Chapter - 5 Subtle Steps And Hanging Threads (1/2)

The day break solved her problem for her, because she could not escape any more.

”If that heartless jerk comes, he comes; if he doesn't, he doesn't. All I can do is wait here for death to come.” Her thoughts were just turning towards the morose when she suddenly heard a sharp crack behind her. Turning around, she saw an object fell out of the sky and land in the relatively dense area of grass about 100 meters away.

”What could that be?” She immediately flattened herself against the ground. Only when no other sound could be heard from the bush did she, as silently as she could, crawl over to take a peek.

When she finally made it to the thicket and pushed the tall grass aside, what she saw made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Laid side to side within the thicket of grass was the bodies of 6 infants, some on their side, others facing up. Among them was the infant that she saw Second Madame Yie holding in her hands days ago.

”There are six bodies, and she's been here for 6 days. So it true, that evil wench does kill an infant every day. But why?” It was hard to tell how Second Madame Yie killed the babies because there were no blood or obvious injuries on the bodies. One of the babies was wearing bright and colorful cloths, but the other 5 were wearing cloths made of rough materials typical of farmers, presumably farmers of the No Measure Mountains. Ever since she had left her hide out with her master, Mu Wan Qing had killed quite a number of people. But all of her victims had been people of the pugilistic world who did not have good intentions towards her. Witnessing first hand the murders of these innocent infants made her entire body tremble in fear.

Suddenly a shadow flashed across her view. A person was shooting down the mountain side like a bird, landing every so often, but only momentarily, before taking off again. It was none other than Second Madame Yie. Watching the speed with which she flew, Mu Wan Qing realized that it was a speed that even her master could never hope to obtain. With that realization, a sense of hopelessness shot through her. Her legs gave out from underneath her, making her sit down onto the ground.

She sat there dumbstruck for a while before coming around again. She lined the bodies of the 6 infants up and covered them with little rocks and dirt. Suddenly, a freezing sensation ambushed her from behind. She immediately tapped the ground with her left foot and shot forward. A laughter and inexplicably switches from sharp and thick could be heard coming from behind her.

”Little lady, your hubby just ditched ya, so why don't you follow me instead?” It was Yun Zhong He.

He arrived at the same time as his voice, reaching out trying to grab Mu Wan Qing's waist. Just as it looked like his claws were going to catch her when a sideways palm came in and parried away his hand. The palm was from none other than the Divine Croc.

”Number Four, you better keep away from my Southern Sea Sect!” He yelled in anger.

”Your disciple isn't showing up, so this little missy isn't related to your sect.” Yun Zhong He quickly hopped about 20 or so meters out of the way. Only now did Mu Wan Qing get a good look at him. He was extremely tall, but also extremely thin, reminding her of a long bamboo stick. Even his face looked impossibly long.

”How the hell do you know my disciple won't show up? Did you kill him?” The Divine Croc replied in anger. ”That's right! You must have saw how great my disciple is and kidnapped him for yourself! You messed my plans you bastard, I'm going to strangle you dry!”

Being the unreasonable brute that he was, he did not even wait for Yun Zhong He to answer his charges before throwing himself at Yun Zhong He.

”I don't know what shape or color your disciple is as I have never seen him before, how could I try and take him in?” Yun Zhong He yelled as he swiftly dodged Divine Croc's initial flurry.

”Bullshit!” Divine Croc angrily shouted. ”Who's going to believe that shit? You lost your fight and took it out on my disciple!”

”Is your disciple a man or a woman?”

”A man, of course! What would I do with a female disciple?”

”Well then! Yun Zhong He only goes after women and is never interested in men. You know all about that don't you?”

Divine Croc was in mid-air when he heard this remark. Finding some reason in it, he immediately switched to ”Thousand Ton Boulder” and dove back to Earth.

”So where did my disciple go?” He inquired, placing his right foot up on a piece of rock that happened to be by his feet. ”Why hasn't he shown up yet?”

”Hehe, that's your Southern Seas Sect's own business, what does it have to do with me?” Yun Zhong He joked.

”How dare you make fun of me!” The Divine Croc was already terribly frustrated by the absense of Duan Yu, so his temper was very touchy at the moment.

”If I could get the two of them in a fight, it would be very advantageous for me.” Mu Wan Qing decided.

”That's right, this Yun Zhong He must have harmed your disciple!” So she shouted. ”Or else how could he get down from the cliff all by himself? This Yun Zhong He's lightness kungfu is amazing, so he must have went up the cliff, took your disciple somewhere, and killed him to make sure that Southern Seas Sect would not produce a powerful figure. Why else would the body be missing?”

The Divine Croc slapped his own foreheard as if he had just had an epiphany.

”You see? Even my disciple's wife says so. Are you still saying you are innocent?”

”My husband told me that he could only dream to be so lucky as to have a master as great as you and he has to drive himself so as to bring fame and glory to the great Southern Seas Sect as well as the Divine Croc of the Southern Seas. So famous so that all those 'No Evil Left Undone' and 'Evil Overflowing the Cup' would be so envious of you. But who could have guessed that this Yun Zhong He would be so cruel as to kill you disciple. You'll never be able to find a disciple so like you again!” For every point she made, the Divine Croc slapped his forehead. She continued. ”My husband's back of the head is shaped just like yours, not to mention that he is a physical specimen just like you. He's the perfect successor to the Southern Seas Sect. But yet this Yun Zhong He just want to trouble you. So why haven't you avenged your disciple?”

By this time, Divine Croc's eyes were literally on fire as he threw himself at Yun Zhong He. Yun Zhong He knew that Mu Wan Qing was intentionally trying to instigate something but did not have a chance to defend himself. Knowing that his kungfu was not up to par with Divine Croc, he immediately turned and ran when he saw Divine Croc coming at him. Divine Croc landed and took off, once again flying towards him.

”He's running because he's guilty!” Mu Wan Qing poured gasoline on the fire. ”If he didn't kill your disciple, then he wouldn't be running!”

”That's right, that makes sense!” Divine Croc shouted. ”Give me back my disciple!”

One ran, the other chased. In a blink of an eye the two of them disappeared over the top of the mountain.

Mu Wan Qing was just padding herself on her back when she realized that the Divine Croc's shouts were getting closer once again as the two men worked their way back around to this side of the mountain again.

It was obvious that Yun Zhong He was much faster than Divine Croc. With his long and lanky body, he looked like a bamboo in the wind, shaking left and right, yet a good distance was always maintained between him and Divine Croc. The two of them flashed by in front of Mu Wan Qing and instantly disappeared around to the other side of the mountain again. By the second time the two men made their way back around, Yun Zhong He suddenly changed directions and floated to just Mu Wan Qing's side. He reached out and tried to grab her shoulder. Caught off guard, Mu Wan Qing immediately flicked up her right arm and sent a poisonous arrow flying towards his face. Yun Zhong He slid to his left a little and dodged the arrow. Somehow, with the way his body was twisted, his long arms arrived in front of Mu Wan Qing's face. Mu Wan Qing tried to get out of the way, but she was still a step too slow. A gust of coolness hit her face as her veil ended up in Yun Zhong He's hand.

Yun Zhong He was momentarily dumb struck by Mu Wan Qing's beauty, and then an evil smile crept onto his face.

”Woah, hot damn! This littl girlie here is quite something here. Could be a bit more coy, or else she would be perfect....” While he was busy talking, Divine Croc arrive with his palm howled as his aimed for Yun Zhong He's back. Yun Zhong He gathered his power into his right palm and countered.

”Hong!” A huge explosion of sound could be heard as the power of their strikes met. Mu Wan Qing suddenly felt as if all the air was squeezed out of her as she found it impossible to breath due to the air pressure. Within a radius of several meters, the dust and dirt on the ground swirled about in a frenzy. Using the power of Divine Croc's strike, Yun Zhong He shot back and was instantly 5 meters away.

”Eat my palm!” Divine Croc screamed.

”You can't catch me, and I can't beat you.” Yun Zhong He laughingly observed. ”We can keep this up for another day and would still be like this.”

Once again, the two disappeared, still in chase. But the dirt and dust around Mu Wan Qing have yet to settle.

”I have to figure out a way to get in Yun Zhong He's way, or else these two would never fight.” She decided.

Translated by Pacifian

And so she waited for both men to chase around the mountain for the very third time; and as they approached, she leapt upwards.

Chi

sounds reverberated continuously in the air. The next instant, approximately six to seven poisonous arrows raced towards Yun Zhong He.

”Return my husband's life!”

Hearing the swishing sounds of arrows slicing through the air, Yun Zhonghe understood the severity of the situation he was in. Soaring skyward and diving downward, he simultaneously evaded the flurry of arrows which were directed at him. The next moment, Mu Wan Qing unsheathed her sword and slashed twice at his direction, viciously. How would Yun Zhong He not understand her intentions behind all these? Not in the least concerned with defending himself, Yun Zhong He simply floated away; behind him, all Mu Wan Qing's strikes landed on air.

However, with her interference, the Divine Croc's palms finally managed to reach Yun Zhong He. The palm winds generated from his forceful palm strikes completely enveloped Yun Zhong He's body.

”Number Three,” Yun Zhong He said, baring a ferocious grin. ”I have given way to you countless times; if not for the sake of preserving the friendship between us - the four Arched Villains, do you for once really believe I'm afraid of you?”

That said, his hands reached for his waist, each grasping a steel handle. This handle was at least three feet in length, and at the tip of it lay a human hand. The fingers on the steel handle extended in all directions, and the fingertips glowed in a scintillatingly blue colour. The left claw headed for the right, whilst the right claw went for the left. Instantly, Yun Zhong He's body was sealed in a tight defensive position.

The Divine Croc said gleefully, ”Excellent! We haven't met each other for seven years, and now you have trained yourself with such an unorthodox weapon! Now, watch mine!” Done with speaking, he released the contents of his backpack, and from it he pulled out two weapons.

Mu Wan Qing retreated hastily: she knew it was useless for her to join in the battle.

The Divine Croc held a strange-looking scissors with a short handle and a long blade in his right hand, the blade was full of serrated blades, resembling the ferocious jaws of a crocodile. On the other hand, he wielded a soft whip that has razor spikes all over; it looked almost indistinguishable from the tail of a crocodile.

Yun Zhong He glanced at the bizarre weaponry the Divine Croc was using. Without warning, his right steel claw flew out, charging towards the Divine Croc's face. The Divine Croc flipped the Croc Tail Whip in his right hand, and a noisy

pa

resounded, causing the steel claw to propel away forcefully. However, Yun Zhong He's reflexes were amazingly quick; deftly, he flung the other steel claw even before he withdrew his right hand.

Crack! The Croc Jaws Scissors extended itself, clipped Yun Zhong He's left steel claw and gave it a brutal twist. Even though Yun Zhonghe's steel claw was made of pure steel, the Croc Jaws Scissors seemed to be casted from some unknown material. It broke two fingers out of the five on the Steel Claw with absurd ease. Fortunately, Yun Zhong He had retracted his hand swiftly, preventing the other three fingers from being snipped away. However, the Claw skill he was practising all along required the use of all ten fingers. Now that he had two fingers missing, the power displayed in his moves was greatly weakened. A crestfallen look fell over Yun Zhong He's face.

The Divine Croc laughed nastily as he advanced, snatching the offensive position with a nimbly-curling Croc-Tail whip.

All of a sudden, a green shadow intervened; this new apparition slipped ethereally and elegantly between the two fighters.

This person was none other than Second Madam Ye.

Her left palm swept across horizontally, pressing itself onto the Croc Tail Whip, and manoeuvred it aside. Yun Zhong He quickly seized this opportunity to leap away from danger.

”Number Three, Number Four, why are the both of you fighting with each other?” Second Madam Ye asked. Turning around, she saw Mu Wan Qing's face; suddenly, her expression changed dramatically.

Mu Wan Qing saw that Second Madam Ye was holding an infant in her arms. It was a boy, approximately around the age of three to four, he was dressed in clothes made of brocade, and looked really adorable. She immediately understood the purpose of Second Madam Ye descent of the mountain: she wanted to search for her child. The peculiar look in her eyes scared Mu Wan Qing; she looked away immediately, not daring to face Second Madam Ye.

Suddenly, the infant cried, ”Daddy! Daddy! Shan Shan wants Daddy!”

”Shan Shan be obedient. Daddy will come soon.” said Second Madam Ye soothingly.

The scene of the six grisly remains she saw on the grass plains earlier swam into view; after hearing Secong Madam Ye's affectionate words of comfort to the infant, Mu Wan Qing felt her hair rise on end.

”Second sister, Number Three's recent Croc Jaws Scissors and Croc Tail Whip kung fu is quite amazing,” laughed Yun Zhong He; ”I have only played with him for a short while, yet I still found it difficult to even defend myself. What skills have you been practising these seven years? Are you able to challenge Number Three's dual formidable weapons? I am afraid you, too, are unable to do so.”

He made no mention on Divine Croc wronging him, nor did he say anything about how the Divine Croc had blatantly claimed about his non-existent murder of Duan Yu - even when he had absolutely no idea how Duan Yu looked like. All he wanted to do was to get both Second Madam Ye and Divine Croc in battle with each other by casually saying a few simple sentences.

As Second Madam Ye ascended the mountain, she had already seen the two men battling with their lives - she knew their spar wasn't all that friendly. A faint smile lifted the sides of her lips as she replied, ”For seven years I have been practising my internal energy kung fu industriously - my physical combat skills have thus became somewhat rusty. Naturally, I am not a match for either of you.”

From the waist of the mountain below, a cry rang. ”That madam up there, what are you trying to do with my child? Return him to me!”

Before the voice ceased, a man has already leaped towards the peak, his body movements fluid and agile. He was in his forties, and wore bronze-coloured clothes of satin, his hand wielding a long sword.

The Divine Croc hollered, ”Who are you, punk? How dare you make so much noise here! Were you the one who stole my disciple?”

”This mister is the renowned master of the East Faction ”No Measure Sword”, Zuo Zi Mu. His swordplay is not worth a single comment, but his baby sure is an adorable one,” explained a laughing Second Madam Ye.

Realization dawned on Mu Wan Qing.

Second Madam Ye was unable to search for a kid in Mt. No Measure; as a result, she decided to do with the child of the master of No Measure Sword sect.

”Mister Zuo, your darling son is so lovable and interesting. Once I'm done hugging him, I will return him to you tomorrow. Fret not.”

Second Madam Ye then kissed Shan Shan's cheek and ruffled his hair gently, her eyes filled with motherly warmth. Shan Shan saw his father and began to cry, ”Daddy! Daddy!”

Zuo Zi Mu extended his left hand and walked closer towards his child, as he implored, ”My child is extremely playful; there is nothing fun about him, so please return him immediately, and I will be eternally grateful to you.”

The moment he saw his son, his tone changed abruptly from rough to soft. He feared that this woman might suddenly exert force and strangle his son to death.

The Divine Croc chuckled, ”This madam is ”No Evil Left Undone”, Third Madam Ye. Even if the Emperor's son landed in her arms, chances of her returning the baby are zero.”

Cold sweat poured down Zuo's back, as he began to tremble. ”You… You are Third Madam Ye? So Second Madam Ye … Second Madam Ye is related to you in… in what way?”

He has heard of the dreaded name of the ”Four Arched Villains”, and remembered the person ranked second among the Four Villains was a lady called Second Madam Ye, who loved snatching an infant by day to play and tease until evening, which she would then brutally torture the poor kid to death. The last thing he wanted was that this ”Third Madam Ye” was somehow related to Second Madam Ye, say, as sisters, and that both of them somehow shared the same insane habit.

Second Madam Ye gave a coquettish laughter and said, ”Don't listen to his nonsense. I am Second Madam Ye. Since when have there been a Third Madam Ye?”

All colour drained out of Zuo Zi Mu's face. When he realized his child has been snatched away, he tried all his might to chase the abductor; however, he realized her kung fu was way above his. Initially, he thought since he had not been acquainted with this lady who snatched his child, she wouldn't harm Shan Shan since they haven't had any past grudges or feuds. It was only until this point that he knew this lady was in fact Second Madam Ye - he felt all the words he had initially wanted to say glued themselves to his throat, be they pleading or demanding.

Second Madam Ye held Shan Shan's palm and examined it closely under the sun. Following that, she checked the colour of his blood and clucked her tongue in praise - as though he was an animal in the market, awaiting to be fed and eventually slaughtered for food. ”What a healthy young boy he is! Look at his glowing smooth skin, and his blood - scarlet and crystal clear, almost transparent! After all, he is the child of a wulin pugilist; therefore he is undoubtedly much more special compared with those children raised in a farm.”

Watching the hungry, ravenous look in her eyes, which looked as though she was about to eat Shan Shan alive in no time, Zuo Zi Mu wasn't willing to give up without a fight, even though he knew he was no match for her. Overwhelmed with fury, he unleashed the stance ”White Rainbow pierces the Sun”.

His sword lunged at Second Madam Ye's throat.

A faint laughter emitted from Second Madam Ye; she gently held the infant at the path of the sword. Had Zuo Zi Mu continued this strike, his child would undoubtedly be killed.

Fortunately, he was quite experienced in the fields of swordplay. While this stance was at its peak of motion, he swiftly retracted the force behind the sword, and the tip of the blade wavered briefly in the air, before a second flash of light blinked. This time round, the sword went for Second Madam's right shoulder.

Instead of evading this strike, Second Madam Ye shifted Shan Shan's body once again, and held him in front of her. In the swift blink of an eye, Zuo Zi Mu stabbed four times, yet all Second Madam Ye did was to lazily change the position of Shan Shan's body. All four vicious stances he pulled on her could only be used halfway and had to be forcibly stopped by the user himself. After all these stances have completed, Shan Shan began to bawl in fright.

After being chased round the mountain thrice - all thanks to Divine Croc - plus having to tolerate the heart-wrenching pain of watching two precious fingers of his Steel Claw snipped off, Yun Zhong He felt himself boiling with anger. With the unbearable fury threatening to erupt from within him, he soared into the air, thrusting out his Left Steel Claw towards Zuo Zi Mu's head.

Lifting his sword, Zuo Zi Mu performed the stroke ”Ten Thousand Plants Vie for Glamour” in an effort to parry Yun Zhong He's move. In an instant, madly-dancing sword sparks enshrouded the top of his head, shielding his upper body against Yun Zhong He's attacks.

A

dang

sound echoed in the air: both weapons clashed with each other.

Following that, Zuo Zi Mu unleashed the stance ”Pushes Boat towards the Water Current”, sending the blade of his sword towards Yun Zhong He's throat. All of a sudden, the fingers of a Steel Claw closed onto the blade, trapping the sword.

Zuo Zi Mu would never anticipate this even in his wildest dreams, but he was unwilling to release his sword just like this. He immediately channeled his internal energy, trying fruitlessly to release the sword from his opponent's grip.

With a

pu

, Yun Zhong He's right Steel Claw sank into Zuo Zi Mu's shoulder. Fortunately, with two fingers on the Steel Claw snipped off, the damage inflicted on Zuo Zi Mu wasn't too bad. However, it was enough to cause some severe bleeding. Now that he had three steel fingers firmly closed on to his opponent's shoulder bone, Yun Zhong He took this opportunity to leap forward and kicked him forcefully.

These movements were like a leap of a rabbit or the swooping down of a crane: not only were they incredibly nifty, they were also totally unpredictable - impossible to block. Even the leader of a powerful sect like Zuo Zi Mu had absolutely no chance of defending himself.

”Number Four,” the Divine Croc praised, ”these few strokes aren't too bad, at least they aren't too embarrassing.”

Second Madam Ye giggled again, ”Leader Zuo, have you seen our Number One before?”

Zuo Zi Mu's right shoulder bone remained clutched onto painfully by Yun Zhong He's Steel Claw; he wasn't able to move an inch. He tried hard to bear the pain and answered with gritted teeth, ”Who is your Number One? I have never seen him before.”

The Divine Croc joined in the interrogation. ”Have you seen my disciple before?”

”Who is your disciple? I have never seen him before.”

The Divine Croc roared furiously. ”Since you do not know who my disciple is, how could you say you have never seen him before? Fart your mother's ****** ***** ***! Third sister, quick! Let's devour his son alive!”

Second Madam Ye laughed, ”Your second sister doesn't eat little infants. Leader Zuo, please leave, we don't want to take your life.”

”Since you don't want to take my life, second … Second Madam Ye, please return my child to me, I will go search for three to four kids for you to play with. I shall be eternally grateful to you.”

”That's fine with me, go search for eight little kids and I shall return your son to you. We have four people here in total, each of us shall carry two children each, and that should be enough to satisfy my needs for eight days. Number Four, release him.”

Yun Zhong He smirked as he released the trigger. Teeth still gritted, Zuo Zi Mu stood up, and bowed deeply towards Second Madam Ye; he then extended his arms to hug his child.

Second Madam Ye laughed. ”Being a man from the pugilistic fraternity, how could you not know the basic rules? Until you finally get eight kids prepared for an exchange, do you think I will casually return the child to you?”

Seeing Shan Shan in her hands, Zuo Zi Mu felt displeased, but as a victim of circumstances, he could only nod and said gloomily, ”I will pick eight fattest children for you to play with, please treat my child with good care.”

Second Madam Ye ignored him. She cradled the child, humming a tune, before saying, ”Little grandson, your nanny adores you so much.”

Zuo Zi Mu understood the meaning behind calling Shan Shan ”grandson”: Second Madam Ye was implying she was now his mother. Unable to laugh nor cry, he turned to his son and said, ”Shan Shan be obedient. Daddy will come and hug you as soon as I can.”

Seeing his father leave, Shan Shan bawled noisily, struggling to jump into his father's arms. Zuo Zi Mu couldn't bear to leave his child; he cast a sideways glance at Shan Shan a few more times, before holding on to his injured shoulder and turned around, slowly descending the mountain.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound shook the air; it seemed to be coming from behind the mountain. The whistling kept sounding continually; it seemed like it will never fade.

Both the Divine Croc and Yun Zhong He had glee written all over their faces.

”Number One is finally here!”

Both leapt towards the direction of the whistling sound, vanishing from sight almost instantly like gases diffusing into the air. However, Second Madam Ye seemed oblivious of the sound; instead she continued playing with Shan Shan, until her gaze fell on Mu Wan Qing.

She simpered, ”Miss Mu, you have such gorgeous eyes on your mesmerizing face, this is absolutely intolerable. Leader Zuo, help do me a favour and dig out this lady's eyeballs.”

Now that his son was being held captive, Zuo Zi Mu had no choice but to obey. ”Miss Mu, it's best that you follow according to Second Madam Ye's instructions, it will save you much pain and suffering,” said Zuo, as he brandished his sword at her direction, before stabbing the sword towards her.

”Despicable lowlife!” Mu Wan Qing shrieked. She pulled out her sword and swung it at Zuo's left shoulder. Three strokes were exchanged; suddenly, Mu Wan Qing's body swerved as she threw out her left arm.

Chi! Chi! Chi!

Three poisonous arrows flew towards Second Madam Ye, attempting to attack her off-guard.

”Don't hurt my child!” Zuo Zi Mu yelled.

What Mu Wan Qing did not expect was that as speedy her poison arrows might be, all it took of Second Madam Ye was a mere whisk of her left sleeve and all three arrows were wrapped, instantly, into a harmless bundle; she then disposed them off easily by throwing the arrows aside. When that was done, she conveniently removed Shan Shan's shoe and flung it towards Mu Wan Qing's back.

Mu Wan Qing heard something soaring towards her from behind. She hastily swung her sword to the back, trying to knock it away. Unfortunately, her injury caused her to hold the sword at a wrong angle, such that the shoe was able to slide down the surface of her sword upon contact and struck her right waist with a loud

pu

sound.

As Second Madam Ye tossed the shoe, she imbued her internal energy into the shoe, Mu Wan Qing tried desperately to use her own internal energy to resist that of Second Madam Ye. However, in the process of all this she was unable to take even a single breath and thus became momentarily paralyzed. No longer being able to hold onto her sword, she released her grip on the weapon as it fell with a loud ”qiang-lang”. The very next thing she knew, a second shoe was soaring towards her, striking her chest.

Mu Wan Qing's eyes saw nothing but darkness; she was unable to hold on any longer and collapsed. Zuo Zi Mu's sword swerved abruptly and aimed towards her chest; meanwhile, he extended his left hand to gouge out her right eye.

”Brother Duan!” cried Mu Wan Qing as she jumped towards the blade; she'd rather die under the sword than undergo the excruciating torture - and humiliation - of getting her eyes gorged out.

Zuo Zi Mu pulled back his sword to prevent killing her; suddenly he felt something mighty tugging at his wrists. In an instant, he lost control of the sword; it flew towards the skies upon release. The powerful force he'd just experienced forced him back several steps.

All three of them gasped as they watched the sword flying in mid-air. A soft, thin rope wrapped around the blade of the sword, an iron metal handle was attached to the other end of the rope; it was held onto by a soldier in yellow garments. This man appeared to be around in his thirties; the heroism expressed in his facial features was impressive yet frightening. A cold sneer spread across his face.

Second Madam Ye recognized this man as the very person who battled with Yun Zhong He seven days ago, and knew that his martial arts are not weak; in fact, his martial arts were only a notch weaker than hers. She was not afraid of him; however, she feared that his companions have arrived too.

And indeed, another yellow-clothed soldier stood at the East, an axe tied to his waist.

Before she could say another word, noises rumbled loudly from behind her. She turned around and saw two more yellow-clothed soldiers standing at the South-East and the South-West direction. Like the two soldiers who first arrived, they had uncarved gems on their collar and looked like military officers. The soldier at the North-East wielded a pair of judge pens, while the other at the North-West held a staff forged using refined copper, which was so tall it reached his eyebrows.

All four men stood around the corners of the peak, forming an enclosed wall around the three.

Zuo Zi Mu called out loudly, ”So the four honorable Dali palace guardians Chu, Gu, Fu, Zhu have arrived. Zuo Zi Mu from No Measure Sword pays his respect here.” After speaking, he bowed courteously to them.

Palace guardian Zhu Dan Chen, the man wielding the pair of judge pens clasped his fist respectfully in the direction of Zuo Zi Mu. The other three military officers, however, ignored him.

Chu Wan Li, the palace guardian who arrived first among the four, brandished the metal handle in his hand, causing the sword trapped in mid-air by his rope to vibrate vigorously. The reflection caused by the sun rays made the sword sparkle beautifully like stars in the night, as he sneered, ”No Measure Sword is quite a powerful sect in Dali, but nobody expected the leader of the sect to be such a despicable creature. Where is Young Master Duan?”

Initially, all that Mu Wan Qing could think of was suicide and more suicide. Now that a potential saviour has arrived, these thoughts were replaced immediately by relief and joy. Hearing this palace guardian enquiring about Duan Yu, she suddenly felt as if this stranger were a close relative of hers.

Zuo Zi Mu murmured, ”Young... Young Master Duan? Ah yes, I saw him a few days ago, but I have no clue to where he is now.”

”Young Master Duan has been tortured to death by this evil lady's brother,” Mu Wan Qing pointed an accusing finger at Second Madam Ye, before adding, ”That man was named something like 'To The Core Evil' Yun Zhong He; he looks so skinny and tall I could compare him to a bamboo.”

”What? That man killed Young Master?” Chu Wan Li gasped.

Grief and fury overwhelmed Fu Si Gui, the palace guardian weilding the copper staff. ”Young Master Duan,” he bellowed, the copper staff in his hands lunging towards the top of Second Madam Ye's head. It looked almost ready to slam down onto her head. ”I will avenge your death!”

With a flash Second Madam Ye evaded Fu Si Gui's moves as her body streaked about, while she shrieked, ”Aiyo! My little babies, you, Dali's four palace guardians surnamed Chu, Gu, Fu and Zhu. How could you kiddies die so young? How can mummy not feel miserable? You little unfortunate babies, wait for mummy while in hell!”

Chu, Gu, Fu and Zhu palace guardians were only slightly younger than her, yet Second Madam Ye kept calling out ”my little children” and ”unfortunate babies”, claiming to be their mother.

Fu Si Gui looked murderous; he swung his copper staff viciously about, creating fierce swishing noises in the air. In an instant, his copper staff dissolved into a yellow mist which enclosed Second Madam Ye in between.

Holding onto Zuo Zi Mu's son, Second Madam Ye's weaving body penetrated every opening in the flurry of her opponent's stances, evading every single stroke of the copper staff. As she dodged about, the child in her arms started crying.

Zuo Zi Mu anxiously cried for everybody to stop fighting, now that he feared that his child might get hurt. ”Both of you stop fighting! Both of you stop fighting!”

Another palace guardian withdrew his axe and bellowed, ”'No Evil left Undone' Second Madam Ye certainly lives up to her name. Allow me Gu Du Cheng to challenge your amazing skills.”

As soon as his voice can be heard, Gu Du Cheng went rolling on the floor. His hand shot out suddenly, as he hacked at her legs with the strongest move of his ”Viciously Intersecting Eighteen Axes”. Axes seemed to appear from both sides of her body; they closed in towards her and began striking brutally from all directions.

Second Madam Ye laughed, ”This child is such an obstruction. You kill him first.”

With that, she shifted Shan Shan towards the blade of the axe. Gu Du Cheng gasped and withdrew his axe immediately. Without missing a beat, Second Madam Ye seized this chance to launch a flying kick at his shoulder. Fortunately, this kick only caused him to stagger without suffering from any injury, for Gu Du Cheng had quite a muscular build. Recovering from the pain, he immediately jumped up and attack.

However, Second Madam Ye had the child as a form of shield; as such, Gu Du Cheng and Fu Si Gui's attacks met with restrictions everywhere: neither of them had the intention of harming the little infant.

Zuo Zi Mu shouted again, ”Careful, my child is in her hands! Careful! Careful! Brother Fu, your staff is a little bit too high. Brother Gu, your axe mustn't… mustn't get too close to my child.”

Amidst all the mess, the melodious sound of a flute resounded in the air from the mountain ridge. It sounded clear, loud and intense. Shortly after, the music seemed to be coming from nearby. From behind the mountain, a middle-aged man sauntered into view, wearing large robes and sleeves. He had three tufts of beard and had a lofty appearance. He walked gracefully towards them, playing the metal flute in his hands as he did so.

Zhu Dan Chen darted towards his side and whispered something into his ear. The stranger continued playing the flute; the tune was melodious and relaxing; this stranger calmly walked towards the site where they were battling earlier.

Suddenly, the flute rang loudly, causing the people around him to clutch their ears for dear life as if their eardrums were about to explode. He then covered all the holes in the flute with all ten fingers, as he gathered energy and blew into it with force. A ferocious gust of wind burst out from the other end of the flute, searing towards Second Madam Ye's face.

Shocked, Second Madam Ye turned around and evaded the blow; as she did so, she felt one end of the flute pressing at her throat.

Both movements were frighteningly quick; even for a person with such speedy reflexes like Second Madam Ye, she was rendered quite helpless when faced with such a situation. Raising her waist slightly, she forced herself to retreat many feet backwards. As she did so, she suddenly hurled Shan Shan's body downwards while extending her arms, trying to grab the metal flute.

Before the infant touched the floor, the stranger wearing huge robes threw out his sleeve; they curled around the infant and lifted it, harmlessly.

The very moment when Second Madam Ye's hand grabbed the metal flute, she felt as though she were holding a burning piece of coal! She gasped in shock and leapt backwards, releasing the flute immediately as she did so; she wondered whether the flute was coated with poison.

The stranger flung his sleeves; Shan Shan's body flew steadily towards Zuo Zi Mu.

Second Madam Ye glanced sideways and noticed the stranger's palms was as scarlet as blood.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

The flute was actually not coated with poison at all; instead, it was his internal energy all along which made the metal flute burn as though it had just came out of a furnace.

Retreating a few steps in fear, she laughed, ”This mister's kung fu is indeed almighty, it is unimaginable that such a small country like Dali have such a powerful figure. May I ask for your honorable name?”

The stranger returned a faint smile. ”It is such an honour to have Second Madam Ye's arrival here at our tiny boundary. It is fortunate, indeed fortunate of us, and hence we, the citizens of Dali, should welcome you gracefully as your host.”

Surprise and happiness welled inside Zuo Zi Mu's heart as he hugged his son tightly, blurting out, ”Your excellency must be Lord... Lord Gao?”

The stranger did not reply, instead he returned another faint smile, before facing Second Madam Ye and inquired her politely, ”Where is Mister Duan? Please do tell.”

”I do not know his whereabouts, and even if I do, why should I tell you?” sneered Second Madam Ye.

With that, she sprang into the air; her soaring body was about to land onto the peak of a mountain nearby.

”Halt!” The wide-robed stranger cried, his body soaring after her.

Suddenly, several gleaming lights dazzled before his eyes. Upon closer look, they were in actual fact seven to eight hidden projectiles speeding towards him in mid-air - each of them aiming for them various acupoints on his head.

Waving his metal flute swiftly, the stranger made every single projectile drop simultaneously onto the floor below. It was, however, too late to apprehend Second Madam Ye as she took this opportunity to escape. Her shadow weaved and flashed about, and it was impossible to catch her anymore owing to the now huge distance between her and himself. He turned to look at the ”hidden projectiles” on the ground; they were in fact a variety of mere accessories that a child has on him or her. There was a longevity tablet, mini-lock, gold and silver items, etc.

”These are objects of the many children she has killed. If this menace isn't removed, heaps of infants will fall prey in the country of Dali.” He mused.

Chu Wan Li waved the metal handle in his hands. The soft rope uncurled itself, sending the sword flying towards Zuo Zi Mu, hilt facing him. Embarrassed, Zuo Zi Mu extended his arm and caught onto his sword. Under such embarrassing circumstances, he couldn't say a word.

Chu Wan Li then turned around to ask Mu Wan Qing, ”What has truly happened to Mister Duan? Had he really been killed by Yun Zhong He?”

These people seem to be Brother Duan's friends, I'll better tell them the truth, and we shall go search for him at the other side of the cliff.

Mu Wan Qing thought. As she opened her mouth to speak, she heard somebody crying out anxiously from the waist of the mountain, sounding half-dead, ”Miss Mu... Miss Mu... Are you still there? Divine Croc, here I come, I beseech you not to hurt Miss Mu! Regarding the matter of acknowledging you as master, we shall discuss that in the future... Miss Mu, Miss Mu, are you alright?”

The wide-robed stranger and the military officers cried in joy. ”Young Master is here!”

During the long suffering wait for Duan Yu for seven long days, the emotional agony in her heart was able to rival her physical pain; until now was she finally able to hear his voice again; as surprise and relief overwhelmed her, she lost consciousness.

Everything is in a state of blur. Mu Wan Qing heard someone calling softly, anxiously into her ear.

”Miss Mu, Miss Mu, please... please wake up!” All feelings and memories flooded back into her mind. She began to gain consciousness, and soon found herself in the arms of somebody. Somebody was hugging her tightly, she instinctively tried to jump away from this person's arms, but then a thought entered her mind: This must be Brother Duan. Her heart was full of sweetness, yet at the same time she tasted bitterness, and as she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a pair of clear eyes, like that of a river during autumn.

Who else could it be besides Duan Yu?

His voice was full of relief. ”Ah, you have finally awakened!”

Tears rolled down Mu Wan Qing's cheeks as she raised her hand and gave him a painful slap. However, she continued to lean on his body, as her now depleted body made leaping out of his arms impossible.

Carressing his own face, Duan Yu laughed, ”You fierce lady! How dare you hit me for no reason?” Later, he added, ”Where is Divine Croc? Wasn't he waiting for me earlier?”

”He has been waiting for you for seven days and seven nights, wasn't that enough? He left.”

Upon hearing these words, Duan Yu looked as though he was revitalized; he cheered gleefully. ”Excellent! Excellent! I was in such a loss earlier, if he was to force me to become his disciple, I… I don't know what I am supposed to do.”

”Since you are unwilling to become his disciple, why bother coming here?”

Duan Yu replied in surprise. ”Eh? You were held hostage by him, right? If I am not to come, won't he be going to harm you then? How could I let this happen?”

Sweetness filled Mu Wan Qing's heart, her following words in stark contrast to her feelings. ”Hmph! You, totally evil and heartless creep, why haven't you search for me during these seven days?”

Duan Yu sighed, ”I was held captive and couldn't escape. However, I thought of you whole day and night everyday, the anxiety in my heart was tormenting me so badly. The moment I could escape, I went searching for you immediately.”

*

That very day when the Divine Croc abducted Mu Wan Qing, leaving a flustered, agonised Duan Yu alone at the mountain peak.

I'd better beg that villain to keep me under his tutelage; in this case Miss Mu's life wouldn't be in such danger,

Duan Yu thought.

But if I were to become a disciple of that villain, and learn that noisy-cracking neck-breaking skill, things will become terrible. After teaching me these skills, he would get me to perform this horrid skill on innocent people, and I will be breaking the necks of one after another, that is totally horrible! Fortunately, this villain is quite reasonable, albeit cruel and vicious, if I were to debate with him once more, there is a possibility of getting him to release Miss Mu and not keeping me under his tutelage.

As he paced back and forth, his mind was filled with a never-ending stream of thoughts; suddenly, he felt a pain in his abdomen. A thought struck him.

Aiyoh! This is not good! How could I have forgotten? I have already acknowledged Dear Goddess as my master, so I'm a disciple of Xiao Yao Sect. As a disciple of Xiao Yao Sect, how can I change sects? Right, I am going to reason with that villain, and I must hear him say once again 'This makes sense'.

What if

, he suddenly thought,

that villain wanted me to display the kung fu of Xiao Yao Sect, I couldn't do anything at all; the Divine Croc surely wouldn't be convinced of my being a disciple of Xiao Yao Sect.

Dear Goddess had instructed me to practice the divine martial arts in that scroll thrice everyday--morning, afternoon and night.

However, having experienced the most dangerous and busiest times of his life, he barely even touched it.

I deserved death

, he mused.

Guilt-stricken, he reached into his robes to pull out the scroll. Suddenly he heard footsteps from behind; as he turned to look, he gasped in shock. In front of him were a huge crowd of very familiar people, all of whom were walking along the side of the cliff.

The first person was the leader of Divine Farmer Clan, Si Kong Xuan. Behind him stood Zuo Zi Mu, the leader of the East Faction and Xin Shuang Qing, leader of West Faction of No Measure Sword. The rest were disciples of the three Sects. The sight of everybody crowding together puzzled Duan Yu. Weren't these people fighting their all with each other earlier?

Not bad,

he thought,

these guys were finally able to convert their enmity towards one another into one of friendshipfriendship.

The huge crowd of people made two rows at each side of the cliff, as they bowed courteously, as though awaiting the arrival of someone of high power and authority.

Shades of green flashed; eight ladies appeared, all of them leaping up the side of the cliff. They all wore a emerald cape that had a large vulture embroidered onto it.

I am going to die,

Duan Yu thought in fear. He could recognise the clothing the ladies were wearing, anytime.

Four ladies stood at each side. One more lady dressed in green walked up the peak of the mountain. She was only in her twenties, her facial features clear and beautiful. However, her eyebrows seemed to conceal a murderous air. She glared at Duan Yu and snapped, ”Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Duan Yu felt immense relief upon hearing these words.

This lady has yet to know it was me and Miss Mu who had killed her four friends and attempted to disguise ourselves as the sacred heralds of the Nimble Vulture Palace. Since that cape has been wrapped on the obese Granny Ping, and Miss Mu's cape has disappeared into the Lan Chan River, these ladies have no evidence at all, so I can easily push away all charges made against me then.

”I am Duan Yu from the country of Dali, and had once become a guest in Mister Zuo's No Measure palace with a friend of mine….”

”Buddy Duan,” Zuo Zi Mu interrupted hastily. ”No Measure Sword has currently been submitted to the great subordinates of Nimble Vulture Palace. No Measure Palace has now been renamed No Measure Cave; hence the three words 'No Measure Palace' will now cease to exist.”

What a brilliant idea,

Duan Yu thought amusedly to himself,

now that you were defeated by others, you admitted defeat and surrendered!

”Congratulations! Congratulations!” Duan Yu smiled, ”Mister Zuo has finally forsaken the dark side and has now seen the light! This is something worth celebrating…”

When have I been in the ”dark side”, and what ”light” have I seen?

Zuo Zi Mu thought to himself; however, these words cannot be spoken aloud; all he could do was to return a forced smile.

Duan Yu continued, ”I have earlier witnessed a misunderstanding that occured between this Leader Si Kong and Leader Zuo, and had attempted to clear the dispute. Unfortunately, things were messed up even further: I had to retrieve an antidote under the orders of Leader Si Kong. Little did I expect to meet the Divine Croc Yue Number Three, who said I am of high intelligence and forced me to become a disciple of his. I told him I know no kung fu, yet this villain was such an unreasonable creep; he abducted me and brought me here, and gave me no other choices besides acknowledging him as my master. I feel so helpless…”

Following that, he bowed courteously and said, ”How am I to escape from this impossibly high precipice? Answering Missy's question pertaining to what am I doing here, I just have to say I am awaiting death.”

Nothing Duan Yu has just said was false, the earlier part of what he had said was true, the later part was not false in every aspect; all he did was to omit a huge portion of what happened in the middle.

Confucius omitted the words ”Spring Autumn” in his work, he narrates but doesn't create it

, Duan Yu mused.

Omitting portions of text is not against the way of the sages, only when one lies then he wouldn't be a true gentleman.

”En,” the lady replied softly, before continuing, ”So the Four Villains have indeed arrived at Dali. What kind of 'high intelligence' do you possess which made Yue Number Three wants nothing better than to make you his disciple?”

Before the reply came, her gaze swept towards Sikong Xuan and Zuo Zi Mu and inquired, ”his words aren't false, are they?”

”Indeed, ” Zuo Zi Mu replied.

”Reporting Sacred Herald,” Si Kong Xuan spoke, ”This lad knows no kung fu, all he knew was to create a mess out of everything.”

”According to the both of you, there were two creeps who had the audacity to disguise as my sisters and escaped to this peak. Where are they?” The lady spoke, once again turning towards Duan Yu. ”Mister Duan, did you happen to see two ladies dressed in a green cape just like us?”

”Nope,” Duan Yu replied. ”I have not seen anybody dressed up like you, sister.”

The two impostors disguising as you people weren't ”two ladies”

, Duan Yu thought, searching for an excuse to justify his statement so as to not make it a lie and go against his principles:

They were a man and a lady, and without a mirror, I can't see how I look like, as for Miss Mu, she is only ”one” lady, not ”two ladies”

.

Nodding her head, the lady turned towards Si Kong Xuan and said, ”You must have been a subordinate of Nimble Vulture Palace for quite a long time?”

Si Kong Xuan replied tremulously, ”Yes…. I have been a subordinate for - for eight years….”

The lady spoke again, ”What a fool you have been, not even able to recognize us sisters. What help can you do for Kid Nanny? Regarding this year's antidote for your Life-Death Insignia, you won't have any hope.”

A despondent look fell over his ashen face; he knelt on the floor and began kowtowing to the lady as he begged, ”Have mercy Sacred Herald! Have mercy Sacred Herald!”

This goatie hasn't died yet; Miss Mu must have given him some fake antidote, or did the people from the Nimble Vulture Palace give him some miraculous medicine?

Duan Yu thought in puzzlement,

and what on earth is the ”antidote for Life-Death Insignia”?

Ignoring Sikong Xuan, the lady turned her attention towards Xin Shuang Qing. ”Bring Mister Duan down with you. If the Four Villains dare to create any trouble, tell them to find me at Obscure Peak, Nimble Vulture Palace! I shall leave the matter of apprehending the two impostors to the people of No Measure Cave. Hehe…. What audacity! Those two traitors Gan Guang Hao and Ge Guang Pei must be brought back and slain. If any of you sees my four sisters, inform them to return to Nimble Vulture Palace, I shan't wait for them any longer.”

Every sentence she spoke, Xin Shuang Qing replied another, making sure his eyes do not meet the lady's ones. After she finished speaking, the lady walked down the peak herself without even giving a final look at the crowd. The eight women accompanying her followed closely and left.

Si Kong Xuan was kneeling on the floor all this while, the moment the nine women left the peak, he immediately leapt towards the side of the cliff, yelling ”Sacred Herald Fu, please pass this message of mine to Kid Nanny, Si Kong Xuan has let her down.”

As he said so, he sprang to the other side of the cliff and dived towards River Lan Chan miles below. Everybody called aloud in shock. Divine Farmer Clan members rushed quickly towards the side of the cliff.

Turbid waves billowed and surged past fiercely; their Clan leader was nowhere to be seen. Many of the clan disciples began to weepy and started pounding their chests in agony.

Seeing the way their leader Si Kong Xuan had ended, the disciples of No Measure Sword stared at each other in dismay.

Leader Si Kong's death is partly my fault

, a remorseful Duan Yu thought sadly.

”Take care of Mister Duan as you bring him down,” ordered Xin Shuang Qing, as he pointed towards two male disciples of the East Faction of No Measure Sword. The two men, named Yu Guang Biao and Wu Guang Sheng, bowed and complied.

Duan Yu finally reached the foot of the hill after a very long walk as he was being hauled by the two men. He took a deep breath and cupped his hands courteously to Zuo Zi Mu and Xin Shuang Qing, saying ”I thank the both of you sincerely for escorting me down the mountain, let's part our ways here.”

His eyes darted around and he spotted the mountain the Divine Croc was pointing at earlier, as he thought in dismay, climbing up this mountain must be harder than descending that mountain by manifolds.

I doubt the people of No Measure Sword will be that nice to carry me up that hill, I'll just have to save Miss Mu with all I can,

he mused.

To his shock, Xin Shuang Qing said, ”Please do not hurry away and do accompany me back to No Measure Cave.”

”No,” Duan Yu said in alarm, ”No, I have many things to do for the moment, I can't comply today. Apologies. Apologies.”

”Hng!” Xin Shuang Qing humphed and made a hand signal. Both Yu and Wu immediately stretched their arms and locked his arms tightly with theirs and continued moving ahead.

”Hey! Hey! Leader Xin, Leader Zuo, I have never offended the both of you in any way. That Sacred Herald sister has commanded the both of you to escort me down the mountain, now we have descended the mountain and I have thanked you people. What more do you want from me?”

(Briefly edited by lilchilipepper)

Neither Xin Shuang Qing nor Zuo Zi Mu bothered to listen. Seized tightly captive between Yu and Wu, Duan Yu had no choice save to follow them back to the No Measure Cave.

The two men brought Duan Yu past five houses and through a large garden before stopping in front of three small houses. Wu Guang Sheng opened the door, while Yu Guang Biao pushed him firmly forwards. As soon as Duan Yu stumbled into the house, the door closed behind him with a resounding clicking sound. The door had been locked, and he was now efficiently trapped within.

”How unreasonable can you No Measure Sword people get? How can you all treat me like a criminal? It's not as if No Measure Sword is the authorities. How could you imprison people for absolutely no reason?” Duan Yu called out.

The noises outside ceased instantly. Despite all of his shouting and screaming, nobody seemed to notice him at all.

Duan Yu sighed,

Since things happened this way, let it be. All I can do now is to await my fate.

The descent from the mountain had exhausted him sorely, and, upon seeing a bed and a table in the room, he immediately reclined on the bed and fell asleep.

Before long, a person came to serve him food; surprisingly, it did not taste awful. Turning to the servant who brought the food, Duan Yu spoke, ”Go and report to your two leaders. Tell them I have a word to…” Before he could finish saying what he wanted to say, he heard Yu Guang Biao roaring gruffly outside the door.

”That little lad whose surname is Duan, you had better keep your mouth shut. I could care less whether you want to sleep or lie down, but if I hear just one more sound coming from you, expect no more mercy from us. You speak one sentence, and I will return it with a slap. Two sentences, two slaps, another three will get you three from me. Surely you know how to count?”

Duan Yu instantly fell silent.

These barbarians will truly not hesitate to do something they have threatened. When Miss Mu slapped me, my cheeks were certainly in pain, but there was sweetness in my heart. If these guys slapped me, things definitely would be far different.

He finished three large bowls of rice and rested on the bed again.

I wonder if Miss Mu is alright now,

he thought in worry.

It would be best if she manages to shoot Divine Croc to death with her poisonous arrows, and then comes to rescue me. Ay, how could I actually hope for her to kill people?

Another string of thoughts swam around in his head before he finally gave a weary yawn and fell asleep.

This time, he slept until the following morning. Scanning the area around him, Duan Yu noticed that the furniture was crude and simple, as though they were placed here long ago. Metal chains lined the inside of the windows; it could not have been any more evident that this was the place in which the No Measure Sword held captives.

All the thoughts of his current dilemma-namely, locked in a room while pressed for time-vanished as he stared at the cavernous space before him. The first notion that came to his mind was to practice the Divine Skill of the Northern Darkness as Dear Goddess had instructed him.

He reached into his robes, removed the scroll, and placed it on the table. Remembering the nude pictures in the paintings, his heart began palpitating furiously. He straightened his robes and set himself in a meditating position-endeavoring with great difficulty to stop his face from reddening any further-as he thought silently,

Dear Goddess, I am here to follow your instructions and to practice the divine art you have told me to. I'm not trying to steal a look at your ethereal figure. Forgive me for being disrespectful...

He slowly unrolled the scroll and began reading the words that appeared behind the first painting. To him, reading these words was as simple as eating rice at home; he skimmed through the words, and he instantly understood the meaning. After the second reading, he had them all memorized, and, by the third time, he had it all inside him. He dared not glance longer than necessary at the exposed paintings; rather he quickly studied the various meridians and acupoints on the picture before commencing his training.

The words on the scroll read: ”Our sect's internal energy is a total contrast to those of other sects, for internal energy cultivated using our methods flows in the opposite direction. As such, those who have already had practised internal energy training must forget those learnt in the past, and start training on the martial arts here diligently. If one has any stray thoughts left in one's mind, this may lead to two opposite forces clashing with each other, which would immediately result in fire deviation. The victim will go mad and vomit blood, which he or she would then become fully paralyzed; nothing could possibly be more dangerous than this.”

The words repeatedly reiterated this point, emphasizing the severity of the situation. However, Duan Yu never began any internal energy training before; therefore, he could conveniently move on without having to bother with this dangerous stage at all.

Within one hour, Duan Yu had managed to follow the written instructions and memorized all the channels, meridians, and acupoints of the Lung Meridians* correctly. However, his body did not possess even the slightest trace of internal energy; as a result, he naturally would not be able to channel his non-existent internal energy to move through his meridians.

(End of editing work)

Following that, Duan Yu commenced his cultivation on his ”Ren Meridians”. This particular meridian route begins at the 'Yin Gathering' pressure point located in the perineum. The route moves up various pressure points like the 'Crooked Bone', 'Centre Extremity', 'Closed Energy', 'Rock Entrance', going past the abdomen, chest, the throat and ends at the 'Broken Foundation' pressure point which resides at the space between his lower jaws.

Although there were numerous pressure points along the Ren Meridians, the path of the meridian was entirely straight, which made it easy for Duan Yu to practice. In an instant, Duan Yu memorized the positions and names for the various pressure points. He reached out his hands to touch those pressure points he had just learnt. As it was mentioned in the scroll earlier, he had to cultivate his internal energy through his meridians - in the reverse way. As such, he had to cultivate his internal energy from his 'Broken Foundation' pressure point, down the 'Liquid Receiving', 'Incorrupt Fountain', 'Abrupt Heavens' pressure points to his 'Yin Gathering' pressure point.

**The words in the painting read: The Ren Meridians and the Lungs Meridians are the cornerstones in the cultivation of our Divine Skill of the Northern Darkness. The 'Less Merchant' pressure point located at the thumb and the 'Shan Zhong' pressure point between the breasts are the most vital points of our skill, the former collecting internal energy whilst the latter accumulates and stores them.

The human body has four oceans: namely the 'Ocean of the Water and Rice' in the stomach, the 'Ocean of the Twelve Channels' in the Chong Meridians, the 'Ocean of Energies' in the Shan Zhong pressure point, and finally, the 'Ocean of the Marrow' in the Brain. The practice of storing food and water in the stomach is known throughout every human being the moment they were born; hence no special training is needed. However, the marvellous ability to absorb others' internal energy and store it in our own body can only be achieved by our Carefree Sect's Divine Skill of Northern Darkness.

Within a day, food and water collected in the stomach is absorbed and assimilated, however, the internal energy which a human absorbs accumulates after each absorption, becoming thicker and more abundant, resembling that of the enormous Ethereal Lake in the Dark North that could even float a gargantuan sea-monster whose size spans a thousand li.**

Duan Yu rolled the scroll and thought deeply:

This kung fu is purely beneficial to oneself at the expense of others. By absorbing the internal energy that others had practised industriously for years and using it as my own, wouldn't it be as cruel as consuming the flesh and blood of a fellow human being? Wouldn't it be as if I was to purloin the wealth of others and take them as my own, wouldn't I be cheating or doing something illegal then? But I have promised Dear Goddess to practise this martial arts, I can't break my promise…. Never mind, I will not absorb anybody's internal energy in my entire life.

Another occurred to him:

Uncle had constantly reminded me that when humans were first born into this world, they had neither food nor any clothes, and had nothing to use for survival. Even a bowl of porridge, rice or even a thread of clothing all had to be obtained by something else. The act of obtaining things from somebody else cannot be helped, but the real question is how are we able to repay those who had given us. What we obtained must be minimal, and we must always give out much, much more than what we take in. If one was to take in something from the wealthy and the evil, and give that stuff obtained to the poor and the needy, there would be nothing to feel guilty over; on the other hand, it is more of a charitable act done by a kind soul. This golden rule is the same in Buddhism and Confucianism. There is nothing wrong in offering ointment from the affluent to those who badly needs it, so long as my intention was purely for doing something for the needy. Doing as much charity as I can do to every soul under the skies would be like having Buddha in every household. The question is not about obtaining or not obtaining, but rather, to do charity or to do evil.

The moment Duan Yu understood this point, he no longer had any qualms on practising the Divine Skill of Northern Darkness anymore.

Translated by ani411

While Duan Yu had no misgivings in his heart about that matter, he thought again, ”In short, I should just do more good deeds in my life and never do bad things. Elephants can carry heavy loads of tons, crickets and ants can only drag little things; if you have a strong ability, you can do great good deeds, but you would also be able to do horribly bad things. With Divine Croc's abilities, if you only do good deeds, wouldn't it be greatly beneficial to everyone?” the moment he thought of this point, he felt that even if Divine Croc was his master, but he only twisted bad people's necks, it will seem as though ”This sentence seems to be logical.”

The scroll also had ways to cultivate the many other channels and meridians; all of them were for absorbing the internal energy of others. Although Duan Yu had no more qualms about that, he still felt that practicing it went against his personal character, just being greedy of much and determined to meet one's desires alone was already not a good thing and thus, he decided to ignore it.

At the end of the scroll, he saw again ”Graceful Steps upon the Waves” these words and immediately thought of the sentences in...

Translated by Pacifian