School. If such an unworthy fellow got wounded…."

Before she even finished, Yilin had already turned around and strode away angrily. Qu Feiyan jumped in front of her, arms outstretched and blocking Yilin"s way. She kept smiling but had no intention to let Yilin pa.s.s.

It suddenly struck Yilin. "Yesterday at the Huiyan Wine House the girl sat with a man through the entire incident, until big brother Linghu was murdered. When I carried his body down the stairs, she was still sitting there. She must have seen the whole thing; there"s no need for her to eavesdrop on what I said at all. Could she have followed me all the way?" She wanted to ask the girl an important question, but could not make herself speak the words. Yilin could only blush with embarra.s.sment.

"Sis, I know you want to ask me, "Where did big brother Linghu"s body go?" Am I right?" Qu Feiyan grinned.

"Yes, would you please tell me? I…I would really appreciate it!" Yilin pleaded.

"I don"t know, but there"s someone who does. However, he"s badly wounded and could die any minute now. If you can save him using the "Heavenly Connecting Glue," he might be able to tell you where big brother Linghu"s body is."

"You don"t know yourself?" Yilin asked.

"If I, Qu Feiyan, know where Linghu Chong"s dead body is, may Heaven let me die by Yu Canghai"s sword tomorrow and die a terrible death!"

"I believe you. You don"t have to vow," Yilin said hurriedly. "So who is this person?"

"It"s up to you if you want to save his life or not. And the place we"re going to isn"t such a good place either."

In order to find Linghu Chong"s body, even a hill of knives or a forest of swords could not stop Yilin from going, much less something like "not a good place." Yilin nodded. "Let"s go." They marched toward the gate.

It was still raining outside. Some oilpaper umbrellas leaned by the side of the gate. Yilin and Qu Feiyan each took one and walked out of the gate toward the northeast corner of the city. It was already late at night, and there was hardly anybody in the street. When they walked by, a couple of dogs in the deep alleys barked. All Yilin could think of was where to find Linghu Chong"s body, so even though Qu Feiyan walked through many remote little streets, she did not care. After they walked for quite a while, Qu Feiyan entered a very narrow alley. A small red lantern stuck out from a door at the left side of the street. Qu Feiyan knocked on the door three times. Someone approached from the courtyard within, opened the door, and stuck his head out. Qu Feiyan whispered something in the man"s ear and stuck something into his hands.

"Sure, sure! Come in please, Misses!" the man said.

Qu Feiyan turned back and motioned Yilin, who followed her through the doorway. The man had a surprised look on his face upon seeing Yilin, but still hurried ahead to lead the way. After they walked through the courtyard, they arrived at a room in the east of the building. The man parted the door curtain.

"Miss, Sister, through here please," he said.

The scent of perfume filled the entire room. Yilin walked in and saw a huge bed in the room. Exotic silk quilts and pillows covered the bed. They were decorated with Xiang[2] Embroidery, one of the greatest arts of its type in the world. A pair of loving birds playing in the water was embroidered on the cover of the red silk quilt. It was made with very bright colors and the ducks almost seemed alive. Yilin had been cloistered in the White-Cloud Nunnery since she was very little. The quilt she used was a very simple quilt made with gray cloth. She had never seen such a gorgeous bed set in her entire life. She gave a quick glance and immediately turned her head away. A big red candle sat on the small table next to the bed; a mirror and a makeup box sat neatly by the red candle; two pairs of exotic slippers laid on the floor side by side near the bed – a pair for man and a pair for woman. Yilin felt a sudden shock when she raised her head and saw a shy face both red with embarra.s.sment and registering surprise. Then she realized that it was only her own face reflected from the mirror.

The sound of footsteps came from behind them. What appeared to be a maid walked in with a big smile and started serving tea. She wore very tight clothes and her manner was quite coquettish.

Yilin felt more and more uneasiness. "What is this place?" she whispered to Qu Feiyan.

Qu Feiyan grinned and then whispered something to the maid.

"Sure!" The woman covered up the smile on her lips with her hand and walked out slowly.

"That woman is b.u.mbling! She can"t be very honest!" Yilin thought to herself.

"Why did you bring me here? What is this place?" she asked Qu Feiyan again.

"This is a very famous spot in the town of Hengshan. It"s called the Jade House," Qu Feiyan said with a broad grin.

"What is this Jade House?"

"The Jade House is the best brothel in town."

When Yilin heard the word "brothel," her heart skipped a beat, and she almost fainted. When she saw the way the room was decorated, she already had the feeling that something was not right, but she did not expect to be in a brothel at all. Although she did not really understand what a brothel was, she had heard from the secular apprentice-sisters that prost.i.tutes were the most lewd of women; they would consort with any man who had enough money.

"Did Qu Feiyan bring me here to be one of them?" She was so shocked and worried that she almost burst into tears.

A man"s loud laughter exploded from the room next door. The voice sounded very familiar, and before long Yilin had recognized it as the voice of the villain, "Ten Thousand Miles Loner" Tian Boguang. Yilin"s legs gave out on her; she collapsed into a chair, her face frightened and pale.

"What"s wrong?" Qu Feiyan was startled and rushed over to check on her.

"It"s Tian…Tian Boguang!" Yilin whispered.

"That"s right, I recognized his voice too. It"s your cute little apprentice Tian Boguang." Qu Feiyan grinned.

"Who"s saying my name?" Tian Boguang shouted loudly from the next room.

"Hey, Tian Boguang," Qu Feiyan yelled, "your Master"s here. Come here quickly and kowtow to your Master!"

Tian Boguang became enraged. "What Master you little b.i.t.c.h? You"re just babbling. Keep at it, and I"m going to bust open your stinking mouth."

"Wasn"t it true that you swore to take little sister Yilin of the Heng-Shan Sword School as your Master at the Huiyan Wine House? She is right here. Hurry up, and get on over!" Qu Feiyan urged.

"How can she possibly be in a place like this?" Tian Boguang exclaimed. "Huh, how…how did you know? Who are you? I am going to kill you!" A trace of fear could actually be heard in his bl.u.s.tering voice.

"Come here and kowtow to your Master first," Qu Feiyan said airily.

"No, no! Don"t let him come over!" Yilin hurriedly objected.

Tian Boguang let out a cry in shock, and then came a loud "thump," as he apparently jumped to the floor from his bed.

"Sir! What are you doing?" a woman"s voice inquired.

"Tian Boguang," Qu Feiyan shouted, "don"t you run away! Your Master"s here to settle a score with you."

"What d.a.m.n master or apprentice?" Tian Boguang retorted. "I was tricked by that Linghu Chong! If that little nun comes one step closer, I"ll kill her in a blink!"

"Fine! I am not going over. And you don"t come here either!" Yilin said with her trembling voice.

"Tian Boguang," Qu Feiyan yelled, "you"re supposed to be a somebody in the Martial World, why don"t you be a man? Are you backing out of your promises? Come over here and kowtow to your Master!"

Tian Boguang snorted, but did not say another word.

"I don"t want him to kowtow; I don"t want to see him either. He…he is not my apprentice," Yilin said.

Tian Boguang jumped in immediately, "See! The little Sister doesn"t want to see me at all!"

"Fine," Qu Feiyan said, "have it your way, but when we came here earlier, we were followed by a couple of little sneaks. You"d better go and get rid of them fast. Your master and I are resting here. You can keep guard outside, and keep people from bothering us. If you do your job well, then maybe I won"t mention about your agreeing to be the little Sister"s apprentice to anyone. Otherwise, I"ll just announce it to the entire world!"

Tian Boguang raised his voice and gave a sudden shout, "You sneaking little punks, you"ve got a lot of nerves!"

A window opened with a bang, followed by the clang of two weapons falling atop the roof; then someone screamed in pain, while the footsteps of someone running away could be heard. Again came the sound of a window opening with a bang as Tian Boguang leaped down the roof back to his room.

"Killed one, a little skulker from the Qingcheng Sword School. The other one ran away," he declared.

"You"re hopeless! How could you let one get away?" Qu Feiyan complained.

"I couldn"t kill that one," Tian Boguang explained hurriedly. "She…she was a nun of the Heng-Shan Sword School."

"So it was your Uncle-Master! Of course you couldn"t kill her." Qu Feiyan giggled.

Yilin was astonished. She murmured, "Was that my apprentice sister? What do I do now?"

"Hey, little girl, what"s your name?" Tian Boguang asked.

Grinning, Qu Feiyan said, "You shouldn"t ask questions like that. If you keep your mouth shut, your Master will put the business of settling her score on hold for now."

Tian Boguang shut up immediately.

"Qu, let"s leave here quickly!" Yilin said urgently.

"But you haven"t seen the patient yet," Qu Feiyan insisted. "Didn"t you have something to ask him? But if you"re afraid of making your Master unhappy, and want to go back, that"s fine with me."

"Well, I am already here anyway, let"s…let"s go see him," Yilin said after thinking for a moment.

Qu Feiyan smiled and walked toward the bedside. She pushed the wall at the east side of the room, and a secret door opened silently. Qu Feiyan waved at Yilin, motioning her to follow, and then walked through the door. Yilin felt that the whole business with the brothel was getting more and more mysterious. Thank Heavens that Tian Boguang was in the room on the west side. She figured the further she was from him the better, so she gathered her strength and decided to follow Qu in. There was another room inside, but no light. With the illumination from the exterior, she could tell it was a small room. There was also a bed in it, shrouded by a curtain. She could vaguely see that somebody was lying on the bed behind the curtain. Yilin stopped at the secret door but was afraid to go in.

"Sis, go ahead, help him with your "Heavenly Connecting Glue"!" Qu Feiyan directed.

"He…he really knows where big brother Linghu"s body is?" Yilin asked in hesitation.

"Maybe he does, maybe he doesn"t. I don"t know."

"But you said earlier that he did know." Yilin was frustrated.

"I"m not a gentleman; I don"t have to keep my words. If you want to help him, get to work, otherwise, just turn around and leave. n.o.body"s going to stop you," Qu Feiyan snapped.

"No matter what the cost is, I need to find big brother Linghu"s body, even if there is only a slim chance, I can"t let it pa.s.s," Yilin thought to herself. "Alright, I will work on him," she declared.

She went back to the main room to get the candle, and then walked back to the small room and stopped at the bedside. She opened the curtain and saw a man lying on the bed. A green handkerchief covered his face. When he breathed in and out, the cloth moved as well. Not being able to see his face actually gave Yilin a bit of comfort.

"Where was he wounded?" she turned and asked.

"His chest. The wound is very deep; it barely missed his heart," Qu Feiyan answered.

Yilin gently lifted the thin blanket covering his chest. A large wound could be seen right in the middle of his bare chest. It had stopped bleeding, but since the gash was so deep, the man was still in critical condition. Yilin calmed herself a little and thought, "No matter what it takes, I have to save his life." She pa.s.sed the candle to Qu Feiyan, and took the wooden box containing the "Heavenly Connecting Glue" out of her pocket. After opening the box, she put it on the table at the side of the bed and then gently pressed down around the margins of the wound.

"All the pressure points that help to stop bleeding have already been sealed. Otherwise he would be dead by now," Qu Feiyan said in a low voice.

Yilin nodded. All the pressure points around the wound had already been properly sealed. Much better than what she could have achieved by herself. She slowly removed the cotton padding that covered the wound. Once the padding was removed, blood gushed out. Yilin had learned how to treat wounds from her seniors. She pressed down on the wound with her left hand, and applied the "Heavenly Connecting Glue" to the wound with her right hand. When she finished, she immediately put the cotton padding back into the wound. "Heavenly Connecting Glue" was the Heng-Shan Sword School"s treasured poultice, prepared from a secret recipe. Once applied to the wound, it stopped bleeding in short order. Yilin could hear the man breathing heavily. She wasn"t sure if he would survive, so she couldn"t resist but to ask the question.

"Sir, I have something to ask of you, please give me an answer."

Suddenly, Qu Feiyan tilted her body to the side. The candlestick tilted to the side as well, and the flame suddenly went out. Darkness swept the entire room.

"Oops!" Qu Feiyan let out a cry. "The light went out."

It was so dark in the room that Yilin could not even see her own fingers. She became quite fl.u.s.tered. "How can a member of the Buddhist order remain in such an unsavory place? I need to leave here as soon as I find out where big brother Linghu"s body is," she thought. With a trembling voice, she asked.

"Sir, are you feeling a little better now?"

The man let out a groan but did not answer her question.

"He"s running a fever. Feel his forehead, it"s burning hot!" Qu Feiyan exclaimed.

Before Yilin even had a chance to answer, her right hand was already caught by Qu Feiyan and put on top of the man"s forehead. Apparently, Qu Feiyan had removed the green handkerchief that covered the man"s face earlier. Yilin felt as if her fingers touched a burning coal; she couldn"t help but to feel pity for him.

"I also have medicine to take orally. I"d better administer it," she said. "Qu, will you please light the candle?"

"Sure, you wait here, I"ll go find some flints."

Hearing that Feiyan was leaving, Yilin became very nervous. She grabbed onto Feiyan"s sleeve.

"No, no, don"t leave. What am I suppose to do here alone?"

Qu Feiyan let out a small laugh. "Go ahead and take out the medicine," she said.

Yilin took out a bottle from her pocket, opened the bottle and dumped three pills out onto her palm. "I have the pills. You give them to him," she said.

"Better not drop the pills in the dark. This concerns somebody"s life; it"s no joke. Sis, if you are afraid to be left here alone, then I"ll stay here, you go find the flints," Qu Feiyan proposed.

Yilin was even more frightened about the idea of wandering around the brothel all by herself. "No, no, I am not going," she cried out immediately.

"Once you decide to save somebody, you"ve got to follow through. You can just put the pills in his mouth and then give him some tea to help him swallow. In the dark, he can"t see who you are. What are you so afraid of? Here, here"s the tea cup, be careful, don"t drop it," Qu Feiyan said.

Slowly reaching out with her hand, Yilin took the tea. Pausing, she thought to herself, "Master has always told us that as Buddhists we should always be merciful to others. Saving a life achieves more than building a seven-story paG.o.da for the Buddha. Even if this man doesn"t know where big brother Linghu"s body is, he is on the verge of dying, and I should still try to save his life." So she slowly extended her right hand. When the back of her hand touched the man"s forehead, she turned her hand over and placed three "White Cloud Bear Gallbladder Pills" into his mouth. He swallowed them with the tea served by Yilin and then murmured something that seemed to be words of grat.i.tude.

"Sir, I know you are wounded badly, I really should let you rest, but I have one urgent thing to ask of you. Hero Linghu Chong was murdered, his body…," Yilin said.

"You…you are asking for Linghu Chong…?" the man croaked.

"Yes! Do you know where hero Linghu Chong"s body is?" Yilin asked anxiously.

The man mumbled some words, but his voice was too low for Yilin to make anything out. Yilin asked one more time, and then moved her ear close to the man"s lips, but all she could hear was his heavy breathing. It seemed that he wanted to say something but could not make the words come out.

Yilin suddenly remembered. The "Heavenly Connecting Glue" and "White Cloud Bear Gallbladder Pills" were wonderful treatments for wounds, but they were both very strong medicines as well. Particularly after one took the "White Cloud Bear Gallbladder Pill," he would pa.s.s out for a half day. It was just an important step of the healing process. How could she be so self absorbed as to push him to talk at that moment? She sighed gently and moved out from under the curtain and sat down on a chair near the bed.

"I"ll wait till he feels better and then ask again," she murmured to herself.

"Sis, is he going to be alright?" Qu Feiyan asked.

"I hope he will recover, but the wound on his chest is really deep. Qu, who…who is he?" Yilin asked. But Qu Feiyan did not answer.

"My grandpa said you couldn"t let a lot of things go," Qu Feiyan said after a while. "You really shouldn"t be a nun."

"Your grandpa knows me?" Yilin asked in surprise. "How does he…he know that I cannot let things go?"

"Yesterday in the Huiyan Wine House, Grandpa and I were watching your fight with Tian Boguang."

"Ah," Yilin said, "so your grandpa was the one sitting with you?"

"Yeah." Qu Feiyan smiled. "Your big brother Linghu really had a quick tongue. When he said he was the second best at fighting while sitting down, Grandpa actually believed him and thought he really knew some kind of sword art he created while on the toilet, that could defeat Tian Boguang. Hha."

Yilin could not see her face in the dark, but she could imagine the little girl must be giggling quite hard. The more gleeful Qu Feiyan was the more sorrow Yilin felt.

Qu Feiyan went on, "Later after Tian Boguang ran away, Grandpa said he had no guts. He had promised to be your apprentice, and should have kowtowed to you and called you Master. How could he go against his word?"

"Big brother Linghu only tricked him to save my life, he did not really win the fight," Yilin explained.

"Sis, you are truly kind. After the way Tian Boguang treated you, you"re still making excuses for him. Anyway, after big brother Linghu was killed, you just carried his body and wandered around with no specific destination. Grandpa said, "This little nun is really a pa.s.sionate girl. I am afraid she is going to go crazy. Let"s follow her and watch." So the two of us followed behind you and watched how you just carried his body and didn"t want to let him go. Grandpa said, "Feifei, see how upset this little nun is. If this lad Linghu Chong weren"t dead, the little nun would definitely give up on the nunnery and marry him. ""

Yilin flushed with great embarra.s.sment. She could feel her face and ears burning in the dark.

"Sis, was my grandpa right?"

"He died because of me," Yilin said. "I really wish I was the one who died instead of him. If Buddha pities me, and lets me die in exchange for big brother Linghu"s life, I…I…even if I had to fall all the way to the bottom of the eighteenth level of h.e.l.l and never be reborn again,[3] I would not complain." Her voice was filled with sincerity as she said those words.

All of a sudden, the man on the bed let out a groan.

"He…he is awake. Qu, would you please ask him if he feels better?" Yilin said happily.

"Why do I have to be the one to ask? Don"t you have a tongue of your own?" Qu Feiyan demanded.

Yilin walked to the bed after a slight hesitation, and with the curtain in between them, asked, "Sir, are you…?" Before she could finish, the man let out several more groans.

"He is in great pain right now, I shouldn"t bother him," she thought, so she just stood there quietly. The man"s breathing gradually fell into a slow rhythm. Apparently the medicine was doing its job, and he had fall asleep again.

"Sis," Qu Feiyan whispered, "why would you die for Linghu Chong? Do you really like him that much?"

"No, no! Miss Qu, I am a Buddhist nun. Please don"t say such disrespectful words to the Buddha! Big brother Linghu and I had never met each other before, but he gave his life to save mine. I…I just feel I owe him so much!" Yilin said breathlessly.

"What if he was alive again? Would you be willing to do anything for him?"

"Yes, even if I had to die a thousand times for him, I would have no complaints."

Qu Feiyan suddenly raised her voice and said, "Big brother Linghu, listen up, sis Yilin said it herself…."

"Don"t joke about it!" Yilin cut her off angrily.

Qu Feiyan simply ignored her and continued in a loud voice. "She said: if you are not dead, she would do anything for you."

From Qu"s tone, Yilin could feel that she wasn"t really joking. Her heart started pounding faster and faster, and she also began to get dizzy. She could only murmur, "You…you…" Within seconds, Qu Feiyan lit a candle. She opened the curtain and waved Yilin over with a big smile on her face. Yilin slowly walked to the bed full of dread. Suddenly, it seemed as if the entire world started swirling about her; she found herself falling down to the ground.

Qu Feiyan quickly caught her by the shoulder before she actually hit the floor.

"I know this is going to be a big surprise! Go ahead and see who he is!" she exclaimed.

"He…he…." Yilin"s voice was so weak and she could hardly breathe. Although the man on the bed had his eyes shut tightly, with his thick eyebrows and thin lips on a long rectangular face, Yilin immediately recognized him. It was none other than the one who had fought at the Huiyan Wine House, Linghu Chong.

Yilin grabbed Qu Feiyan"s arm tightly. "He…he is not dead?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"He is not dead yet, but if your medicine doesn"t work, he"ll die soon." Qu Feiyan smiled gently.

"He won"t die, he definitely won"t die! He…he is alive!" Filled with surprise and happiness, the emotions were just too much for Yilin so she started crying.

"Hey, he"s not dead, what are you crying for?" Qu Feiyan asked curiously.

Yilin felt her legs were giving out on her, so she had to lean on the bed as she continued to shed more tears.

"I am so happy!" she said. "Qu, I don"t know how to thank you enough! You saved…saved big brother Linghu."

"Hey, you saved him. I don"t have the skills to save him, and I don"t have "Heavenly Connecting Glue" either!" Qu Feiyan said.

Suddenly, Yilin understood. She stood up slowly and held Qu Feiyan"s hand. "Your grandpa did it. It was your grandpa!"

Someone shouted outside, "Yilin, Yilin!" That was the voice of Sister Dingyi. Yilin was astounded, and was just about to answer when Qu Feiyan blew out the candle in her hands and then covered Yilin"s mouth.

"Don"t you remember what kind of a place this is? Don"t answer!" she hissed at Yilin.

Yilin found herself bewildered. It was quite embarra.s.sing being in a brothel, but refusing to answer her Master"s call, that was something she had never done before in her life.

Dingyi"s voice rang out, "Tian Boguang, get your a.s.s out here! Let Yilin go!"

Tian Boguang"s laughter came from the west-side room. "Well! If it isn"t the White-Cloud Nunnery Senior Sister Dingyi of the Heng-Shan Sword School!" he continued cackling for a few moments, and finally spoke. "I really should go out to pay my respects, but to leave all these cute ladies here on my bed alone wouldn"t be good manners either. I guess I"ll just stay here then. Hha, hha!" The coquettish laughter of several girls joined. Obviously the women were prost.i.tutes. "Sweetheart, don"t pay any attention to her. Give me another kiss…," one of them said huskily. The lascivious voices of the women became louder and louder. Tian Boguang must have egged them on to keep Sister Dingyi away.

Dingyi was outraged. "Tian Boguang, if you don"t get your a.s.s out here, I will cut you into ten thousand pieces!" she shouted.

Tian Boguang laughed. "If I don"t get my a.s.s out, you"ll cut me into pieces. If I do haul my a.s.s out, you"ll cut me into pieces just as well. I guess I"d better keep my a.s.s put. Sister Dingyi, you nuns really shouldn"t be in places like this. Why don"t you go back to your nice convent? Your apprentice is not here. She is a model nun who always follows all the convent rules. Why would she come here? Don"t you think it"s rather bizarre for your holiness to come here to look for your apprentice?"

Dingyi exploded. "Blazes! I"m going to set this d.a.m.n place on fire! We"ll see how long he can stay in there!" she retorted.

Tian Boguang laughed again. "Sister Dingyi, this spot is named the "Jade House," and it is one of the most famous sites in the town of Hengshan. I suppose it would be no big deal if you set it on fire, but when the story gets out, everybody"ll know that it was Sister Dingyi from the White-Cloud Nunnery of the Heng-Shan Sword School who burnt down the "Jade House" brothel in Hengshan. People who heard this would ask themselves, "Sister Dingyi is a respectful senior Sister, why would she go to such a filthy place?" The answer would be that, "She went there to look for her apprentice!" People who heard this would have to ask, "Why did the apprentice of the Heng-Shan Sword School go to the Jade House?"…I"m guessing that all these questions couldn"t do the reputation of your school any good. Let me tell you something, Tian Boguang fears nothing and n.o.body in this entire world except that apprentice of yours. I"d be busy running away at the sight of her. How would I be able to bother her?"

Dingyi reluctantly saw his point, but an apprentice had reported that she saw Yilin walking into this house with her own eyes, and Tian Boguang had also attacked her. There could have been no mistake. Her anger kept growing, but the only thing she could do was to stamp the flagstones beneath her feet.

"Tian Boguang, did you murder my apprentice Peng Renqi?" demanded a voice from the roof across the way. The Master of the Qingcheng Sword School had arrived.

"Aha! Even the respectful Master of Qingcheng Sword School has come to visit," Tian Boguang crowed. "Hengshan Jade House is going to be so appallingly famous from now on. They"ll never need to worry about getting business again! I did kill a fellow. His sword skills were ordinary, but seemed to be the moves of the Qingcheng Sword School. But as to whether his name was Peng Renqi or not, sorry, I really didn"t have the time to ask."

Within the s.p.a.ce of a blink, Yu Canghai leapt into Tian Boguang"s room, and the sounds of a shower of ringing steel followed; Yu Canghai had started fighting with Tian Boguang. Sister Dingyi stood on the roof and listened to the sound of clashing weapons.

"That rascal Tian Boguang really has some skills," she thought to herself. "His quick knife strokes seem to be evenly matched with the sword thrusts from the Master of the Qingcheng Sword School."

Suddenly there was a loud "bang" followed by absolute silence. Yilin held onto Qu Feiyan"s hand tightly; cold sweat soaked her palms. She had no idea who had won the fight, Tian or Yu? Tian Boguang had bullied her several times, and she should have wished for Yu Canghai to win, but deep in her heart, she was really hoping the opposite. It would be better if Yu Canghai were to just leave, and same with her master, so Linghu Chong could rest and heal peacefully and quietly. He was already on the brink of death, and if Yu Canghai rushed in the room, the stress itself would surely cause his wounds to break open and kill him.

Tian Boguang"s voice rose from afar, "Master Yu, don"t you think it"s a little crowded in this room? Let"s go to the clearing in the field and fight a couple hundred rounds and see who the better man is! If you win, I"ll relinquish this cute hottie "Little Jade" to you! But if you lose, this chick will have to be mine!"

Yu Canghai almost exploded in anger. The scoundrel"s words had implied that that they were fighting to gain the favor of a wh.o.r.e named "Little Jade" in the "Jade House." He considered his situation. When they were fighting inside the room, over fifty rounds pa.s.sed in no time. Tian Boguang"s knife moves were well organized and balanced with both attacks and defenses. His skills were really no less than that of his own. Even if they were to fight another couple of hundred rounds, he still couldn"t a.s.sure a victory.

Everything quieted down. Yilin could even hear her own heartbeat. She leaned closer to Qu"s ear and asked in a whisper, "Do you think…they will come in here?"

Qu was actually much younger than her, yet Yilin was completely lost in such an embarra.s.sing situation. Qu did not answer, and just covered Yilin"s mouth with her hand.

Liu Zhengfeng"s voice suddenly rose. "Master Yu, the villain Tian Boguang has committed so many crimes; he definitely won"t come to a good end. We"ll get him eventually. There"s no rush right now. This brothel has been the source of much immoral behavior; I have always wanted to trash it. Please let me handle this. Danian, Weiyi, Let"s search inside. Don"t let anybody leave!"

Xiang Danian and Mi Weiyi, the two apprentices of Liu House, acknowledged the command in unison. Dingyi also sent out orders and had her apprentices surround the brothel.

Yilin became increasingly worried. She could hear the voices of the apprentices from the Liu House coming closer and closer, searching room after room. Liu Zhengfeng and Yu Canghai stood by the side and directed the apprentices. Loud cries from the proprietors could be clearly heard while they were thrashed by Xiang Danian, Mi Weiyi, and the rest of the apprentices. Apprentices of the Qingcheng Sword School began smashing the furniture, teacups and wine kettles, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. Knowing that all those people would soon arrive, Yilin was so worried that she almost pa.s.sed out.

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"My Master came to rescue me," she thought, "and I did not answer her call. I am in a brothel and in the same room with big brother Linghu late at night. Even though he is badly wounded, when all those guys from the Hengshan Sword School and the Qingcheng Sword School come in all at once, I wouldn"t be able to explain even if I had a hundred tongues. The reputation of the Heng-Shan Sword School would undoubtedly be damaged and how…how could I face my Master and all the apprentice sisters again?" She drew her sword and brought the blade toward her own throat.

Qu Feiyan heard the sound of an unsheathing sword and instantly realized what Yilin was doing. She grasped Yilin"s wrist quickly.

"Stop! Let"s dash out together," she whispered.

Sounds of movement came from the bed. Linghu Chong had sat up.

"Light up the candle!" he whispered.

"Why?" Qu Feiyan asked.

"I am telling you to light up the candle!" Linghu Chong said. His voice had a tone of authority in it. Qu Feiyan did not say another word and lit the candle.

With the light of the candle, Yilin could see Linghu Chong"s white and bloodless face, a face that looked almost like that of a corpse. She uttered a cry.

Linghu Chong pointed at his overcoat at the end of the bed.

"Put that over…over my shoulders," he said.

While trembling like a falling leaf in a storm, Yilin picked up the overcoat and draped it over Linghu Chong"s shoulders. Linghu Chong pulled the front of the overcoat so it covered all the bloodstains and the wound on his chest.

"You two, lie on the bed," he said.

"This is fun!" Qu Feiyan giggled. She dragged Yilin and slipped under the quilt.

By then, people outside had noticed the candlelight in the room. "Let"s check that room out!" someone shouted. They all started to head toward the small room.

Linghu Chong took a deep breath and rushed to close the door and locked it with a wooden bar. He walked back to the bed and lifted the curtain.

"Hide under the quilt!" he ordered.

"Don"t…don"t move too much. Watch out for your wounds," Yilin begged.

Linghu Chong stuck his left hand out and pushed her head under the quilt while pulling Qu"s long hair out from under the quilt and spreading it all over the pillow. Just that simple movement and his wound opened, causing blood to gush out again. He lost the strength from his legs and had to sit on the bed.

Someone had already started knocking on the door heavily like beating a drum. "You son of a turtle, open the door!" one of them shouted. Then with a loud cracking sound, the door was kicked open and four people rushed in.

The leading one was none other than the Qingcheng apprentice Hong Renxiong. Astonished at seeing Linghu Chong, he immediately jumped back several paces.

"Linghu…It"s Linghu Chong…." he muttered.

Xiang Danian and Mi Weiyi had never met Linghu Chong before, but had both heard that Luo Renjie had killed him. When they heard Hong Renxiong shouting out Linghu Chong"s name, both were shocked and also stepped back. Everyone had his eyes wide open and just gazed at Linghu Chong.

Linghu Chong stood up slowly. "You…this many people…." he muttered.

"Linghu…Linghu Chong, you"re…you"re not dead?" Hong Renxiong murmured.

"How can I die so easily?" Linghu Chong answered coldly.

Yu Canghai stepped out. "You are Linghu Chong? Excellent, excellent!" he said. Linghu Chong gave him a glance but did not answer.

"What are you doing in this brothel?" Yu Canghai demanded.

Linghu Chong started laughing. "Are you kidding me? What do you think people do in brothels?"

"I"ve heard that the Huashan Sword School has very strict school rules," Yu Canghai said coldly. "You are the senior apprentice of the Huashan Sword School, the best student of "Gentleman Sword" Mr. Yue, yet you sneak up here to sleep with prost.i.tutes. Very funny! How very ironic!"

"Whatever rules the Huashan Sword School has," Linghu Chong said, "that"s our own business. No need for you or anybody else to worry about it."

Yu Canghai was an experienced person. Seeing Linghu Chong"s extremely white face because of loss of blood and his trembling legs, he could tell that Linghu Chong had been wounded badly. Could it be a trap? Then he thought, "The little nun of the Heng-Shan Sword School said this guy was killed by Renjie, but he is actually still alive. Obviously the little nun was lying to cover things up. During her tale, she called him big brother Linghu this and big brother Linghu that, full of tenderness; maybe they have already become a couple. Someone saw the little nun coming to this brothel, but now no one can find her, most likely this guy has hidden her somewhere. Hmm! The Five Mountains Sword Alliance always considered themselves the true Martial Arts academies, and looked down upon my Qingcheng Sword School. If I can sort that little nun out, then not only would the reputation of the Huashan Sword School and the Heng-Shan Sword School be trashed, the entire Five Mountains Sword Alliance would also be humiliated, and they would never be able to flaunt themselves in the Martial World again!" He looked around quickly but did not see any other people with Linghu Chong. "Looks like that the little nun is hiding in the bed," he concluded.

"Renxiong! Lift open the bed curtain. Let"s find out what kind of show we have in the bed," he said to Hong Renxiong.

"Yes, Master!" Hong Renxiong answered and then stepped forward. With his previous unpleasant encounter with Linghu Chong in mind, he couldn"t help glancing at Linghu Chong and hesitating.

"Do you want to die?" Linghu Chong threatened.

Hong Renxiong choked, but thinking of the presence of his master, he felt better and drew his sword.

"What do you want?" Linghu Chong asked of Yu Canghai.

"The Heng-Shan Sword School lost a female apprentice; someone saw her in this brothel, so we need to search here," Yu Canghai demanded.

"This is the Five Mountains Sword Alliance"s own matter. Why doesn"t the Qingcheng Sword School mind its own business?" Linghu Chong mocked.

"We will find an answer today, whether you like it or not! Renxiong, go for it!" Yu Canghai ordered.

"Yes sir!" Hong Renxiong held his sword out and lifted the bed curtain with the blade.

Yilin and Qu Feiyan grabbed onto each other and hid under the quilt; they heard every word between Linghu Chong and Yu Canghai loud and clear. Greatly worried, they could not help trembling. Then when they heard the sound of Hong Renxiong lifting the bed curtain, both were frightened to death.

After Hong Renxiong had lifted up the bed curtain, everyone stared at the bed. There was a large red silk quilt with two loving birds embroidered on it. Obviously there was someone under the quilt. Long black hair spread all over the pillow. The quilt was trembling. The person under the quilt must have been terrified.

Yu Canghai was very disappointed when he saw the long hair on the pillow. It was quite obvious that the one under the quilt was not a bald little nun. Linghu Chong was really sleeping with a prost.i.tute.

"Master Yu," Linghu Chong said coldly, "although you are a Taoist Priest, I heard that Qingcheng priests don"t have rules against marriage and you"ve already got yourself many wives. If you are so fond of naked woman, and wanted to see the girl naked, why don"t you go ahead and lift up the quilt to have a good look? Why pretend to look for a female apprentice of the Heng-Shan Sword School?"

"d.a.m.n you!" Yu Canghai yelled while throwing a knife hand chop at Linghu Chong. Linghu Chong turned his body aside to dodge the blow coming toward him, but he was quite weak because of the wounds and wasn"t able to dodge fast enough; the edge of Yu Canghai"s chopping blow glanced his body. He could not hold himself steady and collapsed onto the bed. Gathering all his strength, Linghu Chong stood up again, but blood began dripping out the corner of his mouth. His body shook a couple of times as he spit out some more blood. Yu Canghai wanted to hit him again, but out of the blue, a voice came from outside the window.

"A senior bullies a junior; how shameless!"

Yu Canghai did not waste any time. Before the last word had ended, he had already thrown a blow toward the window. Immediately following the blow, he jumped out of the window. From the illumination of the candlelight from inside the room, he saw an ugly hunchback turning around the corner of the house.

"Hold it!" he shouted.

The hunchback was really Lin Pingzhi in disguise. After the conflict with Yu Canghai in Liu Zhengfeng"s house, he slipped out while Yu Canghai had his mind on the little girl, Qu Feiyan. He hid behind a corner of the house and did not know what to do. He could not think of any way to rescue his parents.

"Everyone in the hall will have remembered me as the ugly hunchback," he thought aloud. "When those people from the Qingcheng Sword School see me again, they will definitely kill me without hesitation. Should I change back to my original look?" He thought of how Yu Canghai had grabbed onto his wrist; he had felt like he had lost all his strength and couldn"t even struggle to get away. How could there be someone with such outstanding martial arts skills? All these thoughts flooded his mind; he completely lost track of time. He had no idea how long he had been hiding around the corner when he suddenly felt a pat on his hunchback. Stunned, he turned back quickly. The first thing he saw was a tall hunchback. It was none other than the real hunchback – "Hunchback of the North" Mu Gaofeng.

"You fake hunchback," Mu grinned, "what"s so good about being a hunchback? Why the h.e.l.l do you pretend to be my grandchild?"

Lin Pingzhi knew the hunchback was a very vicious man with very high Martial Arts skills. If any of his words displeased Mu, he could easily end up dead. He thought since he had already kowtowed to him when they were back in the great hall, and called him a true hero that helped the weak to fight the villains, and Mu did not get mad, all he needed to do was to keep the same tone, then he surely wouldn"t make Mu Gaofeng mad.

"I heard from many people that "Hunchback of the North" Hero Mu has a very reputable name, and he always helped the weak when needed. I truly admire you, and that"s why I dressed myself just like Hero Mu. Please forgive me," he apologized.

"Are you kidding me? A reputable name and helping the weak when needed? What nonsense!"

Mu Gaofeng laughed. He knew Lin Pingzhi was lying to his face, yet all these complements sounded very enjoyable and pleasing.

"What"s your name? Who"s your Master?" he asked.

"Lin is really my family name. I unintentionally used your last name," Lin Pingzhi said.

Mu Gaofeng smirked. "Cut the c.r.a.p! You just wanted to use my name to swindle and bluff. Yu Canghai is the Master of the Qingcheng Sword School. He could kill you by just poking you with one finger. And you are so bold as to offend him! You really have some guts!"

Hearing Yu Canghai"s name mentioned, Lin Pingzhi"s anger instantly exploded. "As long as I am still breathing, one day I will slay the scoundrel myself!" he exclaimed loudly.

"What score do you have with Yu Canghai?" asked the surprised Mu Gaofeng.

Lin Pingzhi hesitated for a few seconds. He thought, "There"s no way for me to rescue my mom and dad all by myself. Why don"t I ask him to help?" So he knelt down and kowtowed to Mu Gaofeng.

"My parents are his prisoners. I am begging you. Will you please help me rescue them?"

Mu Gaofeng frowned and shook his head. "I never do anything that does not benefit me. Who is your dad? What do I get if I rescue him?"

Someone"s voice suddenly came from the door, whispering with urgency, "Go tell Master that in the brothel known as the Jade House, another Qingcheng Sword School member has been killed. Also someone from the Heng-Shan Sword School was wounded and just got back. Hurry!"

"We"ll talk about your troubles later," Mu Gaofeng whispered to Lin Pingzhi. "There"s going to be a good show. Come with me if you want to see some fun."

"As long as I am with him, I can always beg him later," Lin Pingzhi thought. So he replied, "Sure, sure! Wherever you, the respectful senior want to go, I"ll follow."

"Let"s get this straight first: I, hunchback Mu, only do things that I can benefit from. If you think brown-nosing can get your grandpa to get into trouble for you, save yourself the trouble and just forget about it!" Mu Gaofeng exclaimed. Lin Pingzhi just nodded and didn"t say a word.

"They"ve left. Follow me," Mu Gaofeng said. Lin Pingzhi only felt his right wrist was grabbed tightly, and before he knew it, he was already in the air and seemed to be speeding along the streets without even touching the ground.

Soon they arrived outside the Jade House. The two of them hid behind a tree and peered at the scene before them. They heard everything including the fight between Yu Canghai and Tian Boguang, the search led by Liu Zhengfeng"s apprentices, and the words of Linghu Chong. When Yu Canghai wanted to hit Linghu Chong again, Lin Pingzhi could not hold his anger any longer and shouted out, "A senior bullies a junior; how shameless!" Right after that, he realized he had acted very rashly and quickly turned around to hide. But Yu Canghai came so fast that with the words "hold it," the power of his hands had already immobilized Lin Pingzhi.

At that moment, all Yu needed to do was to release his inner energy and Lin Pingzhi"s internal organs would be smashed into pieces, but after recognizing it was the young hunchback, Yu Canghai held back his strength and did not strike.

"So it"s you!" he sneered.

He looked at Mu Gaofeng, who stood about ten feet behind Lin Pingzhi. "Hunchback Mu! Why do you instigate juniors to trouble me over and over? What do you want?" he demanded.

Mu Gaofeng burst into loud laughter. "He claims to be my junior, but I never said he was! His name is Lin and mine is Mu, I have nothing to do with him. Master Yu, I, hunchback Mu, am not afraid of you; I just don"t want to be a r.e.t.a.r.d and shield trouble for some n.o.body. If there were great benefits for being a shield, like piles of gold or jewels or something, then I"d consider doing it! Free service like this will never interest me."

Yu Canghai was quite happy to hear these words. "If this individual has nothing to do with brother Mu and is only an imposter, then I don"t have to worry on your behalf," he said. He was just about to strike out when he heard someone speaking

"A senior bullies a junior; how shameless!"

Yu Canghai turned back and saw a man standing by the window. It was none other than Linghu Chong. Yu Canghai was infuriated, but the words "a senior bullies a junior; how shameless" were right on target. The two young men"s Kung Fu skills were no match for him; to kill them would be as easy as stepping on a puny ant. But he would never be able to get rid of the remark "a senior bullies a junior." And if the remark of "a senior bullies a junior" were true, of course "shameless" would be natural conclusion. But if he just simply let these two off, he wouldn"t be able to vent his anger. He sneered and said to Linghu Chong, "I"ll have your Master pay for your insolence later." Then he turned to Lin Pingzhi.

"Which school are you from?" he asked.

"You murderous monster, you ruined my whole family, and you are still asking me?" Lin Pingzhi yelled furiously.

Yu Canghai was confused. "Have I met you before? How did I ruin your family? What are you talking about?" he thought to himself. With so many people around watching, he did not want to ask for more details, so he turned to Hong Renxiong. "Renxiong, waste him first, then seize Linghu Chong."

If a Qingcheng apprentice did it, it wouldn"t be "a senior bullies a junior." Hong Renxiong answered, "Yes, Master!" He drew his sword and jumped forth. Lin Pingzhi went for his own sword, but before he could unsheathe it, Hong Renxiong"s long cold sword was already pointed at his chest.

Lin Pingzhi yelled, "Yu Canghai, I, Lin Pingzhi, will…."

Astounded, Yu Canghai hurriedly struck out with his left palm. The energy of the strike sent Hong Renxiong"s thrust aside and the sword barely missed Lin Pingzhi"s right arm.

"What did you say?" Yu Canghai asked.

"Even if I, Lin Pingzhi, have to become a disembodied ghost, I"ll come back and kill you," Lin Pingzhi exclaimed.

"Are you…are you Lin Pingzhi from the Fortune Prestige Escort House?" Yu Canghai asked in shock.

Lin Pingzhi thought, "Since I can"t hide my ident.i.ty any more, I"d rather have a quick death." So he pulled the plasters off his face and said loudly, "That"s right! I am Lin Pingzhi from Fuzhou Fortune Prestige Escort House. Your son hara.s.sed an innocent girl and I killed him. You ruined my whole family. Where…where are you keeping my father and my mother?"

The news of Qingcheng"s triumph over the Fortune Prestige Escort House had spread all over the Martial World. Most people didn"t know that Evergreen had lost in a sword fight with Lin Yuantu, so rumor said that it was really because the Qingcheng Sword School wanted to seize the Lin family"s ma.n.u.script of the Evil-Resisting Sword Art. And because Linghu Chong had heard the rumor, he used it to lure Luo Renjie into coming closer and then killed him. Mu Gaofeng had also heard the rumor. After the fake hunchback claimed to be "Lin Pingzhi from the Fortune Prestige Escort House," seeing how Yu Canghai knocked aside Hong Renxiong"s sword in such a hurry and how he acted so nervously, Mu Gaofeng had no doubt that Yu Canghai really wanted to track down the Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script with help from this young man. When Yu Canghai stretched his arm out and grabbed onto Lin Pingzhi"s right wrist, pulling his arm back to drag Lin over, Mu Gaofeng shouted, "Hold it!" He jumped forth rapidly and grabbed onto Lin Pingzhi"s left wrist and started pulling as well.

Lin Pingzhi could feel two great sources of power pulling his arms in opposite directions; all his joints started popping and he almost pa.s.sed out from the severe pain. Yu Canghai knew very well that Lin Pingzhi would die instantly if he pulled any harder, so he thrust his long sword at Mu Gaofeng as he yelled out loudly, "Brother Mu, let it go!" Mu Gaofeng waved his right arm and blocked the sword with a shinning crescent knife. A loud ring echoed. Wasting no time, Yu Canghai launched his sword attacks, and within seconds, he had sent nine thrusts at Mu Gaofeng.

"Brother Mu, we don"t have any score between us. Why should we hurt our relationship because of this lad?" He said while tightly grabbing Lin Pingzhi"s right wrist.

Waving his crescent knife back and forth, Mu Gaofeng countered all of Yu Canghai"s attacks.

"Earlier, right in front of everyone"s eyes, this lad kowtowed to me and called me "Grandpa." Everyone saw that and heard that. Although I don"t have any score to settle with you, Master Yu, don"t you think it would look bad for me if you seize someone who just called me Grandpa and then kill him right in front of my eyes? If this grandpa can"t even protect his grandson, then who else is going to call me Grandpa in the future?"

The two talked as they fought at a faster and faster pace. The clash of weapons also became more urgent.

"Brother Mu, this man killed my son. How can I forget the pain of losing a son and not avenge him?" Yu Canghai said angrily.

"Sure," Mu Gaofeng laughed, "for Master Yu"s sake, I"ll help you seek your revenge. Come on, you pull to the left and I"ll pull to the right, one two three, let"s tear this lad to two!" After the words, he actually started counting, "One, two, and three!" As soon as he spat out the word three, he pulled harder. More of Lin Pingzhi"s joints popped.

Yu Canghai was stunned. There was no need to rush the revenge. Before finding the sword art ma.n.u.script, he definitely didn"t want to let Lin Pingzhi die. So he let go of Lin"s wrist at once, letting Mu Gaofeng pull Lin Pingzhi away.

"Hey, thanks!" Mu Gaofeng grinned. "Master Yu is really a true friend! You even gave up revenge for your son for Hunchback Mu"s sake. There"s no other one in the Martial World who respects brotherhood as much as you do!"

"I am glad brother Mu knows that. I"ll give in a little this time. There won"t be a second time," Yu Canghai said coldly.

"Who knows? Maybe Master Yu would be as nice next time and give in again," Mu Gaofeng snickered.

With a disgruntled snort, Yu Canghai waved his left arm. "Let"s go!" he commanded, and all the Qingcheng apprentices left following their Master. At that moment, Sister Dingyi had gone south together with all the Heng-Shan nuns, trying to locate Yilin. Liu Zhengfeng and his apprentices had gone to the southeast corner to continue their search. So after the group from the Qingcheng Sword School left, only Mu Gaofeng and Lin Pingzhi stood outside of the Jade House.

"Hey, you are not a hunchback. You are a handsome lad!" Mu Gaofeng said with a grin. "Lad, you don"t have to call me Grandpa. I kind of like you. How about I take you as my apprentice?"

Lin Pingzhi was still in pain from being pulled between two types of high-level inner energy and had just caught his breath. Hearing Mu Gaofeng"s suggestion, he thought, "The hunchback"s Kung Fu is ten times greater than dad"s. Even Yu Canghai was in dread of him. In my quest to seek my revenge, it would actually become possible if I have him as my teacher. But he did not care about me at all when the Qingcheng apprentice tried to kill me. As soon as he heard my real ident.i.ty, he started to fight Yu Canghai to get hold of me. In that light, his offer to take me as his apprentice must have not come from good intentions."

Mu Gaofeng saw his hesitation. "You already know how good the Hunchback of the North"s Kung Fu skills and fame are. I"ve never had an apprentice before. If you have me as your teacher, I will teach you all my Kung Fu skills without any reservation. By then, not only would the chaps from Qingcheng be no matches for you, but after a couple of years, it would be easy to defeat Yu Canghai as well. Lad, why aren"t you kowtowing to me to show respects to your Master?"

The more anxious he sounded, the more suspicious Lin Pingzhi became. "If he really cared about me, why did he grab on to my wrist and pull so hard with no reservation? After Yu Canghai found out that I was the one who had killed his son, he actually wanted me alive. Obviously it was all because he wanted some Evil-Resisting Sword Ma.n.u.script. There are many honest people with high Kung Fu skills in the Five Mountains Sword Alliance. If I want a good teacher, I should be looking among them. The hunchback here is too vicious. No matter how high his skills are, I"ll never have him as my Master."

Seeing Lin Pingzhi still in hesitation, Mu Gaofeng felt his anger growing. But he still managed a smile. "What? You think the hunchback"s Kung Fu skills are no good, and I am not worthy to be your master?" he asked.

Lin Pingzhi noticed an angry and vicious look on Mu Gaofeng"s face fleetingly before it changed into a warm and kind smile. He knew he was in a very delicate and dangerous situation. If he refused to call him Master, Mu would probably get infuriated and kill him right away. So he said, "Hero Mu, your offering to take me as your apprentice is a fortune I never even dared to dream of. But I have been learning my family Kung Fu skills. If I want to study from another great Master, I must get permission from my father. This is not only the family rule, but also the common practice in the Martial World."

"That sounds reasonable." Mu Gaofeng nodded. "But what little skills you demonstrated here today are nothing even close to be called Kung Fu. Your father"s Kung Fu must also be very limited. I only had a sudden impulse today wanting to take you as my apprentice. Later, I might not have the same inclination. Good opportunities don"t come by easily. You seem to be a smart lad. Why are you acting so foolishly? How about this? You kowtow to me and call me your Master first, and then I will go talk to your father. I am sure he wouldn"t dare have a different opinion."

Lin Pingzhi suddenly had an idea. "Hero Mu," he said, "my parents were taken prisoners by the Qingcheng Sword School. I don"t even know if they are still alive or dead yet. I beg you, hero Mu, to get them out. By then, I would be so appreciative that no matter what you tell me to do, I will follow with all my heart."

Mu Gaofeng became livid. "What?" he exploded. "Are you bargaining with me? Do I have to have you as my apprentice? Who do you think you are? This is just outrageous!" Then he remembered that even Yu Canghai gave in right in front of so many eyes and did not want to tear his son"s killer into two – he must have had very good reasons. People like Yu Canghai were not the type that could be easily fooled. The rumor was probably true that the Evil-Resisting Sword Art was truly amazing. If he could take this lad as his apprentice, then sooner or later, he could get his hands on that outstanding martial arts book. At that thought, he urged again.

"Hurry up and kowtow to me. After three kowtows, you will be my apprentice. Of course the Master will take care of the apprentice"s parents. Since Yu Canghai captured my apprentice"s parents, when I go ask for them from him, it would be totally justifiable. How dare he object?"

Lin Pingzhi really wanted to save his parents. He thought, "Mom and dad are prisoners of that villain. Every day would seem like a year for them. I need to get them out as soon as possible. As long as he can rescue my parents, I"d be willing to give up anything, let alone taking him as my Master." So he knelt down in front of Mu Gaofeng to kowtow.

Afraid that Lin Pingzhi might change his mind again, Mu Gaofeng laid his hand on Lin Pingzhi"s head and pushed down. Lin Pingzhi was ready to kowtow to him, but when he felt the push from the top of his head, he was filled with repugnance and naturally straightened his neck and resisted.

"Hey, kowtow!" Mu Gaofeng yelled angrily. He pushed down even harder.

Lin Pingzhi was egotistical; when he was still the Young Master of the house, others always flattered him and he never had to take any humiliation. Now in order to rescue his parents, he had already decided to kowtow, but when Mu Gaofeng pushed on his head, it actually aroused his stubbornness.